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Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): King Narmer Crown

March 31, 2017 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Learning homeschool history should be just as much about doing as reading living history books. So today, I’m starting a new series of hands-on history and the first one is Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown.

My goal in this series is to focus on the ancient civilizations. It seems like plenty of hands-on history ideas abound for early American life or American history, but it can be a bit more difficult to find ideas for a study of the ancients.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

Some of these ideas in this series come from books, but many do not. They come from my experience teaching this several times over. I hope your kids, any age, will enjoy these ideas or they will help you to take a spinoff idea from mine.

Learning About Ancient Egypt Through Hands-on Art

For example, this idea for the ancient Egypt civilization of King Narmer’s double crown could easily be substituted for a picture of Cleopatra from the Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt book that we love.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

Her side profile would make an excellent hands-on history idea and a fun way to learn about the time period.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

Look at the easy ingredients we already had at the house for this salt dough project.

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup of salt
  • 1 cup warm water
  • paints/paint brushes. We had a combination of tempera and poster paints. Just grab what you have.
  • cookie tray
  • aluminum foil
  • wooden skewer and even a few toothpicks to use for drawing
  • big mixing bowl, dry measuring cup and liquid measuring cup
  • spatula or big spoon for stirring
  • preheat oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit
Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

It couldn’t be any easier or quicker to measure and mix the flour, salt, and warm water.

Stir to combine and then get your kid to use his hands to mix well.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown
Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown is a fun and easy history activity. Hands-on activities can make learning stick and your kid will love to make this King Narmer crown when doing an Ancient Civilization study! An easy salt dough recipe and you have a fun history activity. CLICK here to learn how to make this fun history craft!

Then line the cookie tray with foil and roll the dough out onto the platter. And start pressing down and shaping.

Try to get the same width all the way around. Tiny shaped it into looking like an ancient tablet.

Then, look for a picture your child wants to sketch or draw. Also, this could easily be turned into a cartouche.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

Tiny found a sketch of King Narmer (also known as Menes) that he liked at the art factory and printed it to use for drawing.

Then using the wooden skewer and toothpick, he began sketching and drawing the design.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

The beauty of working with salt dough is that until it dries your kid can erase and shape and form the picture until he gets it to look like he wants it to.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

Then another advantage of salt dough is that you can take a break and let it dry overnight before painting or bake in the oven until dry. We baked it about 30 minutes and checked every 10 minutes or so.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

We could tell it was dry because it was hard and there were no soft spots and of course the cracks gave it away too that it was dry.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

Then Tiny mixed a few colors until he got the right color combination he wanted for the background and he painted that first. It dried pretty quickly.

Then he added a few other colors and overall this was such a fun and easy project to do while learning about Ancient Civilizations.

Also, I love, love, using Home School in the Woods hands-on ideas and projects. You will too!

I have several other ideas to go with this Ancient Egypt Civilization project.

Day 1. Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): Narmer Crown

Look at these other posts you’ll love:

  • Hands-on Ancient Egypt: Israelite Mud Bricks for Kids
  • Fun Hands-On History: Ancient Egyptian Collar Craft
  • Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator
  • Go to my Ancient Civilization page for a free lapbook on Ancient Egypt,
  • look at Ancient Civilization II which has Ancient Egypt minibooks and
  • Free Ancient Egypt Printable Board Game (Hands-on History).

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T
Make learning about Ancient Egypt come alive with this hands-on history project in this hands-on history ancient civilization series. Using salt dough, create a picture of King Narmer (also known as Menes) who wore the double crown. A kid of any age will love doing this. Click here how to do this with easy things you have around your house! | Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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Leave a CommentFiled Under: Ancient Civilizations, Hands-On Activities, History Based, History Resources Tagged With: ancient civilizations, ancientegypt, egypt, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history resources

The Big List of Unit Study Hands-on (and Hands-off) Curriculum

March 29, 2017 | 6 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Switching from a strictly classical approach to a homeschool unit study curriculum wasn’t a quick decision, but it was the best choice for our family. Besides learning how to homeschool means making the best choice for your family

Homeschool unit studies allow us to work on a mastery-based level on topics that fascinated us instead of learning in small bites.

The Big List of Unit Study Hands-on (and Hands-off) Curriculum

Two things I quickly learned was that prepared homeschool unit study curriculum was not as readily available as curriculum for other homeschool approaches and that not all of my boys wanted to do hands-on activities.

