Ancient Worlds in a New Light
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I have started something new and very exciting! And which has been on my heart for a long time… Making available the picture book based curriculums I have created for my family is one of the reasons behind this blog. And now it is a reality! A dear friend of mine was struggling to piece together a curriculum that would include multiple subjects and multiple ages all in one. This was just the motivation I needed to finally launch into polishing up my curriculums and making them available to others. So I would like to introduce to you: Ancient Worlds, by A Daily Picture Book!
The curriculum
This complete curriculum covers history, geography and Bible history from Creation to Alexander the Great. You will explore the ancient worlds of the Bible, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Ancient Greece. While touring these civilizations you will discover their geography and the reasons they flourished and are called the cradle of humanity. Bible history will be interwoven throughout.
This is family friendly for ages 0 to 100. Narrations and activities can be scaled up or down based on each person’s ability and desire.
What you will find:
– A 22 weeks all inclusive curriculum, broken down by weeks and days to help you plan your home education.
– Spine recommendations and how to use them.
– Book baskets: additional picture books that will enrich your explorations.
– Activities: cartography and activities to enrich your experience of each civilization.
– Coming soon: an exclusive web page with new resources as I come across them.
Starting at the beginning
History is the main thread of this curriculum and on it are woven faith and geography. This curriculum is written from a Catholic perspective. We have been cycling through history every 5 years or so. We always start at the same place: the beginning. To us the beginning is the Creation of the world. Following the texts of the Bible we explore the Creation accounts and progress to Adam and Eve and their descendants. The Bible is the main spine and following it we discover the world that surrounded it. I have chosen to pursue the exploration of the Ancient Worlds in this way as it just makes sense and helps my children put all the pieces of the puzzle of where they come from together more easily.
Following the Hebrews
Since the Bible is the main spine of this curriculum, geography is concentrated around the Middle East, the cradle of humanity. We will explore many Middle Eastern countries, their physical geography as well as their cultures then and now. As we look at today’s headlines in the news, being familiar with the geography of the Middle East, and its history, helps us to understand what is happening in that part of the world. Introducing children to a new culture through geography allows them to grasp why the culture is different from their own. Our environment shapes our culture.
Geography
Geography includes map work as well as discovering commonly used geographic terms such as delta, mountains, etc… Learning to draw the word and being able to locate different countries, oceans and landmarks is a life skill that is essential. Geography is not something extra, it is a skill that allows us to become true citizens of the world around us. I am always thankful when I meet someone from another country to have a basic knowledge of where they are from and an idea, even vague, of their culture. It helps me to be able to show interest in this person without blundering ignorantly and potentially offending them.
When I first came to the US in the late nineties, I went on a date with a man who was pretty ignorant… One of his first questions was “ Do you have electricity in France?” Let me tell you that he lost me right there, lol! But if he had just had a basic knowledge of Western Europe in general he wouldn’t have sounded so stupid…
Bible history
Using the Bible as the starting point to explore the ancient worlds helps children (and adults) piece things together and understand not only the world of the Bible better, but the ancient worlds in general. Weaving in and out of the Bible puts all the stories that they know into perspective and enables them to make connections. There is such beauty in being able to understand all that lies behind the story of Moses, for example. What did it mean that he grew up in Pharaoh’s house? Why is it so important for his future role? What about the golden calf? Why was it so bad, and what did it mean? I just love seeing the connections being made for my children. The aha moments are priceless!
History
We need to know where we come from. Our children want to know where they come from. There are always family stories swirling around in our house. About their grandparents, mine and my husband’s grandparents and even great grandparents, they love it! Knowing where they come from makes them feel secure, they treasure these stories. And when we teach them history we teach them even more about their own stories and we help them find their own place in the world. And there are so many good stories in history!
Growing up in France our history was very France-centered and I regret not having had a broader understanding of the world’s history. Therefore I endeavor to open my children’s eyes to the rest of the world and not just our local history. The world is such an amazing place. And the history of the world allows us to put our own days into perspective… Sometimes I feel like there is nothing new under the sun, and in a way, it is re-assuring… We can make it through “this”. Others have done so in the past. (“this” can be anything, really, lol)
Ancient Worlds
I have been building up this curriculum through the years, adding picture books and resources as I came across them. And I am always discovering new ones. But I have found that interweaving subjects really makes a big difference in the way we have been learning. Segregating each subject to its own time frame is truly detrimental as it makes it harder to understand the “why” of learning about this or that.
For example, I remember learning about US agriculture as a completely independent, self sustaining topic in high school, for geography class. It made NO sense to me whatsoever! Why should I know all these facts about US agriculture while I was living in France? Maybe if it had been set in an economics and historical perspective it would have made more sense. No subject can stand alone. Just like our entire lives are a tapestry of facts, events, people, places and weather, then so is the history of the world. And to make sense of it all, we need to know about it all. That is why I have built a multi subject curriculum, to be able to really understand better what happened in the past.
So come with us for your greatest adventure yet into the Ancient Worlds!
Love,
Mattie
