We’re learning about Rosetta Stone Code breaking today. Also, you’ll love my two Ancient Greece Lapbooks. Go here to Fun Ancient Greece Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook and Free Awesome Ancient Greece Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Activities to grab both free lapbooks.
We have been studying ancient Greece this year, thanks to a mini-greek mythology obsession on the part of my youngest son.
Last week, my son asked how we are able to read all the ancient texts.
“How do we even know how to read an ancient language if it isn’t spoken today?” he pondered.
And so, this Rosetta Stone activity was born.
We started by researching exactly what is the Rosetta Stone is.
And we learned that The Rosetta Stone is written in two languages: Greek and Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs.
We also learned that without it, we would know almost nothing about life in Ancient Egypt.
Also, add some fun history books and resources to your day.
FUN HANDS-ON ANCIENT CIVILIZATION RESOURCES
History should be hands-on and find history resources can be hard.
I’ve gathered up some here.
13 Ancient Civilization Hands-on Resources and Books
Add some of these fun resources to your unit study or study for the day of Ancient Civilizations.
Tarquin Popups are a special kind of do it yourself activity book. Not only is there the fun of making the scenes and seeing them popup but they are full of interesting information and ideas. This book contains six main scenes to make: Knossos, the Palace of Minos, the Lion Gate at Mycenae, the Battle of Salamis, the Golden Age of Athens, the Theatre, Alexander the Great and King Porus.
A magnificently illustrated, interactive pop-up book chronicles the history of ancient Egypt and its diverse cultural innovations, covering everything to the construction of the Egyptian pyramids and the elaborate mummification process, to the mysterious rites performed at an Egyptian god's temple and the ancient hieroglyphic writings.
Children can try their hand at re-creating ancient Israelite culture—along with the cultures of their neighbors, the Philistines and Phoenicians—in a way that will provide perspective on current events.
The book covers a key period from the Israelites’ settlement in Canaan in 1200 B.C.E. to their return from exile in Babylonia in 538 B.C.E.
This part of the Middle East—no larger than modern-day Michigan—was the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. More than 35 projects include stomping grapes into juice, building a model Phoenician trading ship, making a Philistine headdress, and writing on a broken clay pot. Israelites', Phoenicians', and Philistines' writing and languages, the way they built their homes, the food they ate, the clothes they wore, and the work they did, and of course, their many interesting stories.
The new National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology offers timeless stories of Greek myths in a beautiful new volume. Brought to life with lyrical text by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli and stunning artwork by award-winning illustrator Christina Balit, the tales of gods and goddesses such as Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Athena and heroes and monsters such as Helen of Troy, Perseus, and Medusa will fascinate and engage children’s imaginations.
Included in this study are over 35 projects, games, recipes, links, and the history of fourteen empires! Generally, each empire's materials can be covered in 1-3 days
Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid’s Guide to the History and Science of Life in Ancient Greece explores the scientific discoveries, athletic innovations, engineering marvels, and innovative ideas created more than two thousand years ago. Through biographical sidebars, interesting facts, fascinating anecdotes, and fifteen hands-on activities, readers will learn how Greek innovations and ideas have shaped world history and our own world view.
Is your child fascinated by Ancient Egypt? if so then this Ancient Egypt themed activity book is just for them. This is a great book for boys and girls who have an interest in Ancient Egypt. This Ancient Egypt themed activity book will keep them entertained and happy for hours.
Great Ancient China Projects You Can Build Yourself explores the incredible ingenuity and history of ancient China with 25 hands-on projects for readers ages 9 and up. Great Ancient China Projects covers topics from porcelain pottery, paper, gunpowder, and dynasties, to martial arts, medicinal healers, jade carvers, and terracotta warriors.
Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid’s Guide to the History and Science of Life in Ancient Greece explores the scientific discoveries, athletic innovations, engineering marvels, and innovative ideas created more than two thousand years ago. Through biographical sidebars, interesting facts, fascinating anecdotes, and fifteen hands-on activities, readers will learn how Greek innovations and ideas have shaped world history and our own world view.
What humans call “civilization” didn’t always exist. We didn’t always live in big cities, have roads to get places easier, or grow food on farms. For a long time, humans were hunter-gatherers. Hunter-gatherers wandered from place to place looking for food. They didn’t build homes or stay in one place. The Sumerians, as far as we know, were the first people to start a civilization.