Although there may not seem as many choices for curriculum using the unit study approach, there is still a variety.

Listing some of the ones I’ve used and which ones have more hands-on ideas, I’m hoping one or two here will help you to make the switch to unit studies easier, ease your planning time or just let somebody else take the teaching reins for a while.

Homeschool Unit Study curriculum

Also, where possible if there is a discount available, I’ll point that out because I like to save money too.

Beautiful Feet Books.

Beautiful Feet Books is based on history centered literature and I’ve used it for my boys at the middle and high school level.

Be sure to grab the coupon at my article Medieval History for Homeschool Middle School and read about using Beautiful Feet Books.

You can add hands-on ideas here, but it’s not required.

Before Five in a Row

Before Five in a Row and Five in a Row are literature based unit studies based on living books and I used them when the boys were young.

It’s one of my top choices for the younger years and lot of hands-on ideas are sprinkled throughout which I feel is a valuable component for younger grades.

BookShark.

BookShark is the secular version of Sonlight and I classify it as a unit study because of the literature based focused. I love their 4-day a week schedule and this is an all-in-one program or boxed curriculum because it comes with everything you need for a year.

I like BookShark because it allows me to add my own Christian view. Too, hands-on ideas are not required but I love the fact you can add your own activities.

GeoMatters.

Combining our love for geography, history, living books with a Charlotte Mason twist, makes GeoMatters a fun unit study. We loved doing their Trail Guide to Learning.

HomeschoolLegacy. 

This is an all-in-one unit study provider where the planning is laid out for you.

I’ve tried one of the history ones and enjoyed how easy it made lesson planning. And it has a nice balance of both laid out planning and hands-on ideas.

Home School In the Woods.

If you love history like we do and build a lot of your unit studies around it, then you’ll love the approach taken by Home School in the Woods which is through timelines, lapbooks and hands-on activities.

I love how many ideas are given for hands-on projects, but also a good amount of information is given for background information. If you’re looking for long-term hands-on projects, this is a great option.

In the Hands of a Child.

Then this is a lapbook approach to unit studies. The best part besides the fun lapbook is that they can span many ages.

Intellego Unit Studies.

I love these unit studies though they are light on hands-on ideas and are secular.

I’ve used several of these studies when I first started because I didn’t want to have to research all the information. I like them because the background information is well laid out.

Unit Study Curriculum

I normally end up adding my own Biblical content anyway and have ideas for hands-on.

There is very little hands-on required.

KONOS.

Yes, it’s true they are the absolute granddaddy of unit studies and I used them when I first got started. It is a very comprehensive unit study and you can buy just what you want or buy a laid out curriculum. They have more fun hands-on ideas than most other unit studies.

I love the amount of hands-on ideas for each age given, but again it’s not required because there is a sufficient amount of information given without having to do the hands-on activities.

Learning Adventures.

This is one I’ve been eyeballing and would love to try because it includes all my favorites. It’s for upper grades or 4th to 8th grade, it’s based on living books which I try to always use in our unit studies and our passion for history is what is at the center of the themes.

The Big List of Unit Study Hands-on (and Hands-off) Curriculum

I’ll let you know about the hands-on ideas after I use it, but wanted to be sure you knew about it.

Moving Beyond the Page.

This is a favorite when I need a literature based all-in-one unit study.

They have rigorous academics and when you need a more rounded out unit study, they are a great choice.

My Father’s World.

Incorporating classical education and hands-on, this is a very comprehensive unit study approach.

NaturExplorers.

My favorite curriculum for science always uses a living book approach and is hands-on which is why we love NaturExplorers.

From Beautiful Birds to the Fungus Among Us, you’ll find a title your kids will love.

There are a good amount of hands-on ideas which I love because science should be about doing and not just reading.

Nia Unit Studies.


Though a much smaller company, I love that the unit studies take a notebooking approach and are downloadable as e-books. This is a great choice if you want to get started quickly and inexpensively.

I’m hoping to see more titles, but I love mom-and-pop shops.

Homeschool Unit Studies

TRISMS

Having used TRISMS as well, I love the history approach to unit studies. However, it is very comprehensive because it adds in all other subjects.

I love the research aspect of it and there are several activity ideas to include for each theme.

