Below are a list of my favorite "recent" Holy Land history finds (ok...not all so recent, as I've actually been collecting these since January). Enjoy!
General/Mixed Location Articles
Top 10 Finds in 2015
Yes, I'm way late in posting this...but still interesting.
Isreal/Judah
A Woman's Seal and a Man's Seal From Jerusalem Excavations
A very interesting article about seals and how they were used in Ancient Isreal. This page shows an actual picture of the seal recently found.
Return to the Cave of John the Baptist
A look a first century Mikva, ritual bath/baptismal.
Possible Home of Jesus in Nazareth
Shovel found in Magdala House
I love examples of items of everyday life like this.
Holy Land Portraits
A website I found with artist interpretations of various holy land sites.
Shipwreck in Isreal in the Time of Constantine
Egypt
A Discussion of When the Exodus Took Place
Monday, May 30, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Marketplace: Brick Making Suggestions
Back in 2010 our church did the Egypt VBS that Group is putting out again this year. I worked in the Marketplace making mud bricks, and I can tell you, it was a blast. It's cheap, fun and really does give kids a good idea about life in Egypt (or lots of places in the middle east, really...where most people made their houses out of mud bricks).
Here's my brick making suggestions:
THE DIRT ON BRICK DIRT
Group has instructions for making bricks, but for those not using this program, you can find instructions on the Biblical Archaeology website, or you can just experiment with your own mix of mud, straw, and water. Note that Group instructions skip steps 3 and 4, for obvious reasons--who has time for prepping mud for 5 days for a simple kids project? Turns out the straw was used because it releases humic acid which makes for really strong bricks--so the four days of mud stomping was to give time for fermentation and to mix the acid from the straw through the mud. For VBS craft purposes, less strong bricks will do...but if you were doing this for homeschool I could see how going through the whole 5 day process might be educational.
I'd say in most cases it's better to get regular straight out of the ground dirt if you can (especially if you live in a place like Texas where the ground is literally called Texas clay). Garden soil or sand does not make especially sturdy bricks, but the bricks I made out of "Texas clay" from my backyard ...that dried rock hard and solid. You can ask volunteers to each bring a bucket of dirt from home or you can talk with a construction company to see if they have any extra "out of the ground" dirt you can use. As for straw, we didn't chop our straw up in little pieces and the big pieces did make our bricks less stable. Chopping up straw is time consuming so I suggest involving the kids in this step. Kids love cutting up things into tiny pieces anyways and you can cut up straw with scissors.
BRICK MOLDS
Shared on Littles Learning Link-up and Dear Homeschooler Bookshelf and Throwback Thursday
BRICK MOLDS
Group instructions also include dimensions for the mold, but if you need dimensions, I have some on my homeschool site here (not sure if this was the same as group's). They are pretty simple to make, just four short pieces of wood nailed
or glued together like in the picture above (ours were a little
narrow--slightly wider ones are easier to work with). You will also want to reserve some thick short slabs of wood to use to help kids pack the mud and push the bricks out of the mold (see below).
A butter knife can be useful to run along the side of the brick mold if the brick has trouble coming out of the mold. Below a child uses a plastic knife to smooth his brick.
A butter knife can be useful to run along the side of the brick mold if the brick has trouble coming out of the mold. Below a child uses a plastic knife to smooth his brick.
The bricks shown here were made with a mix of
garden sand/soil mixed in, and came out kind of
crumbly. "Texas clay" straight out of my back yard
worked much better - it dried solid like rock.
LOCATION AND MESS PREP
This "craft" is messy! If you can, put your brick making area outside...doing this craft on hard ground or cement is preferable. If the only outdoor location has grass, you may need boards, cookie sheets, or other flat hard surfaces to put your bricks on. If picnic tables are available they work well...but remember to cover them with a plastic tarp or disposable tablecloth.
If you have to do this indoors (as we did), protect your floor with a large tarp and line the outsides of the area with towels for kids to wipe their feet off on. Also, have some extra towels and a bucket of clean water for kids to wash their hands in...maybe some hand sanitizer or soap too (Historical Tidbit: Egyptians actually had a form of soap). Also, be forewarned that your clothes will get muddy...it will add to the authenticity of your costume (*wink*). We offered kids pillowcase tunics to wear during VBS, which worked to protect their clothes from home too. If you don't do this, I would suggest providing some sort of apron or overshirt for kids to wear during this craft.
