Homeschooler Savvy

Secrets of the Pharaohs...History comes alive

We are studying Ancient Egypt at the moment (using The Story of the World as posted about earlier).  Needless to say we had to have the obligatory trip to the library to immerse ourselves in Ancient Egypt.  A number of the references indicated videos and dvd's on Egypt.  We have just watched the PBS special "Secrets of the Pharaohs" and I highly recommend it.  It is split up into about 15 half hour mini series, or you can do as we did, and just watch it in two sittings.

The added bonus?  They have a website with lots of cool links.  A timeline that matches what you have watched, complete with pictures, dates and maps....perfect for the kids to construct their own timeline.  This is a great way to reinforce the dates and sequence of events that occured in this civilisation.  They also have a place where you can explore King Tut's tomb, explore a 3d version of Khufu's tomb and a site on how mummies are made.

Got an older child interested in scientific research on these archeological finds?  They also have a link on the mass spectrometry, taking DNA from mummies and deciphering ancient diseases...did King Tut not eat all his veges, or was he murdered by a blow to his head?

This is a very painless way to have history come alive, trust us! 

Aussie Kim and Louisiana Sue

Meet Me In Mesopotamia

Another Classical Homeschooler I know, Hayley at mom and kids at home, found the the neatest websites for studying ancient history.

The British Museum has a super site all about Mesopotamia. Learn about early astronomers in Babylon. Explore the ancient palaces of Assyria. Don't know what a Sumerian Ziggurat is? Find out. This website is a fantastic supplemental source for the study of ancient history. Thanks, Hayley!

Oh, and if you're looking for a kid friendly version of the Epic of Gilgamesh (and really, who isn't?), read this post.

I'm off to tango on the Tigres!

Sue

Watching the Olympics in a foreign country - Go Australia!

Ok, so I was trying to be unbiased in the earlier post, however, I can't keep up the facade... go Australia!  The Olympics has brought about a truce in our house.  If there is an Aussie and an American competiting in the same event, my husband and children cheer for the US team and I cheer for the Aussies.  However, when you watch the Olympics in a different coutry from the country you are cheering for it was incredibly difficult to get information on how your home team.  Until the internet that was, now I get daily posts on the status of the Australian team.  And here is an example of the information I get in my inbox at about 9am in the morning....

Stephanie Rice won her second gold and broke her second world record of the Games this time in the 200m individual medley, while the men's 4x200m freestyle relay team took the bronze and Eamon Sullivan reclaimed the 100m freestyle world record in his semi final.

The men's hockey team shattered South Africa 10-0 as the softballers went down to the USA 3-0. The women's artistic gymnastics team made Australian history, finishing sixth in the all around team final - Australia's best result in the discipline.

Four rowing crews qualified for the A finals while in slalom canoe/kayaking, Jacqui Lawrence and pair Mark Bellofiore and Lachlan Milne progressed through to the semis.

In Hong Kong the equestrian eventing team won silver while in Qingdao the sailors are firmly placed for medals tomorrow.

Aussie Aussie Aussie ! Aussie Kim...

Fourth of July reading

There's a neat post I came across over at SheiaOMalley.com.  Did y'all know that both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the fourth of July 4th 1826?  Well, you say, what's significant about that date?  It was the 50th anniversary of the first Independance day.....Ooooohhh.  

For more reading on this topic here are a couple of books by the same author which I loved, and which will give you amazing insight into how tenuous the beginning of this nation really was.  Happy 4th of July!

Mississippi Delta Agricultural Snapshot (Kim Cam)

Everyone wants their kids to be more aware of the world around them (right?). 

Well here are some questions you can ask, regardless of where they live.  These questions are particularly good when you sit down to a meal.  Remember: if you eat, thank a farmer!  If you wear cotton underpants: thank a cotton farmer! 

Toast: When do farmers plant wheat? (Winter or early spring); When do they harvest?  (Summer)

Vegetable oil: What plants does this oil come from? (Soybeans is a common one) )When do farmers plant soybeans?  (Spring)

Popcorn: When do farmers plant corn? (Spring).  Is popcorn a different sort of corn from corn on the cob? (Yes).  How big does corn get?  (7-8 feet)

Cotton clothing: When do farmers plant cotton? (Spring)

When is rice planted? (Spring)

These dates are generalizations on the planting windows (best times to plant) for crops.  Normal crop planting dates depend on the temperatures and rainfall for each region. 

What follows here is what's happening down on the farm in the Mississippi Delta right now.  This year is very different from normal as we are surrounded by corn, soybeans, corn, more corn and the occasional rice and cotton crop and more corn.  Normally, here in the Mississippi Delta it is wall to wall cotton.  The price for corn and soybeans are at record highs, the price for cotton is quite ordinary.  Consequently, Spring in the Delta is looking a bit different this year.  For the first time I have ever seen it, we are surrounded by corn rather than cotton.

This is going to be similar to living in a one story neighborhood and then suddenly getting high rise around you. 

If you drive through the country on a regular basis, make it a habit to ask your kids what the crops are on the sides of the roads, you'd be amazed at how quickly they pick this up!   Of course, you can do the same if you live in the city - ask they similar questions about the action going on outside the car as you drive along.

Whats the action this week?  Well, if you haven't planted your corn yet it's just about too late - corn ranges from 1-4 feet. This is going to make a dramatic difference to the view around here!!! 

Most of the soybeans are planted and up already.

Cotton planting is underway and there is even baby cotton up in some places.

Rice planting is underway (note the different planter boxes behind the tractors - these indicate the two crops).

"What about the winter crops?" I hear you ask.... Yes, yes, it is coming close to that time of year!  The wheat harvest.  The wheat is starting to turn color.  Seems like it was only a couple of weeks ago it was looking lush and green.  Hopefully this should help those countries having food riots at the moment !!!!

Stay tuned for the next Kim Cam snapshots of the Mississippi Delta....

The Great Australian Adjective and Adverb - Bloody

I thought I would run the Cuss-o-meter on the blog before this post. This is the pleasant initial result. I am wondering if the word bloody is regarded as a cuss word...

So now to the real reason for the article: the great Australian adjective and adverb: "bloody".  I was quite surprised on my recent return to Australia to see how frequently this word is now used in advertising in Australia.

Traditionally it is used as follows: if you want to add emphasis to something you put the word bloody infront of it ie. "Where's the bloody cat gone now?" 

The photo below is modified for the cultural differences in how the word bloody is pronouced - Asians often have problems pronouncing the letter l in words, sometimes substituting r instead.  This is the reason behind this add.  In fact I bought a phone from them for use while I was in Australia, but the bloody thing hardly ever got a signal if I was in the country.  It was, in my opinion, a bloody ripoff.

Of course, out in the country, there are often signs on property (farm) gates which say "shut the bloody gate"...it can get frustrating when the livestock get out....

And this will get your attention as you walk past the pub....

This is an advertising campaign they ran in the United Kingdom for a while, the tag line: "So, where the bloody hell are you?". 

To be used as an adjective, it must describe something, as in: "You're bloody awesome mate." which means: "I think you are amazing in a good way, my friend".

Can I give an example as an adverb?  "You're bloody right I can!", which means "I certainly can."

Just for an extra laugh....here's another couple of Australian adds using Australian vernacular.

Aussie Kim