It's Time For the Purim Feast!

I can't wait to teach the kids the story of Esther and celebrate the Feast of Purim with them!  Esther saved the Jewish people from being destroyed by the king's evil advisor, Haman.  The Jewish people still celebrate Esther's brave act every year.  

Watch this video to learn about the story of Esther:

Here is another video for all you Lego lovers!

A fun Purim Song:

Read about how Purim is celebrated each year:

http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Purim

Ancient Greece

Next up?  The Ancient Greeks!!

Read the following sections to learn about this great civilization:

Where Western civilization began

**Also read the tab sections on the side entitled "What was Ancient Greece like?" and "How Greece was ruled."

What was life like for the kids?  Read this:

Going to school

**You will have to click on the tab section with this title.  Also read "What did Greek children learn?"

Did you know the Olympics originated in Greece?  Click on the link below to learn more:

The Olympic Games

**Also read "Events at the Games".

Because the Greeks lived by the sea, they relied on ships for trading, traveling, and war.  Here are some more details about the ships:

Greek ships

**Also read "How did Greeks fight at sea?"

You can play  a game where you take command of a Greek trireme and see how many ships you can ram:

Sea challenge

Finally, watch this video to learn about The Battle of Troy:

EXTRA:  Want some more fun?  Go to this site and paint your own Greek pottery:

Greek pottery

Late Egypt - King Tut and Pyramids

King Tutankhamun was born around 1341 B.C., and is one of the most known Egyptian Pharoahs today due to the discovery of his intact tomb in 1922.


Click on the link to watch a video about the "Boy King of Egypt."

http://www.biography.com/people/king-tut-9512446/videos/king-tut-mini-biography-126127171665




Here is a fun Lego re-creation of Howard Carter discovering King Tut's tomb.

Enter King Tut's Tomb and see if you can find his sarcophagus!

http://www.kingtutone.com/tutankhamun/enter/


Watch this video to learn newly discovered information about how the Egyptian Pyramids were built.

Our History Detectives in Action!

Week 1:

Wandering nomads...

Archaeologists digging for artifacts...

Week 2:

Building the Tower of Babel...

Working together...

Week 3:

Mummy Mommies...

Egyptians...

Trying dates, figs, barley bread & grapes...

Week 4:

Hammurabi's Code of Laws...

An eye for an eye...

What a great group of History Detectives!!

Hammurabi - 1792 B.C. - 1750 B.C.

One of the famous leaders of the old Babylonian Empire was King Hammurabi.

Hammurabi Code of Laws

 

Watch the following videos to learn more about Hammurabi's Code:

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqQuk6iWJO8

 

Listen to the Hammurabi song below to learn more about Hammurabi.

 

 

 

 

 

Early Egypt

The Egyptians lived on the Nile River in Africa.  This river is the longest in the world and became central to their life.  They depended upon it for farming and also for transportation and trade.  The ancient Egyptians were divided into 2 kingdoms that fought each other constantly.  Finally, the White Crown King defeated the Red Crown King and declared himself to be king of all Egypt.  He combined the two crowns into the Double Crown of Egypt, which is what the pharaohs of Egypt wore from then on.

Watch the following video to learn more about Ancient Egypt:

Now, are you ready to "walk like an Egyptian"?  Go to the following page and watch this Ancient Egypt music video.

https://www.flocabulary.com/ancient-egypt/

EXTRA:

Follow Nakht-Amun, your Ancient Egyptian guide, as he teaches you about the world he lives in.  A good review!

The Nile File

Sumerians -  Hieroglyphs and Cuneiform
 

 

 

 

The Sumerians were the first Mesopotamian civilization. They lived in independent walled city-states. Uruk, the first and one of the largest cities in Mesopotamia, had a six miles long wall with defense towers located at 30-35 foot intervals.

Click on the link below to read about Sumerians, hieroglyphs and their history.
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/cuneiform.html

For more fun you can test your knowledge and play a Sumerian game of matching, concentration, or try to complete the word search. Click on stories and games then click to play Sumerian games.
Scribe

Click on the link below to learn more about Sumerian civilization.

http://www.ducksters.com/history/mesopotamia/ancient_sumer.php
 

 

 

 

 

Archaeology, Creation, Life of a Nomad

This year we get to start at the beginning!