This was challenging for my middle school boys when we started and I loved that aspect of it. I could make it as challenging as I wanted it to be for them.

Hands-on ideas are offered but don’t have to be done.

Weaver Unit Studies.


Weaver has been around for years too and gently covers multiple subjects with a Christian view. If you want to take a more gentle approach, add in more information and want more of a Christian view, then you’ll love this one.

WinterPromise.

This is another wonderful all-in-one program where the themes are based on history using a Charlotte Mason approach.

Also, I’ve rounded up some other curriculum help below.

  • Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)
  • 50 Free History Unit Studies –History Lover’s Round Up.

Whether you’re new to the unit study approach or if you’re like me and your needs change each year, I know you’ll like having this list at your fingertips.

Switching from a strictly classical approach to a unit study curriculum wasn’t a quick decision, but it was the best choice for our family. Homeschool unit studies allow us to work on a mastery-based level on topics that fascinated us instead of learning in small bites. Two things I quickly learned were that prepared homeschool unit study curriculum was not as readily available as curriculum for other homeschool approaches and that not all of my boys wanted to do hands-on activities. Grab this Big List of Homeschool Unit Studies to get some ideas!

6 CommentsFiled Under: Geography, Hands-On Activities, History Resources, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Simply, Homeschooling, Middle School Homeschool, Other Unit Studies, Science Tagged With: curriculum, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, multiple children, unit studies

10 More Spring Study Free Resources for Middle and High School Kids

March 24, 2017 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

A spring study is the perfect way to get your hands and bodies moving now that spring is here. I have rounded up 10 more spring free unit study resources for middle and high school kids. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school and how to homeschool high school page for more fun tips

Hands-on learning shouldn’t quit after a child finishes elementary school.

No matter the grade level, hands-on learning has a high retention value and making time for it even with older kids has always been worth my time.

10 More Spring Study Free Resources for Middle and High School Kids

Too, I know how hard it can be to find hands-on learning activities for middle and high school grades.

So be sure you grab these 10 free spring unit study resources and download the printables because websites shut down as fast as they seem to spring up (ha, corny pun intended).

Spring Study Resources for Middle and High School

1.
12 Activities To Learn About Photosynthesis.

This first site is from the UK and the reason I’m giving you the heads up is because your kids may not recognize any of the products they use as examples in the student download if you live in the states.

It’s fun to learn though what kids in another part of the world have for sugary food. Otherwise, this is a nice free resource.

Look through all 12 activities, then download the student and teacher’s guide on the right sidebar.

After you get lost in all the wonderful free resources, downloads and hands-on ideas on that page, come back here to grab this next freebie.

2.
Reach for the Sun Unit Study.

This is about plant structure and I included it because it’s one of the resources which you can use for multiple ages of children.

It’s a little different from the rest of the resources I have listed because you have to navigate each section to read the activities and grab each download.

There are colorful graphics and even video.

The game is not free, but the rest of the unit study is so very well done and it makes it easy to implement and teach without much planning.

You navigate the free downloads and activities by clicking on the left sidebar.

3.
Competition Among Organisms Lesson Plan.

Do plants need to compete among themselves in any given environment? Download this free 8 page lesson plan.

From the site: This activity gives you an opportunity to observe the effect on plant growth when plants must compete for nutrients and space. Round up your used milk containers to use for planting.

4.
Geology.

You’ll love this very useful free 62 page download which has free printables like a game board and ideas for making fossils.

Grab some chicken bones, vinegar, dirt and clay to name a few items needed for hands-on activities.

The topics are fossils, plant fossils and vascular and non-vascular plants to name a few.

Also, I couldn’t resist showing you these beautiful hands-on living science books which are created by a homeschool mom.

5.
Biology Educator Guide: Producers Make their Own Food.

This next free download is from web archive but its still a great idea for a long term project.

The topic is about how producers make food and you’ll want to grab soil, 2 healthy plants, craft sticks and ziploc bags to name a few things. This is like a 12 day project of observing plants

6.
USDA Facts Sheets and Plant Guides.

I included this super helpful site because the pdf downloads on each plant makes for a great research topic for an essay.

After all, there are thousands of plant choices to choose from. Grab some art sketch pencils and a journal and your teen could make this a quick and fun science study.

