Friday, July 21, 2023

Summer Homeschooling - Egypt Week

EGYPT WEEK -

Monday: Intro to Ancient Egypt

  • Ask the kiddos: What they THINK they know about Egypt & What they WANT to know about Egypt
  • Ancient Egypt 101 - Timeline of Ancient Egypt
  • Eat an Egyptian Meal - lamb kabobs, pita bread, hummus, olives, grapes
  • Why did the Egyptians settle here of all places? 
    • The Nile River Valley - 
      • Papyrus: This tall marsh plant had strong stems, and bundles of 100 or more reeds tied together with rope were used to make small boats. These crescent-shaped boats were used to hunt, fish, and travel short distances along the Nile River, the longest river in the world. This kind of boat is still built and used in parts of the world today. And for heavier loads or long distances, the Egyptians would use standard wooden boats with sails.
      • Papyrus was also used to make paper for scrolls, and this was the earliest paper-like material. At the time, all other civilizations used stone, clay tablets, animal hides, wood materials, or wax as writing surfaces. Papyrus was, for over 3,000 years, the most important writing material in the ancient world. It was exported all around the Mediterranean and was widely used in the Roman Empire as well as the Byzantine Empire. Its use continued in Europe until the 7th century AD, when an embargo on exporting it forced the Europeans to use parchment. Make Papyrus Paper
    • There are many dangerous creatures that live in the Nile River, such as venomous snakes, hippopotamuses, and the infamous Nile Crocodile. Egypt is also home to a wide variety of other animals and plants, including lions, hyenas, jackals, gazelles, and cobras. 
      • Egyptians have always been close to the natural world. The ancient Egyptians left paintings and carvings of large animals like elephants, leopards, and cheetahs. These animals were once common in Egypt but are now rare or extinct because of hunting and habitat loss.
      • Learn about Egypt's not-so-native animal, the camel.
  • Map of Egypt (color in the kingdoms) - additional worksheets
  • Virtual Field Trip
  • Media: Watch the Mummy and/or the Prince of Egypt, watch National Geographic
  • Literature: Read the Magic Treehouse book: Mummies in the Morning and/or get books on Egypt from the library

The Social Classes of Egypt

Tuesday: Life in Ancient Egypt
  • A Day in the Life of Each Social Class
    • It was super easy to farm in Ancient Egypt, as the Nile flooded every year for three months, making the land super fertile for growing crops - this gave farmers time to build the pyramids. 
    • Ancient Egyptians didn't typically choose their jobs. They did what their parents did. So, if they were born on a grape farm, they grew up to be grape farmers. 
    • The market was a very important social environment in ancient Egypt. The earliest Egyptians traded one food item for another. Later, they used coins and precious stones as money. Regardless, they loved (and still love til this day) to barter with each other.
  • Egyptian Inventions:
    • Black Ink - They mixed vegetable gum, soot, and bee wax to make black ink. They replaced soot with other materials such as ochre to make various colours. Make ink and use a quill to write.  
    • The Ox-drawn Plow - Using the power of oxen to pull the plow revolutionized agriculture. Modified versions of this Egyptian invention are still used by farmers in developing countries around the world.
    • Irrigation - The Egyptians constructed canals and irrigation ditches to harness the Nile River’s yearly flood and bring water to distant fields.
    • The Calendar - The Egyptians devised the solar calendar by recording the yearly reappearance of Sirius (the Dog Star) in the eastern sky. It was a fixed point which coincided with the yearly flooding of the Nile. Their calendar had 365 days and 12 months with 30 days each month, as well as an additional five festival days at the end of the year. However, they did not account for the additional fraction of a day, and their calendar gradually became incorrect. Eventually, Ptolemy III added one day to the 365 days every four years.
    • Clocks - An obelisk was a sun clock that could be used by noting how its shadow moved around its surface throughout the day. From the use of obelisks, they identified the longest and shortest days of the year.
    • Police - During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, order was kept by local officials with their own private police forces. During the New Kingdom, a more centralized police force developed, made up of primarily Egypt’s Nubian allies, the Medjay. They were armed with staffs and used dogs. Neither rich nor poor citizens were above the law and punishments ranged from confiscation of property, beating and mutilation (including the cutting off of ears and noses), to death without a proper burial. The Egyptians believed that a proper burial was essential for entering the afterlife, so the threat of this last punishment was a real deterrent, and most crime was of a petty nature.
    • Surgical Instruments - The Edwin Smith Papyrus shows the Egyptians invented medical surgery. It describes 48 surgical cases of injuries to the head, neck, shoulders, breast, and chest. It includes a list of instruments used during surgeries with instructions for the suturing of wounds using a needle and thread. This list includes lint, swabs, bandage, adhesive plaster, surgical stitches, and cauterization. It is also the earliest document to make a study of the brain.
    • Wigs - During the hot summers, many Egyptians shaved their heads to keep them clean and prevent pests such as lice. Although priests remained bald as part of their purification rituals, those that could afford it had wigs made in various styles and set with perfumed beeswax.
    • Cosmetic Makeup - The Egyptians invented eye makeup as far back as 4000 BC. They combined soot with a lead mineral called galena to create a black ointment known as kohl. They also made green eye makeup by combining malachite with galena to tint the ointment. Both men and women wore eye makeup. They believed it could cure eye diseases and keep them from falling victim to the evil eye.
    • Toothpaste - Egyptian toothpaste contained powdered ox hooves, ashes, burnt eggshells, and pumice. Another toothpaste recipe and how-to-brush guide written on a papyrus from the 4th century AD describes how to mix precise amounts of rock salt, mint, dried iris flower, and grains of pepper, to form a “powder for white and perfect teeth.”
  • Pets - Cats were considered sacred animals and were worshipped. They were even mummified when they died. Cats were considered helpful in keeping mice, rats, and snakes away, but they were also thought to be magical.
    • Read The Temple Cat by Andrew Clements
  • The Egyptian Gods - Name the God worksheet - coloring pages for the gods
  • Ancient Egyptians spoke Egyptian, but today, Egyptian is a Muslim country with mosques, and the residents speak Arabic.