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." 
-Genesis 1:1

Watch the following video to learn about each day of Creation:

Reading the Bible is the most reliable source we have for learning about creation and the world's early events.  Archaeology is also a way to find out information about history.  Archaeology is the study of things that people made, used, and left behind. The goal of archaeology is to understand what people of the past were like and how they lived. Scientists who study archaeology are called archaeologists.  The following video describes more about what an archaeologist does.

The earliest people were nomads.  Nomads moved from place to place in search of food for themselves and their livestock.  Click on the link below and read the following slideshow to learn more about nomads and how they eventually became farmers.

The-First-Nomads-Become-Farmers

EXTRA: Want some more activities?  

Click on this link to be a "dirt detective" and earn your Junior Archaeologist badge:

http://www.history.org/kids/games/dirtDetective.cfm

Click on the link below for several online and printable activities.  Have fun!

http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/creation_puzzles.htm

Welcome Back!

We look forward to starting a new year with you, History Detectives!  This year we will be starting at Creation and studying our way through Ancient History.  


Here is a list of topics:

1. September 5th--What is archaeology?, Creation, Adam & Eve, life of a nomad

2. September 19th--Sumerians: Hieroglyphs, Cuneiform

3. October 3rd--Early Egypt

4. October 17th--Hammurabi code of laws

5. November 7th--Late Egypt: King Tut, pyramids

6. November 21st--Greek Culture: Trojan Horse

7. December 8th (Monday)--The Medes & the Persians: Esther, Feast of Purim

~The History Team~
Mrs. Reliford
Mrs. Meyers
Mrs. Critten

John F. Kennedy

Sometimes simply called "JFK," John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the youngest president ever elected at age 43.  He was also one of the most popular presidents.  Under his leadership, he guided this nation through the early 1960s, handling conflicts with other nations and working to improve the lives of all Americans.

Click the link below to read more about JFK:

http://www.ducksters.com/biography/uspresidents/johnfkennedy.php

Watch this video on Kennedy's life:

 EXTRA: The following link allows you to sit at President Kennedy's desk and click on objects to learn more about him.

http://microsites.jfklibrary.org/presidentsdesk/

Martin Luther King, Jr./Segregation

 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement.  Dr. King fought for rights for African Americans.  This was his dream.  Dr. King used peaceful ways to fight for his dream.

 

Watch this clip below to learn more about Rosa Parks and her role in segregation.
 

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr/videos

The link below is about Surviving segregation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaUoZE2njzg
 

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. mini bio.

 

http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Au81aHuSg

 

WWII/Anne Frank

This traumatic period of history followed The Great Depression in the U.S.  Many people all over the world were suffering in difficult times.  Sadly, several evil leaders rose up to power and WWII began.

Click on the following link to read a brief overview of WWII:

http://classroomvictorygarden.org/pdfs/overview/overview.pdf


Below is an interactive timeline of the war:

http://classroomvictorygarden.org/classroom-timeline.html

Anne Frank was one of many young Jewish girls at that time.  Her life was normal until the war began.  Watch the video below to learn more about this courageous girl.

                                           

(**Parent Note:  Please excuse the few typos in the video.  Also, the video mentions that Anne's family was betrayed by a family friend Victor Kugler.  That cannot be verified.  It still remains a mystery as to who actually betrayed them.  This was the best video that I could find which contained the information on her life but did not contain graphic/disturbing images of war.)

WORLD WAR I

 

The Great War or War to End All Wars lasted 4 years.  Over 15 countries fought in this war.  Click on the links below to learn about the Central Powers vs. the Allied Forces.  You will also be introduced to the new method of warfare used in WWI.  There is a fun song at the end to help you remember some of the important facts about this war.

http://www.kidskonnect.com/subjectindex/16-educational/history/287-world-war-i.html 

http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/allied_powers.php 

http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/central_powers.php 

http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/trench_warfare.php 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/virtual_tours/trench_frontline/index_embed.shtml 

http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/aviation_and_aircraft_of_ww1.php  

 

Re-enactment of a depression hobo camp.  We used newspaper as blankets, stood in a bread line and tried to make a living selling apples.