In this recap, I am going to share what we did at home for more hands-on learning related to Classical Conversations Cycle 3 Week 11: Bible, History, Geography, and Science memory work. I will also link our favorite picture books and share a look at my tutor board.
Let's dive right into what we did for Week 11!
Bible:
Resource: Foundations of the Bible vol.3 | Bible Memory Songs | Hymnology Cards
We finished learning about Paul’s letters this week. I think my favorite letter to learn about was Philemon. It’s only one chapter, but when you take the time to understand the Greco-Roman culture, the letter has much more meaning. In 2022, I wrote a blog post about Philemon and you can read that here.
Here’s a brief excerpt from Lesson 11 in the study:
Paul’s letter on behalf of Onesimus was an appeal for Philemon to forgive his slave, who was now his brother in Christ. Paul even stated that he would take on any of Onesimus’ debts as his own. In a sense, this was a parallel to what Jesus Christ did for Paul and for us. Jesus paid for our sins by dying on the cross, and our lives are indebted to Him forever.
Note: This study pairs with each week of the CC optional Bible memory work, but you can go at your own pace because there is SO much to learn. You can also jump in at any time — it’s not too late. Anyone can do this study, not just CC families.
History:
Resource: Story of the World Book (Match Up List)
This week, we learned about the Civil War. We grabbed several books on Abraham Lincoln and made an edible Lincoln log house. We used a small whipping cream carton, chocolate frosting, and pretzels. While they made the craft, I read some picture books to them. We also read a You Choose history book where the kids pick how they would have handled situations during the Civil War. My 8-year-old loves these books! (linked under library books below) 
Science:
Resources: Learning with Friends Year 3 Bundle | CC Connected Sandbox File
Activity: Hormone and receptor puzzle by Learning with Friends
We are learning about the endocrine system, and we used the activity suggestion from Learning with Friends. Since my kids enjoyed the activity so much, I decided to bring it to class and let my students do it too. We had different puzzle pieces to represent hormones and receptors. The kids had to find their partner to decode the message that their body had to do: i.e. dance, be an animal, slither like a snake, etc.
Geography:
Resources: CC Sandbox Geography page | Drawing the USA | Eat Your Way Through the USA Cookbook
We are done learning about our states and capitals, and we are now memorizing mountains. The kids are still using their maps by drawing where the mountain ranges are located. I personally think it’s much easier to draw them on the actual states like in the pictures below. It helped my students in class as well. I recommend grabbing the Draw the USA book if you want to learn how to draw all the states. That book helped me make my tutor board!
Tutor Tips:
Things that worked well this week:
- Action symbols for each number in math. We add more symbols each time we sing. Ex. Swirl for spin, “X” for jumping jack, up arrow to jump, etc. Each number is assigned as symbol that we have to do when we sing it in the song. You really have to pay attention and it's a lot of fun.
- Musical chairs for Latin
- Puzzle pieces for the endocrine system
- Singing “She’ll be Coming Around the Mountain” for Geography (see my YouTube video)
- Kids drawing the mirror image of their face for hands-on science.
Building Community:
This week, some women in my CC Community had a fun moms’ night out. We did a Christmas escape room together and then had appetizers afterward. I really encourage you to say “yes” to the invites within your community in order to build closer relationships. If you love planning, then be one of the moms who helps organize events. I am grateful for the moms who help plan our field trips, play dates, and moms’ nights out because they are a significant reason for our community’s closeness.
Library Books:
Here are some books we enjoyed this week, which happen to all be related to history.
- Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman — A little girl discovers facts about Lincoln like: he was our sixteenth president was a man who believed in freedom for all, had a dog named Fido, loved Mozart, apples, and his wife's vanilla cake, and kept his notes in his hat.
- Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Doreen Rappaport — Abe's Honest Words is a portrait of a truly great American president.
- The Civil War: an interactive history adventure by Matt Doeden — Will you: Fight for the Union at the Battle of Gettysburg? OR Serve with Stonewall Jackson as a Confederate soldier at the Battle of Chancellorsville? OR Try to survive the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, as a civilian?
- Mr. Lincoln's whiskers by Karen B. Winnick — Abraham Lincoln was the first President of the United States to wear a beard. What gave him the idea was a letter he received from an eleven-year-old girl from Westfield, New York named Grace Bedell.
YouTube: Week 11 Playlist
I created my first YouTube channel to record all the songs and hand motions I want to use with the kids. I've compiled each subject's songs into a weekly playlist. I create this primarily to help the parents in my class review the motions with their kids at home. I also think this is a great resource for other tutors to use to build their plans for the week.
If you are a parent and not tutoring, the "best practice" for CC is to let the tutor introduce the memory work in class for the first time on community day. You then review the week's memory work with your child until the next CC community day. You ideally use the methods you saw the tutor use in class at home with your child.
*Please note: Some links are affiliate links which provide a small commission to me at no additional expense to you. I appreciate your support by shopping through the links, thank you!