Wednesday: Egyptian Art
  • The Egyptians wrote in Hieroglyphs, but until we found the Rosetta Stone, we had no idea what they said.
  • Cartouches - can use tongue presses or clay to write your name in hieroglyphs, and then hang it around your neck.
  • There were also many symbols that were important to the Ancient Egyptians:
    • Scarab Beetles: good luck; represented regeneration and the cycle of life. The scarab holding the sun was a popular motif on Egyptian charms, jewelry, sarcophaguses, and other artifacts.
    • The Eye of Ra, Eye of Horus - draw an Egyptian Eye
  • Choose a work of art from ancient Egypt. On your papyrus paper, with oil paints, create your own art based on your inspiration piece.
  • How did they make the Sphynx?


Thursday: Pyramids
  • Originally pharaohs were buried in brick tombs called mastabas, but they were easily broken into by tomb robbers and weren’t very grand.
    • Pyramids were the first monumental stone building designed and constructed. Most were built as tombs for pharaohs and their families. To date, over 130 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt. They each had north-facing entrances because they wanted them to align with the North Star. Most stones weighed 2.5 tons, but some weighed as much as 80 tons. The farmers used ramps slicked with mud in order to move the stones.
    • Pyramids included the burial chamber, secret tunnels, hidden chambers, and things the Pharaoh thought he would need in the afterlife.
    • Make a 3D pyramid. Make toothpick and marshmallow pyramids, or you can just use glue but make sure to allow for drying time.
  • Pharaohs - 
    • Khufu ruled from 2589-2566 BC. BC was "before Christ;" and AD is anno domini," which means, "the year of our lord." He built the Great Pyramid at Giza near modern-day Cairo, which is the largest pyramid in the world. At one point, the pyramid was 481 feet tall and took up 13 acres. It took 23 years to build, and it is the only surviving wonder of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It draws 5,000 visitors a day.
    • Akhenaton (also known as Amenhotop IV) ruled from 1352-1336 BC and was married to the famously beautiful Queen Nefertiti. He stirred up Egypt by moving the capital and moving Egypt to worship only one god – the sun god Aton.
    • King Tutankhamun (also known as King Tut) only ruled for 9 years, from age 9 in about 1323 to age 18. Tut is so famous because after 3,000 years, Howard Carter discovered the covered entrance to his untouched tomb in 1922. It was filled with many treasures including a four-part sarcophagus with over 2,500 pounds of gold, King Tut’s death mask, and many other artifacts. Watch A Day in the Life of King Tut
    • Rameses II (also known as Rameses the Great) ruled 1279-1213 BC. He took the throne at age 20 and is said to have lived until 99 years of age. He was a renowned soldier, signed the world’s first-known peace treaty (with Hittites), and created more temples and buildings than anyone, including the amazing Abu Simbel.  Interestingly, although his tomb was empty, his mummy is considered to be the most well-preserved mummy ever found.
    • Cleopatra VII is popular as the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. She is also known for befriending Romans to maintain power.
    • FUN FACT: A pharaoh would have never let his/her hair be seen. He/she would always wear a crown or a headdress called a nemes.
  • Sarcophagus - Inside the burial chamber was the sarcophagus (a large stone box where the coffin was placed). There were often times many coffins inside one another.
  • Death Masks - When someone died, a death mask was made. This was an idealized face that looked similar to the person, and it was said to allow the soul to find the body in the afterlife.
  • The Egyptian Book of the Dead
    • Mummies - 
    • Canopic Jars - where all organs except the heart were kept
    • Also, the pharaohs were provided with jewels, money, furniture, and food to keep them comfortable in the afterlife
  • Make Mummy Dogs for dinner


