Kid Beowulf Book Review (Book 1)

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Graphic novels are the preferred genre in our home. You see we are an artistic family so it should come as no surprise that comic style books area huge hit. Both kids go through graphic novel series so quickly that I am always on the search for exciting new series they will enjoy. Well just before Christmas I was contacted by Andrews McMeel Publishing about doing a review on Kid Beowulf The Bloodline Oath. I took one look at the front cover and knew it was right up my kids alley.

A moms review:

Kid Beowulf is a series (currently 3 books, plus an educational guide and prequel) inspired by the epic poem "Beowulf" and introduces children to classical literature in a way they will enjoy and understand. Any book that introduces my children to classical literature gets a star in my book.

Kid Beowulf is geared towards children ages 8-14 years old. It is a 280 page soft cover book written and illustrated by Alexi E. Fajardo. This story is about 12 year old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel and their quest to redeem their fallen ancestor. Throughout the book there are dragons, monsters, kings, an enchanted swords and oh a pig! This book will appeal to Percy Jackson fans who love mythology and adventure. The book teaches important lessons about family, loyalty and integrity.

One of my favorite things about the book is the more to explore section in the back of the book. This section includes a world map showing Beowulf and Grendels adventures, key terms, character glossary, Beowulf family tree, origins of the epic poem, information on monster slayers, a how to draw Beowulf lesson and even the anatomy of a comic book page

Gwyns Review:
Okay so let's hear about the book from one of the kids that read it. Gwyn is soon to be 11 and a reading fanatic.

The book is about a boy who was being raised by his Uncle who sets out on an adventure after his ghost father tells him to stole away on a ship to find his long lost brother......but ends up finding much more. The story taught me that family bloodlines may not be what you always expect. The book is really funny and many of the characters are sarcastic. My favorite character was the dragon because he has a really cool backstory. He used to fight King Arthur's dad and took off the Kings hand in return the King took the dragons eye. I also like Grendel because he frees animals out of traps. The character I could relate with most though was the sword because he never stops talking, just like me. I recommend the book to kids who are interested in mythology, bloodlines and comics.

I am really looking forward to reading book #2. I cannot wait to find out what happens next with Beowulf's family.

About the Author and Illustrator:
Alexis E. Fajardo is a student of the classics – whether Daffy Duck or Damocles – and has created a unique blend of the two in his graphic novel series, Kid Beowulf. Lex has taught cartooning throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently resides in Santa Rosa, where, when not penning Kid Beowulf, he works for PEANUTS at the Charles M. Schulz Studio.

Freebies:

Be sure to check out the Kid Beowulf website for some games and download a teacher guide.

Where to buy:
The retail price is $10.99 and the book can be purchased at local books stores and on Amazon.

Native American Folktale, Flute Craft And A Giveaway

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

We had tons of fun with the Poppins Book Nook blog series last year and we will be continuing that fun all throughout 2014. This month's theme was, "Folktales" Keep reading to learn more about the books we read and fun crafts we made. There is also a giveaway is at the end of the post!

Books:
Gwyn is fascinated with Native Americans and it is one topic that she is constantly exploring. Earlier this month we attended the Mothers Day Powwow in Canton, GA. This event is held every year and is one that we try not to miss. There are arts and crafts, tasty foods, tepees, demonstrations, dancing, music and warriors on horseback.

So it comes as no surprise that the kids picked out a Native American folktale book for this months book club. Night Dancer is a lyrical picture book poem about Kokopelli a southwestern Native American God. The book is 32 pages and great for children of all ages. In the book Kokopelli, the god of dance and music travels through the desert at night playing his flute and inviting the desert animals to join him. Along the way Coyote, Snake, Tortoise, Javelina, Jackrabbit, Tarantula, and the children of the Rio Grande Pueblo village follow Kokopelli and join his midnight dance.

Craft Project: 

Here is the fun project we did to go along with this months theme.

