Following are a few hands-on ideas for exploring the Ancient World, and a revision activity which is, in my son's words, WAY more fun than flashcards.
We used it for language learning, but you could use it for any rote facts, like times tables or spelling words, and your children will be begging to learn!
The hands-on activities at the end of the post will have your kids hooked on Ancient History.
My youngest son Roo has been re-reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and that sparked an interest in learning Greek.
Did you know the Ancient Greeks and Romans used slingshots as weapons, and they sometimes wrote sarcastic insults on their lead shot? "For Pompey's backside!"
I surprised Roo with the gift of this slingshot and some small rocks the perfect size to use in it.
He was so excited when I gave it to him, and he loved the idea of writing Greek revision phrases on the rocks.
We wrote some general revision, but of course we also had to write some insults (Roo convinced me it's a great way to practice animal words). We've been using My First Book of Greek Words.
He insisted on trying it out straight away, even though it was super dark out!
Don't you love that this idea takes a weapon and turns it into a tool for learning??
You could write anything on the rocks; times tables, spelling, formulae... Practise each one before you shoot and again when you collect your shot.
The slingshot gift was a hook to get him interested in exploring the Ancient World.
I often use this simple afterschooling formula: A hook, a field trip and a hands-on activity. (Here are some other examples of that formula in action.)
For our field trip we went to the John Elliott Classics Museum and got to see real Roman slingshots, as well as lots of other fascinating artefacts.
Hands-on activities:
We wrote spelling words on real papyrus using a traditional bamboo reed pen, and compared it with using a quill.
We also re-watched The Story of 1 about the ancient history of mathematics...
... and we played petteia, an ancient game of pure strategy. I made a petteia board (download here on TPT) with useful Modern Greek words for revision. You could also draw your own board. Check out more info about the history of the game and how to play here. In my version, players read the word or phrase aloud and translate it into English as they move onto it. This game really taxes the grey matter!
Next we wove laurel leaf crowns like Apollo's... Toga party anyone? I bought some florist wire (similar here) and the boys used sprigs of our own bay laurel.
And finally we cooked Greek pita bread on our campfire. I think this is the same grill we have and love. The recipe we use isn't super authentic because it's a yeast-free version: Roughly 4 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 100g butter and 375mL milk with some olive oil.
I also got the boys to read an article from Historicool magazine and do some written work from the teacher resources.
Now we're reading Horrible Histories The Groovy Greeks and The Rotten Romans. I adore that series.
My aim with these activities was to promote interest so my kids would be more engaged when they got to this topic in Year 7 (Australian Curriculum, The Mediterranean World).
Next I want to touch on Ancient China... We've started by watching this hilarious rap battle between Ancient China and Ancient Greece from the Horrible Histories TV show:
Here's Roo hitting the books with renewed vigour to learn Greek:
Over to you. Do you know any fun activities that make revision a bit more exciting? What about resources for learning about the Ancient World? Please share with us in the comments below! Thank you :-)
If you liked these ideas, please share my blog on Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below. Post coming soon: The Grossest Revision Game Ever! New to the Afterschooling Blog? Try our A-Z of Afterschooling.
Here are some more hands-on ideas for activities:
- Sweet and Fat: 4 Easy Inquiries You Can Do At Home
- Quest for the Best Birdfeeder
- Cactus Invitation To Play
x x Zoe
