Story of the World Co-op

Chapter 9: The "Sick Man of Europe"

We studied the Ottoman Empire and its breakup, and how Bulgaria and its revolutionaries played a role.  Today, we made Martenitsa, a Bulgarian yarn craft, a signal and gift for spring.  We love yarn at our house so it was no problem.
 

Chapter 9: The Dutch East Indies activity

Wow, we finally made a volcano (actually, two) as a science/history project.  It was fun, the kids did pretty much all the work and clean-up, and we were able to see it erupt on a snowy cold day, with some neighbor friends along to watch.

 

The smaller, Hawaiian, volcano, erupting.  Notice the bigger volcano to the right, not yet erupted.

 
Here is the bigger one erupting.

Activity: Playing the Card Game "Changing Rules"

We played a great card game that was easy but interesting for all of us, out of the SOTW Activity guide.  It was to demonstrate what France was like under an Empire, a Republic, or a Kingdom.  Aces (Napoleon) were worth 20 points during the Empire phase, and -10 during a Kingdom phase, and +1 points during the Republic phase.

American Civil War--Chapter 5

Francesca wants to memorize "The Gettysburg Address" and is working on it.

We did an interesting project on names for the Civil War, either by the South/Confederate (Mr. Lincoln's War, The Yankee Invasion), the North/Union (The War of Southern Rebellion, The War to Save the Union) or both (The Late Unpleasantness, The Brothers' War).

Italy's Resurrection

We had pizza the day we learned about the "resurrection" of an Italian state in the 1850s.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

We got a chance to listen to  this Edison recording of the trumpeter song played at the Charge of the Light Brigade. 

Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition

 We made a replica of the Crystal Palace from the 1852 Great Exhibition.  This was organized by Prince Albert, so it was especially interesting that the girls and I just last weekend saw "The Young Victoria" about the courtship of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.  That was a well-done movie.

Story of the World Volume 4

We are doing Volume 4 individually as families, so this is no longer a "co-op" blog.  However, I still want to keep track of what we are doing and how we are progressing with SOTW Volume 4.  We are already at Chapter 10 so I'm going to just post a bunch of photos.

April activities

I wish I had taken more photos, especially ones of the fantastic Mexican feast.  I am still craving tostados today, with that queso fresco.  Recipe please!

Meanwhile, some photos from our day:

Demonstration of how to make a Mexican flag flower.

 Here, Lewis and Lewis and Clark (we only had one red-haired Clark), and Lewis' dog, Seaman, set out on an Exporing Adventure to the Pacific Ocean, otherwise known as the local Catholic church.

Sacagewea and her retinue.

The explorers arrive at the Pacific ocean (only losing Seaman once, bravely recovered by an explorer).

Maia dubbed this photo something along the lines of "The explorers thank the Lord for a safe journey."  I can't remember her exact words, so post them if you do.

March, April Books

Chapter 28: China and the Rest of the World

The Kingdom at the Center of the World

The Rise of the Opium Trade

China: Nations of the World by Anna Carew

The Junior  Thunder-Lord by Laurence Yep

A Time of Golden Dragons by Song Nan Zhang

Chapter 30: Freedom in the Carribean

The Haitian Revolt

Revolutionaries by Paul Thomas

Open the Door to Liberty: A biography of Toussaint L'Ouverture by Anne Rockwell

Haiti: Cultures of the World

The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folk-Tales by Amy McDonald

Chapter 32:  The Opened West

Lewis and Clark Map the West

Tecumseh's Resistance

Choctaw: Tribes of Native America by Marla Felkins Ryan

Lewis & Clark by Cynthia Klingel and Robert Noyed

Lewis & Clark: Voyage of Discovery by James P. Burger

Lewis & Clark: Explorers of the American West

Sacagawea by Stacy DeKeyser

Lewis & Clark & Me: A Dog's Tale by Laurie Myers

Why Sacagawea Deserves the Day off and Other Lessons from the Lewis & Clark Trail by Stephehnie Ambrose Tubbs

