Look! We're Learning!

Early Learning. Happy Teaching.

  • Shop
  • Printables
  • Homeschool
  • Crafts
  • Parenting
  • Blog

Nubian History for Kids

August 11, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, I got the chance to share a guest post over at To the Moon and Back about how we teach Nubian history for kids in our homeschool. So if you’re a history buff, read on to get a look at how we cover this subject with our children!

Today is also another edition of the Laugh and Learn linky! Check out our picks from last week’s party and read this week’s new parenting and homeschooling posts below!

Nubian History for Kids

Nubian History for Kids

As part of our 10 Days of African History series, we did an in-depth study of the ancient kingdom of Nubia. It’s interesting to me that there are so few children’s resources about Nubian history, but since I found lots of adult-oriented material, I just tweaked it for the kids. 🙂

To see more about how we covered Nubian history with our children, check out the guest post I wrote for The ABCs of Ancient History series at To the Moon and Back: “N is for Nubia“!

N is for Nubia – To the Moon and Back

And now it’s time for the linky!

Come join us every Tuesday for our Laugh and Learn Linkup! You are welcome to share any Parenting or Homeschool link. You will enjoy all the great links! #LaughLearnLinkUp #Homeschool #Parenting #Blog #Mom #Bloggers

Welcome to our 45th week of Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup!

Last week was our best linkup ever! Thanks for sharing 79 links with us.

Laugh and Learn – Homeschool and Parenting Linkup will be open by 6 am every Tuesday morning.

Each and every week all of the hosts pick one favorite post to be featured on the next week’s linkup. All of your links will be shared on five blogs.

We are also sharing the top posts on Pinterest: #LaughLearnLinkup {Featured Favorites}. It’s added exposure for your awesome content!

Your Fabulous Hosts 😉

Tina
Me and Sawyerlos-gringos-locos-blog

Tina lives abroad in Latin America with her husband and four children. Currently in Mexico, Tina is active in homeschool, travel, and her Bible ministry. She blogs about all of their adventures and more at Los Gringos Locos.
Find Tina at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google +
Linkedin
Tsu

Selena
Selena - head shot Look We're Learning

Selena is a writer and a homeschooling mom to four kids, including three with ADHD/SPD. Selena and her husband, Jay, are committed to teaching their children at home and loving every minute of it! You can read about the family’s homeschooling experiences at Look! We’re Learning, written by Selena!
Find Selena at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Google +
Instagram

Sarah
sarah-dedicated-homeschooler Dedicated Homeschooler

Sarah lives in Kentucky, USA, where she and her husband homeschool three children. Sarah writes for and about, families with special needs. She hopes to provide support and encouragement to all special needs parents in the homeschool community. Visit Sarah at Dedicated Homeschooler.
Find Sarah at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest

Haley
Haleys Vintage Finds & DealsHaley's Vintage Finds & Deals

Haley hopes to encourage stay at home moms. She wants to help moms learn how to make an extra income, to stretch a budget, to make crafts, and other useful information. Haley always has updates on the kids and funny things that happen. Visit Haley at Haley’s Vintage Finds & Deals.
Find Haley at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Google+
YouTube

Lindsey
Lindsey is a passionate writer eager to touch the hearts and minds of homeschoolers and parents abroad. As a devoted mother to two, happy homeschooler, and scatterbrained housewife, she's on a mission to find love and joy in "the simple life" and invites you to join her! Lindsey is a passionate writer eager to touch the hearts and minds of homeschoolers and parents abroad. As a devoted mother to two, happy homeschooler, and scatterbrained housewife, she's on a mission to find love and joy in "the simple life" and invites you to join her!

Lindsey is a passionate writer eager to touch the hearts and minds of homeschoolers and parents abroad. As a devoted mother to two, happy homeschooler, and scatterbrained housewife, she’s on a mission to find love and joy in “the simple life” and invites you to join her! Visit Lindsey at Nitty Gritty Homeschooling. Find Lindsey at her blog link above, and on the following social media networks:
Facebook
Google+
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
YouTube


The Winners for the Week of August 10th:

arc-de-triomphe

CARDBOARD ARC DE TRIOMPHE

diy-farm-animal-game

DIY FARM ANIMAL GAME

minecraft-unit-study

MINECRAFT UNIT STUDY

display-kids-artwork

DISPLAY KIDS ARTWORK

cooking-with-kids-banana-burritos

KID MADE BANANA BURRITOS

Thanks to everyone who submitted a post. Please check out the post above by clicking on the image.
[bctt tweet=”Come share your favorite #parenting or #homeschooling post with us. #ihsnet #ibabloggers”]

Now give us your best posts!

An InLinkz Link-up


Kiwi Crate Inspires Young Innovators

Filed Under: Geography, History, Homeschooling Tagged With: african history, history, laugh and learn linky

Great Zimbabwe Unit Study

October 17, 2013 by Selena Robinson 7 Comments

 

As we started researching the history of African kingdoms, we found out so much about empires that we didn’t even know existed! Africa was home to many advanced civilizations that existed long before the modern Western world. In fact, some of the architectural accomplishments of these empires were so advanced that people didn’t even believe they were real!

