Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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history resources

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS UNIT MINIBOOK ON THE BABYLONIANS & HAMMURABI

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I have the next minibook ready for the Ancient Civilizations Unit.

This 3 tab book is about The Babylonians & Hammurabi. We took a little longer on this book because I wanted the boys to compare men’s laws to the superior laws of God.

Like my other mini books, I have a few facts if you want to use them and one copy that is blank if you prefer to add your own facts and content.

The Babylonians & Hammurabi Minibook

Here are some links you might find useful:

Edsitement. Has a large fleshed out section on questions and background information.

Highlighting a few features about each of these civilizations keeps it from being too overwhelmed with details which was my goal on doing this unit.

Ancient Civilization Lapbook Collage

I always plan on the folder where the minibooks go.

It doesn’t mean this is the only way to arrange the books, but I created this to show you where I intended that the minibooks be placed. Today you have up to  book  5.

Updated: The lapbook is now complete!

HOW TO GET THE FREE ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS II LAPBOOK

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

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

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

Hugs and love ya,

 

For my newer readers that missed the previous minibooks, I am linking those below:

Free Minoan and Mycenaean Minibook for an Ancient Civilization Study

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Our year end co-op is always worth the time that it “distracts” me. Making a Roman shield and helmet compliments of some free cardboard and an easy costume equals a memorable day for Tiny. I promise to share all the easy how-to tips in upcoming posts.

But now that its May–YIKES– that means curriculum planner updates are coming soon too.  Hold on to your britches as I switch between topics in the upcoming weeks like my home management binder + my unit study printables + adding in my curriculum planner updates and yes I even have another giveaway coming up.

Free Minoan and Mycenaean Minibook for an Ancient Civilization Study

My year end co-op is finished, my New Bee workshops are done for the year and I am feeling all energetic and zippy.

Okay—-well almost because the kids said they could use a day or two to sleep in and my house still needs to be put back together. Just sounds better if I say the kids need it.

Today, I want to share with you the next minibook in our ancient civilization unit because we did our own lapbook too while we did the Great Empires Activity Study by Home School in the Woods.

On a side note: I was excited after searching high and low for some great clip art that I actually found some to purchase. You have to love those folks making donations to the Dynamic 2 Moms site because when they donate, I buy for you. I always try to be sure they get a Thank You from me.

Our reading focused on the Minoans and Mycenaean. The Minoans settled on the island of Crete at the same time as the rise of Mesopotamia and Egypt. This civilization too has royal palaces and paved roads.

In Minoan culture, bulls were significant and vaulting off the back of bulls was a sport. The Mycenaean were skilled at using gold, built the first Greek empire and were highly civilized even though all around them were barbarian tribes.

That is enough to understand about each culture if you are trying to keep it simple. I like simple.

This next minbook is a layered book about the Minoan and Mycenaean and all you do is staple on the side. As I have time you know I like to create minibooks that have text and create another set that is blank in case you want to fill in your own information. This one is no different. I have text on one set and the duplicate set is without text.

This allows you to use it with both, older and younger children, or to use the information given if you are in a bind for time. We do a lot of writing so I keep our minibooks easy because the focus is on the delight of learning not on penmanship. However, if you are working on penmanship you will enjoy having them blank. As you can see, lots of ways to use all of my minibooks

You know I told you that this lapbook is going to have many different civilizations in it. When I first started homeschooling, I focused on one civilization at a time and I still like to do that, but too after going through them with each kid or each year, sometimes its nice to have a quick glance at one time.  I think it helps younger children to get a panorama of history and its equally important for my older sons because it serves as a review. One reason also is if history is not your first love like it is for us, then looking at each ancient civilization with not so much detail keeps it from becoming overwhelming. I can’t imagine people not wanting to study history their every waking minute. Just saying.

Hugs and love ya,

Update: This lapbook is now complete.

HOW TO GET THE ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS II LAPBOOK

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

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

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

Ancient Maya Lapbook (Free Homeschool Unit Study)

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We have been putting the final touches on our unit study for the ancient Maya. We started off our discussion on Meso-America and narrowed our interest down to the ancient Maya.

Free Ancient Maya Lapbook and homeschool unit study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I want to focus more on the Aztecs but Mr. Awesome and Mr. Senior 2013 are throwing out other topics for our next unit study topic.

Ancient Maya Lapbook (Free Homeschool Unit Study)

Tiny still likes this topic so we haven’t settled on our next unit study. Too, I think we may focus some on our new curriculum we just got. It’s hard for us to stay away from a good unit study for long so maybe the change to cooler weather will make them decide on a topic.

Ancient Maya Lapbook (Free Homeschool Unit Study)

In most unit studies we find an abundance of hands-on things to do but for this topic they really were focused on reading. However, we did find some hands-on things in the book Amazing Maya Inventions You Can Build Yourself that we liked.

We spent quite a few days learning about the tzolk’in calendar, also called the Sacred Round. It wasn’t as easy as the Maya made it look to line up the two circles for the calendars side by side.

Ancient Maya Lapbook (Free Homeschool Unit Study)

{tzolk’in calendar. pic att and link to learn about it.}

But we did manage to make two circles like the book said and followed the directions but I am not so sure we managed to use it like they did. It made us appreciate the advancements they made in math, building and a written language.

I added this calendar circle as a minibook in the lapbook. So here it is, the next lapbook for you. It has 9 minibooks.

Ancient Maya Lapbook (Free Homeschool Unit Study)

Then of course you know I have to make something for you to  put on the outside of your lapbook for a cover in case you don’t have wild hair and want to create one. So here are two cover choices.

