Mosaics have been found as early as 3rd century BC in Greece.  In these times they were used to decorate floors.  It wasn’t until the 4th century AD that this changed when Christians began to use mosaics to decorate the walls of their churches instead. Here are a few mosaics found from the 4th century. This one was found in an ancient Roman villa and is only a partial view.  The detail is amazing. Pictures were found at Wikimedia and Classical Mosaics.  If you want to see more just visit those links. Mosaics were quite the art form. So, since we’re studying the Middle Ages and we were in the 4th century we decided to try…

  Once a year, myself and some other homeschoolers from our church, get together for a speech/co-op day. Several months before we give our speeches, we vote on a topic; the children study it, write a speech and then deliver it to friends and family on the appointed day. We go all out with props, costumes, food and games. The children get to put into play their creative skills and practice speech making. This will be our 5th year. Thus far our Co-op days have been… Democratic Republic of the Congo (we have a family at our church that moved from there and we thought it would be a great…

School hours are like a monster (however excellent that school may be), gobbling up the child’s treasure of time.  Careful now!  We only get to be a child once.  For some children, there are more calls on time:  gymnastics, music, swimming, extra spelling, French tutoring.  And what about the church?  However worthwhile each separate activity is, it is important to keep a check on how much of the child’s time is being "organized," and make a wise and balanced choice of priorities.  Children’s overall needs should be thoughtfully considered. Children are being "fitted into" a streamlined schedule designed for the parents so they can cope with their pressures. There should…

I don’t know why it is but I have a hard time getting fresh ideas and inspiration for our Nature Study.  I feel it’s a little pointless sometimes since my boys spend plenty of time outdoors and have  learned quite a bit about nature without any help from me!   This week I needed some ideas so I turned to Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie.  Under the chapter The Autumn Journal she gives several suggestions.  I chose the following, making a few variations: 1.  Find different grass, rush, and sedge seed heads, and draw them. 2.  Find different colored leaves.  (This is a challenge around my house since a lot of…