Medieval Chemistry and Homeschool History. Science wasn't really dead during the Middle Age, it's just people fanaticized about turning items to gold.
What do you picture when you think of the Middle Ages? Do you imagine castles and knights and damsels in distress? What about smelly cess pits or teeth-pulling barbers or the bubonic plague? There …
History has always been a favorite subject to do with my children as there are so many fun ways to make it come alive. We love finding extra resources and printables to use with what we are studying. It seems to help solidify what we are learning and help them to understand and remember it. ...
Need ideas for a hands-on, literature-based Middle Ages unit study? This post has got you covered with projects, literature lists and resources.
The connection between social studies and art includes different cultures while using art to explore history in new ways. Read more!
Medieval period is a fascinating time to study, and these activities will bring it to life for tweens. From authentic recipes to knights and castles, there's something here for everyone.
Love this FREE Medieval History Unit Study! Includes lesson plans and online activities!
At the beginning of the year I decided we would try to do a brief overview of the history of the world this year. We started out with ancient history
Are you studying the Middle Ages or Medieval/Renaissance Times in your history this year? Maybe your children are just fascinated with princesses, knights and dragons. I love finding printables to supplement what we are studying in our homeschool, or to help peak my children's interest in a specific subject.
We are well and truly in the mix of Medieval Times in regards to our history reading. This year we are following along with Story Of The ...
History, Historical Fiction, and Literature This list took me for.ever. to put together, but I’m happy to have it all handy in one place. There were many books I didn’t add to the list because it was simply too long! Check your library. Check Amazon. The possibilities are endless. Wahoo!! (By the way, this post contains affiliate links. Thanks to those of you who help support my book addiction!) (Another aside: My boys read. A lot. There is no way I would attempt this list with non-readers. I’d just pick a few of the best for read-alouds and assigned independent reading at appropriate levels, and let the rest go like water off a duck’s back. But I can hardly keep them in books at the moment, so I figure they might as well read books that correspond with our history studies. Only Levi will be reading the more challenging chapter books.) (Oh, and I’ll be keeping track of all the books the boys read in addition to this list over the course of the year in our monthly reports (which are tagged as weekly reports even though they aren’t).) Without further ado, our Medieval/Early Renaissance book lists for this coming year: (Important or favorite books are marked with **) **The Story of the World: The Middle Ages: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance (Vol. 2) and Activity Guide **The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History and The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia Famous Figures of Medieval Times (movable paper figures to cut, color, and assemble) Poetry memory: St. Patrick’s Prayer (400) May the Strength of God pilot us. May the Power of God preserve us. May the Wisdom of God instruct us. May the Hand of God protect us. May the Way of God direct us. May the Shield of God defend us. May the Host of God guard us. Against the snares of the evil ones. Against temptations of the world May Christ be with us! May Christ be before us! May Christ be in us, Christ be over all! May Thy Salvation, Lord, Always be ours, This day, O Lord, and evermore. Amen. A selection from Beowulf (possibly this one:) Then the minstrel sang Of rousing deeds of old. Like flames in the firelight The heart leapt to hear them. And when he had done And the harp lay silent, the Queen of the Danes spoke out: ’Beowulf, dearest youth, son of most favoured And fortunate of mothers, this your deed is matchless. Greater than all these. In the farthest corners of the earth your name shall be known. Wherever the ocean Laps the windy shore and the wave-worn headland, Your praise shall be sung.’ The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson (set in the time of King Arthur) (this is a long, long poem—we’ll see how far we can get) (Thanks, friends, for the Loreena McKennitt recommendations!) Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi (1200) Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen (From Shakespeare’s Henry V. (1400) “Once more unto the breach…”) Heidelberg Catechism (1500) (first question and answer) "What is your only comfort in life and death?" (Answer:) "That I am not my own, but belong--body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me whole-heartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him." Shakespeare (1600) (from The Young Person's Guide to Shakespeare: [Book-and-CD Set]): Hamlet, Act III, sc. ii, 1-8 (“Speak the speech, I pray you…”) As You Like It, Act II, sc. vii, 139-166 (“All the world’s a stage…”) Henry V, Act III, sc. I, 1-34 (“Once more unto the breach, dear friends…”) (1400s) Hamlet, Act III, sc. I, 58-90 (“To be, or not to be…” A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Epilogue (“If we shadows have offended…”) Sonnet 60 (“Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore…”) Death Be Not Proud (or various quotes), John Donne (1610) No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face. No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent. Classical Conversations: History memory: 24 sentences about Medieval-modern world history (+world history timeline review) IEW’s Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons for Levi and Luke in Essentials Art and Music: Picture That: Knights & Castles (Exploring History through Art) Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Art Masterpieces Design