Friday: Food
  • Egyptian Koshair Recipe
  • Egyptian Date Candy - Mix 1 cup of chopped dates with water to make “paste”. Add 1 teas. cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, 1/2 cup ground up walnuts. Mix. Roll the mixture into balls and drop a little honey on them and roll in ground almonds. Simple, healthy, and yummy too!
  • Make scorpion cookies

Saturday: Field Trip to a Museum with Egyptian artifacts!

Friday, May 12, 2023

Summer Homeschooling - Zombie Apocalypse Week


ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE WEEK -

Monday: Would you survive the Zombie Apocalypse?

  • Rules of Surviving in Zombieland (just read if your kids are squeamish - some of these are silly, but some have excellent reasoning and purpose):
    • #1: Cardio - When the virus struck, for obvious reasons, the first ones to go were the fatties. Zombies aren't fast. To escape, it's more important to be able to run longer than faster.
    • #2: Double Tap - In those moments when you're not sure the undead are really dead dead, don't get all stingy with your bullets. One clean shot to the head can protect against zombies playing possum.
    • #3: Beware of Bathrooms - Don't let them catch you with your pants down. Zombies know to hang around them, caution can help avoid an ambush.
    • #4: Seatbelts - Wear one, zombies rarely do. Braking can send them flying away.
    • #7: Travel light - And I don't mean just luggage. Traveling light means traveling fast. Only pack essentials.
    • #17: Don't Be a Hero / Be a Hero - Unnecessary risks are risks that shouldn't be taken. But for loved ones, some risks are worth taking.
    • #18: Limber up - A muscle cramp during a zombie chase is a death sentence.
    • #22: When in Doubt, Know Your Way Out - Knowing where to flee can aid an escape.
    • #23: Ziploc™ Bags - You got enough problems, moisture shouldn't be one of them.
    • #31: Check the Back Seat - Zombies or little girls with guns may hide there, don't be caught off guard.
    • #32: Enjoy the little things - Zombieland is harsh, enjoy happiness where it can be found to stay sane.
    • #36: Sunscreen
    • #42: Keep your hands to yourself - It's just polite. It ostensibly leads to better group cohesion and facilitation of rule #52.
    • #52: Don't be afraid to ask for help - Groups have a greater chance of survival.
  • Real-World Survival Tips
  • Media: Watch You vs. Wild Interactive


Tuesday: Make your Bug-Out Bag
  • Backpack Activity: Ask them what they think they should pack to be prepared for a bug-out situation or even just a hike – tell them to imagine the basics they would need to survive a night in the woods.
  • Bug-Out Bag
  • Bug-Out Simulation: Give them a bag and give them 20mins to pack everything they would need to bug out. Then, see what they're missing and what the household may be missing.