Straw pan flutes:

Materials:
-8-10 Straws (larger straws like the ones from McDonalds will probably work better)
-Tape
-Scissors

What to do:
There are a few ways you can make these and we opted for the easier way, but if you want to work in some math you can have children measure out the straws to these measurements 3-1/2 inches, 4 inches, 4-1/4 inches, 4-3/4 inches, 5 inches, 5-1/4 inches, 5-3/4 inches, 6 inches

1. Have children line up 8-10 straws. The straws should form steps and each one should be about 1/2 inch shorter than one before.
2. Next place a piece of tape on the table and lay the straws onto the tape. After all of the straws are placed onto the tape take the ends of the tape and fold them over the straws to secure them together.
3. Finally cut one side so that the straws are straight across and even.
4. Blow gently across the flat side to make some pretty sounds.

Let the children experiment with the straws adding more or less, cutting different lengths, etc. It is tons of fun and a great lesson in music!

Here is a list of the wonderful bloggers participating in the Poppins Book Nook be sure to visit them for more fun ideas:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~ Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ Laugh and Learn ~ A Mommy's Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~ Golden Grasses ~ Our Simple Kinda Life ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Simplicity Breeds Happiness ~ Raventhreads ~ Water on the Floor ~ Learning Fundamentals ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~ Where Imagination Grows ~ Lextin Academy ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ Mom's Heart ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ Suncoast Momma ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A "Peace" of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ eLeMeNo-P Kids ~ Simple Living Mama

Poppins Book Nook Giveaway! 
Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a copy of the E.H.M. curriculum Journey into the World of Folktales and one copy of the book that is required to teach it called Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta to further their learning alla bout folktales. If you wish to become a E.H.M member to receive access to hundreds of printables join here for only $15.00.

Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are alsoacknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms& conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking up with: Jay Daniel 4's Mom, Mama to 4 Blessings

Greek Myths - Poppins Book Nook January + A Giveaway

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

We are having lots of fun with the Poppins Book Nook blog series and we will be continuing that fun all throughout 2014. Be on the lookout for the 2014 themes! This month's theme was Greek Myths. We love myths of all kinds especially Greek myths. Keep reading to learn more about the Greek myth books we read, fun crafts we did and grab your FREE myth journal page too. The giveaway is at the end of the post!

Myth Journal Page:
Here is a Greek Myth Journal Page I made to go along with this months theme. Download your copy here or click the picture below. The kids had a lot of fun with this journal page...especially the drawing parts.

Books:
We read the Greek Gods and Goddesses book this month. The book included 15 stories about some of the most well know Gods and Goddesses including Zeus, Hera, Hercules, Hermes, Apollo and more. The kids learned lots of fun things like how Athens was named, how the dolphins were created and how the peacock came to be! The illustrations were quite cute as well! We really enjoyed this book and think you will too!

We also utilized some of Ancient Greece eBooks and curriculum from Heritage History. They have lots of great FREE ebooks that you can read directly off of their website as well!

Craft Projects: 

We did three fun crafty projects to go along with our mythology book!

Clay Greek Pots:

These were lots of fun to make and super easy and inexpensive. We used our cards that the Emory Michael C. Carlos Museum hands out to children, as inspiration.

Materials:
-Terracotta clay pots
-Black paint

What to do:
1. Paint your rendition of a Greek myth onto the terracotta pot.
2. Let it dry and then use your amazing creation to store your most valuable treasures in.

Medusa Hat:
Have some fun role playing the story of Medusa with these fun hats. They are quick, easy and fun to make!

Materials:
-Paper plate
-Pipe cleaners
-String

What to do:
1. Poke holes into the paper plate.
2. Put pipe cleaners into the holes and on the underside twist the pipe cleaner into a little knot to secure it. You can also add a dab of hot glue.
3. Attach a string to each side of the paper plate and tie under your child's chin

Handmade Clay Figures and Coins:
My kids love working with clay. For this project they made their own ancient Greek tetradrachm coins and mythical creature statues.

-Clay - we love the crayola air dry clay
-Various tools (plastic fork, knife, toothpicks, etc)
-Acrylic paint

What to do:
1. Have your child decide what they want to create. Each of my children made a Greek coin. And Gwyn made Pegasus one of her favorite mythical creatures.
2. Start with a lump of clay and mold it with your hands or carve and etch using various tools.
3. Let the creations dry for the recommended time, generally about 1-2 days.
4. Paint the creations with acrylic paint.

More Resources:
-We studied mythology for over entire month last year so be sure to check out all those posts for more resources and fun craft ideas.

