Week 1: Europe and America Get Acquainted through Christopher Columbus
Homeschooling moms must fill up their knowledge bank in order to give the best to their kids. The more mom knows, the better she can teach. Research these topics and share the general idea with younger kids. For older kids, you might invite them to pick a topic to research.
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| Christopher Columbus |
Topics for Week 1
Bartholomeu Dias
Vasco da Gama
King Ferdinand (Ferrando) of Aragon
The Zamorin of Calicut
Christopher Columbus
Using Stars for Navigation
The Taino Tribe
Kwakiutl Tribe
Abenaki Tribe
Questions for Discussion
Exploration
What would you see if you landed in Africa?
Would you set sail for a place you never saw and that no one knew about?
What would you do if the place you landed had people who were hostile to you?
What would you do if you ran out of supplies?
Kings and Rulers
What was the Reconquista?
What is a Zamorin?
Who was Prester John?
What is a Cacique?
Navigation
Why would you use stars instead of the sun to calculate location?
Which stars would you use? Why?
What is a sextant?
Christopher Columbus
Was Christopher homeschooled?
What is Volto do Mar?
How did his prediction of a lunar eclipse save his life?
Read an excerpt from his Log book.
The Taino
What is a yucayeques?
What is a Potlatch Ceremony?
What did they make armor out of?
What were the four classes of Kwakiutl Society?
How did the people live?
What can be hypothesized about their culture?
What was important to them?
Resources
Books (All Links go to Goodreads)
How the Stars Fell into the Sky (Navajo Creation Myth)
Christopher Columbus and the Age of Exploration for Kids: With 21 Activities
Zoo In The Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations
The Stars A New Way to See Them
Videos
Watch Bill Reid Carve a Totem Pole This one is on NFB Canada but you can search Bill Reid on YouTube to see other examples of his carving
How to Dry and Store a Whale for Food
Activities
Cook Salmon for dinner
Look at the constellations at night
Sail a makeshift cardboard boat from one side of the room to the other with land masses made of blankets. Imagine how the people on the other land mass would receive your visit?
Image Credit: Sebastiano del Piombo / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain