Fun with our Ancient Egypt Unit

We've spent the past three weeks covering Ancient Egypt in our History and Bible studies, so that we can understand the world and context into which Moses was living and writing the Pentateuch. We will start "flashing back" to the beginning of time this next week.

It's been a great study of the way people lived then, learning about the major Pharaohs, mummies, Egyptian deities, the Nile and geography of the area.

If you are interested, Tapestry of Grace has a free 3 week download of their Egypt study - 3 Week TOG Egypt Study. All you would need to add is math, science, and any grammar program that you're doing.

Gwangi and his Pharaoh's headdress.

You can find it here - Pharoah Headdress

Krypto working on his headdress.

Sissi trying to get her glue stick open.

The final product. SO cute!

Another pose!

Working on their Egyptian collars, made out of paper plates.

My sweet Gwangi.

Sissi really took some time on hers and added all kinds of jewels.

Wearing her Egyptian collar and drawing in her Science journal after learning about the Law of Energy Conservation. We're using Jay Wile's "Science in the Beginning" and have gotten through Lesson 8 at this point. It is very well laid out and the experiments are simple to do and illustrate the points well. We're enjoying it! You can find it here - Berean Builders

Sissi doing her spelling while holding her turtle, Shellby.

Krypto, watching a Math U See, Pre-Algebra lesson. He started Lesson 7 this week.

The children are entering the First Flight Society's art contest this year - Art Contest. The theme is Women in Aviation. Sissi is doing Rosie the Riveter and women's work in aircraft maintenance in the war period. Gwangi drew about Martin and Osa Johnson and their flights around Africa with their camera and journals. Krypto drew about Beryl Markham, a British born Kenyan aviatrix and the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west.

Krypto studying his rough draft of a black and white photograph of Beryl Markham.

Historic Bath, the OBX, and Plymouth

This weekend we were out in Washington, NC and then Grandy, NC. The groups were kind enough to take care of lodging for us, so we drove out on Saturday afternoon and had an hour or so to visit Historic Bath, the oldest city in North Carolina, before checking into our hotel and settling down for the night.

We started at the Visitor Center and watched a video about the area. Then, we took a walking tour of the couple of blocks of the downtown, historic district.

We're a house of readers, so this was a neat sign for us to see.

This is the view the people have of the Bath Creek, off the Pamlico River.

We got to visit the oldest church in NC as well. This is a sign referring to the first minister here, an Anglican, but now the church is Episcopal...that's what Revolutionary Wars can do.

The church door, and we were able to go inside as well.

The children inside, by the altar. They still hold services here today.

The area of Bath is also famous for housing Blackbeard the Pirate in the summer of 1718, before he was killed a little distance away, at Ocracoke.

Sitting on the edge of Bath Creek.

Sissi, on the Bath Creek.

Krypto, enjoying watching the boats.

On Sunday, we spent the morning in Washington, NC and then, that afternoon, we drove to Grandy. They provided a hotel room for us in Kill Devil Hills, just across the street from the Wright Brothers Memorial. Since we had already visited that in April with our good friends, we decided instead to have a beach day. We might not have anymore beach days for awhile, living in Kyrgyzstan.

My girl, Sissi, officially 7 years old now and on the sand of the Atlantic Ocean.

Krypto on the sand of the Atlantic Ocean.

Gwangi, showing me some shells and crab skeletons that he found in the sand.

While playing on the beach for the morning, we saw about 6 dolphins swimming about 25 yards off shore. Very, very close and just swimming peacefully along.

We got to see some bi-planes fly overhead while we were at the beach.

Then, on the way home, we were going through Plymouth and noticed a historic marker for an Ironclad. SO, we did a U-turn and went back to visit. There was also a "Civil War Trail" marker and so we got to learn a bit about the Battle of Plymouth and the Ironclad Albemarle.

The sign for the Albemarle.

Here is the mock up...it is 3/8ths the size of the original.

A dragonfly that Sissi really wanted me to take a picture of.

The Roanoke River Museum and a replica of the cannons that were on the CSS Albemarle.

The kids really like reading and learning a bit about the weaponry.

A historic marker for the Siege of Plymouth in the background of some lovely flowers.

The Roanoke River Lighthouse, it was closed, even though the sign said it should have been open, so we weren't able to go inside.

A boat sitting on the outside of the lighthouse.

We've had a very busy year, lots of road trips, and it has been hard at times to keep the chaos of travel from getting to all of us. The positive of it though has been that we have seen so much of North Carolina and been able to engage in a bunch of history this year. It's been really fun and exciting. We're so thankful for all the people that have had us out to speak and share and made it possible for us to stay over night on some of the longer trips!

A Happy 7th Birthday to our Girl!

Our girl is going to be 7 tomorrow!

We're going to be on the road, heading out to speak in Washington and Grandy, NC on Sunday, so we've been celebrating the past two days. First, we spent some time over at a good friends' house on Thursday.

Sissi, decorating her cake.

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday with our friends.

So excited, and ready to blow out the candle.

Mommy, cutting the cake.

Then, today, we had a few other friends over and we did cupcakes...with Frozen plates and napkins!

Sissi and her friend from dance class, Riya.

Getting ready to sing the Happy Birthday song again.

Blowing out the candle on the cupcakes.

The boys.

The girls, and their silly faces.

We got to have a fun pool party with Sissi's friends.

The kids put on an aquatics show with a bunch of twists and jumps and tumbles in the water.

Her birthday balloon from the Redfields.

Sissi's gift from her friend, Riya. She can't wait to make this craft.

Her gift from the Redfields. Another fun craft idea. I think these friends really know our girl!

Her big gift, from the family! She already has Caroline, a gift from a couple of years ago from a group in Tennessee. Her new doll is Kirsten, the American Girl Doll from the 1850's. 

I am on a homeshool Yahoo! group and back in December, one of the moms listed that her teenage daughter had an original Kirsten, that is now retired, and wanted to sell it to make a little money. I did a quick search online and realized it was a really good deal. We wrote, we met, we ran it past Sissi to make sure she really wanted it, and we made the jump and purchased it. Then, we told Sissi that she would have to wait for it, for NINE whole months!

It just recently hit me, 9 months is how long I waited for HER! I found out in December of 2006 that we were expecting her, and had her in August of 2007. Sissi had to wait that long. WOW! How impatient are we moms after 9 months...and she is only 6...now 7. She did great waiting!

I did joke with her that I was going to come in at 4:30 in the morning (about her birth time) and wake her up with the doll...but she said that would be too hard and she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so we opted for her receiving it tonight, at dinner with the family.

Her acting all surprised when she opened the box!

Hugging the box in her absolute joy!

Sissi with both of her girls...Kirsten and Caroline.

Giving kisses to her new baby.

She was so super excited and talking to her. It was the sweetest thing.

Big hugs!

With her new girl.

Pulling out all the outfits that came with her doll. I guess the girl that had her also had a few clothes to go with Kirsten. Sissi is so thrilled.

What a memorable birthday!