-Ancient Greece lapbook from A Journey Through Learning

-Greek and Roman Mythology lapbook from In The Hands of a Child

-Greek Mythology Scholastic Activity Book on CurrClick

Fieltrip Fun:

We got in one little fieldtrip to the HIGH Museum of art to see the Louvre exhibit. There were several really great Greek statues. Gwyn and Rowyns favorite was Hercules batting the serpent. I enjoyed the fauns and nymphs.

Here is a list of the wonderful bloggers participating in the Poppins Book Nook be sure to visit them for more fun pet and animal themed ideas:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - 3 Dinosaurs - Monsters Ed - Chestnut Grove Academy - Growing in God's Grace - Life with Moore Babies - Teach Beside Me - The Usual Mayhem - Kathys Cluttered Mind - Adventures in Mommydom - Edventures with Kids - Learning & Growing the Piwi way - A Gluten Free Journey - Preschool Powol Packets - To The Moon and Back - Our Craft ~N~ Things - Fresh Farm Adventures - Are We There Yet? - Afterschool for Smarty Pants - Hopkins Homeschool

NEW! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky winner will win a copy of D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths. The winner must reside within the United States. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking up with: Jay Daniel 4's Mom, Mama to 4 Blessings

Thor Movie Review

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

We spent our New Years Eve watching action packed, superhero movies. Which are a favorite genre for the entire family. We already own many of the Marvel superhero movies like Iron Man, X-Men, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and Captain American and now thanks to Connect Your Home we now own the first Thor movie.

Moms review:
What's not to love about Thor it has action, fantasy, romance and suspense. There is something for everyone in the is movie. Not to mention a little bit of mythology education too!

Thor in case you didn't know is a Norse hammer-wielding god. He is associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility. Back in 1962 Stan Lee created the Thor comic book which was based on original Norse myths. Now years later Thor was brought to life in a motion picture by Marvel Studios.

The movie opens with physicist (and main character) Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) investigating a atmospheric disturbance with her team in the New Mexico desert. The disturbance? You guessed it Thor falling out of the sky.

The movie flashes back to introduce you to Asgard, the inhabitants and the war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. You also meet Thor (Chris Hemsworth), his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and their father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) all key players in the movie.

Then the action starts and things get interesting. Thor and his brother Loki are both ready to take over the throne of Asgard. Sibling rivalry takes over and both battle for their father Odin's approval. Odin is a wise ruler and has kept Asgard a peaceful place for many years. But his life is coming to an end and war is threatening their World. Both brothers have their own thoughts on what should be done. The arrogant Thor takes matters into his own hands and as a result he is banished to Earth by his father for his actions.

Flash forward back to Earth where Thor lands in the desert with no power and the loss of his hammer. Now he must fight to reclaim his warrior status by proving to his father he is worthy! And when dark forces threaten Earth and Asgard, Thor becomes a true hero to save those he cares most.

The visuals in the movie were spectacular especially Asgard. My children loved the rainbow bridge. I really liked the Asgardian costumes and thought they were very well done. The acting though was just okay there could definitely be some improvements in this area.

The second Thor movie Thor: The Dark World is still in theaters and will be coming out on DVD and Blu-ray on February 25th.

Marvel synopsis: 
The epic adventure "Thor" spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Warnings: 
My 6 and 7 year old watched this movie and I was not overly concerned about anything but here are some cautions.

You see Thor's bare chest once or twice. There is kissing between Thor and Jane. Intense, non-realistic, not overly bloody battle scenes and explosions. There is the use of swearing about 7 times (d#m*, hell, a*#, God's name in vain). There are a couple scenes with alcohol. The Frost Giants and giant robot creature may be scary for some children.

Overall, the majority of the violence is fantasy and against nonhuman enemies. However fight scenes that take place on Earth and the cars crashing might be upsetting to some due to their real world nature.

Trailer:
Thor 2 trailer! I cannot wait to see this with the family!




Important information:

MPAAP: Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston

Director: Kenneth Branagh, Joss Whedon

Running Time: 115 minutes

Release: 2011

Favorite quotes:
Here are a few of our favorite quotes:

"Well magic's just science we don't understand yet.'

"Whosever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

“I will never be a wiser king than you. Or a better father.  I have much to learn, I know that now.”

Educational resources:
There are many character lessons that can be learned from this movie. Like humility, sacrifice and selflessness. Another good message is honoring your father and mother. You can also learn a little bit about some Norse mythology.

