Summer 2013: Learning About Medieval Times

It has been 7 months since I last posted on this blog. Wow, how time flies. I hope to get back into posting on a regular basis again, once the Summer is over and we get started with our new school year. But, for now, I will give you a BRIEF update on what's been going on in our lives...

• December 2012 - I had a single mastectomy
• January 2013 - I had a port installed below my collar bone and began chemo treatments
• March - Road Runner began having seizures (visible to us anyway)
• April -  Coyote saw a Developmental Pediatrician and, on top of his Tourette Syndrome, was also diagnosed with OCD and Sensory Processing Disorder
• April - My grandmother passed from this life and went to be with Jesus
• May - My port failed and I had a new one installed (this one in my arm)
• June - Road Runner had a sleep-deprived EEG, and began taking seizure meds
• June - I finally finished chemo treatments
• July - Coyote was evaluated and found to have learning difficulties in reading and spelling
• July - My arm port was removed, and a blood clot was later found in my subclavian vein
• July - Road Runner had a sedated MRI, and two cysts were found (In August, she will be having another MRI to focus more closely on the cysts)

Amidst everything that has been going on, we needed to make some adjustments in our school plans. So, after Christmas break, we did not return to our "Rome to the Reformation" curriculum. Instead, we focused specifically on Reading, Handwriting, Math, and some Spelling. In other words, we just did the basics. The kids are old enough now that they can do most of these things independently, and I was there to check their work or to help them out as needed.

Over the Summer, we have been taking some time to "catch up" in Science and History. We have enjoyed learning about various aspects of Medieval Times (The Middle Ages), such as Vikings, Knights and Castles, Cathedrals and Monks, Robin Hood, the Black Death, Christopher Columbus, and The Renaissance. If all goes well, we would like to take a little vacation later in August to visit a Renaissance Fair and help tie everything together that we've been learning this Summer.

This Usborne Sticker Book is full of Knights and castles and other things from the Middle Ages. The kids enjoyed going through this and putting the stickers where they belong.

We built a castle made from cardstock. You can find it on the MY FATHER'S WORLD website for $9.50 plus shipping.
 

Nine Men's Morris is a game that was played during the Middle Ages. My sister made this board game for us for Christmas one year. It is made out of wood, and we used beans for the game pieces.