New World - New Faith part 1

We have finished reading the New Testament - yes, we actually read the entire Bible! (Well, it was a kid's Bible...but still!) Then we began to read about how the gospel spread, first into Europe, and then into the New World.

We learned about St. Valentine and Constantine. We learned about false teachings...and how salt and sugar look the same, but aren't...how cocoa and hot chocolate mix look the same, but aren't...how apple juice and lemon juice look the same, but aren't. How Augustine found pears that looks sweet but weren't and that sin is like that...it seems sweet at first, but the consequences are not. We learned about St. Patrick, and how he wasn't even Irish! We learned about Boniface, Charles the Great and Alfred the Great.

We learned about European kingdoms, castles, lords and rulers. We learned King Richard was imprisoned in an Austrian Castle...then we built our own castle:



We learned about native Americans, and how they lived, hunted and worshipped:



We learned how Columbus thought the world was round when most people in his day thought it was flat. We learned of the Panama Canal, and watch a video of it working that we found on youtube. I'm hoping that at some point this summer, we will be able to visit some local working locks much like those in S. America, but on a smaller scale.

We learned about John Ponce de Leon, and even participated in our own archaelogical dig. You can see in the photos how much the kids really enjoyed this part of our day:





More to come...

*Ü* Blessings,