Learning History

One of our new curriculums this year is Story of the World.  It includes a daily reading, including fictitious stories of children who lived during the respective time to tell how they ate, slept, interacted- the story of their world.  Then there are map activities, color pages, and optional explorations to help engage the students further.

Our first lesson was actually the introduction to explain how history is learned.  Through stories, written or otherwise, and from finding artifacts buried over time discovered by archeologists.  Each piece or letter helps put together the puzzle of the story of the world for its time.

A suggested activity to discover what it is like to dig up artifacts and try to figure out the story of a lost world was to create an archeological dig in the yard, all taped off just like they are 'for real'.

I decided a more simple route for our purposes.  I collected artifacts from the long lost civilization of "Barbie and Polly" and buried them in different layers in a disposable aluminum pan in corn meal and corn flour.  Wetting areas created a thick, rocky clay to dig through.  Using baby spoons, paintbrushes, and some play dough tools my girls got to work unearthing the treasures.

We had a wonderful time piecing together the story of the dolly world.  I threw in a couple of unknown elements so my kids learned that sometimes archeologists have to talk to each other and look to other resources to discover what things are.

Even if you aren't doing Story of the World, this was a great little activity to talk about history, archeology, mystery, civilization, artifacts, team work and all in a tactile way!

 And yes, even the toddler got in on the action!

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