The book includes the following pockets:
- What Is History?
- Ancient Mesopotamia
- Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient Rome
- Ancient China
- Ancient Aztec World
This resource contains teacher support pages, reproducible student pages, and an answer key.
Cleopatra has been called intelligent and scheming, ambitious and ruthless, sensual and indulgent. This unique biography captures the excitement of her life story, including portions that have been largely neglected, such as her interest in literature and science and her role as a mother, and allows readers to draw their own conclusions. Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt for Kids also includes maps, time lines, online resources, a glossary, and 21 engaging hands-on activities to help readers better appreciate the ancient culture.
HANDS ON LEARNING: Supernow educational boxes includes an adventure box with 4 hands-on projects and interactive digital content to bring the projects to life!
INTERACTIVE PLAY: Kids get a monthly adventure box that serves as a portal to an immersive adventure. Participate in an unfolding mission by attending live, interactive classes and solving fun clues.
MYSTERIOUS CODE OF THE ROSETTA STONE
After looking at some pictures of it on the internet (thank you Google images), we set about making our own stone.
Hands-On Ancient History: The Rosetta Stone
What you’ll need for this activity:
- Large white piece of construction paper
- Gray washable paint (or, in our case, white and black mixed together)
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers
- Ancient Languages Printable
To get started, we cut a rough-looking, large “stone” out of the white paper. We then cut several smaller stones as well.
Realizing our Set of 18 paints did not include a gray for stone coloring, we took matters into our own hands and mixed white with black until we got just the right look.
Then, we painted all of our cut-out stones.
(At this point, my youngest suggested painting an actual rock from our backyard for the activity as well, so we added a little dirt and a few actual stones to the mix.)
After printing up the key for Ancient Greek and Egyptian Hieroglyphs, my son cut those out as well.
Once the largest paper stone’s paint was dry, we pasted the printable key onto it and made our own “Rosetta Stone.”
This is where it got really fun! My boys each took one of the smaller, painted paper stones and used the key to create their own messages in hieroglyphs and ancient Greek.
The Rosetta Stone: Breaking the Code
Then, they swapped, and tried to de-code the ancient languages using the our own Rosetta Stone.
My youngest also did the same on his rock from outside, and although it was a little harder to read, we all agreed it was much more authentic!
Although I tried to encourage my boys to leave interesting historic messages for one another, the truth is, they had a lot more fun and got a lot more out of the activity when I backed off and allowed them to write whatever they wanted.
(Think a little bit of little boy potty humor mixed with quotes from different cartoons and movies. At least the activity was relevant to their everyday lives!)
This was such an easy and fun way to learn and understand the importance of the Rosetta Stone.
It was also a great way to get a little writing practice in, as my boys had to write the letters and words as they translated the ancient messages.
Overall, I continue to be impressed with how much a hands-on approach to history makes a difference in my children’s level of engagement and understanding in our learning.
And you can’t get any easier that coloring pages for studying history.
Check out these fun coloring pages! There are some for Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece too.
Look at this list.
Page 3: Ancient Egypt Court,
Page 4: Ancient Egypt Spinning,
Page 5: Ancient Egypt Life of the Royals,
Page 6: Ancient Egypt Battles,
Page 7: Ancient Egypt The Nile,
Page 8: Life Along the River – The Nile,
Page 9: Metal Workers & Crafts of Ancient Egypt,
Page 10: Egyptian Hieroglyphics,
Page 11: Egyptian Queen Cleopatra,
Page 12: Aztecs Floating Gardens,
Page 13: Aztecs,
Page 14: Aztec Life,
Page 15: Mayans,
Page 16: Ancient Greece Wedding,
Page 17: Ancient Greek Galley,
Page 18: Ancient Greece Crafts,
Page 19: Ancient Greece Bank,
Page 20: Athens,
Page 21: Spartan Warrior and
Page 22: The Vikings.
Grab your fun copy below!
Also, you love the activities by Home School in the Woods for learning about the Ancients.
See more hands-on history ideas below!
Written by Shawna at Not the Former Things.
[…] The Rosetta Stone and Breaking the Code – How can we read all the ancient texts? We started by researching exactly what is the Rosetta Stone. Then set about making our own stone. […]