DECOR
My outfit during the week got
more and more "authentic"
DECOR
At our VBS, "shopkeepers" were in charge of decorating their area. Decor for the brick making shop is pretty simple. The bricks themselves can be part of your decorations...as the week progresses the kids will need to leave the bricks to dry, though having a few to show to start with is helpful. Hey bales can be used as seats. For covering your table and any decorative draping on the sides of the tent I suggest beige plastic shower curtains. Only use sheets if you own them, not ones you've borrowed as they could get mud splattered on them. I managed to find one real wooden bucket at a thrift store for ours, but we had plastic ones too...you could paint plastic buckets like wood but I don't think it would be worth the trouble, personally (cause you'll need a lot of buckets for this). If you are outside you can keep dirt in piles. Hay looks nice in burlap sacks or canvas laundry bags (but again, the messiness factor is something to consider...only do this with donated bags, not loaned).
7. Dry your bricks on trays of hay or sand to keep them from sticking. You will need to take them outside every day to dry in the sun, so kids will have to leave them (pray for no rain!).
8. An idea we toyed with but didn't use was making something with our bricks--like a firepit or an edging to a flower garden. Didn't do that, but I still think this would be cool (depending on the sturdiness of your bricks).
MISC TIPS
7. Dry your bricks on trays of hay or sand to keep them from sticking. You will need to take them outside every day to dry in the sun, so kids will have to leave them (pray for no rain!).
8. An idea we toyed with but didn't use was making something with our bricks--like a firepit or an edging to a flower garden. Didn't do that, but I still think this would be cool (depending on the sturdiness of your bricks).
Child playing with the muddy water
we used to mix our bricks.
we used to mix our bricks.
MISC TIPS
- Younger kids may come back to play in the dirt and mud. Our brick-making shop turned into an "extra activity" for wee ones who finished early in other shops.
- Visit this site to learn more about Egyptian Brick Making. It has a drawing of Egyptians making bricks, and TONS of interesting facts about ancient Egyptian brick-making. There's also a more succinct description of how to make mud bricks at Biblical Archeology.
Most of these photos were not taken by me, but other wonderful photographers at Dayspring Baptist Church.
Shared on Littles Learning Link-up and Dear Homeschooler Bookshelf and Throwback Thursday
Monday, April 4, 2016
About Affiliate Links
I include some affiliate links to Amazon.com and Educents.com and Zazzle.com on this site. If someone buys something through these links I can earn a small commission on the sale.
I include these links for two main reasons...
DO I DONATE MY EARNINGS?
If the specific post says that Amazon earnings are donated, then affiliate earnings from links from that post will be donated to a charity of my choosing. If the post doesn't make any mention of charitable donation, assume earnings are not going to charity from affiliate links on that post. NOT ALL LINKS TO COMMERCIAL SITES FROM THIS PAGE EARN MONEY FOR CHARITY (only Amazon links on posts which have a label noting charitable giving...Educents links do not earn money for charity because I don't have a way to distinguish them links on my other site).
Some of the articles on this site were previously hosted on Squido, where I donated all my earnings from my share of the ad revenue to charity through their charitable giving program. Sadly, that site has been shut down, bought out by HubPages which doesn't have a similar program.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONATED
So, I finally got enough to cash out by gift certificate at Amazon, and donated $20 to modest needs in turn.
I include these links for two main reasons...
- Using the affiliate programs allows me to include pictures I would otherwise not have permission to use.
- While I did not create this site to earn money, I figure if I'm going to be linking to something on Amazon or Zazzle or Educuents anyways, I might as well link to it in a way in which I could earn some money.
DO I DONATE MY EARNINGS?
If the specific post says that Amazon earnings are donated, then affiliate earnings from links from that post will be donated to a charity of my choosing. If the post doesn't make any mention of charitable donation, assume earnings are not going to charity from affiliate links on that post. NOT ALL LINKS TO COMMERCIAL SITES FROM THIS PAGE EARN MONEY FOR CHARITY (only Amazon links on posts which have a label noting charitable giving...Educents links do not earn money for charity because I don't have a way to distinguish them links on my other site).
Some of the articles on this site were previously hosted on Squido, where I donated all my earnings from my share of the ad revenue to charity through their charitable giving program. Sadly, that site has been shut down, bought out by HubPages which doesn't have a similar program.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONATED
So, I finally got enough to cash out by gift certificate at Amazon, and donated $20 to modest needs in turn.
Friday, October 2, 2015
History Round-up
The following is a round-up of the most interesting articles and websites I've found recently that shed light on the life and times of places mentioned in the Bible.
ISREAL/JUDEA
Aerial Video from Over Isreal
Some gorgeous shots you won't want to miss, and an epiphany from the photographer.
Philistines Introducted New Plants to Coastal Plains
Article tells how plants introduced to the Holy Land when the Philisteens migrated there included cumin, sycamore, and opium poppy.
Seal Found in Jersulamen from Time of King David
EGYPT
Critique of the David Rohl's Revised Egyptian Chronology
...which was recently promoted in the movie Exodus: Patterns of Evidence
Roman-era Egyptian Mummy Paintings Show Egyptian Blue Paint
This was interesting to me because it reveals some things we didn't know about ancient painting techniques and coloring.
ROME
6th Century BC Home Discovery Changes Ancient Rome Map
MULTI-LOCALITY
Travel Costs in Roman Times
This is an interactive tool where you can calculate travel costs from any two cities in the 1st century Roman world...in Roman denarius. According to the Bible, a days wage for farm work was 1 denarius. In Egypt around the same time there's records of a denarius (based on conversion from other coin used there) being worth about a weeks wage (7 days...not OUR 5 day work week).
The History of the Color Blue
The "Egyptian Blue Paint" story above lead me to this one. Blue was a hard color to make naturally, so how artists and craftsmen managed to incorporate this color throughout history is a fascinating story talked about here.
ISREAL/JUDEA
Aerial Video from Over Isreal
Some gorgeous shots you won't want to miss, and an epiphany from the photographer.
Philistines Introducted New Plants to Coastal Plains
Article tells how plants introduced to the Holy Land when the Philisteens migrated there included cumin, sycamore, and opium poppy.
Seal Found in Jersulamen from Time of King David
EGYPT
Critique of the David Rohl's Revised Egyptian Chronology
...which was recently promoted in the movie Exodus: Patterns of Evidence
Roman-era Egyptian Mummy Paintings Show Egyptian Blue Paint
This was interesting to me because it reveals some things we didn't know about ancient painting techniques and coloring.
ROME
6th Century BC Home Discovery Changes Ancient Rome Map
MULTI-LOCALITY
Travel Costs in Roman Times
This is an interactive tool where you can calculate travel costs from any two cities in the 1st century Roman world...in Roman denarius. According to the Bible, a days wage for farm work was 1 denarius. In Egypt around the same time there's records of a denarius (based on conversion from other coin used there) being worth about a weeks wage (7 days...not OUR 5 day work week).
The History of the Color Blue
The "Egyptian Blue Paint" story above lead me to this one. Blue was a hard color to make naturally, so how artists and craftsmen managed to incorporate this color throughout history is a fascinating story talked about here.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Egypt Homeschool Freebies
As I mentioned before, Group's Holy Land Adventure VBS for next summer (2016) will once again be Egypt: Joseph's Journey. This was the first Holy Land VBS our church did back in 2010, and I LOVED it.
As some know, I'm now a homeschooling mom, and I keep coming across great homeschool freebies about Egypt. Some could be used at VBS too, though most wouldn't work well for that. But if you have a homeschooler, there's a good chance that if they attend this VBS it could spark an interest in Ancient Egypt. Below are a few homeschool freebies you might want to save, just in case. Not sure how long these will remain free, so I'm sharing these now even though next summer is a LONG ways away. Will add more to this page as I find them.
Homeschool Freebies
Hieroglyphics Font
This is free for personal or classroom use (or $3 for for a commercial license).
THE CATCH: You have to register with Teachers Pay Teachers to download any freebies there.
Science and Ancient Egypt - The Nile
This unit by Dr. Dave's Science looks SO COOL. There are pictures, charts, and it's just crammed with info, written just as well as any kids book I've read on the subject. If you have a children who are into science more than history, this would be great to pull them in (or vice versus).
I could also see this being informative to your volunteers at VBS. The Hieroglyphics shopkeeper might enjoy the part about papyrus, and the bakery shop be able to use in the info on the bread, which is probably a little more detailed than what's in the Group materials.
If you like this one he has 6 other Unit Studies about science and Ancient Egypt (covering Kilns and Metals, Astronomy, The Animals of Ancient Egypt, Tools, Mummies, and The Pyramids).
THE CATCH: You have to register with Teachers Pay Teachers to download any freebies there. This doesn't necessarily come with a newsletter though (I think you can opt out in preferences).
