History Day: Ancient Egyptians
My kiddos studied Ancient Egypt in our co-op a while back, so I didn’t feel a need to stretch this out beyond a one day review. We read about the Ancient Egyptians in CHOW (A Childs History of the World) chapters 6 and 7, and in Usborne Book of World History pages 14-23 and 33-39.
Questions asked by the kids:
Why did the Egyptians spend so much time on death?
Why are they almost naked?( a heads-up on the Usborne book - there is some nudity)
Why are the queens pyramids so much smaller than the Pharoahs? (My daughter thought this was ridiculous. My son thought it made perfect sense– ‘because the boys do all the work’-)
Why did they make up such strange gods?
Did people die when the Nile flooded?
They also thought it would be fun to make wine by stepping on the grapes and they thought it was wasteful to use such a huge pyramid on only one person. It was a great discussion.
Then we made some Egyptian Palace Bread for tonights dessert. We used 8 slices of whole wheat bread, and about 1 1/2 cups of honey. We put one slice of bread in a greased 8×8 baking pan, poured some honey on it, put another slice of bread on top, more honey etc until we used all the bread and honey. We let it sit for 30 minutes to allow the honey to soak in to the bread. Then we baked it at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. We let it cool until suppertime, but I did pop it into the oven to warm before serving – I think it is supposed to be served cold, but warm sounded better. It is also supposed to be served with heavy cream poured on top, but we didn’t have any so we used cool whip. It was pretty good–sticky, but good. I forgot to take a picture, but here’s one from food.com
While our palace bread was soaking, we made a water clock. The idea is suggested in the Usborne book. Here’s how we did it:
Take two disposable plastic cups. Poke a small hole in the bottom of one of them –we used a tack. Cut a larger hole (almost the entire bottom) out of the second one. Tape them bottom to bottom and stand them up in a medium mixing bowl with the pin-hole cup on top. Make a mark near the top of the cup with a permanent marker. Then fill the cup with water up to the mark you made. Time one minute and mark the water level. Continue timing minutes and marking the water level. Voila.
Now you can time activities using your water clock. My kids used it to figure out how long it took to tidy up the living room (I wonder who suggested that…). I was surprised at how long my kids stayed with this. They made predictions at the start for how many minutes worth of water the cup held. One guessed 5 and one guessed 10. We were all surprised to find the answer was 13 (that’s when we stopped marking minutes because the lines were too close together.) The kids were also surprised to find that the water slowed down as the water level dropped. They made guesses as to why. “The air gets heavier on the cup as the water goes down” and “because the bowl underneath is filling up”. I gave them a clue; I filled two identical cups with water – one with just a small amount and one almost to the top. I had them hold them and tell me what the difference was. They figured it out and then we watched looked at this website demonstration of water pressure and flow rate. I love those moments where you plan on teaching one thing, but the learning takes over and overflows your lesson plan. LOVE IT! In fact, those are the moments that keep me going.
Order of Operations
I’ll be using this lesson from the Illuminations site to cover the order of operations in algebra. We’ll be playing the bingo game found there too. I am going to change one thing though…
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally isn’t going to work for us. That mnemonic is much too plain Jane. Or is it plain Sally? Either way, it will have to go.
We need something unforgettable.
So we can remember PEMDAS! (parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition , Subtraction)
This video is short, but memorable. I may even post a picture of a panda and an adder snake on the bulletin board to keep it fresh in our minds.
Enjoy!
Monday’s Gifts
I know that is is Friday….I have had a couple of very busy weeks here, and haven’t posted like I should. So…..I am pretending it’s Monday. 
211. Getting better after being sick.
212. Painting walls. I find it very relaxing.
213. Stepping back and looking at a newly painted room. I wish everything I did had such immediate and dramatic results.
214. Our new couch. It’s big enough for the whole family to fit on (at the same time) comfortably. Yeah!
215. Frozen mini chocolate eclaires. Nummy.
216. Our homeschool co-op.
217. Freshly mowed (or is it mown?) lawns. Smells so fresh and springy.
218. Time alone with my hubby. Sometimes I miss him even when we are in the same house. We get busy with other things, focus on the kids (or the computer…) and it is just nice to focus in on one another.
