- Yowsa I am tired. Mark was on call for 108 hours straight over the holiday weekend, at 4 different hospitals. It was ridiculous and we are all spent. We are slowly climbing out of our post-call fatigue, and I’m looking forward to getting a Christmas tree and doing some decorating this weekend.
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2. G has been begging for more history (love that kid), and since I hadn’t planned on history this year, I decided to take a big picture look with her and do some timeline work. I chose this sticker timeline for two major reasons: 1 the sticker part makes it interactive and still easy for me as a mom, and 2, it includes all of the continents.
A lot of the timelines I was seeing were very heavily focused on western civilization and didn’t include much in the way of human history anywhere else on the globe. I like that it is both horizontal and vertical, so she can see what’s happening in different places at the same time while also seeing the growth and development of a particular location over time. It’s by no means all-encompassing, and there were definitely things I would add, but I really like it. We’ve had several great discussions, and it’s helped me pinpoint areas of history that she’s particularly interested in so that we can study them further.
3. Her first choice for an extended history study has been Ancient Greece. Since G learns best through reading, we’ve adding some books to our library:
- The Librarian Who Measured the Earth is a fantastic picture book about Eratosthenes, the first person to measure the circumference of the earth. It’s a great combination of math, geometry, and geography, told in an engaging way with beautiful illustrations.
- What’s Your Angle Pythagorus? is another great picture book about math and Ancient Greece all rolled into one. Can you guess what it’s about?
- DK Eyewitness Book on Ancient Greece I’m a big fan of the Eyewitness series, and this one didn’t disappoint. I love that the kids can see photographs of artifacts and ruins, and they’re learning history and archaeology at the same time.
- D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths was actually in my Amazon cart when it popped up on our Buy Nothing Group, so that was a major win. We have quite a few of their books, and the illustrations are really quite wonderful. We’ve been making our way through the myths slowly and chronologically. The kids are really enjoying them, especially trying to figure out what in the world around them the Greeks were trying to explain through their mythology.
4. One of the hardest things about the pandemic has been not getting to see family, and there is no one it is harder on than G, who is our little social butterfly. The rest of us introverts are no where near as affected as she is by it, but being the resilient and clever girl she is, she’s figured out how to use technology to her advantage. At least twice a week these days she puts in a call on my phone to her aunts phone, and she and her cousin, Jane, her very best friend in the world, spend about 30 minutes together, doing a shared activity. They don’t talk the whole time, and sometimes they are each absorbed in their own coloring or play, but they are together despite the distance. And it is so good for both of them. It definitely warms my momma heart to see.
5. I’ve been reading like crazy these days, trying to be on my kindle more than my phone; its better for my eyes as well as my peace of mind. And I’ve been absolutely loving Susanna Kearsley and these collaborative books by Lauren Willig, Beatriz Williams, and Karen White. I’m always impressed when an author can straddle mutliple timelines and even more so when it’s more than one author working together. If you’re in the mood for a good historical fiction, check them out.
6. You can still get the December Saints Reflection and Coloring Book over at Rebecca’s site if you’re in need of some simple liturgical living help this Advent.
7. And don’t forget that there are lots of other resources over on my Advent Pinterest Board.
I’m linking up with Kelly this week, so be sure to head over and read all about her great ideas for experience gifts.