The Mayflower has landed and we embarked on a study of life in Plymouth this week. Kate Water's books played a large part in our study...her books are excellent giving a "first person" view of life during this time.
It is funny how you can read and discuss history but then something clicks and the child actually gets it was real (even if they are told). This happened with Emma this week. We read several books on the Pilgrims and the first settlers but it was not until we were reading The Thanksgiving Story when she heard about the baby born on the Mayflower, Oceanus, for the 3rd time that it clicked...this was a real event. She got all excited and has played Mayflower and Pilgrims since complete with a baby named Oceanus.
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| Emma and Baby Oceanus on the deck of the Mayflower. |
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In addition to Pilgrims we studied the 13 colonies. Emma traced a map to make a picture of the colonies and then we used the state sheets from My Father's World Adventures (we did a year ago) to find out why they were formed and how they got their names. She then labeled her map.
Sign of the Beaver was finished this week. We both really enjoyed this and got a better look at the Native American way of life. it has actually inspired both Emma and I to look at homesteading/survival books to see how to make things from nature. And with all emotionally charged books I choked up on the last line on the book making it hard to read properly. Sigh...I am getting too emotional these days.
We started A Tree in the Trail and I am enjoying it. Emma listens but I am not sure she is getting what I want out of it. Next week we finish this book and start Witch of Blackbird Pond as well as our Colonist study beginning with Welcome to Felicity's World. We will be staying on colonists for a while as we do the Time Traveler's cd. Emma is reading through the Felicity books and also started on the mystery series for Felicity. I love this time period and so I have no problem staying here for a while.
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