219. The internet. I don’t know how people homeschooled before the internet.
220. Rubbing my kids backs when I tuck them in at night. I remember my mom doing the same for me. Very cozy.
Monday’s Gifts
201. Air popped popcorn (in my new air-popper). Yum!
202. Veggie Tales. Veeeggieee Taaales, Veeeggieeee Taaales, Veeeeggiee Taaales, Veggie Tales. Broccoli, celery, gotta be… Veggie Tales!
203. Nice weather and trips to the park.
204. Watching my hubby (at 6’4″ ) walking with my one-year-old. An absolutely precious moment. Wish I had a camera with me.
205. Watching my 11 year old son protect my one year old son. Carefully helping him down the slide, making sure he didn’t fall off the platforms. He will be a great dad someday.
206. Sewing a surprise for “grandma” with my 8 year old daughter. Can’t wait to send it to her.
207. Flowers from my hubby. Isn’t he the sweetest?
208. Mom’s night out. It’s so nice to laugh (and eat), and chat (and eat), and commiserate (and eat) with other women.
209. Hardware stores. I have loved them since I was a little girl. Love the smell, the doors-on-hinges displays, the oodles of things that could be something if only I knew what they were. My favorites are the little bins of things. Screws, nails, pipe fittings, do-hickys etc. I remember going to my Grandparent’s and looking at all the bins of “stuff”. (Grandpa was an electrician). Good times.
210. Aldi’s. What did I do before Aldi’s? I personally like having limited choices- the grocery shopping sure goes faster!
Monday’s Gifts
191. Unexpected checks in the mail!!!
192. Getting high-fived by a one year old.
193. Clean sheets. Is there anything nicer than stretching out in clean sheets at the end of a long day?
194. Taco salad. yummy yummy yummy.
195. Laughing with my hubby. Refreshes my soul.
196. Clean bookshelves. Ours become a catch-all for hats, games, toys, guitar tuners, and all things too small for the baby to have. I really, really don’t like the look of the clutter. Finally cleared them off–they look so nice!
197. Bowling with the family. We spent a couple of hours at the bowling alley this weekend. It’s nice to find something that we all enjoy doing (with 7 of us, including a teenager, a middle schooler, and a one year old this is no easy feat!). The little guy didn’t bowl, but had a blast playing with the balls on the rack, climbing up and down on the chairs, and eating pizza.
198. Time spent cleaning with my oldest son. His room gets unbelievably messy. (how does he do it???). It was to the point where mom has to help or he would never get done (or get lost in there and we would never be able to find him). This is actually one of my most unfavorite jobs because it takes all day, BUT it does give me a day to spend time talking to my son– pretty much one on one ’cause no one really wants to help. And it occurred to me while we were cleaning that someday, when he’s grown and gone, I will wish that I had an entire day to visit with him.
199. Hot cocoa mix. My mom taught me to make it when I was a kid, and this weekend I taught my 6 year old son. Now we need to buy some vanilla ice cream to sprinkle it on.
200. Sara Groves. I bought her new CD and love it!
Monday’s Gifts
I believe that God’s gifts come in all sizes – from huge (our salvation through His Son) to tiny everyday moments (warm blueberry muffins). Through Monday’s Gifts I hope to train myself to recognize and appreciate them all, to shift into a mindset of gratitude. I’m aiming for a list of 1000 gifts, ten at a time. Here are this week’s:
181: Haircuts. It’s amazing how good a fresh haircut can make you feel.
182: caramels.
183. Birthdays. I had a very nice family party this week. My favorite part was watching all the kiddos and my hubby work together to make a “surprise” for me.
184. New friends.
185. An afternoon to myself. And a hubby who recognizes that I need one before I even realize it.
186. New beginnings. We are starting a new curriculum today and I am very excited! I really think we will like this!
187. Lots of laundry. Despite what I may have muttered to myself earlier today, my mountain of laundry is a blessing. It means that we have a houseful of children to love. Doing all that laundry over and over and over and over and over is a wonderful way to demonstrate my love for them. (I may have to print this one out and post it over my washing machine!)
188. A kitchen full of food. I have been doing the grocery game and I am astounded by how much our grocery budget buys, and how many things we have in our stockpile.
189. Warm weather. This weekend was gorgeous.
190. Baby orajel. My little guy is soooo miserable – he’s got 4 molars coming in at once.
Monday’s Gifts
I believe that God’s gifts come in all sizes – from huge (our salvation through His Son) to tiny everyday moments (warm blueberry muffins). Through Monday’s Gifts I hope to train myself to recognize and appreciate them all, to shift into a mindset of gratitude. I’m aiming for a list of 1000 gifts, ten at a time. Here are this weeks:
171: Chinese food. I think that is what I’ll be having for dinner tonight. My mouth is watering already!
