In which we check in weekly and update our Favorite Things: resources that fueled our curiosity this past week.
History Channel documentaries have their detractors. Believe me, I've read enough reviews to know that there are people who take serious issue with how flagrantly the HC uses anachronistic firearms in their World War series or how loosely they adhere to details like strictly realistic period dress. These things don't bother me so much as the annoying way that they've structured their most recent documentaries to cite celebrities alongside of (or even worse, instead of!!) historians. Stupid celebrity worship! This series on the rise and fall of Rome is recent enough that their dramatizations kept the boys enthralled - but they stuck with actual historians to narrate throughout...and we had our favorite (Thomas Martin, hands down). This series leaves a lot to desire in explaining the nuances of the politics of the Republic; it should probably be named Roman Military Campaigns: Rise and Fall of an Empire. Regardless, it's a great series - worth sticking with all fourteen episodes - which you can see free on YouTube if you don't mind the low resolution upload.
Game of the Week: Code Names Pictures
I have never played Codenames before, although it's been on the list for awhile. I have an avid gamer who is not yet reading and so I'm always eager to find a game that lets us avoid the hold-up of having to read everything to him (Dominion = Nightmare). This is a great solution. No reading necessary, so even the youngest can play. But it's also sophisticated and challenging enough that the adults can put all the kids to bed and spend two more hours playing. Yep. It happened.
Bonus Awesomeness: Talkbox.Mom
Learning a language. It's so hard!!! Adelaide has got the solution - it's moms the world over who teach kids to speak their first language...you can use the same principles to teach them a second language (as you learn one yourself). Pick a language and speak to your kid as you change diapers or dish out snacks or play in the backyard. You can start with a book / downloadable audio that has 2000+ words and phrases that moms use basically every day. And if you're ready to go hard-core, subscribe to THE BOX and have a new set of beautiful laminated / illustrated word sheets and tags as well as challenges that will keep you learning until the next box comes.
We love this program! And we're doing Hebrew, of course, but also available are Spanish, French, German, Italian Mandarin, Japanese, and Romanian. There are several languages available on pre-order and if you have a specific language in mind that TalkBox doesn't carry yet, ask about it. That's how the Hebrew program came to be. :) Check it out.
Don't forget to peek at my Instagram to see what awesome books we enjoyed this week. Got a favorite resource that fueled your curiosity this week? Leave a comment and point me in the right direction!
#Homeschool #Homeschooling #History #Documentary #Youtube #Rome #Empire #nature #talkbox #hebrew #foreignlanguage
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