We just arrived in Ancient Greece after spending the first half of the year on Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Israel. We have loved studying about what civilization was like B.C., seeing what the people did for work, what they wore, what they ate, how they lived. But more importantly, we have really enjoyed understanding what God was doing during those times. How His word can be our guide to history and teach us about a place and time. God was present when the Egyptians built their pyramids, and more so when He loosed the plagues that released the Israelites from slavery there.
Now we have moved onto another great civilization, Ancient Greece.
Can I just say that they Greek myths have totally captivated the young minds in my house?
They are constantly pretending to be one of the Greek gods or goddesses and reenacting the stories. It's probably the easiest time I have ever had teaching a subject, they constantly beg for more.
We started with the ILIAD in the Children's Homer but quickly changed to Rosemary Sutcliffe's version, Black Ships before Troy. It was more engaging for the age range that I have listening ( K-4). We sped through that in 1 week and are onto the Wanderings of Odysseus, again my Rosemary Sutcliffe instead of using the Odyssey in the Children's Homer.
I also added a few books that MFW doesn't include.We are reading through the Percy Jackson series. I read this aloud so that I can edit a few of the language issues. The novels help to emphasize the relationships among the gods /goddesses and what a greek HERO really was. I found
this website to quiz the students on the sequencing, vocabulary and comprehension portions of the story. One amazing bonus, is that my fourth grader has written her first short story. A prequel to the Percy books, his time from pre-K to 5th grade and it's a hoot! I will publish a chapter or two at a later time.
Most importantly, we have definitely enphasized the fantasy genre of the myths and that they would essentially be equivalent to today's superheroes. That is, if we built monuments to them and worshipped them with sacrifices. The kids understand that the myths were meant to explain natural phenomena, such as thunderstorms or the setting of the sun, which we have science to explain today. Some myths were written as pure entertainment. The gods and goddesses in the myths are temperamental, not always wise or compassionate and generally like the best and worst of all human characteristics.
Nonetheless, they are fascinating to read about.
Everett loves the mythical creatures most of all, the Cerberus, the centaurs, satyrs, cyclopses, the chimera, the hydra, etc.........anything with mutliple heads and mixed up body parts! Those Greeks sure had imaginations!
Everett's rendition of the Underworld based on the descriptions in Greek mythology.
I think he captured it pretty welll.....there is Hades on the throne, the (three-headed) dog, Cerberus as guard-dog, the cyclops with the club, and the general despair of the whole scene.