From the site: Fact Sheets provide brief descriptions of a plant, its uses, and cultural recommendations. Plant Guides are similar but more extensive.

7.
University of Kentucky Department of Entomology.

This next site is chock full of ideas.

They have free craft ideas, downloads, stories and art about bugs. It’s an older site and some of the links are not working, but most of them are working. It just has so much that it’s worth your time.

Navigate by both the sidebar and the small print top navigator in order to get all of the ideas.

Be sure you click on the section For Teachers and Parents on the left sidebar.

There is a bug scavenger hunt too which teaches that bugs do have benefits. All of your kids can do that together.

Too, you just have to see the insect art made out of natural materials that I think your middle school kids won’t find baby-ish, but fun.

8.
Plant features.

This is an 11 page download which has illustrations for different types of leaves.

Then, you didn’t think I would include something about spring without finding a history bent did you?

I think you’ll love this lesson plan which is about classifying plants in ancient Greece. In this lesson, you will be taking a look at some features that have been used in the past to classify plants. It’s an 11 page download.

Spring Study Resources

  • Famous and Historic Trees Fun Nature and History Homeschool Unit Study
  • 20 Nature-Inspired Kids’ Novels to Nurture Interest In the Outdoors
  • Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook.
  • Super Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook.
  • Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook.
  • How to Make an Easy Nature Paint Brush With Kids
  • Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

9.
The Amazing Tomato.

Then any unit study worth its weight has to include salsa (okay, okay).

Seriously though, what a fun way to include some edible science in this lesson plan. This is a fun lesson plan which includes how to make salsa and comparing store bought salsa with home made salsa.

10 More Spring Study Free Resources for Middle and High School Kids

It also has ideas for older kids, but I loved it because everybody can join in on the fun. From roots to routes, this is a 4 page download.

10.
Garden Bingo.  

Lastly, this is a free garden bingo game. Just download all the pieces and enjoy the day learning about plants.

I hope some of these ideas can get your bigger kids moving and not dreading their daily work load, but still savoring the fun of hands-on and learning together. I think you’ll love these other round up of ideas and free printables for getting outdoors.

You’ll also love these other resources:

Hugs and love ya,

10 More Spring Study Free Resources for Middle and High School Kids. Grab these free awesome downloads and hands-on ideas to keep your older kids learning. I think your younger kid could join in too. Click here to grab the resources! @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

1 CommentFiled Under: Free Homeschool Resources, Hands-On Activities, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Middle School Homeschool, Science, Teach Homeschool Science Tagged With: freehomeschoolcurriculum, freeprintables, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, high school, middleschool, science, sciencecurriculum, spring

Free Ancient Egypt Mehen Printable Board Game (Hands-on History)

March 11, 2017 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I created a free Ancient Egypt Mehen printable board game to go with our Ancient Civilizations – Egypt Unit Study.

We have been reading through the book Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt (Historical Notebooks) and I whipped back out the Ancient Egypt Mehen printable board game I made when we studied Ancient Egypt the third time. 

Look on my page history games for more fun ideas.

Grab this free and fun printable board game when studying Ancient Egypt. It's Mehen or the snake game for hands on history. Get it over @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Then, I realized something just awful which is I hadn’t shared the free printable Mehen board game here with you.

First, look at some of these books about Ancient Egypt.

17 Ancient Egypt Books & Resources for Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To

Add some of these books to your home library and use them for a day of learning or for unit studies.

The Egypt Game

The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she’s not sure they have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard, Melanie and April decide it’s the perfect spot for the Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians, and they all meet to wear costumes, hold ceremonies, and work on their secret code. Everyone thinks it’s just a game until strange things start happening. Has the Egypt Game gone too far?

Tales of Ancient Egypt (Puffin Classics)

These stories include the great myths - of Amen-Ra, who created all the creatures in the world; of Isis, seaching the waters for her dead husband Osiris; of the Bennu Bird and the Book of Thoth. But there are also tales told for pleasure about magic, treasure and adventure - even the first ever Cinderella story.

The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt (Landmark Books)

For more than 3,000 years, Egypt was a great civilization that thrived along the banks of the Nile River. But when its cities crumbled to dust, Egypt’s culture and the secrets of its hieroglyphic writings were also lost. The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt explains how archaeologists have pieced together their discoveries to slowly reveal the history of Egypt’s people, its pharaohs, and its golden days.