Links to follow:

-Marvel Website
-Marvel Facebook page
-Marvel Twitter

I give this movie 5 STARS!

If you miss watching it in theaters you can also pre-order Thor: Dark World on Amazon, release date is February 25, 2014.

Special thanks to ConnectYouHome.com for providing us with a copy of Thor!

The Otter, The Spotted Frog & The Great Flood Book Review and Giveaway

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details. Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

As a homeschool mom I am always on the search for quality children's books that can help me educate my children. And Wisdom Tales a children’s book publisher founded in 1980 and based out of Indiana provides such books. They publish both children and teen titles that share the wisdom, beauty, and values of traditional cultures and peoples from around the World. The content, illustrations, and production quality of the Wisdom Tale books makes them a lasting treasure for children, parents, teachers, and librarians.

A moms review:

We received a copy of The Otter, The Spotted Frog & The Great Flood to review. This book is  based off of a Creek Indian story. Both of my children love learning about other cultures. And my daughter has a fascination with Native American culture so I knew she would adore this book.

The Otter, The Spotted Frog & The Great Flood is a beautifully illustrated 36 page hardback book. The book was written by Gerald Hausman and illustrated by Ramon Shiloh. The book is perfect for children ages 4-8 years old but younger and slightly older children will also enjoy this fabulous story.

As I mentioned above the story is based on a traditional story from the Creek Indians of Northern Florida and Georgia. Gwyn immediately fell in love with the book before I even opened it to read it. She loved the animals on the cover especially the Otter (which is her daddy's favorite animal). She was even more excited when she found out it was a Native American story from the Georgia Creek Indians.

The story provided my children with another cultures explanation of how the World and humans came to be. It also taught an important lesson about listening to the wisdom of nature and the environment.

The story starts out on Day One with two animal people - Listener, a river otter and Honors Himself, a buffalo chief. They lived in village near a swamp and at night the frogs would sing but only Otter listened to them. When Spotted Frog tells about the prophecy of a great flood that is about to destroy their homes, all of the animals ignore his warnings, except Listener the Otter. Despite being ridiculed by the other animals, Listener heeds Spotted Frog’s warning and begins to build a raft to save himself from the flood. The story follows Otter through Day Two as he builds the raft and continues to be ridiculed by the other animals, including Otter Woman. Otter continues his work and soon after his raft is built the rain begins to fall. The waters began to rise and soon the World was covered. Underneath Otter's raft which is tied to the tallest Oak Tree the sea animals swim. Above him the bird people fly and hook their claws into the bright dome in the sky to rest. Their tail feathers get soaked in the water and as a result the Hawks tail turns red and the Turkeys tail turns white. Day Three arrives and the waters begin to recede and Listener finds that he is the only Otter person left in the new World. But Spotted Frog ensures him to keep doing what he does best and listen. Otter soon finds himself a most interesting companion and on Day Four an interesting turn of events occur that ends with First Man and his wife becoming the first two-leggeds born into the World.

The tale is full of Native American wisdom and was a great way teach my children about another culture. It had a great moral that our nature loving family could really appreciate and understand. And it was a great book for my daughter who really embraces the Native American people...actually she has claimed the book as her own and it has made a home on her bedroom bookshelf.

My children loved the book and were engrossed the entire time I read. The illustrations were beautiful and you could really tell that there was a lot of thought put into each one. They had a hand painted look to them and each depicted exactly what the words were saying. My children loved examining the circular illustrations in particular. These illustrations showed the changing of the Earth from Day 1 through Day 4. Even the Indian Mounds (which we are very familiar with and have visited here in GA) are incorporated into the illustrations, and my children noticed this tiny detail.

I really loved the Author's Note at the end of the book which provided more insight into this traditional Native American tale. We learned a lot about the origin of the tale and how the Creeks were probably influenced by some parts of the Biblical Genesis story and the oral tradition of the Scottish settlers. We also learned that different tribes had different versions of the story.

This book is a fabulous addition to our book collection and will definitely be utilized over and over again during our creation myth and Native American unit studies.

FREE resources for parents, teachers and librarians:
Be sure to visit the The Otter, The Spotted Frog & The Great Flood webpage to view sample pages and download a coloring page. There is also a great teacher and librarian page with videos and discussion guides.

