Morning Lessons: Ancient India And Rome

The beauty of homeschooling (and the beauty of the girls being in back to back grades) is that they get two years of each topic. Whatever I bring to Grace the year she does it, I make sure to do different things with Emma the following year so that it remains interesting to both of them (and to me). Grace's Ancient India block last year looks very different from Emma's this year, but they are both enjoying it just as much as they did last year. The connections that are being made as a result of having experienced it the year before are really outstanding! I love hearing Grace pipe  up to offer what she remembers, and Emma's eye's light  up when she remembers Grace working with a certain topic or when it's something new that her sister did not do the year before. It's learning at its best! 

 One such new activity was a verse we came upon as a way to remember the ancient Indian caste system in regard to the human body. 

 I love that Emma drew herself and then labeled the different parts of the caste system on her drawing. 

Grace just began her block on Ancient Rome. We are using both the Waldorf Essentials grade six materials and the Oak Meadow grade six materials to create a very rich experience for her. After spending time reading about and discussing Roman people, families and food we decided it would be fun to make some Roman custard. 

 Adding cinnamon. 

 We had to add a bit of extra time when the custard was baking. It took about an additional fifteen minutes for it to become firm. 

Nothing like a sweet ending to the first week of learning about Ancient Rome! This custard was declared "delicious" and will surely be made again! xo

Pen And Ink

Today's morning lesson was a very fancy ending to our Colonial America/Revolutionary War block! They both did such a lovely job this entire block, but most especially on this project. Perhaps it was that cursive is the norm for them. Or maybe it was the quill pen.  Regardless of what the reason was, their writing seemed exceptionally beautiful today. xo 

Today's Morning Lesson

Today's morning lesson focused on Paul Revere and his midnight ride. We read Longfellow's Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, watched the Liberty's Kids episode and sang along with Schoolhouse Rock's  "Shot Heard Round the World" and made lanterns!  

Bread And Butter

Some of us just really get into lessons! I shared a video of her shaking this butter on Facebook and I'm so sad there's no way to share that video here, too. It was absolutely delightful! If we're connected on Facebook and you haven't already watched this video, I encourage you to do so. You can't help but smile! 

 The finished butter that both girls made, along with the bread they made earlier in the day. We are in full on colonial/American Revolution mode in preparation for our trip to Williamsburg next month! The girls absolutely loved when they studied the Revolution during Grace's "local history block" last year, and so I knew they would be thrilled to do it again this year when it was Emma's turn for that same block. As an added bonus, Grace's grade five materials from Oak Meadow have her studying American history this year and that means more of the Revolution for her too! I love when their blocks line up like that. It doesn't happen often but when it does it's such a treat! All this, paired with the upcoming trip to Colonial Williamsburg makes it feel like the stars have aligned for us! 

Warm bread and homemade butter made for an absolutely perfect snack this afternoon! xo

Welcome, March!

Wishing everyone a lovely March and a blessed Saint David's Day today! xo