The Buildings of Ancient Egypt

Uses archeological evidence to describe the construction, decoration, and furnishings of ancient Egyptian tombs, pyramids, and homes

Science in Ancient Egypt (Science of the Past)

Discusses the achievements of the ancient Egyptians in science, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, agriculture, and technology.

Great Ancient Egypt Projects: You Can Build Yourself

From reed boats, papyrus, and amulets, to pyramids, pharaohs, and mummies, Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself explores the fascinating lives of ancient Egyptians through more than25 hands-on building projects and activities. Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself gives readers today a chance to experience how the ancient Egyptians lived, cooked, worked, worshipped, entertained themselves, and interacted with their neighbors through building projects that use common household supplies.Detailed step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and templates for creating each project are combined with historical facts and anecdotes, biographies, and trivia for the real-life models of each project. Together they give kids a first-hand look at daily life in ancient Egypt.

The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt (Dover Children's Classics)

Chebron, the young son of an Egyptian high priest, and Amuba, a young slave in the boy's household, are close friends; but their lives are greatly altered when Chebron accidentally kills a cat, an animal held sacred by the ancient Egyptians. Forced to flee for their safety, the boys and their companions begin a long and dangerous journey. A thrilling adventure story, this is also a tale packed with historical facts. Among other fascinating details, young readers learn about the Egyptian religion and geography, how the Nile was used for irrigation, and how the Egyptians made war and were prepared for burial. A captivating book that accurately describes life in a once magnificent civilization, this volume will especially appeal to youngsters fascinated by the life and customs of ancient Egypt.

A History of Ancient Egypt: From the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid (A History of Ancient Egypt, 1)

The ancient world comes to life in the first volume in a two book series on the history of Egypt, spanning the first farmers to the construction of the pyramids. Famed archaeologist John Romer draws on a lifetime of research to tell one history's greatest stories; how, over more than a thousand years, a society of farmers created a rich, vivid world where one of the most astounding of all human-made landmarks, the Great Pyramid, was built. Immersing the reader in the Egypt of the past, Romer examines and challenges the long-held theories about what archaeological finds mean and what stories they tell about how the Egyptians lived. More than just an account of one of the most fascinating periods of history, this engrossing book asks readers to take a step back and question what they've learned about Egypt in the past. Fans of Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra and history buffs will be captivated by this re-telling of Egyptian history, written by one of the top Egyptologists in the world.

Boy of the Pyramids

The pictured wall of an Egyptian tomb supplied the inspiration for this unusual story, which takes place during the building of the Great Pyramid of Khufu more than 4,000 years ago. Kaffe and Sari, an Egyptian noble's son and a slave girl from the nomadic Sand People of the Sinai region, help solve a troublesome mystery and trap its culprit. All told against a colorfully detailed backdrop of ancient Egypt.

The Golden Goblet

Ranofer wants only one thing in the world: to be a master goldsmith like his beloved father was. But how can he when he is all but imprisoned by his evil half brother, Gebu? Ranofer knows the only way he can escape Gebu's abuse is by changing his destiny. But can a poor boy with no skills survive on the cutthroat streets of ancient Thebes? Then Ranofer finds a priceless golden goblet in Gebu's room and he knows his luck−and his destiny−are about to change.

Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs

In 1802, Jean-Francois Champollion was eleven years old. That year, he vowed to be the first person to read Egypt’s ancient hieroglyphs. Champollion’s dream was to sail up the Nile in Egypt and uncover the secrets of the past, and he dedicated the next twenty years to the challenge.James Rumford introduces the remarkable man who deciphered the ancient Egyptian script and fulfilled a lifelong dream in the process. Stunning watercolors bring Champollion’s adventure to life in a story that challenges the mind and touches the heart.

The Egyptian Cinderella

This Egyptian spin on the classic Cinderella tale was initially recorded in the first century by a Roman historian and is retold here by folklorist Shirley Climo.

Poor Rhodopis! She has nothing—no mother or father, and no friends. She is a slave, from the far-off country of Greece. Only the beautiful rose-red slippers her master gives her can make Rhodopis smile.

So when a falcon swoops down and snatches one of the slippers away, Rhodopis is heartbroken. For how is she to know that the slipper will land in the lap of the great Pharaoh himself? And who would ever guess that the Pharaoh has promised to find the slipper’s owner and make her queen of all Egypt?

