Medieval Europe

We are entering the Middle Ages in our Tapestry of Grace studies and are having a marvelous time.  The boys are thrilled with visions of building catapults and pretending to be Goth Worriors.  Daughter is dreaming of princesses.  We have begun reading Otto of the Silver Hand as a read aloud for the next few weeks.   I really like this book as it helps transport the children to that time period through the eyes of a child, Otto. 

Here was one of our first projects for the year.  I only assigned this one for Lower Grammar so only youngest son did it.

I used 2 rolls of Pillsbury Sugar cookies however, you could easily make your own sugar cookie receipe to save on money.  We used peal and eat licorice for the map outlines and M&M's for the city placement and chocolate chips for the mountain ranges.  We used small pieces of licorice to show large rivers such as the Nile River and the Danube River.   We made the coloring with edible tempra.  You make this with egg yolk mixed with liquid food coloring.  For blue, we used one egg yolk with 4 drops of food coloring.  To make the brown, we mixed one egg yolk with 5 drops of red, 3 drops of green and 2 yellow.  He used a fresh soft paintbrush to brush the 'paint' onto the cookies.  I had to replace the M&M's and the chips after we baked as they got lost in all the dough.  I also overcooked it quite a bit.  I think you can still tell what it is. 

After baking and cooling, we used half toothpicks and old computer labels, cut up, for labels.  Youngest son made all the labels and included The Nile River, Rome, Appanine Mountains, The Alps, Crete, Sicily, Athens, Paris, London and the British Isles.

As you all are beginning your school year, may you be encouraged by this verse:

All of your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.  Isaiah 54:13

May this be a beginning of a wonderful school year. 

Blessings,  Suzie