About the Author

Gerald Hausman is the author of more than 70 books. His live storytelling has been praised by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, History Channel, and the Bank Street College of Education. He and his wife live in FL and have received numerous awards in the field of children's literature.

"As a writer I have often been called a scribe. This is because in the gathering of oral tales, I have always tried to get the story right. To capture the flavor, the region and the moral as the original storyteller gave it to me. The NYT Book Review called my collection of American Indian stories, Tunkashila 'an eloquent tribute to the first great storytellers of America.'"

In addition to his 22 years of story gathering and telling in New Mexico, Gerald also spent 13 summers on the island of Jamaica where he ran an informal writing school with his wife, Lorry. Together they collected Anansi stories, stories from and about the Kebra Nagast, and traditional West Indian ghost stories.    

About the Illustrator 

Ramon Shiloh is an author, illustrator and public speaker from Washington state. He worked with Rosa Parks and was honored with a certificate of appreciation for facilitator and storyteller for the underground Railroad Research Program: A Trail of Tears. He is dedicated to supporting art programs for children and Native youth. And he has produced and directed several planetarium shows as well.

Video:

Links to follow: -Wisdom Tales Website
-Wisdom Tales Facebook 
-Wisdom Tales Pinterest

Where to buy:
You can purchase The Otter, The Spotted Frog & The Great Flood on the website for $17.95 or from Amazon for $13.84.

Now time for the giveaway: 
Wisdom Tales has graciously offered to giveaway a copy of the this amazing book to one lucky reader. Only the first entry is mandatory. Other entries are optional and give you extra chances. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winner will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Prize will be mailed via the company.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Journey Through Mythology - Kraken, Kalypso, Khepri, Kiowa Tribe, ‎Kodama

Our Mythology Unit Study hasn't gone exactly as planned but its still been lots of fun. I had plans to do a lapbook of some sort and many more crafts. Since I don't have a unit study planned for December we may stretch our Mythology Unit Study out a few more weeks. One of the many joys of homeschooling flexibility  Here is an update on some of the things we have been doing.

K is for Kraken, Kalypso, Khepri, Kiowa Tribe‎, Kodama.

Lots of reading....
We have been reading a lot of books. We haven't really stayed in the order I had hoped and have been jumping around through the different cultures. We've read books on Greek, Native American, African, Egyptian, Scottish and Indian mythology.

Crafts....
So far we have done 2 crafts. We made our own Pandora's Boxes and  Totem Poles. These were both simple to make crafts and lots of fun!

We watched these fun videos to learn more about Totem Poles.
-Native American Totem Poles
-Art and Story of Totem Poles

Fun food....
I always try to have some fun with food throughout our unit studies so we had mummy hot dogs on Halloween and we had a yummy snack of grapes and Greek yogurt which we ate on the floor (just like the Greeks, lol).

Field Trips....
We had several super fun field trips so far. We visited the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Atlanta History Center (Native American Heritage Day) and Chattahoochee Nature Center (Earth Skills Day). If you live in GA the Michael C. Carlos Museum is FREE on select Thursdays.

Mummies, Gods and Goddesses and more....

Native American weapons, artifacts, stories our friend Chippa Wolfe and more....

Buffalo, Chippa Wolfe, fort building and more....

Thanks for stopping by!

*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with: Educating Laytons, Ben and Me, I Can Teach My Child, The Momma Knows, Look What We Did, All Boy Homeschool, 1+1+1=1, JDaniels4Mom,

Wildlife Wednesday - Explore Doves

This month we have been studying mythology. One particular animal that comes up quite often in ever culture is the Dove. There are 310 species of Doves and Pigeons who belong to the same bird family of Columbidaes. Doves are used in a variety of settings as symbols of love, peace or as messengers. Doves appear in the symbology of Judaism and Christianity and of both military and pacifist groups.

**Continue reading the rest of this post here and don't forget to join Wildlife Wednedsay on Creation Conversations to download your FREE Dove resources like the copywork page I created below.

Link Up:
As a way of kick starting this party - we are beginning an ongoing link  up where you will be able to link your creation exploration posts to  share with others. It will become another avenue full of resources and  ideas to enrich your homeschool.