Augustus Caesar's World

In her unique approach, Foster weaves a story of the world around her central character; rather than focusing exclusively on geo-political events, as most textbooks do, she includes stories of scientific discovery and invention, music, literature, art, and religion. Her keen intuition for stories will especially delight and amuse youthful readers. In Augustus Caesar's World, Foster traces the seven major civilizations of Rome, Greece, Israel, Egypt, China, India, and Persia from 4500 B.C. to the time of Augustus Caesar in 44 B.C. and culminating in 14 A.D. Within this timeframe readers will learn not only the stories of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Marc Antony, but also the historian Livy and how Virgil came to write the Aeneid. Foster will then take her readers all over the world to learn what was happening at this same time in China, Persia, India and so on. Foster's detailed pen and ink drawings are fresh and appealing, and her illustrated timelines give a clear sense of chronology, enriching the engaging text.

The Lost Queen of Egypt: The Tomb of Nefertiti

For professor of Egyptology Henry Markham, this would be the crowning glory of his career: an intact tomb of Nefertiti, the great royal wife of Akhenaten and the heretic pharaoh of eighteenth dynasty Egypt, whose bust of exquisite beauty resides in the Berlin Museum, which he had searched for the last ten years. He had an unspoken passion for her only excelled by his young assistant, Steven Sinclair, whose visions and dreams of her haunted him, much to the annoyance of Helen Carter, the freelance journalist on-site who, with her business partner Mike Mitcham, the digs photographer, saw Nefertiti as a rival for his affections. Thanks to a gambling debt, Mike finds himself the proud owner of a large luxury mobile home that four Mossad agents are interested in, along with Emil Brogini, who did a drug deal with two Mossad rogue agents since deceased. The arrival of Henry's estranged sister, Millicent, with her friend Jane Evesham, a gifted clairvoyant, does nothing to improve his temper, especially when Jane tells him they are in great danger. Can the danger come from four renegade Mossad agents or Emil Bratislav Brogini, Mr. Big in Cairo, into every racket going? Jane discovers that Helen has a latent gift of clairvoyance which, with their combined powers in a séance, sends them back to the eighteenth dynasty with Nefertiti, Akhenaten, and danger around every corner as they try to discover who is trying to kill them all using a large band of Libyan bandits. They survive ambushes, assassin's knives, and chariot chases, finally getting back to their own time with Nefertiti.

Pyramid

Pyramid is a strong resource for readers looking to expand their knowledge of ancient Egyptian civilization, history, and architecture.

Award-winning author-illustrator David Macaulay explores the philosophy of life and death in ancient Egypt through richly detailed black-and-white illustrations and clear, concise text.

Though created with middle grade readers in mind, all with interest in the topic will enjoy this impressive look at what many consider to be one of the most awesome of humankind's creations.

Pharaoh's Boat

With poetic language and striking illustrations, Weitzman tells the story of how one of the greatest boats of ancient Egypt came to be built and built again.In the shadow of the Great Pyramid at Giza, the most skilled shipwrights in all of Egypt are building an enormous vessel that will transport Cheops, the mighty pharaoh, across the winding waterway and into a new world. Pharaoh's boat will be a wonder to behold, and well prepared for the voyage ahead. But no one, not even the Egyptian king himself, could have imagined just where the journey of Pharaoh's boat would ultimately lead.

The Winged Cat

Merit is a servant girl in the temple of cat goddesses. In a rage, Waha, the High Priest, kills a sacred car, and Merit sees him do it.But when Merit reports the evil deed to Pharaoh, Waha denies that he is guilty.

Hands-on Ancient Egypt

Though the ancient Egyptians had many games, Mehen, the snake game was popular.

(Pic. attribution)

The game was called snake because the stone board represented a coiled serpent with its head in the middle.

This could easily be made with clay too and it would probably look a little more ancient, but it would be easy enough to make if you wanted to go all out for a unit study about Ancient Egypt.

So we read up on a few rules we found and I created a game board.

We had some crafting jewels in the house and we grabbed them to use as tokens.

I wasn’t sure how this game would go over with the kids so I let the pros check it out.

Too, we all agreed it was a nice break to our day and it was  pretty inexpensive to make because I printed it off on cardstock.