Your Own Coat of Arms: An Introduction to Heraldry (Dover Children's Activity Books) What Makes a Bruegel a Bruegel? Pieter Bruegel (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists) The Fantastic Journey of Pieter Bruegel (And many books about other Renaissance artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo) Do Re Mi: If You Can Read Music, Thank Guido D'Arezzo (an Italian monk in the 11th century) Science and Math: **The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way **The Story of Science: Newton at the Center (And many books about Renaissance scientists) Faith: Monks and Mystics: Chronicles of the Medieval Church Courage and Conviction: Chronicles of the Reformation Church How the Bible Came to Us: The Story of the Book That Changed the World Literature: (Like Greek Myths and Homer this past year, we are heavy on King Arthur and Shakespeare this year…) **Beowulf the Warrior retold by Ian Serraillier (I adore this verse retelling. It is a fantastic read-aloud.) Beowulf: Dragonslayer retold by Rosemary Sutcliff (This is a great prose retelling for children.) Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney (We are listening to the abridged audio version by Heaney. It is fun to hear his voice telling the story.) **Favorite Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne (This collection of retellings includes Finn MacCoul, Beowulf, The Sword in the Stone, The Song of Roland, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Robin Hood, and Chanticleer and the Fox (from The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer).) Fairy Tales: Favorite Celtic Fairy Tales Scottish Fairy Tales Favorite Fairy Tales Told in France Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Spain Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Russia Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Germany (And others in the series) Maples in the Mist: Children's Poems from the Tang Dynasty (China) Cool Melons - Turn To Frogs!: The Life And Poems Of Issa (Japan) **Valentine and Orson (retelling of a Medieval French romance, illustrations inspired by the painter Pieter Bruegel, told in Chaucerian iambic pentameter, with appearances by Pepin, King of France and the Green Knight) **Favorite Norse Myths by Mary Pope Osborne Nordic Gods and Heroes by Padraic Colum Myths Of The Norsemen by Roger Lancelyn Green **Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by J.R.R. Tolkien **The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White, illustrated by Dennis Nolan The Boy's King Arthur: Sir Thomas Malory's History of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table illustrated by N.C. Wyeth King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green Merlin and the Making of the King by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur retold by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady retold by Selina Hastings Knight prisoner: The tale of Sir Thomas Malory and his King Arthur The Squire's Tale series by Gerald Morris (Levi’s and my favorite series) Saint George and the Dragon retold by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman Saint George and the Dragon retold by Geraldine McCaughrean **The Questing Knights of the Faerie Queen by Geraldine McCaughrean DK Classics: Robin Hood by Neil Philip **The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green Chanticleer and the Fox by Chaucer, illustrated by Barbara Cooney **Canterbury Tales retold by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman The Canterbury Tales retold by Geraldine McCaughrean The Apple and the Arrow by Mary and Conrad Buff (the legend of William Tell) Poetry for Young People: William Shakespeare Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children by Edith Nesbit Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb **Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield **Shakespeare Stories II by Leon Garfield Various picture books Various performances Movies (with occasional editing for child-appropriate viewing): Henry V Much Ado About Nothing As You Like It Twelfth Night And others… Jim Weiss Story Recordings: Shakespeare for Children Romeo and Juliet King Arthur and His Knights Three Musketeers/Robin Hood Galileo and the Stargazers Masters of the Renaissance The Queen's Pirate (Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake) History: **The Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of the Middle Ages (short biographies of 40 famous men (plus Joan of Arc) from 400-1400 A.D.) Heroes: Great Men Through the Ages Don't Know Much About the Kings and Queens of England Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought) Ten Kings: And The Worlds They Rule Augustine, The Farmer's Boy of Tagaste (Augustine of Hippo, 354-430) Across a Dark and Wild Sea (Ireland in 521 A.D., Columcille, writing books by hand) Saint Ciaran: The Tale of a Saint of Ireland The Life of Saint Brigid: Abbess of Kildare Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland (and other books about Saint Patrick) The Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica (6th Century Italy) Who in the World Was The Acrobatic Empress?: The Story of Theodora (Byzantine Empire, Emperor Justinian) Empress of China, Wu Ze Tian: Written by Jiang Cheng an ; Illustrated by Xu De Yuan The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History (From the Chinese city of Chang'an to the European capital of Byzantium during the Tang Dynasty (618-906)) Leif the Lucky by the D'Aulaires (and various other books about Leif Eriksson, Eric the Red, and the Vikings) Who in the World Was The Unready King?: The Story of Ethelred Castles (a fantastic over-sized illustrated book by Kingfisher) (and many other books about Knights and castles) Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam by Diane Stanley Saint Francis by Brian Wildsmith The Magna Charta by James Daugherty Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley Marco Polo by Demi **Famous Men Of The Renaissance & Reformation Johann Gutenberg and the Amazing