172. The request-a-book service that our library offers. I can point and click on the books we need for school, let someone else track them down, and pick them up when they are ready. Love it!!
173. Valentine’s day. And my Valentine.
174. Chocolate hearts (from my valentine).
175. Deep conversations with my oldest son. It’s hard to watch him navigate through the tough issues of adolescence, but I am glad that he will share his thoughts with me.
176. A clean kitchen and living room. I do love the relaxation that order brings. Why I let the chaos go on so long is a mystery.
177. A comfy bed. We just bought one of those mattress-topper foam things. The difference is amazing!
178. Being on the same page as my hubby!
179. Tax returns.
180. Time to work on a fun project. I don’t know what it will be yet, but I can’t wait to find out.
Monday’s Gifts
I believe that God’s gifts come in all sizes – from huge (our salvation through His Son) to tiny everyday moments (warm blueberry muffins). Through Monday’s Gifts I hope to train myself to recognize and appreciate them all, to shift into a mindset of gratitude. I’m aiming for a list of 1000 gifts, ten at a time. Here are this weeks:
161. Baby yawns.
162. A hubby who plans romantic dates, and takes care of all the details.
163. My girls. Who took a lot of time to organize our kitchen cabinets, the fridge and freezer. Without being asked to. What a blessing they are.
164. Freshly washed sheets and comforters.
165. A teenager who wants to spend time with her mom.
166. Bones. The show, not the ones in my body. Although I do appreciate the ones in my body too.
167. A homeschool co-op that my kids enjoy. And time once a week to visit with other moms.
168. Fuzzy socks. My oldest daughter turned me on to these– and I love them.
169. New markers.
170. Wendy’s Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Wings. I love their lip tingling goodness. Yum.
Monday’s Gifts
I believe that God’s gifts come in all sizes – from huge (our salvation through His Son) to tiny everyday moments (warm blueberry muffins). Through Monday’s Gifts I hope to train myself to recognize and appreciate them all, to shift into a mindset of gratitude. I’m aiming for a list of 1000 gifts, ten at a time. Here are this weeks:
151. Snow days.
152. Hearing the crunch of the snow as I walk on it.
153. Watching the kids play in the snow.
154. Opening up my freezer to find a gallon-sized baggie and two plastic containers full of snow. The kiddos know that snow doesn’t last long here, so they are saving some for next week.
155. Watching a toddler run. I especially love the squeals of pure joy. We should be able to bottle that.
156. Listening to my baby nephew babble in the background while I talk to my brother on the phone.
157. A brother that I love and admire. He is such a good man. I am so blessed to know him.
158. A sister-in-law who loves and respects my brother. She is really good for him. And she is a really nice person too!
159. The ablility to have a second chance. To mess up and try again. (and again, and again) I am thankful for a forgiving God.
160. Aprons. I have my eye on a pattern I would like to try. I really like ‘girly’ aprons, and want one, but at the same time am a bit put off by the ‘domestic’-ness. (As I am a stay at home mom, home maker, and homeschooler I guess the term ‘domestic’ applies
156.
Monday’s Gifts
I believe that God’s gifts come in all sizes – from huge (our salvation through His Son) to tiny everyday moments (warm blueberry muffins). Through Monday’s Gifts I hope to train myself to recognize and appreciate them all, to shift into a mindset of gratitude. I’m aiming for a list of 1000 gifts, ten at a time. Here are this weeks:
141. Vacuum cleaners. We are really hard on vacuums here.
142. New candles.
143. Bookshelves. We could line our house in bookshelves.
144. My sewing machine.
145. A mother who taught me to sew. I have good memories of sewing with my Mom. Pinning pattern pieces, carefully cutting, learning how to thread the machine, using the foot-feet control (and learning how fast is too fast), trying all the different stitches.
146. A daughter who wants to learn to sew. I hope I can be as good of a teacher as my Mom was. And I hope that she has good memories of the process too.
147. Comfy couches. With blankets. And pillows. And a can of Mt. Dew. And control of the remote.
148. Family dinners.
149. Buttons. I recently bought a pack of misc. buttons –for the kids to play with and sort— for the kids—really.
150. Listening to our toddler ‘talk’ to his brothers and sisters. How cute is that?