I wanted it on letter size paper in case we wanted to store it in our lapbook or notebook. I put a few final touches on it and overall we had a great last few days as we took off time and played games.

Also, I love using ALL of the fun interactive lapbooks and history craft ideas by Home School in the Woods. I know you will too.

Plus, your kids will love the book Cleopatra: Queen of Egypt (Historical Notebooks) with all of it’s lift flaps and pull out maps.

Also, remember to look at our first time we studied Ancient Egypt here with this big homeschool unit study.

You’ll love these other links:

  • Ancient Egypt Narmer Crown Dough Activity
  • How to Make Smokin’ Hot Egyptian Pillars Out of Cardboard
  • Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator

GRAB THE FREE ANCIENT EGYPT PRINTABLE BOARD GAME BELOW

Now, how to grab the free game. It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) Sign up on my email list.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

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2 CommentsFiled Under: 1. My FREE Learning Printables {Any Topic}, Ancient Civilizations, Free Homeschool Resources, Hands-On Activities, History Based, History Resources Tagged With: ancient civilizations, ancientegypt, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, history resources

Polish Paper-Cutting (Wycinanki): Day 10 Hands-on Learning

March 2, 2017 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Polish Paper-Cutting. Try Polish Folk Art When Studying About Europe or doing a homeschool unit study. Day 10 of Hands-on Learning Activities @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusContinuing in our hands-on learning and focusing more on European countries this year, Tiny did a fun Polish paper-cutting activity. I have an upcoming unit study from STEAMworld Learning about Poland that I’m tickled to show you, but first I just have to give you a peek at this fun art project.

Appreciating Culture through Art

Have you ever head of Wycinanki? Yep, me neither which is why we were so excited to try it out.

At first glance you may think it’s easy. I confess we thought the same thing. What could be so hard about cutting paper right?

Wycinanki or polish paper-cutting became popular in the 1800s and peasants used it to decorate their home. They would brighten up their white walls with beautiful colored designs or hang the paper art from the ceiling or beams.

There were a lot of scenes of natures, but they especially liked roosters. But that is not the only pattern, it seems as time goes on, more and more designs are crafted like flowers, stars, medallions and peacocks.

Tiny pieces of paper are cut out and glued together to form an intricate pattern. And the idea is to layer the tiny intricate pieces to form designs and color.

After reading about it, like a lot of places each region has it’s own way of  doing it. One region typically stayed in one color while another area explored with multiple colors.

Of course, I always like easy so that is why we are using the crate from STEAMworld Learning because it comes with everything we need in one crate to do the project.

I rounded up some other Polish paper-cutting pictures from an art site to inspire me you.


Credit: Chicken Wycinanki by XxsLeEpINGsAiLoRxX on DeviantArt
You can see why the Polish people decorate with these beautiful crafts. Not only is the art soothing to do, but it gives the whole place a new look.

Wycinanki 1 by NeddieDavid on DeviantArt

We even saw some pictures with the designs done on eggs. What detailed work!

star – gwiazda by suzikraw on DeviantArt
I know you’ll love this upcoming unit study about Poland which is geared toward middle school kids and the best way to kick off a unit study is always with a hands-on activity and fun.

Tiny enjoyed doing this rooster and we especially love having the patterns that came with the crate. I think you’re kids will love this project. More to come soon!

If you’re wanting to do a unit study about a European country, grab Switzerland Homeschool Geography Unit Study (and Lapbook) here. And there is no shortage of fun hands-on ideas in our series.

Day 1: Make a Hair Hygrometer, Day 2: Desert Sand Art, Day 3: Make Zopf (Swiss Style Bread), Day 4: Exploring Edible Cactus (Learning about the Desert), How to Build the Alamo: Day 5 Hands-on Learning (Free Texas Unit Study) and Geoscavenge – A Rock and Mineral Hunt: Day 6 Hands-on Learning, How Does the Power of Ice Shape Mountains? Day 7: Hands-on Learning,How Accurate is a Sand Clock? Day 8: Hands-on Learning, How a Pendulum Clock Measures Time: Day 9 Hands-on Learning Activities and 365 Days Hands-On Homeschool Activities – One for EVERY Day of the Year

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

2 CommentsFiled Under: Geography, Hands-On Activities, History Resources Tagged With: crafts, geography, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, poland

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