Printing Press Who in the World Was The Secretive Printer?: The Story of Johannes Gutenberg How a Book Is Made by Aliki (modern-day process, but fascinating when learning about the printed word—fun illustrations!!) **The World of Columbus and Sons by Genevieve Foster (a wonderful world history narrative from 1450-1520) Around the World in a Hundred Years: From Henry the Navigator to Magellan by Jean Fritz The Discovery of the Americas: From Prehistory Through the Age of Columbus by Betsy and Giulio Maestro Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz Who in the World Was The Forgotten Explorer?: The Story of Amerigo Vespucci Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer by Robert Byrd Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet Michelangelo by Diane Stanley Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed The World Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado William Shakespeare & the Globe by Aliki (love this one!) Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley Good Queen Bess : The Story of Elizabeth I of England Along Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sis Historical Fiction: Augustine Came to Kent (Augustine of Canterbury) The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane (picture book, Irish monasteries, writing books by hand) Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle (Medieval Germany) **Marguerite Makes a Book (picture book, Medieval France) Son of Charlemagne by Barbara Willard The Most Magnificent Mosque (a picture book set during the rule of the Moors in southern Spain) Viking Adventure by Clyde Robert Bulla Beorn the Proud by Madeleine Polland The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French **A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain **Sir Nigel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle **The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth **The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame (with an appearance by St. George) A Medieval Feast by Aliki (lovely picture book) The Making of a Knight: How Sir James Earned His Armor (picture book) **Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess (picture book, hilarious!) Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village (lovely monologues) Ivanhoe adapted by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by John Rush (picture book) **Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott **The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson Tales of the Crusades by Olivia E. Coolidge The Saracen Maid by Leon Garfield The Secret Shofar of Barcelona (an appropriate picture book set during the Inquisition) Some shorter chapter books (for Luke and Leif): The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla The Minstrel in the Tower The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett The King's Equal by Katherine Paterson Pedro's Journal: A Voyage with Christopher Columbus, August 3, 1492-February 14, 1493 The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park (Korea, 1473) The Apprentice by Pilar Molina Llorente (Renaissance Florence) Knight's Castle by Edward Eager (just for fun, during the time of Ivanhoe) Longer chapter books (for Levi): Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi The Hidden Treasure of Glaston by Eleanore M. Jewett A Morbid Taste for Bones: The First Chronicle of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E.L. Konigsburg Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman The Samurai's Tale by Erik C. Haugaard (Japan) Shadow of a Bull (Spain) The Red Keep by Allen French Wulf the Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest by G.A. Henty The Boy Knight: A Tale of the Crusades by G.A. Henty Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (12th-century Korean potters’ village) The Shakespeare Stealer series by Gary Blackwood (Shakespeare, c. 1600) The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (Poland, 1400s) Master Cornhill by Eloise Jarvis McGraw (The Black Plague in 1665 and the Great Fire of London) The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean (13th century China) The Second Mrs. Gioconda by E.L. Konigsburg (Leonardo da Vinci) I, Juan de Pareja (17th-century Spanish painter Diego Velazquez ) Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer (Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII) The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O'Dell (Around the time of William Tyndale) The King's Fifth by Scott O'Dell (Conquistadors) Movies (just for silly fun): A Knight's Tale Ever After - A Cinderella Story The Princess Bride Robin Hood (for teacher research only—ha!) The Secret of Kells (Thanks to the recommendation in the comments—this is PERFECT! It fits wonderfully with the book Across a Dark and Wild Sea, and I’m now inspired to purchase The Book of Kells: An Illustrated Introduction to the Manuscript in Trinity College, Dublin for our family collection.) Any favorites that I missed? Or family favorites from this list? Please share in the comments!
Movies are a great tool for teaching history to middle and high achoolers! Here are my favorite medieval history movies.
Timelines are an amazing tool to help our children make sense of where everything fits together but what if you don't have the space? Where do you start?
When studying the Middle Ages in your homeschool, engage kids by adding some fun medieval activities for middle school to your lesson plans.
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Medieval Period: How To Make A Quill Pen. To create Medieval manuscripts, scribes had to learn first how to make a quill pen and that is what we are doing today. Also, you may like my post Medieval History for Homeschool. he Middle Ages.
Guide to using Social Studies Simulations to step away from the lecture podium and engage your students with hands-on history activities.
See Cindy's thorough description of her 6th grader's middle ages study that was full of lapbooking, literature, and creative hands-on activities.