The Devil's Highway by Stanley Applegate

Johnny Appleseed, by Marianne  Johnbston

Streams to the River, River to the Sea: A Novel of Sacagawea by Scott O'Dell

Chapter 34:  Freedom for South America

Simon Bolivar, the Liberator

A Picture Book of Simon Bolivar by David Adler

Bolivia by Robert B. Noyed

Ecuador by Amy Daniels

The Magic Bean Tree: A Legend from Argentina by Nancy van Laan

Tortillas and Lullabies by Lynne Resier

Chapter 35: Mexican Independence

The Cry of Dolores

The Republic of Mexico

Mexico ABCS by Sarah Heiman

Mexico;  The People by Bobbie Kalman

Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story by Tomie de Paola

My Mexico-- a collection of poems by Tony Johnston 

The Pinata Maker by George Ancona

The Tree is Older tahn You are: A Bilingual Gathering of Poems and Stories from Mexico by ed. Naomi Shihab Nye

When the Viceroy Came by Claudia Burr

Chapter 36: The Slave Trade Ends

The Work of the Abolitionists

Amistad: The Long Road to Freedom by Walter Dean Myers

"Guide My Pen"--The Poems of Phyllis Wheatley by Greg Roza

Only Passing Through--The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anne Rockwell (this one was fairly graphic & sad)

President of the Underground Railroad: A Story about Levi Coffin by Gwenyth Swain

Sojourner Truth by Francis E. Ruffin

A Good Night for Freedom by Barbara Olenyik Morrow (this one is really good)

A Picture of Freedom  The Diary of Clotee by Patricia Mckissack

Amos Fortune: Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (I loved this one years ago and Francesca liked it)

Big Jabe by Jerdine Nolen

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson -- this one was terrific

The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South

Chapter 37: Troubled Africa

The Zulu Kingdom

The Boers and the British

Africa Brothers and Sisters by Virginia Kroll

Ashanti to Zulu: African Tradtions by Margaret Musgrove

Shaka, King of the Zulu by Diane Stanley -- this was very well done

The Zulu of Southern Africa by Christine Cornell

Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger

Adventures of Riley: Safari in South Africa by Amanda Lumry

Nabulela: A South African Folk Tale by Fiona Moodie

Over the Green Hills by Rachel Isadora

Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot by Jane Kurtz -- Giuliana liked this one but it was sad

Zulu Dog by Anton Ferreira

Chapter 38:  American Tragedies

The Trail of Tears

Nat Turner's Revolt

If You Lived with the Cherokee by Anne Kamma and Connie Roop

The Indian Wars by Rebecca Stefoff

Life with the Comanches: The Kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker by Nancy Golden

Nat Turner and the Virginia Slave Revolt by Rivvy Neshama

The Trail of Tears: The Story of the Cherokee Removal by Dan Elish

Ahyoka and the Talking Leaves by Connie Roop

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers

The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story by Joseph Bruchac

Yonder Mountain: A Cherokee Legend by Robert Bushyhead

Chapter 39:  China Adrift

The First Opium War

see also Chapter 28 for more China books

Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges -- this one was sweet and nice

Spring Pearl:  The Last Flower by Laurence Yep

Chapter 40: Mexico and Her Neighbors

Remember the Alamo

The Mexican-American War

Davy Crockett by Marianne Johnston

Jim Bowie by Marianne Johnston

Welcome to Josefina's World

Sam Houston and the Rise of Texas by Mac Woodward

State Capitals: The Rourke Guide to State Symbols by Tracy Maurer

The Boy in the Alamo by Margaret Cousins

Texas Jack and the Alamo by James Rice

Tucket's Ride by Gary Paulsen

Chapter 42:  The World of Forty-Nine

California Gold Rush by Peter and Connie Roop

G is for Golden: A California Alphabet by David Domeniconi

Gold Fever! by Catherine mcMorrow

Gold Rush! The Young Prospector's Guide to Striking it Rich by James Klein

The Life of a Miner by Bobbie Kalman

Striking it Rich:  The Story of the California Gold Rush by Stephen Krensky

Gold Rush Days: Hitty's Travels by Ellen Weiss

Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild by Kristiana Gregory

Wagon Train by Sydelle Kramer

Westward to Home: Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary by Patricia Hermes