Geography Through Living Stories

Every week we would read a living book that I selected for the civilization we were learning about. I gave a brief history lesson and then we took a look at our map and talked about the civilization at that time in history as well as about the modern nation that exists there today.  Then we would do our art project and at the very end the children would get a stamp on their geography passports!

I think geography is one of those subjects that you can study with intention, but that you can also work into your program without having to buy a text or workbook. Integrating several subjects this way offers your child a base of information from which they can build on.  So the next time they read about Egypt or Mesopotamia, they will remember the funny story you read or art project they did with that study and have something for which they can build additional knowledge on.

In the same way, you can have your child map where their reader take place or use an atlas to gain more information about a location’s people. We’ve been using our National Geographic Student Atlas of the World (Third Edition). You can see my full review on The Curriculum Choice. But there is a 4th edition now available, so if you’re buying new I’d recommend it as it may be more updated.

The way we study geography in our homeschool is pretty natural and often integrated with many topics of study and not just in history but in literature too!

I designed the whole Living Stories program I created to correlate with The Story of the World: Vol. 1 because that’s what Mechanical man and I have been using in our homeschool this year. This way we could also benefit from the course at home. I usually read the living books with him along with the chapter they complemented in SOTW. I did the same with the art lessons. You can learn more about how this program follows SOTW by following the Art Around the World Series!

Art Around the Ancient World- the line up:

The following lists each lesson by civilization, what each lesson’s focus will be, and the media/project tutorial.

• Prehistory– Cave Paintings– Painting the Ancient Way
• Sumerians – Ancient Writing -Cylinder Seals in Clay
• Egyptians – Egyptian Art – Text as Texture/ Egyptian Headdress
• Assyrians and Babylonians -Near East Metalworking –  Babylonian Art Lesson for Kids
• Phoenicians– Ancient Dyes– Purple Batik Cloths
• Hittites and Ancient Israel– TBA
• Ancient Africa– Akuaba Wooden Doll– African Scratch Art
• Minoan and Mycenaean-Greek Mythology Masks-MinotaurPaper Mache Masks
• Persians– Persian Carpets and Decor- Paper Weaving Project
• Ancient China- Tangrams
• Ancient Greece– Pythagorus – Tessellating Jars
• India- Spice JarLayer Art
• Rome- Mosaics

The post Geography Through Living Stories appeared first on Dymphna's Song.

A while back I had a reader ask me about teaching geography without a textbook. I have several ideas about that from teaching geography with literature to making passports and stamping them as you learn.  Another way I’ve been able to add to my learner’s geography knowledge has been through some exposure to foreign money. I think there is something  special about actually seeing the money and touching it.

How we used money for a geography study:

Mechanical man spent a good amount of time just looking at the coins and studying their differences. When possible we identified what they were and then looked for the country on the map. I am lucky to have an older son who collects coins; it was easy for me to come across real foreign money as he had collected it from all our travels over the years.

When you don’t have access to real foreign money you can buy Toy World Foreign Banknotes and World Coins, but books and images are also a great substitute. We’ve been using DK Eyewitness: Money with this endeavor. It’s added an enormous amount of information to the table. And he has read it like he does all the other eyewitness books, eagerly reading through the pages reading tidbit after tidbit untill he’s finished. The book started with ancient history, which tied in very well with our history program and art around the ancient world series. It proceeds to go into how money is made, it’s uses in various circumstances and  then goes country by country!

More ways to tie in money with geography.

There are unlimited ways you could work money into a unit or geography lesson exercise. You might like to have your child:

1. Research and draw money used by a few countries and add to a nation notebook.
2. Print images and use them on a presentation board. Have you child learn a little about each and tell the family what he learned.
3. Write a report on the Euro and identify the countries that use it.
4. Collect US Quarters for a state study. State Quarter Map – Us State Quarter Collection.
5. Make a list of nations and the money they use.

What other ways would you or have you used money to teach geography in your homeschool?