Thursday: First Aid
  • Kids On Outdoor Trips: First Aid Recommendations
  • Ask them about some things they should avoid in the outdoors to be safe.
  • Go over precautions to take – This includes bug spray, sunscreen, and properly fitting footwear to reduce the risk of falls.
  • Self-defense
  • Foraging for Food: 
    • Edible vs. Non-edible – Go over what you can eat in the wild, but always ask an adult before doing so.
  • Situational Awareness


Friday: Hunting and Firearms
  • Get a Daisy bb gun or an airsoft gun, and learn how to shoot.
  • Learn how to prepare and cook a hunt.


Saturday: Field Trip to a National or State Park to test out their survival skills. We went to Colorado Bend State Park.

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Summer Homeschooling - Detective Week


DETECTIVE WEEK -

Preparation:


Monday: Going Undercover

  • Media: CrashBox Brain Games
  • Most detectives are part of your local sheriff's department or the FBI, but this week, you will be a Private Investigator. A "PI" is a private citizen who solves mysteries on a per-case basis. Think Sherlock Holmes, the Hardy Boys, or Nancy Drew.
  • Change into your disguise: Detectives sometimes go undercover as part of their investigation of a possible crime. Choose the clothing and accessories farthest from what you would normally wear, and make your outfit as absurd as possible so that no one will know it's you.
  • A detective’s job is to solve crimes. They search for clues and uncover evidence to create a whole picture of what happened. Detectives will also search public and private databases and investigate people to solve the case.
    • Four parts to the detective process: Observation, Question, Inference, and Proof
      1. Observation - Look for clues, observations can be seen or heard. They are something you witness. Example: The photo shows... 
      2. Question - A question caused by your observation. Example: I wonder why...
      3. Inference - A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning. You can witness something, but you have to use your brain to understand what it means. This part is difficult for most non-detectives, but if you change your way of thinking, you can do it too. This is how you make your case to put the bad guy away. Example: I can infer that... 
      4. Proof - Use your evidence to back up your inference. Example: This is what happened because...
    • You can use inferences in all parts of your life. Example: Motley didn't have any food in her bowl when you got home from school, but when you went to feed her at 5PM, she had food in her bowl. What is your detective process? What is your inference? You can infer that someone else already fed Motley. You can, of course, prove this by asking.
  • P.E. - FBI Special Agents are the most renowned detectives in the country. Because of this, they have to go through some extensive training. This week, we are going to prepare for the FBI Physical Fitness Test:
    • DAY ONE - Sit-ups: Do as many continuous sit-ups as possible in one minute.
  • Media: Play Nancy Drew PC Games
  • Games: Play Nancy Drew Mystery at Magnolia Gardens
  • Media: Watch Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
  • Media: Watch Annabelle Cooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket


