Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

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Trail of Tears Notebooking Pages

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

I can’t help it. We love geography and we love starting our unit studies off with something about geography when we can.  So in preparing the first set of the Trail of Tears Notebooking Pages, I started with a bit of easy geography.

Even easy geography is important to understanding the trek that not only the Cherokee made, but several other tribes took because it helps to build appreciation for the harsh conditions they endured.

Too, because I like big graphics for any age, young grades or middle school, it is good sometimes to add a few notebooking pages to your study because you can use the full page for a map.

You know I have never fallen for the popular homeschooling mentality that lapbooks are just for young learners and notebooking pages for older learners.  I always try to incorporate the two types of pages when I can.  Don’t limit homeschooling tools like lapbooks and notebooking pages to preassigned ages and you will be able to make a well rounded out unit study.

Back to what I was talking about. I also like to build background information first about any topic.  Earlier, I had shared a minibook about the 7 Clans which is a minibook to build appreciation for the culture of the Cherokee.

Trail of Tears Notebooking Pages

Then today, I am sharing some notebook pages will which help with understanding about the different types of tribes that lived along the southeastern part of the United States. This will also help to build appreciation for the way they care for the land and depended on it for survival. They were hunters, farmers and they fished.

By locating the tribes on the southeastern part of the United States in their atlas, your children can understand that they lived in log homes, and planted squash, beans and corn in the rich soil. The land they loved and built on was wooded and had rivers.  As they worked the land, they enjoyed the bounty provided by it.

More Trail of Tears Activities

How to Get the Free Trail of Tears Lapbook

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Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

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

I have a fun metamorphic edible rocks activity. Also, look at my Free Earth Science Lapbook & Unit Study Ideas.

I have been trying to do easy and fun homeschooling projects. 

Well that sounds better than saying I’m a bad homeschooling momma because I have done the fun metamorphic edible rocks with my older boys, but not Tiny. 

Actually both of those statements are true.

Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

You know what I am talking about if you have done a lot of fun hands-on things with your older children and feel that tinge of guilt inspiration to keep it fun for your younger children too. 

I will be falling back on some of those ideas as we continue to sell our furniture and downsize.

Metamporphic Rock and Notebooking Pages

Talking about downsizing, look what went this week.

The table we used in our formal dining area for our homeschool is now gone.  

empty school room

We will move to our breakfast table for school now.

Actually, doing our hodgepodge school has been a welcomed change since we have to do a lot of start/stops in the day to show people our furniture as they call us.

Keeping it fun and easy is key for right now and making edible metamorphic rocks works today. 

Too, this fun and easy recipe is great to do with all your kids even though the older ones may know the basic differences in rocks.

First, look at some of these fun books about rocks.

Books about Rocks for Kids Who Love Rocks

I love living books when I can find them, then add other reference books to our reading diet.

6 Rock Unit Study Books & Fun Resources

Whatever grade you're teaching, you'll love adding one of these books or resources to your day.

1. A Rock Is Lively (Family Treasure Nature Encylopedias)

From dazzling blue lapis lazuli to volcanic snowflake obsidian, an incredible variety of rocks are showcased in all their splendor. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this book introduces an array of facts, making it equally perfect for classroom sharing and family reading.

2. LED Lighted Pocket Microscope

 A pocket microscope is a great addition to a science shelf or to add to your bag for nature walks.

3. Rock Cycle Kit, 12 Pieces - Includes Metamorphic, Igneous & Sedimentary Rocks

You can grab a set like this one to start your collection, it contains rocks from each of the 3 types- Sedimentary, Metamorphic, and Igneous.

4. My Book of Rocks and Minerals: Things to Find, Collect, and Treasure

Identify colorful gemstones, sparkly crystals, the toughest rocks, and ancient fossils. Packed with fun facts, information, and extensive photos all about the rocks and minerals that make up the world around us.

Basher: Rocks & Minerals: A Gem of a Book

Simon Basher is back with another zany primer to science! Following his 3 successful titles on the basics of chemistry, physics, and biology, BASHER SCIENCE: ROCKS AND MINERALS is an in-depth look at the ground beneath our feet. Like his other titles, Basher presents these topics through charming and adorable illustrations and pairs them with basic information told from a first person perspective. He develops a community of characters based on the things that form the foundations
of our planet: rocks, gems, crystals, fossils and more. And what's more, he makes it understandable, interesting, and cute. It's not what you expect out of a science primer.

Everybody Needs a Rock (An Aladdin Book)

Everybody needs a rock -- at least that's the way this particular rock hound feels about it in presenting her own highly individualistic rules for finding just the right rock for you.

With 3 ingredients, a spoon, a bowl and some waxed paper you probably already have these ingredients on hand.

Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

We absolutely love peanut butter in our house too, but giving you a heads up now that it uses peanut butter in case you have an allergy. 