Ancient Egypt Lapbook by Homeschool Share
This is a lesson plan and lapbook unit covering all sorts of Egyptian things (mummies, gods and goddesses, hieroglyphics, occupations, homes, etc.
NO CATCH - Completely free and nothing to sign up for!
King Tut - Ancient Egypt Unit (Limited Time)
This free printable is for ages 8 - 12. It has a very pared down Egyptian timeline, a page of information on hieroglyphics and another couple pages onKing Tut, with worksheets to go along with these. It has two math worksheets (one translating Egyptian numbers, and another with "pyramid math" doing a combination of addition and multiplication. It also has a map of modern Egypt and some activities with that. Not much you could use for VBS but a lot of great stuff for homeschool.
THE CATCH: You must be a member of Educents (free) to get this freebie. DISCLOSURE: The link above is an affiliate link. That means if you order something else through Educents within a certain amount of time I get a commission on it, though of course I get 0 on freebies like this.
Hieroglyphics Secret Message
This free worksheet by Super Teacher Tactics I could see being a fun send home for kids in VBS...and of course, great for homeschoolers too.
THE CATCH: You have to register with Teachers Pay Teachers to download any freebies there. This doesn't necessarily come with a newsletter though (I think you can opt out in preferences).
My Book About Egypt
A copywork book with facts about modern and Ancient Egypt. It would be great for homeschoolers coordinating a study of Egypt with VBS, but not so much for use in VBS. Uses ball and stick print lettering.
THE CATCH: Must subscribe to get the Freebie.
VBS Egypt Guide
I wrote this guide for our own volunteers when we did VBS. Since Joseph's Journey has a lot of witnessing focus (encouraging kids to talk to the people in the marketplace about what they believe), I tried to include things from Egyptian religion that would be helpful to those in the marketplace. I also included info on social structure and class (again, useful if you're playing an Egyptian) and included lots of info and pictures to help with decorating. This guide, however, might be useful to homeschoolers too. And the credits list at the end has some excellent resources for learning more.
THE CATCH: No catch! This is totally free to use. You can print as many as you need, and if you want to change something on this you are welcomed to copy it and make whatever changes you like, BUT I do ask that you keep the credits I left at the end (the pictures were allowed to be used with the understanding that those credits would be there). Also, of course, this is for non-commercial use (if you charge for VBS or work for a private school, you can still use this, but please don't sell it, that's all).
Other Recommended Resources
These aren't free, but are worth the price.
Warfare by Ducktape - Egypt (Ends 8/3/13)
This book shows how to make 7 different Egyptian weapons using duct tape and other easy to find supplies, plus shows how to make various armor and costume items. I downloaded this back when it was a freebie, and loved it. It would be really helpful in making costumes for VBS.
COST: $15.99 for paperback book or $9.95 for a printable download.
This post is shared on Throwback Thursday.
As some know, I'm now a homeschooling mom, and I keep coming across great homeschool freebies about Egypt. Some could be used at VBS too, though most wouldn't work well for that. But if you have a homeschooler, there's a good chance that if they attend this VBS it could spark an interest in Ancient Egypt. Below are a few homeschool freebies you might want to save, just in case. Not sure how long these will remain free, so I'm sharing these now even though next summer is a LONG ways away. Will add more to this page as I find them.
Homeschool Freebies
Hieroglyphics Font
This is free for personal or classroom use (or $3 for for a commercial license).
THE CATCH: You have to register with Teachers Pay Teachers to download any freebies there.
Science and Ancient Egypt - The Nile This unit by Dr. Dave's Science looks SO COOL. There are pictures, charts, and it's just crammed with info, written just as well as any kids book I've read on the subject. If you have a children who are into science more than history, this would be great to pull them in (or vice versus).
I could also see this being informative to your volunteers at VBS. The Hieroglyphics shopkeeper might enjoy the part about papyrus, and the bakery shop be able to use in the info on the bread, which is probably a little more detailed than what's in the Group materials.
If you like this one he has 6 other Unit Studies about science and Ancient Egypt (covering Kilns and Metals, Astronomy, The Animals of Ancient Egypt, Tools, Mummies, and The Pyramids).
THE CATCH: You have to register with Teachers Pay Teachers to download any freebies there. This doesn't necessarily come with a newsletter though (I think you can opt out in preferences).
This is a lesson plan and lapbook unit covering all sorts of Egyptian things (mummies, gods and goddesses, hieroglyphics, occupations, homes, etc.