Tuesday: Crime Scene Investigation
  • To have a crime, you have to have a victim. Who was hurt by the crime?
  • To prove someone committed a crime, you have to prove intent/motive and opportunity (do they have an alibi?)
  • Media: Watch Forensic Files: Point of Origin
  • P.E. - Prepare for the FBI Physical Fitness Test:
    • DAY TWO - Sprint: Sprint for 300 meters (for time).
Types of Physical Evidence at a Crime Scene:
  • A Real Crime Scene Investigation
  • Body fluids — Primarily blood and saliva, which can be found on clothing or other fabrics or objects in liquid or dried form. These components are commonly gathered from a crime scene or a person on sterile fabric patches or swabs for species identification and possible individualization using serological methods or DNA analysis. 
    • You can make homemade blood with corn syrup, water, and food coloring. On a large piece of butcher paper, splatter the fake blood with an eye dropper.  Leave space while splattering to show where a hand or arm could have been. Then, have the kids try to recreate the blood splatters to determine the distance they were splattered from.
  • Body Tissues — autopsy samples of various organs, as well as blood, urine, and stomach contents, are collected for toxicological analysis.
  • Drugs and Controlled Substances — plant materials, powders, tablets, capsules, or other preparations for identification and weight.
  • Fibers – fibers for identification and comparison, either natural (cotton, wool) or synthetic (rayon, dacron).
  • Fingerprints, Palm Prints, and Foot Prints — visible or latent prints lifted or cast from various surfaces for comparison and identification. This category frequently includes tire and footwear impressions.
  • Fire and Explosive Materials — liquids, solids, or burned debris to identify accelerants and explosive residues.
  • Firearms and Projectiles — identification, source, and comparison of projectiles, as well as firearm test firings, distance determinations, and firearm operability.
  • Glass – Glass fragments may be linked to a suspect and a break-in, or glass fractures may be analyzed to determine the direction of the force exerted or the sequence of rounds fired. Glass analysis is frequently used in the reconstruction of automobile accidents.
  • Hair — Hair is collected from a crime scene, a victim, or a suspect to determine the species (animal or human), race, and origin of the body part. Hair morphological traits can be used to include or exclude a suspect if they are human. It’s also possible to tell if the hair was crushed, clipped, burned, forcibly removed, or simply fell out.
    • Compare hairs between animals and humans with your magnifying glass. What are the differences?
  • Oils and Grease or Cosmetic Products — Oils and grease, as well as cosmetic items, are transported between objects and people and have distinct compositions that may be compared.
  • Paint and Paint Products — Paint may have transferred from one object to another on numerous surfaces, such as in a vehicle collision. This form of paint fragment transfer is commonly examined on the clothing of pedestrians who have been struck by a car.
  • Serial Numbers — Serial numbers are unique identifiers for a Frequently altered or removed from vehicles, firearms, and other objects, and can be restored for appropriate identification using chemical etching.
  • Soils and Minerals, Wood, and Other vegetation — Soils and minerals, as well as wood and other forms of plants. A plausible source or location that can be linked to a suspect or victim is identified and compared.
  • Tool Marks — Surface impressions or scratches that may reveal the type of object that created them. Wear features on the object or instrument, such as a prybar or screwdriver, might provide distinct characteristics for comparison with the impression. Clothing or fabric impressions on vehicle parts have been linked to pedestrian hit-and-run accidents.
  • Questioned documents — Questioned Document is a type of physical evidence that can include handwritten, typed, copied, or computer-generated documents that are inspected for forgery evidence. To determine authenticity, the studies may include ink and paper analyses as well as handwriting comparisons. In the case of erased, physically damaged, or burnt papers or materials, restorative processes may be used.
  • Set up their own crime scene to investigate:
    • I scattered paintbrushes all over the dining room table as if they had been knocked over, and I dripped washable paint on the table and floor. I then dipped one of my dog's paws in the paint and left a pawprint on the table. I also left behind a good chunk of dog hair, a few pieces of his food, and some grass in the paint to provide even more evidence. I then dripped a little bit of paint on the dog's coat to show up in the lineup.
    • Then, I rounded them up: "Detectives, a crime may have been committed at our home. The police need your help to solve it. Will you help them figure out what happened?"
    • Make sure you properly prep to enter the crime scene: 
      1. Tape off the scene to mark your parameter and keep all unauthorized visitors out
      2. Put on gloves so as not to contaminate the crime scene 
      3. Be on the lookout for all forms of physical evidence
      4. Do not touch anything until you have taken pictures of the scene; mark each piece of evidence with an evidence marker before you take the picture
      5. Once photos are done, you can pick up the evidence with only a sanitized tool
      6. Secure prints with tape and imprint paper
    • Need a corkboard to pin documents, reports, photos, and drawings
    • Use your detecting process to solve the crime
    • Extras:
      • Create a timeline for the crime
      • Draw a map of how each crime was committed
      • Write a first-person story about one of the crimes