Our Journey Westward

By the way if you try this recipe with a peanut substitute and it comes out good, let me know so I can let my other readers know.

Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

Like the recipe above says, just mix the mini-marshmallows, chocolate chips and enough peanut butter so that it sticks or clumps together. 

Metamorphic Rocks Edible Recipe for Kids

We added a tad more because having made these before and because Tiny is a peanut butter addict, we wanted that creamy taste in our “metamorphic rocks”.

Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

Then form the clumps.  Oh yes that is right, this is earth science. 

So then at this point, just point out that these are “sedimentary rocks” and the sediments of chocolate and mini-marshmallows are cemented together with the mineral peanut butter.

Of course the next point to illustrate is how the rocks change through heat.

So put half of them back into your bowl, zap in the microwave for about 20 seconds to 1 minute depending on the heat level of your microwave.  We gave ours a gentle stir.

The Basement Workshop Store

Then turn the mixture back out onto the waxed paper or drop by globs.

Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

Besides this activity having a great easy wow factor for very little time and effort which is always the best kind of activities for us, they are absolutely delicious too after they cool. 

We love to stick our metamorphic rocks in the refrigerator and have them get a bit harder too.

Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

I made a couple of easy rock notebooking pages with answers and a bit of background information to help you or your kids. Download them under the picture below.

Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages
Metamorphic Rocks Notebooking Pages 1Metamorphic Rocks Notebooking Pages 2

  Note if you want the recipe: Just right click the recipe picture at the top and “save as” a picture.

Moving on to some more bigger pieces of furniture, we are trying to move faster toward listing our house.  I hope I can keep up with it all, but probably not.

So I will just enjoy our different homeschooling things we will be doing until we have our final date for our move.

Fun Metamorphic Edible Rocks & Notebooking Pages

More Hands-on Rock Activities

Free 2 Notebooking Pages

Next, use my pages below to add your child’s thoughts about rocks.

  1. Metamorphic Rocks – Rocks that Change
  2. How Are Metamorphic Rocks Formed

How to Get the Free Notebooking Pages

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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.
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Metamorphic Edible Rock Recipe and Free Notebooking Pages @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Mini Unit Study: Geography Quest about The Country of Turkey

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

Did you guess which country my boys chose at the Geography Quest? Yep it was Turkey. To be honest, I was a tad shocked but happy at the same time that they chose that country. You’ll love these ideas for a mini unit study about Turkey.

Country of Turkey Quick and Fun Unit Study at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Easy Homeschool Unit Study Turkey

My oldest son, Mr. Senior 2013, got the final say on country choice since this is his last year to school {sniffle}. Somewhere along your homeschool journey you wonder if “too much history” is too much. {mmmm does that sense?} You pray most of what you teach your sons sticks with them.

When he chose to talk about Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, and write his essay on it,  I was thrilled because of the rich history of the country.

It is absolutely fascinating to study about the beautiful buildings like the Hagia Sophia which still stand today, but also to learn of the diverse influence of the country. One could spend a lengthy unit study just on the influence of Christians on Constantinople then the Muslim influence.

However, since this was our not back to school Geography Quest with our field  trip group, we had to condense it to about a week of study.

One small point to remember about planning and doing unit studies is that when a topic lends itself to one or more subjects easily than others, don’t force a fit.

If you can’t find a topic for one subject like science or art, focus to enrich the subject/s that your topic does naturally flow with and teach. 

Emphasis should be given to learning what interests you and your kids and it should be age appropriate.

Here are some of the topics we read about in our country mini unit study.

Mini Unit Study on the Country of Turkey

Mini homeschool unit study about the Country of Turkey | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Science:  Tiny, my youngest son, chose to do a report about the cape hyrax. The biology of any country is a good topic for younger children.

The cape  hyrax, or rock rabbit is similar to a badger and he tied in the fact that the early colonist mistook this animal for a badger. He researched this topic on his own because that is what interested him.

Social Studies: He also wanted to show money from that country. It is important when doing a unit study about countries to point out that other money is not play money.

My husband went to the foreign exchange commission and got some Turkish money for us to take and share with the group.

Mini homeschool unit study about the Country of Turkey | Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

My middle son, Mr. Awesome, who is my social creature had to read about a variety of topics and influence on the people.

Social Studies:  He explained about a Turkish bazaar or the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. He was interested in the clothing, the fascinating way they still make carpets and rugs from ancient ways.

He just couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that after Constantinople was invaded by the Ottoman Turks they started construction on the building that is still part of the Grand Bazaar. Spices, Turkish pipes {yes he had to view Turkish pipes} clothes, and weapons he had to investigate.

Along with that he had to talk about Turkish delight which is like a confection candy.

Having never been to Turkey, we can only imagine what true homemade Turkish delight tasted like.

My oldest soon started passing out Turkish delight, that we ordered from a place in Washington, to share with the group. I told you we ate our way through the countries.