 

Copy and paste the Wildlife Wednesday badge and place it in the post you are linking up or on your sidebar. Text links are fine to include in your post as well use this permalink: http://www.creationconversations.com/group/wildlife-wednesdays. Posts that are linked up may be pined to Pinterest. Please make sure you post the direct URL and not the URL to your homepage. 

 

Grab a Wildlife Wednesday badge for your blog/website: Copy and paste the graphic below -

Or grab the html code below - <center><a   href="http://www.creationconversations.com/group/wildlife-wednesdays"   target="_blank"><img alt="Wildlife Wednesdays"   src="http://i1110.photobucket.com/albums/h453/kbalman/Wildlife1.jpg"   height='125' width='125' border='0' /></a></center>

And again don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY on the Wildlife Wednesdays Group page.

*Disclaimer - As part of Wildlife Wednesdays I may receive free books in return for mentions in posts and reviews. Please note that prices indicated in  the post are subject to change. I was not compensated for my review and  all opinions are our own! Many of the links found on my side bars and in  my blog posts are affiliate links. As a result, I might get paid money  and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

FreeBEE Fridays - Mythology Unit Study Resources

Jen, from Gricefully Homeschooling, and I team up, every Friday, to bring you a list of freebees...on both of our blogs.

PLUS ...with the added bonus of this being a weekly link up...where you can showcase your freebies, things you've found online, and also, things you've received in the mail, totally FREE in the last week...or so. 

FreeBEEs:

If you have homeschool FreeBEEs to share
please link up at the bottom of this post!
You can copy the button from my right side bar.

FreeBEEs:
I love the unit study topics my children choose. This month the kids chose mythology. I love that they get to learn about what interests them most and that I get to find all the fun resources to facilitate their learning. We will be learning about mythology, legends, lore, folktales, fables, etc from different cultures including Greek, Native American, Norse, Japanese, African, Egyptian, Chinese, Mayan, Scandinavian. We also be learning about Dragons, Fairies, Unicorns, etc. Follow me on Twitter @kbalman and then follow hashtag #mythunitstudy to see what we are up too each day. I have so many fun things planned for this unit study. Many of the things we will be doing are listed below but I have some surprises too. And keep an eye out on my blog each week for fun posts about how what we are learning in our mythology unit study.

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So what constitutes a myth, legend, fable, folktale and lore?

Myth: A story that is not based in historical fact but which uses supernatural characters to explain natural phenomena like weather, night/day, etc. Ancient people used myths to make sense of the world.

Legend: An ancient story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.

Lore and Folktale: A body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth.

Fable: A short story, not fact, written to teach a strong moral lesson. Often they use animals as the main character.

We will also be delving into how religions and legends can prove that events like Creation, The Great Flood and Tower of Babel occurred. We will be using a NEW book I received as part of the Moms of Master Books called The Genius of Ancient Man. There is also some great stuff in this book about dragons and giants. 

MYTHOLOGY RESOURCES:
-This fabulous resource from Shiver Academy is the one we will probably be using the most. There are some great ideas and even FREE lapbook components for all the different cultures.

-Greek mythology for kids - stories, games, crafts, powerpoints etc.
-Greek and Roman art lessons - activities, lessons and more
-Norse Mythology 
-Barbie mummification
-Squidoo Ancient Egypt lapbook ideas - also lots of crafts, printables etc
-Mythology lesson plans from Scholastic
-Greek Gods notebooking idea
-Ancient China activities - clay soldiers, pictograms, dragons and more
-Ancient Africa activities
-Egypt activities here and here - more great activities from Creekside Learning
-Mythology lesson plan
-Mythology lapbooks from Homeschool Share
-Lots of great resources from Learning Through History for Greek Mythology
-Native American legends
-Native American lesson plans 
-Scandinavian mythology unit study ideas 
-Interactive program where you can write your name in Runes
-Norse unit study ideas
-FREE mythology lesson plans - there are some great ones and you can break it down by grade level
-Winged Sandals a fun iterative website with games, stories, printables and more about Greek Gods
-Greek mythology webquest
-Wonder Book The Chimara from CurrClick

Not FREE but very good resources for a mythology unit study:
-History Scribe - 100 People of Mythology - $1.00
-Ancient Greece Unit Study Helper - $1.50
-The Viking Age Notebooking and Coloring Pages - $3.99
-Classical Mythology Unit Study - $3.50 

Movies and Documentaries:
My kids love watching videos that go along with our unit studies. Here are a few we will be using. If you want to see more you can check out our YouTube channel. Please use discretion on movies and documentaries listed.