Wednesday: Witness Statements
  • Another pre-arrest investigative tool detectives employ is interviewing the victim of the alleged crime and witnesses. They speak to anyone they believe may have helpful information, which could include a suspect’s co-workers, family, friends, and neighbors.
  • Unfortunately, out of all types of evidence, eyewitness statements are the least accurate because they are subjective and can be warped by a person's ideas and morals. However, they are a great source to corroborate the physical evidence you have already collected.
    • Example: You've been waiting all year for this awesome new video game to be released. At 6:35PM, you finally receive the e-mail stating it has been delivered to your mailbox parcel locker. However, your mom says you have to eat dinner and take a shower before you can go retrieve it. 
    • At 7:43PM, you race to the mailboxes to find the key to parcel locker #2 in your mailbox. But, when you get to parcel locker #2, you find it has been pried open, and there is no video game inside. 
    • You are sad, of course, but you waste no time. You put on your detective thinking cap and begin examining the crime scene for evidence. 
    • You notice a fingerprint on the door to the parcel locker, marks made by the device used to pry the parcel locker door open, and a muddy boot print on the concrete pad the mailboxes are secured into. 
    • You lift the fingerprint, measure the marks that the pry bar made, take a casting of the boot print, and take a sample of the mud from the boot print. 
    • You see Max walking back into his driveway. He is out of breath, sweating, and holding his little chihuahua, PingPong, under his arm. Max's house is right in front of the mailbox. You ask him if he saw anything or anyone strange around the mailbox between 6:35-7:43PM.
    • Max says he was in his yard watering his roses around 7:30PM and remembered seeing Bill at the mailbox. He says Bill was acting very suspicious, constantly looking around to see if anyone was watching him. But then, Max says PingPong ran after a cat, so he had to run and catch him. He says he just got back. 
    • With this information about Bill's behavior, you can safely add him to the suspect list. After running the fingerprint you lifted through the national fingerprint database, you find that it matches Bill. With these two sources of corroborating evidence, you can receive a warrant from a judge to search Bill's house. 
    • In Bill's garage, you find a pair of boots with mud on them. When you line the tread against the impression you took from the crime scene, it matches. The mud on the boots also matches the sample you took from the crime scene. Propped against the wall next to the boots is a crowbar, and its width matches the measurement you took from the crime scene.
    • When you walk inside the house and search the living room, you find the box to the brand new game on top of the PlayStation and the brand new game inside the console. Bill has been caught red-handed.
    • With just Max's statement, the crime would have just been hearsay, but without his statement, you would never have known where to look for a suspect. Now, with all this corroborating evidence, you can put handcuffs on Bill. And while he's spending the night in jail, you can go back home and play your awesome brand-new video game.
  • Detectives can also bring in a suspect for questioning. Unless the individual is in custody, law enforcement officials do not have to give them their Miranda warnings and can use any statements made against the accused. 
  • P.E. - Prepare for the FBI Physical Fitness Test:
    • DAY THREE - Push-ups: Do as many continuous push-ups as you can (not for time).

Thursday: Investigating Suspects
  • Once you have your physical evidence and your witness statements, it's time to investigate the suspects...
  • Engaging in Surveillance - Sometimes detectives engage in surveillance of a suspect or others who could have useful information. There are special rules around this due to privacy laws, so most of the time, you have to have a warrant (for searching private property, tapping phone calls; tracing vehicles, persons, or calls) unless on public property. 
  • Searching Social Media and Other Records - Detectives could also search a person’s social media sites or other websites where individuals discuss potential crimes with others for evidence that a crime was or is about to be committed. They may also obtain a warrant to get an individual’s cell phone, financial, or other records from businesses or other parties.
  • Other items that may be obtained via warrant: security camera footage, witness camera footage
  • 911 call recordings can also be a good resource.
  • More Practice:
    • Go to a place where the kids can’t see you. Ask questions about your eye color, the clothing you’re wearing, etc.
    • Arrange 30 items on a tray. Let the students look at it for 30 seconds. Then take the tray away. How many items can they remember?
    • CIA Photo Analysis Game
    • CIA Memory Game
  • P.E. - Prepare for the FBI Physical Fitness Test:
    • DAY FOUR - Run: Run 1.5 miles (for time).

Friday: Criminal Profiling
  • Criminal profiling refers to the process in which the nature of a crime is used to make inferences about the personality and other characteristics of the likely offender in order to locate and capture the said offender.
  • Games: Play Guess Who
  • P.E. - Take the FBI Physical Fitness Test:
    • Sit-ups: Do as many continuous sit-ups as possible in one minute.
    • Sprint: Sprint for 300 meters (for time).
    • Push-ups: Do as many continuous push-ups as you can (not for time).
    • Run: Run 1.5 miles (for time).
  • Play a lifesize version of CLUE - Set up a life-sized game board in the rooms of your house, put the cards in a Manilla folder, dress up as the characters, put items in different rooms, and call it that way
  • Media: Watch CLUE

Saturday: Field Trip to an Escape Room to put your new inferencing skills to good use!