We have been doing some fascinating activities for our Medieval History unit, (Viking Runes, Medieval Illuminations, and our own homemade Medieval Subtleties) but this craft or "craftivity" turned out the most beautiful of all. We created our own stained glass windows! This is an easy activity, especially if you purchase our premade Medieval Window packet which includes 4 possible designs for your students to choose from to make their window. You will also need a transparency sheet (or some recycled flat plastic), a sharpie, food coloring and glue. And some Q-tips. Because we always fall back on Q-tips as an easy go-to paintbrush for these kinds of activities. After drawing the designs on the transparencies with black sharpies, we cut out our window shapes. And we began to fill in the window shapes with our glue paint. To make it easier, we cut out our paper design and taped it, along with the transparency to the table. It kept our image stable while the kids filled in the colors. After the colored glue had dried, we cut out our window edging and glued it over the glass. An optional idea is to go over the top of the sharpie with black puffy paint. This raised black edging makes the stained glass really pop. It feels just like the leaded glass stained windows you might see in an old church or heraldic window. The finished product is tacked to the window so that the light can stream through, just like it streamed through Medieval stained glass windows, many years ago. A beautiful finished product! Check out our packet that includes everything you need to create this craft, here in our store. Reviews "My students were completely engaged and created a great deal of stained glass with this project. We researched how stained glass was made with Medieval techniques (the V&A Museum has a fantastic video!) and then we got to work, having unearthed a box of old transparencies, which I think really makes this project. We also were creating them for our Medieval Faire for our K-3rd graders and they found the stained glass captivating. I would have never guessed they would have looked so good! Excellent lesson!" --- Anne C. "Loved the informational text. It was so helpful. The activity wasn't as engaging as I'd hoped, but it was still worth the purchase." --- Get Schooled "We a learning about the role of churches during the Medieval time period so this is a great supplemental for us and a nice break from the heavy reading and material. The students enjoyed creating these." --- Pham-tastic Teaching "One of the better stained-glass projects I've seen. Worked greatly for my A&H class!" --- Eli Edwards "We used the patterns to make our own stained glass. We used sharpies instead of glue and they came out beautifully." --- Tippecanoe "I used this resource to supplement what we were learning in class. My students loved the activity?" --- Wendy E. "This was a fun activity to do in my summer program during medieval week." --- Karen C. "My students really enjoyed making them, and were so proud of the outcome. We did what someone else suggested and just used permanent sharpies. They look awesome!" --- Randy Bland "My students loved this activity! We completed it in the middle of our Middle Ages reading unit. To make them even more stained glass in appearance, they lightly used a cotton ball to spread vegetable oil on the back to make them translucent." --- Dayna K. Check out our packet that includes everything you need to create this craft, here in our store.
You can find all of these resources to create your own Marco Polo Unit Study HERE.
This Viking unit study has everything you need for a quick, literature-based, project-based study. You can even download the book and activity lists for free!
Hi teacher friends, I’ve been busy creating a series of STEM projects for students who are studying Medieval Times & Middle Ages.. Next stop, the Islamic World! Challenge 1: Caravan Contraption! The Arabian Peninsula is desert land that lacks rivers and lakes. It has very hot and dry air. Travelers had to cross huge
Learn about medieval history and the middle ages with these engaging medieval books for kids, tweens, and teens.
Discover fun ways to incorporate art, books, videos, and more into your homeschool study of Medieval History for your middle schoolers.
This test follows the Essential Standards for 6th grade Social Studies and focuses on Ancient Rome, Medieval times and the Renaissance. This can be given alone as a test on the second half of the curriculum (with some review questions) or can be given along with the Social Studies Midterm as a comp...
Are you homeschooling multiple grades? Come find out one approach that could work for you and help you teach them all at once!
Explore all these Greek Mythology Resources and FREE Printables we found for you! There are printables, crafts, games, coloring pages, and more.
Download Free Roman History Printable Resources
The Mesoamerica STEM Activity is a fun and interactive way to teach students about medieval times and ancient civilizations!
Learn about the Anglo-Saxon period of history with this resource pack! It includes a child-friendly ebook (with a glossary of related words), a range of activity resources to explore and eye-catching display materials to decorate your learning environment.
The Middle Ages- Free History Curriculum Series Part 5: History Of The Middle Ages Welcome back to the final post on Free Ancient World History Plans ! Thi ...
Your children can learn so much about medieval history by reading living books! Your students will love this list of books to read about the middle ages.
Medieval period is a fascinating time to study, and these activities will bring it to life for tweens. From authentic recipes to knights and castles, there's something here for everyone.
Fun and easy crafts to enhance your medieval European history lessons in elementary schools.
Relive history with these Medieval Times books for kids! Read about historical fiction during these times, from picture books to chapter books.
History teachers! Look no further! A feudalism activity your students will love!
Middle school kids want to interact with history like with these hands-on projects from ancient & medieval history, colonial & pioneer America, and civil war.
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Don't stress about teaching medieval history to your children. My kids devour history through literature, using amazing selections from Beautiful Feet Books. This year in our homeschool, my Rachel dove into the Middle Ages with gusto. She studied the famous men and women of the Middle Ages during classical studies, then devoured meaty tales such
