At-Home Activities: Into the Jungle - Search for Lost Cities

Heather Martinson
Oct 3, 2020
3 min read

Week 5, October 12-17

See a suggested week schedule at celebrationeducation.com/post/free-curriculum

Workshop Class Activities

Craft – Make Worry Dolls
Key Points – Ancient America
Collaborative – Aztec Society
Language Arts – Maya Glyphs
Math/Logic - Patolli Game
Prepare for Adventure - Lashing
Big Activity – Tortillas and Chocolate
Movement - Taco Battle

At-Home Activities

Materials

• book: “Who Is Jane Goodall?”

• various fiction and non-fiction books that relate to Ancient American Civilizations

• journal or writing paper

• pencil

• scrapbooking materials

• dry beans in a cup

• four apples

• ingredients for making Mayan chocolate

• a deck of playing cards

• game board (included), printed

• blank paper

• poster board

• markers, crayons, and/or paint

• your project rough draft and disply

Reading

“Who Is Jane Goodall?”
Various fiction and non-fiction books that relate to Ancient American Civilizations

Writing

Copywork

“I love all of the ecosystems - mountains, deserts, rainforests. They're beautiful, and nature has so many different flavors to it.” - Louie Schwartzberg
“Competition is the law of the jungle, but cooperation is the law of civilization.” - Peter Kropotkin

Language arts lesson

News articles should answer who, what, when, where, why and how about an event. The first sentence of the article should answer as many of these questions as possible. Read three different news articles. How many of the questions are answered in the first sentence of the articles?
See more about writing a news lead: https://online.pointpark.edu/public-relations-and-advertising/how-to-write-a-lead/

Writing Activity

Write a news article about Hernán Cortés landing in Yucatán in 1519, or at least the first sentence of the article.

Journaling

Create a scrapbook page about the daily life of a Mayan.

Math

Math Concept

Estimating. Guess how many steps away the kitchen or your bedroom is. Walk the distance, counting your steps as you go. How close was your estimation?

Math Project

Put some dry beans in a cup. How many beans do you think are in the cup? Write down your guess. Allow other family members to also guess the number of beans in the cup. Write down their guesses.
Count the beans in the cup. What’s the best way to organize and count the beans? Whose guess was closest to the actual number of beans? What is the difference between each guess and the real number?

Math Concept

Doubling fractions. Use apples to show these amounts: 1, 2, ½, ¼. Use apples to show the double of these four amounts.

Math Project

Practice doubling fractions by doubling a recipe such as this one for Mayan Chocolate: https://simpleandsavory.com/mayan-chocolates/

Mental math

Did you know that, like the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Americans also built pyramids? You can learn more about them here: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pyramids-in-latin-america
Play a sum of 10 pyramid solitaire card game: https://www.multiplication.com/our-blog/jen-wieber/sum-10-pyramid-solitaire-card-game

Math game

Build A Number: Use the included game board or make one of your own. Set the game board between you and your opponent, each with three boxes near you. Set a deck of cards with the face cards and the tens removed in the middle of the game board. The object of the game is to create a larger number than your opponent. You draw a card and place it into one of your three boxes. Now your opponent does the same. You can’t move a card once it has been placed in a box. After each of you draw and place three cards, determine whose number is bigger.
Here’s an example of a gameplay. You draw 4, 1, and 3. You placed your cards in this order: 3, 4, 1. Your opponent drew 1, 5, 3 and place them in this order: 3, 5, 1. You win this round!
Variations of the game: Lowest number wins. Choose a specific number to get closest to., i.e., 500. Make a game board with four or more boxes on each side.

Projects

Research and Report

Research pyramids in ancient America. Choose your favorite four. Create a pyramid diorama: https://feltmagnet.com/crafts/Pyramid-Diorama . Put information about your favorite ancient American pyramids in the sections of your diorama.

Themed Fireworks Project

Create a poster showing art, writing, or some other aspect of The Aztec civilization.

6-week project

Edit your rough draft from last week to create a final draft of your written report.
Practice your oral report.
Finish your display.

Outings

Visit Rainforest Cafe.

Other Ideas

Explore the Maya of today. Who are they? Where do they live? What connections do they have to their ancestors, and what are their problems in today's world?
Learn about the science of archaeology. What kind of education is needed to become an archaeologist? What is it like to work on a "dig?"
Write a short story set in the ancient Aztec civilization.
Create a map of a Maya city.
Design a visual representation of Maya Ballgame.
Copy a Maya glyph on poster board and include and explanation of what the glyphs might mean.
Draw an Aztec sculpture or other piece of art, or model it with clay.
Make Mayan Trouble Dolls of Guatemala: http://www.sciencejoywagon.com/kwirt/mayan/story1.htm