That’s what we discovered as we started learning about the Great Zimbabwe empire. Find out more about this kingdom in our Great Zimbabwe unit study!

Study even more African kingdoms with our Ancient Nubia Unit Study or our Zulu Empire Unit!
Study the incredible history of the Great Zimbabwe Empire in this unit study!

10 Days of African History for Kids: Look! We're Learning!

Great Zimbabwe Unit Study

Where Was Great Zimbabwe?

Great Zimbabwe was the capital of the Zimbabwe Kingdom in the southern part of Africa. In fact, the capital’s ruins are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the country of Zimbabwe. Speaking of Zimbabwe, do you know what that name means?

We didn’t. But we learned that there are two possible meanings for the name: Dzimba-dza-mabwe, which is Karanga for “large houses of stone”, or dzimba-hwe, which is Zezuru for “venerated houses”. The city itself was in existence for about 400 years, from the years 1100 to about 1500 C.E.

How Big was Great Zimbabwe?

One of the most interesting things we learned about Great Zimbabwe is that it was an African metropolis. At its height, the city encompassed 100 to 200 miles and was home to 10,000 to 20,000 people. Since the city’s revenue was based on trading gold, ivory, and cattle, most inhabitants were fairly wealthy.

You can get an idea of its scope by looking at the size of the Great Enclosure, which was the wall that surrounded most of the city:

Image c/o: Jens Klinzing

To see just how large these buildings were, look at the scale of the man in the picture walking inside the city:

Image c/o: David Holt London

Great Zimbabwe Architecture

Since Great Zimbabwe was the capital, it had the most magnificent architecture. What was especially fascinating to us was that the builders created the city without using mortar or mud. Instead, they heated the stones to break them into bricks and then placed them atop each other in a way that ensured they would stay up.

The fact that some of these structures are still standing today when they are literally made of stacks of rocks is incredible. In fact, some early historians were so impressed with the design of these buildings that they claimed Africans could not have built the structures and attempted to manufacture a fake history to back up their story. Despicable.

Image c/o: rosshuggett

Image c/o: Kay Adams

Naturally, we had to try our hand at the architecture of Great Zimbabwe. We broke out our play beach sand and attempted to recreate the Great Enclosure.

Building a Great Zimbabwe Wall

It’s harder than it looks. But it helps when you have lots of willing hands.

Making the Great Zimbabwe Wall

Not even close. I can’t imagine trying this by stacking enormous stone blocks on top of each other.

Books and Resources about Great Zimbabwe

These affiliate books and resources provide even more information about this incredible empire!

Wikipedia: Great Zimbabwe – Wikipedia’s page about Great Zimbabwe is very extensive, covering the entire dominant period of the Zimbabwe kingdom.

The BBC: The Story of Africa – Nice summary of the Great Zimbabwe capital and the efforts of some historians to deny that the city was of African origin.

UNESCO: Great Zimbabwe National Monument – Beautiful slideshow of pictures of the stone city.

Michigan State University: Exploring Africa – A complete lesson plan about the history of Africa during the Zimbabwe Kingdom

South African History Online: Great Zimbabwe – Basic facts about the Zimbabwe kingdom: trade system, size, and the history of the name.

PBS Nova: Mysteries of Great Zimbabwe – In-depth look at the discoveries made at Great Zimbabwe and the lengths one historian went to in an attempt to give credit for its architecture to non-Africans.

Black African empires by Joan Joseph (A First book)

African Beginnings

Zimbabwe (Enchantment of the World, Second)

Learn even more about Great Zimbabwe and other African empires in our African Kingdoms Printable Unit Study! Click the image or the link below to grab it from our Store!

African Kingdoms - African History Printable Unit Study

>>> African Kingdoms Printable Unit Study <<<

This post is part of the Autumn 2013 Hopscotch from iHomeschool Network! Click below to see all of the Hopscotch posts from our fellow bloggers:

iHN Autumn Hopscotch 2013

Filed Under: 10 Days of African History for Kids, Black History, History Tagged With: african history, history

Ancient Egypt History for Kids

October 15, 2013 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Studying African history has always been important in our family. Over the years, many schoolbooks have omitted or glossed over ancient African kingdoms and we wanted to make sure that our children learn the truth about these civilizations, no matter what.

To start, we focused on the Ancient Egyptian civilization, which is world-famous as a kingdom that prized mathematics, law, agriculture, and writing – among other things. But many school lessons have presented a view of Ancient Egypt that is at odds with what historians have discovered, including what the Egyptians looked like, what they accomplished, and who ruled the kingdom over the years.

So we put together our own lesson about Ancient Egypt history for kids! Read on to learn more about this fascinating and accomplished civilization that you can share with your children!

If you love this unit, be sure to check out our list of must-read black history books for kids!

Get started learning African history for kids with this unit about ancient Egypt history for kids!

Ancient Egyptian Architecture

Egypt is probably the best known ancient African kingdom. The main reason for this is that there are so many archaeological sites that testify to what life was like in Ancient Egypt.