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Ancient Egypt Art Lesson #1

This project is a multi-media project that can go with any lesson on Ancient Egypt. For this lesson you will need:

• multi-media paper
• pencil
• tracing paper
• newsprint, ads and/or patterned printed papers
• scissors
• tempera paint in yellow, red, blue and white
• glue
• black permanent marker
• additional tempera or acrylic paints in various colors
• markers or watercolors or both
• gold acrylic paint for adding details

Ancient Egypt Text as Texture Faces Tutorial

1. Look at Egyptian art and faces.

Any book will do for this because there are so very many to choose from. Or perhaps check out an art book on Egyptian Art in the resource section of your library. If you don’t feel confident demonstrating the drawing of a face to your child I can recommend Ralph Masiello’s Ancient Egypt Drawing Book (Ralph Masiello’s Drawing Books) to guide them. If you happen to have the  Draw and Write Through History (Creation through Jonah, Volume 1) you may be able to use just the section on Egypt and enlarge the head portion. But if you’re choosing one, the first is definitely the best for this.

2. Draw an Egyptian face.

I demonstrated both a front and side view for my students. One thing that is often hard for kids is to use the entire piece of paper. So try to remind them the size needs to fill the whole page.

Another good place to start is that eyes are located in the middle of the head. Have them lightly draw a line across the mid point of the face from the top of the head to the chin. This is where the eyes go.  The next hardest thing to draw is the nose.

3. Trace the headpiece and cut it out of the newsprint.

Using tracing paper, have your child trace the headdress part of their Egyptian drawing. Cut the pattern out. Next, lay the tracing paper over the news print and cut that pattern out of the newsprint. Make adjustments if needed. This was the hardest part for my class of 3rd to 5th graders. So you need to assist your child here as much as possible so they don’t get frustrated.  Always let they attempt a skill on their own first, even if it’s not perfect- that’s okay! Just be ready if they need the help and ask- be accessable. As desired, cut any other interesting pieces you may want out of ads or newsprint. I also offered my students printed paper with patterns. This added depth and texture to their compositions.

4. Mix tempera paint to make skin tone and paint face.

Mixing paint to get the color you want is an important art skill for children to learn. But let’s move beyond primary and secondary colors. Making skin tones is actually very easy. You just have to experiment with amounts. See how to mix paint to make skin tones here.

Paint the entire face. Remind your child to leave the eyes white!

5. Glue the Newsprint and Outline with Permanent Marker

After they get the newspaper to be a good fit have them glue it for the headdress. I also allowed my students to cut pieces from ads and printed paper. Once dry enough, re-outline the features of the face with permanent black marker- my favorite to use with children are Black Sharpies. ( Fine or Regular) 

This is also the right time to add more sections in the outfit later to become ornate decoration.

6. Paint blank areas, add background with watercolor or marker and fill in all other blank spaces.

I told the children I wanted no white areas. So, I looked around to help them with whatever they needed to add. Once the body of the Egyptian was complete is was time to fill in the back ground. I suggested complementary colors or a contrasting color to  make their person “pop” out of the paper.

7. Add embellishment and final touches with Gold Acrylic Paint

This is where the real excitement bursted from my co-op students. They were so very happy with their creations! It made my day just to see how interested they were in learning! These were the final touches that made their projects complete! You can have your child add golden stripes to the headdress or elaborate golden jewelry or design to the collar.

Student Art Gallery of Ancient Egyptian Faces

Didn’t their work come out awesome?

Linked up with Trivium Tuesday.

Tell me…

What lesson on Egypt might you use this art lesson to compliment? What books are you using?

Art Around the Ancient World- the line up:

The following lists each lesson by civilization, what each lesson’s focus will be, and the media/project tutorial.

• Prehistory– Cave Paintings– Painting the Ancient Way
• Sumerians – Ancient Writing -Cylinder Seals in Clay
• Egyptians – Egyptian Art – Text as Texture/ Egyptian Headdress ( YOU ARE HERE)
• Assyrians and Babylonians -Near East Metalworking –  Babylonian Art Lesson for Kids
• Phoenicians– Ancient Dyes– Purple Batik Cloths
• Hittites and Ancient Israel– TBA
• Ancient Africa– Akuaba Wooden Doll– African Scratch Art
• Minoan and Mycenaean-Greek Mythology Masks-MinotaurPaper Mache Masks
• Persians– Persian Carpets and Decor- Paper Weaving Project
• Ancient China- Tangrams
• Ancient Greece– Pythagorus – Tessellating Jars
• India- Spice JarLayer Art
• Rome- Mosaics

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