NO CATCH - Completely free and nothing to sign up for!
This free printable is for ages 8 - 12. It has a very pared down Egyptian timeline, a page of information on hieroglyphics and another couple pages onKing Tut, with worksheets to go along with these. It has two math worksheets (one translating Egyptian numbers, and another with "pyramid math" doing a combination of addition and multiplication. It also has a map of modern Egypt and some activities with that. Not much you could use for VBS but a lot of great stuff for homeschool.
THE CATCH: You must be a member of Educents (free) to get this freebie. DISCLOSURE: The link above is an affiliate link. That means if you order something else through Educents within a certain amount of time I get a commission on it, though of course I get 0 on freebies like this.
This free worksheet by Super Teacher Tactics I could see being a fun send home for kids in VBS...and of course, great for homeschoolers too.
THE CATCH: You have to register with Teachers Pay Teachers to download any freebies there. This doesn't necessarily come with a newsletter though (I think you can opt out in preferences).
My Book About Egypt
A copywork book with facts about modern and Ancient Egypt. It would be great for homeschoolers coordinating a study of Egypt with VBS, but not so much for use in VBS. Uses ball and stick print lettering.
THE CATCH: Must subscribe to get the Freebie.
VBS Egypt Guide
I wrote this guide for our own volunteers when we did VBS. Since Joseph's Journey has a lot of witnessing focus (encouraging kids to talk to the people in the marketplace about what they believe), I tried to include things from Egyptian religion that would be helpful to those in the marketplace. I also included info on social structure and class (again, useful if you're playing an Egyptian) and included lots of info and pictures to help with decorating. This guide, however, might be useful to homeschoolers too. And the credits list at the end has some excellent resources for learning more.
THE CATCH: No catch! This is totally free to use. You can print as many as you need, and if you want to change something on this you are welcomed to copy it and make whatever changes you like, BUT I do ask that you keep the credits I left at the end (the pictures were allowed to be used with the understanding that those credits would be there). Also, of course, this is for non-commercial use (if you charge for VBS or work for a private school, you can still use this, but please don't sell it, that's all).
Other Recommended Resources
These aren't free, but are worth the price.
This book shows how to make 7 different Egyptian weapons using duct tape and other easy to find supplies, plus shows how to make various armor and costume items. I downloaded this back when it was a freebie, and loved it. It would be really helpful in making costumes for VBS.
COST: $15.99 for paperback book or $9.95 for a printable download.
This post is shared on Throwback Thursday.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
History Related Giveaways
For history lovers and homeschoolers, I wanted to share about some giveaways going on at Educents right now. They have over a dozen Humanities giveaways going on right now, three specifically related to History: One for History Box (a monthly history subscription service that looks like a lot of fun for kids), another for Bethlehem Books (which have a lot of great Christian historical books for kids) and one for a Friends and Heroes history unit (I've never been much for "Heroizing" history but the videos I've seen of these are fun. They're all on the same page...so expect a lot of load time.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Free Downloadable Book: Warfare By Duct Tape - Egypt
I'm excited that Group is repeating their Egypt themed VBS for 2016. It was a great program--one of my faves that we've done at our church.
And, I just happened to stumble on a freebie on a homeschooling mailing list I'm on that would be great for this! How would you like a book length downloadable guide on how to make Egyptian weapons (and a few costume items) with duct tape! It's free but not for long!
Warfare by Ducktape - Egypt (Ends 8/3/13)
And 9 other full-length homeschool resources.
This book usually costs $10 but is a free download until August 3 along with 9 other great homeschool resources.
THE CATCH: You have to submit your e-mail to get it and you get signed up for e-mail newsletters from all 10 companies providing these freebies. But you can unsubscribe later, and frankly I think the book is worth it (or worth just paying the $10 for, if you prefer that).
And, I just happened to stumble on a freebie on a homeschooling mailing list I'm on that would be great for this! How would you like a book length downloadable guide on how to make Egyptian weapons (and a few costume items) with duct tape! It's free but not for long!
Warfare by Ducktape - Egypt (Ends 8/3/13)
And 9 other full-length homeschool resources.
This book usually costs $10 but is a free download until August 3 along with 9 other great homeschool resources.
THE CATCH: You have to submit your e-mail to get it and you get signed up for e-mail newsletters from all 10 companies providing these freebies. But you can unsubscribe later, and frankly I think the book is worth it (or worth just paying the $10 for, if you prefer that).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)