We looked at some images of Egyptian ruins to get an idea of the extraordinary accomplishments made in architecture, design, and mathematics by Egyptians. We looked particularly at the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Abu Simbel temples.

The Great Pyramid, for example, took over 20 years to complete. Its design is so mathematically precise that historians still cannot understand how the Egyptians built it. They even doubt that the same structure could be reproduced today.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Sphinx

Image c/o: Fred Hsu

The Temples at Abu Simbel

Image c/o: Dennis Jarvis

The kids made some miniature models of the Great Pyramid of Khufu out of paper. We got this activity from the book History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations.

Exploring Ancient Egypt: Look! We're Learning!

To make the pyramids, we simply cut out the paper shapes and then colored them.

Exploring Ancient Egypt: Look! We're Learning!

Then we folded them on the lines and added glue to make them stand up.

Exploring Ancient Egypt: Look! We're Learning!

All finished!

Exploring Ancient Egypt: Look! We're Learning!

As you can tell, this craft was a pretty big hit.

Hatshepsut, the Female Pharaoh

We also learned about the first female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut. Tigger, in particular, was interested to find out about her. We picked up the book African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa’s Royal Women and read about her life and reign.

She was truly an incredible woman and ruler. In many art pieces and statues, she is portrayed as a man with a beard. At the time, a female Pharaoh was unheard of and scholars think that the succeeding Pharaohs decided to show her as a man to hide her existence. But a few statues of her exist that show her as a woman.

This one is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston:

Image c/o: Keith Schengili-Roberts

Hatshepsut was so revered as a Pharaoh that she was buried at her own temple at Deir el-Bahari:

Image c/o: Olaf Tausch

What Did Ancient Egyptians Look Like?

One of the things that has long irritated me about the images of ancient Egyptians in popular culture is that they are often portrayed as being very fair-skinned. I’ve personally seen a lot of children’s history resources use cartoons that show Egyptians as Caucasian people dressed in Middle Eastern attire.

To counter this view, we looked at some examples of ancient Egyptian art that clearly shows ancient Egyptians as brown-skinned people:

Ancient Egypt: Look! We're Learning!

Image c/o: Angelfire.com/ky/southernrock
 
 Image c/o: StewartSynopsis.com

We also learned that Egyptians were very fond of jewelry and that both men and women wore it regularly. Women typically wore lots of eye makeup, as well as elaborate collars such as this:

Image c/o: woodsboy2011

 In fact, here’s a relief at the Hathor Temple showing the same kind of collar:

Image c/o: isawnyu

Where Was Ancient Egypt?

To give the kids a better idea of how the ancient kingdoms of Africa were situated, we decided to make a simple map of them. We purchased the Discover Africa notebooking set from Balancing Everything and used the blank Africa maps as the basis for our template. (It is a truly wonderful geography unit for all 54 countries on the African continent.)

We began by marking the area covered by Ancient Egypt and we’ll be filling in the map with the other kingdoms we feature.

Exploring Ancient Egypt: Look! We're Learning!

Exploring Ancient Egypt: Look! We're Learning!

If you’d like to check out the Discover Africa notebooking set, you can see it for yourself by visiting Balancing Everything or by clicking below:

Discover Africa Notebooking Set

Ancient Egypt History for Kids - Look! We're Learning!

Books and Resources about Ancient Egypt

Here are the books and resources we used for this lesson.

PBS: Wonders of the African World – This website is based on a PBS series from the 1990s written and narrated by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Sections cover Egypt, Nubia, and Swahili.

Egypt (Enchantment of the World Series)
Daily Life in Ancient and Modern Cairo (Cities Through Time)
African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa’s Royal Women
African Beginnings
History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations (Grades 1-3)
The Usborne Book of Living Long Ago: Everyday Life Through the Ages
Exploring Ancient Egypt: Look! We're Learning!
Don’t miss these other history posts!

Ruby Bridges Unit Study

Learning about black history is such an important part of a child's education. Make it fun with these must-read black history books for kids!

Studying the Harlem Renaissance with Kendall Hunt Publishing

Be sure to check out the rest of our 10 Days of African History series!

10 Days of African History for Kids: Look! We're Learning!

This post is part of the Autumn 2013 Hopscotch from iHomeschool Network! Click below to visit the Hopscotch posts from all of our fellow bloggers!

iHN Autumn Hopscotch 2013

For more awesome history ideas, follow my Living History for Kids board on Pinterest!

Filed Under: 10 Days of African History for Kids, Black History, History Tagged With: african history, ancient black history for kids, ancient egypt, ancient egypt for kids, ancient egypt history, ancient egypt history for kids, ancient egyptian history, black history, black history for kids, black history unit, egyptian history, history, homeschool history

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
Hi! I'm Selena, a veteran teacher and homeschool mom to four. I'm so glad you're here!
About Me Contact Terms of Use Privacy Policy Places I Share
Facebook Pinterest Instagram
Homeschool Printables Unit Studies Shop the Store
Copyright ©2025, Look! We're Learning!. All Rights Reserved. Design by Pixel Me Designs