Geography of Turkey

Bible/Physical Geography: Then we focused some on the physical geography of the country. Mount Ararat is the highest point in Turkey.

The Bible speaks in Genesis 8:4 about the ark coming to rest on Mount Ararat. So we had to discuss whether the ark was discovered or not.

Studying more about the physical geography, it leads one to wonder where exactly did the ark land and Noah unload the animals.

Also, this is not the only time Mount Ararat is spoken about in the Bible. The region is referred to in the book of 2 Kings too. Mount Ararat is called by the Turks Aghri Dagh (Mount of the Ark) and by the Persians Koh-i-nuh (Noah’s Mountain). It led to quite the discussion with all of the kids.

Of course then you have to discuss that both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Bible are major rivers in Turkey.

We could hardly leave the Bible part topic because Asia Minor in the Bible is mostly Turkey and that opens up all the discussions of the lives of the early Christians. Phew…..you see why I was thrilled when he first chose it but wondering uhmmm how to do this in one week.

There was more discussion about the physical geography of the country because Istanbul is the only major city that straddles both the Europe and Asian continents.

Was that an advantage or disadvantage in fighting wars?

Turkey Co-op Ideas for learning about the country at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Then Mr. Senior 2013 wanted to focus on the history of not just the whole country but on Istanbul. Remember  I had mentioned how a unit study is like a funnel, and you want to narrow down to the subtopic that interests your family.

Country of Turkey Homeschool Unit Study

Ancient History/Art: Before he spent time talking on Istanbul, he started off with the story of the Trojan war. He showed how part is made up, part true and some speculation that surrounds the city of Troy.

He did point out that that area is now Turkey.

He moved quickly to focus on the Ottoman Turks conquering the city as well as talking about the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia is only one building among many that are full of the intricate Turkish artwork.

People coming from Europe called Turkey “Land of the Sunrise” and the early Christians called it “second holy land”. Istanbul is also called “Crossroads of the World” because of the meeting of cultures there.

He studied about Alexander the Great, but didn’t present this to the group as that would have been “too much”. {Whoa back Mr. Senior 2013 there are small kids too at the Geography Quest}. He did mention Sultan Mehmed II because he was the conquering invader in Constantinople.

All of this led to a discussion about Islam as well with my older two sons. Tiny was off looking at more pictures of his rock rabbit because he wasn’t interested in this subject.

That is the beauty again of unit studies. You can stay on them as long as your children’s appetite is being satisfied. The youngest ones can stop because their appetite is satisfied.

One thing I did notice was that there was not a lot of what I consider good resources on this unit study topic.

There were lots of books that told the history of Istanbul. Even after several visits to our library, the books barely mentioned this area that has thousands of years of history.

Books About Turkey the Country

I found a book by DK eyewitness travel on Istanbul that was of more value to Mr. Awesome since he likes reading about the modern day people too.

The first book was by Checkerboard Geography Library.

The second one was by Milliken A Culture Resource Guide and this last book is the DK book.

Between my passport that Tiny showed to the group, the Turkish liras or money and passing out Turkish delight we got all of this in our mini unit study.

We had to save time to savor the other countries presented at the Geography Quest by the other families.

Some of the other kids wore hats that you would think come from France to the Mexican shirts worn by the boys. We had a great time kicking off our school year and the last year for Mr. Senior 2013. {I may go into sappy mode}.

Updated: I have found some more great resources.

I hope these pages help you in your study about the countries.

These are countries the kids wanted to learn about in our not back to school Geography Quest. Yep, they got to do the choosing.

We learned about Costa Rica, France, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Romania and Turkey.

These pages have a place to keep fast facts and then one part to do a mini report as you work your way through the countries. I do think we need to do this for another time or at least keep doing some more countries.

Country of Turkey Unit Study Resources

Download below.

Costa-Rica-Country-Report.pdf (479 downloads)

France-Country-Report.pdf (529 downloads)

Ireland-Country-Report.pdf (465 downloads)

Japan-Country-Report.pdf (594 downloads)

Mexico-Country-Report.pdf (476 downloads)

New-Zealand-Country-Report.pdf (520 downloads)

Peru-Country-Report.pdf (466 downloads)

Romania.pdf (455 downloads)

Turkey-Country-Report.pdf (481 downloads)

The-World-Globe-Tracking-by-Country.pdf (714 downloads)

Naturally, we covered a variety of subjects and did not force a fit.

I was inspired today by some Turkish quotes as we end this mini unit study and these make great ways to do some copywork.

“Listen a hundred times; ponder a thousand times; speak once.”

A wise man remembers his friends at all times; a fool, only when he has need of them.”

“A lion sleeps in the heart of every brave man.”

A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship.”

“Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose.”

Quick and Fun Homeschool Unit Study about the Country of Turkey. You'll love it over at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus. CLICK HERE!

Also, you’ll love these other posts.

Hugs, and you know I love ya,