-Ancient Gods and Goddesses Part 1 and Part 2 (YouTube)
-Norse Mythology Slideshow (YouTube)
-Lord Shiva (YouTube)
-The Lightning Thief Percy Jackson
-Hercules (several versions on Netflix) and of course the Disney version
-The Golden Compass
-Jim Henson's The Storyteller - Myths (Netflix)
-Thor Tales of Asgard (Netflix)
-Who's Who in Greek and Roman Mythology
-Clash of the Titans (watch for FREE online)
-Clash of the Gods - History Channel show (watch online for FREE)
-NOVA several great videos that can be watched online FREE
-African Tales (YouTube)
-The Lost Gods (watch for FREE online)
-Jason and the Argonauts
-Achillis
-The Trogan Horse
-The History Channel has lots of great shows that can be watched online for FREE make sure you take time to search and look around 

CRAFTS/ART:
-Totem Pole
-Percys Sword
-Olive wreath and togas
-Lots of Greek Mythology craft ideas
-Crafts, worksheets and more DLTK Kids
-Craft ideas from eHow
-Printables, crafts and coloring pages
-Ancient Greek pots
-Mud brick making
-Alexander the Greats horse
-Egyptian God art

FOOD:
-Eating like the Greeks
-International recipes for kids
-Ancient food
-Food History

FIELD TRIPS:

-Carlos Museum in Atlanta GA has a great exhibits to go along with a Mythology unit study. There are Greek, Egyptian, African, Asian exhibits as well as many others. (FREE on select Thursdays)
-Atlanta History Center currently has a great Native American exhibit that we will explore.

-PBS virtual tour of Pyramids
-Virtual/interactive tour of Greece and Greek Mythology (this is an awesome resource)
-Virtual/interactive tour of Ancient America (another fabulous resource)
-Greek Mythology virtual field trip

KINDLE E-BOOKS:

-A Primary Reader Old-time Stories, Fairy Tales and Myths Retold by Children
-The Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths
-Heroes, or Greek Fairy Tales for My Children
-Myths That Every Child Should Know A Selection Of The Classic Myths Of All Times For Young People 

And LOTS of books from the library:

Upon request from a Facebook reader I am including a short book list. I have over 50 books checked out from the library for our unit and that is just way too many for me to type up so I am including the ones that I think are going to be the most useful. If you click on the photo below to enlarge it you should be able to see the titles of others not listed

-D'Aulatires' Book of Greek Myths 

-Gods and Goddesses of The Ancient Maya
-Golden Tales (Myths Legend and Folktales from Latin America)
-Behold the Dragons
-The Adventures of Odysseus
-Mythical Birds & Beasts From Many Lands
-Pegasus
-Scandinavian Mythology
-Mythology Series - African Mythology, Mayan and Aztec Mythology, Chinese Mythology, American Indian Mythology - These books are great and have discussion questions after each story
-The World of Mythology Series - Japanese, African, Indian
-Landscapes of Legends Series - Sacred Skies, Fabulous Beasts, The Waters of Life, Mighty Mountains, Cities of Splendor

ANDROID APPS:

-Egyptian Myth and Legend
-Greek Mythological Figures (use discretion some images are more for adults)
-Greek Mythology Match Up
-Native American Myths
-Greek Mythology 

And of course our exploration box will be filled with new goodies for our bird unit study. I will post about this over the weekend so check back.

The links above as well as others are pinned to my Mythology Unit Study Pinterest Board. If you're interested doing a Mythology Unit Study you may want to follow the board because there are more great ideas on the board that I didn't share here and I will be adding more FREE resources as I find them throughout October.

I hope you find these resources useful. If you ever have any questions feel free to leave me a comment or email me. Also be sure to follow my FB page where I post FreeBEEs daily.

Link up: FreeBEE Fridays with Kathy's Cluttered Mind and Gricefully Homeschooling

Remember when it comes to FREE resources the internet and a good search engine are your best friend.

*Disclaimer - Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.

Linking up with 3 Boys and a Dog