Week 3: Jamestown (My Father's World)

We're continuing Week 3 of My Father's World Adventures. I have one complaint: each week moves to a new historical subject, but they aren't smooth transitions.  Example: last week we learned about Columbus (who never set foot in our country) and this week we're studying Jamestown.

 Blue jell-o Atlantic Ocean.  Jack made a boat from Legos and I carved a canoe from an apple.

Jack made oars for my Native American's canoe!

History Geography:

• Timeline:  We cut out pictures and put them in order and talk our way through the events. 
• Maps: Locate England, discuss the monarchy (similar to Spain).  
• Native Americans: review why they were called "Indians" and why they were aggressive.
• This was my favorite website because it read aloud and provided closed captions AND you got to play along.
• This game was fun for Jack: 
• We did this worksheet together. 
• Pocohontas info and game found here.

Bible:

• Jesus: 
• Fear: trusting the Lord in "scary" circumstances (like the first year of Jamestown, which required perseverance). 
• Faith: belief in something we can't see, although we can see and feel its effects, like our science experiments with air.

Language Arts:

• Writing: "What I would have done differently in Jamestown." 
• Venn Diagram: Compare/Contrast the Native Americans and Colonists.  (weapons, clothing, religion, food, housing, etc).
• Spelling: Game- Help the "gentlemen" get to America from England.  (This is a game I made up.  Lay a ruler out and put your Lego man on 0 inches.  For every word spelled correctly move 1 inch ahead (or 1 inch back for words spelled incorrectly).  He never asked "How many words do I have left to spell?"  He enjoyed spelling today:)
• Grammar: Action Verbs: (we use a Montessori approach; a red circle to symbolize verbs) Make a list of alternatives to the word "went":sailed, traveled, voyaged, explored, discovered, journeyed.  Other action words: hunted, exchanged, traded, survived,  built, defended, fought. 
• Reading: 

Math:

• Math U See
• Using "inches" to play the spelling game above.
• The shape of the "fort" in Jamestown: triangular.  How tall were the walls?  How many trees were cut?  How many days did it take to construct?  (Put all of these numbers in order from least to greatest.) 
• Greater Than, Less Than, Equal to:  Compare data and use symbols (the times a gun could fire compared to a bow and arrow, the amount of settlers in Jamestown after 6 months, the amount of settlers in Jamestown after 3 years, The amount of food the colonists had vs. the Native Americans).

 Science:

•  Air: Play with balloons, empty containers, bubbles, harmonica, recorder, whistles, pinwheels, kites, etc. to see the effect air has even though we can't see it.

Art:

• Colonial lantern: freeze a tin can with water.  Punch a pattern of holes with a hammer and nail.
• Build a small "daub" house.  This website has a local daub house. 
• Build a wigwam.
•  

Games:

• Ball and Cup game.
• Ring and loop game
• Marbles
• Nine Men's Mill: This is a great tutorial on how to play the game.

Food:

•  This is a cute snack idea: build your own edible fort.