Remember too all of my minibooks or downloads are usually kept separate and not one big HUGE download. I do this because it helps to keep organized when you can pick/choose what you want to download or keep on your computer.

Also, I do it this way because you may prefer to notebook and you can use individual minibooks and decorative pieces from the front cover to create your own notebooking pages. It is rare that I do one huge download. Just letting you know there is a method to my madness.

I made a few organizational changes to our school area this year and am ready to share that with you next. Here is a glimpse of one area I had to redo. I FINALLY got my teacher’s manuals for history and other subjects in a notebooking system I heart. I will have my pictures to share on the small but meaningful changes made to our area.

organization homeschool binders

You know I heart quotes each day. I find this one inspirational today as I think about you and the countless other educators as we daily give to our kids. Also, I was talking in my workshop Monday night how you do give up some things to homeschool but they seem so insignificant now when you see the blessing of your children. {sappy moment thought}. It just made me think of this today.

The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.”

~ Kalu Kalu~

How to Get the Free Lapbook Maya and Free Notebooking Pages

Now, how to grab the free maya lapbook. This is a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to my subscribers library and this freebie.

However, not all my freebies are in the library (wink).

I like to keep up to date with what is valuable to you so I can give you more, some freebies you must sign up again on the form below even if you are already a follower.

And it’s the only way I have of freely delivering them to you. Just follow the steps below.

► 1) Sign up on my list.
► 2) Go to your inbox and confirm your email from the automatic reply I sent you. If you’re already a confirmed subscriber, you will not have to do this. You’ll receive the freebie instantly.
 ►3) Last step. look for my reply AFTER you’ve confirmed your email.

How to Make Celtic Cakes -Recipe for Hands-on History

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your kids will love making this Celtic cakes recipe. So we will be taking our time studying the Ancient Civilization Unit because we have been doing spring cleaning and have been spending time outside.

I finally started doing some spring cleaning around the house. I seem to have a longer list this year so I have a hodgepodge of things going on around here.

How to Make Celtic Cakes -Recipe for Hands-on History

There are so many ancient civilizations to focus on but in going over this with Tiny and Mr. Awesome again, we have been focusing on Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and Greece so far.

Even though we have covered this before, the older the kids get the more they appreciate about each civilization.

Celtic Cakes Recipe

Also we didn’t really talk too much about the Celts when they were younger other than to appreciate their illuminated manuscripts because there is a lot of paganism associated with the culture.

To be completely objective though, the more in depth you study any civilization you realize that a lot of them have some pagan roots associated somewhere.

Don’t forget to check out Home School In the Woods for hands-on project.

You have to sort through and pick the things like art or influences on our language that made changes, good or otherwise and discard the other things about their culture that focused on pagan things.

We decided to make something in the kitchen this time to start off our study.

The boys looked up some recipes of what they wanted to make or should I say something they thought would taste good.

I love the way they sneak in baking something good to eat and call it history and I could tell when Mr. Awesome showed me the recipe on Celtic cakes that it might taste a little flat and uninspiring but he was insistent on making them because he loves oatmeal cookies.

I think he thought he was making something similar. We have much drama in our house when the boys cook. Every step in the process has to be “attacked”.

How to Make Celtic Cakes -Recipe for Hands-on History

The Celtic cakes were much more like a flat bread that is well, flat.

The boys put some sugar and cinnamon in them too. A little sugar never hurts and after they were baked, they ate them with honey. T

he Celts believed in staying fit; if they ate this, they would.

How to Make Celtic Cakes -Recipe for Hands-on History

The Celt influenced European art and history even though they are probably less talked about in ancient civilizations.

We like to read/talk about some civilizations that are not so well known. At the height of their civilization they stretched from the  Atlantic to Asia Minor, from northern Europe to the Mediterranean Coast.

The Celts were a collection of tribes instead of just one group. The World Book says: The Celts expressed their artistic genius in such arts and crafts as metal work, sculpture, and ceramic pottery. Celtic artists excelled in decorating objects. They used beautiful combinations of curved lines and spirals that were based on natural forms such as plants, animals and birds. Irish monks used these patterns to illuminate (decorate) manuscripts.

I think what we found fascinating in reading about them was that not only did they have an imposing physique because of what they ate but they would mix chalk and water and add to their hair to make them ferocious looking.  It was like plaster-cast hair.

How to Make Celtic Cakes -Recipe for Hands-on History

Here is a statute of a dying Gaul where the warrior’s hair was replicated to look like that.

Interesting enough Hannibal enlisted their help because their appearance  with long mustache and spiked hair struck fear into their enemies. I think we may have to include a minibook about them in our unit.

Today though I have included our minibook on Ancient Mesopotamia. I want to round out our study a little more about that area.

You know how my brain works. I tend to think in terms of “projects” when we do our unit studies.

So I think instead of throwing the lapbook to you all at one time, I will back up and share a minibook or two as we do them or study about them. That way it gives you a chance to work on it if you are doing this unit too.

I know I feel comfortable doing a jillion things at once but I know that can get crazy overwhelming if you are trying to follow along as I do them.

Plus the fact that I just love sharing with you, slowing down the pace a bit allows time for studying this topic over a longer time. There is so much to cover about ancient civilizations.

Be sure to download the Celtic Cakes Recipe and new minibook on Ancient Mesopotamia as we move along through spring in our study of Ancient Civilizations.

Now the Ancient Civilizations II lapbook is completed.

HOW TO GET THE ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS II LAPBOOK

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

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

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

Are you working on some fun hands-on history projects?

Also, read some more fun hands-on history below:

Hugs and you know I love ya,