Between Two Rivers by Moudhy Al-Rashid is a compelling history book that explores ancient Mesopotamia through everyday experiences rather than just notable figures. It highlights the significance of writing, featuring artifacts to illustrate life over 3,000 years. The book is particularly valuable for homeschoolers seeking relatable and engaging historical narratives.
Tag: Homeschool history
Is Sargon or Lugalzagesi the Strongest King? A Homeschool History Lesson for Curious Minds
The lesson explores a debate between Sargon of Akkad and Lugalzagesi, two influential kings of ancient Mesopotamia, allowing children to understand different definitions of strength in leadership. Through critical thinking and engaging activities, students learn to appreciate historical context and compare the lasting impacts of both rulers on society.
Then and Now by Perring and Perring {Book Review}
Then and Now: The Wonders of the Ancient World Brought to Life is an educational book by Stefania and Dominic Perring, published in 1991. It utilizes acetate overlays to juxtapose 20 ancient sites as they exist now with reconstructions of their historical appearances. The book received acclaim for its educational value and engaging format.
Cylinder Seals {Mesopotamia Unit Study}
Cylinder seals are one of the most fascinating artefacts to come out of Mesopotamia. In fact, Mesopotamia is known for these small, cylindrical stamps, which are considered to be its unparalleled artistic accomplishment. Read more: This lesson on Mesopotamian stamp seals gives you lots of information about the cylinder seal’s earlier cousin Also, do check……
The Golden Bull {Book Review}
The Golden bull is a staple in our house, with it being read aloud (or read alone) each time we study Mesopotamia. There is very little good fiction set in Ancient Mesopotamia. And to be honest, not much has changed over the last decade or so. It’s a shame because we love to learn about……
Events Leading Up To The Battle of Hastings 1066
This lesson, which covers the events leading to the Battle of Hastings, is fun and thorough. Oh, and it involves dressing up as Knights! I hated history in school, apart from Henry VIII. He fascinated me. The rest however was plain boring. In particular I hated learning about wars and battles. A list of dates……
Make a Gas Mask Model {World War One}
I had an enormous amount of fun working out how to make a gas mask from World War One. This is junk modelling at its best. I used what we had on hand (I always have a box of junk to use for such a thing as this). I try not to plan what we……
How to Make Soldier’s Trousers {World War 1}
As you all know, we have been learning all about World War One. As is our norm, the girls will be doing a presentation to mark the end of the unit. Abigail will be dressing up as the only woman ever to fight on the frontlines in the Great War: Flora Sandes. So we needed……
Siege of Liege Activities {World War I}
World War One is complicated and convoluted, and (IMHO) should never (ever) have happened. Learning about it is like watching a line of dominoes falling over and being completely unable to prevent what happens next. I have had to teach myself, over and over, to fully understand what happened to create the breeding ground for……
Edwardian Unit Study: Resources {1900-1910}
In September we began our study into the twentieth century. Beginning with the first decade, I planned many activities around the literature written during that time period, key events/people such as the suffragettes, key inventions such as the Brownie camera and the Wright brothers’ flying machine, and the artists around at the time. The following……
China and the Shang Dynasty
China and the Shang Dynasty: Reading I read the lesson from the Mystery of History text book, and gathered all our ancient China books and had the girls peruse them: China and the Shang Dynasty: Researching Silk Worms After I had photocopied a few pages of information about silk worms, Abigail read them and did……
The Israelites in Slavery
We had great fun learning about the Israelites in Slavery, and the girls experienced a little (a very little) about what it was like being a slave to the Egyptians. Israelites in Slavery: Reading Abigail read the lesson from the Mystery of History text book, and I read out everything covering the Israelites in Egypt……
Mystery of History: Lesson Eight – The Tower of Babel
I wondered what on earth I could teach my girls about the Tower of Babel. I mean, they have read their Bible. And they are very familiar with the story. What else was there? It wasn’t until I began digging a bit deeper, using the Mystery of History text as my starting point, that I……
The Ice Age Unit Study
We have never done an Ice Age unit study before, so I was quite excited to be learning alongside the children. I decided to invest in a couple of extra resources to make the whole lesson more informative and interesting. As a result, it was a light-hearted and fun lesson: just how I like it……
Mystery of History Lesson Three: Tubalcain and Jubal
The third Mystery of History lesson was about Tubal Cain and Jubal. The mention of these men in Genesis shows how advanced early man actually was. Jubal, the brother of Jabal, is the second son of Lamech with Adah.  He is described in the Bible as “the father of all such as handle the harp……