Ancient Americas

Although we had the least amount of information for this unit of all our areas AND we didn't do any kind of project, this was one of my favorite areas of study thus far.  [Story of the World volume 1 does not include any discussion of the Mayan civilization or those that came after (these are studied in volume 2), so instead we studied some other civilizations in the Americas that I had never studied before and they were just fascinating.]

Kiddoes drawing their journal entries.

First, we discussed the Nazca of South America.  This ancient tribe made pictures using the earth itself: enormous pictures that can only be seen from high in the sky.  From the ground, they look like roads or stray markings in the dirt.  But if you fly over this dry area, you can find pictures of a spider, a monkey, a flower, and so many more.  The Nazca lines present us with two mysteries: WHY were they made and HOW were they made.  Many theories exist to answer both of these questions but nothing conclusive has been found to point in one particular direction.  The Hows are most likely explained through science: perhaps using the positions of the stars or very careful mathematic plotting.  If you are interested in a modern exploration of the Whys, check out this great episode of Digging for the Truth.

Next, we moved on to the Olmecs, who lived in Central America.  They also left behind some amazing works of art: giant statues of heads.  The popular train of thought is that these were sculptures of the rulers of this civilization.  Why don't they have bodies? Nobody knows.  What was their purpose? Another mystery.

Finally, we briefly discussed the early Native American tribes in North America.  We looked at legends and folklore dating back from their earliest manifestations.  the kiddoes had a great time coloring in a comic depiction of the story "Rabbit Shoots the Sun."

 It was a lot of fun to take a brief glance across the globe and see how civilizations were starting out in different regions.  This allowed us to discuss similarities and differences between cultures from one region to another and gain a little more insight into the ancient world.

--Little Miss Crazy