Homeschool syllabus - Castles, Knights and Princesses

This time round, Ariel has chosen a not-too-easy topic for holiday homeschooling - Castles, Knights and Princesses.

Woah, for this topic, I must confess I had to spend some time thinking through the learning points and how to incorporate the lesson to include 3 year-old Ainsley as well.

After going through the Questions and Answers Book on Castles and Knights, perhaps 2 Learning Points can be incorporated into this supposedly frivolous topic. And they are 1) Properties of Materials and 2) Machines. It's interesting for Ariel to know that since the ancient days, people have been making use of machines to help make work easier for them.

Some of the topics we touched on include:

1. Qn: When were castles built?
Ans: More than 1,000 years ago.
Learning points: Learning about the AD and BC calendar.
*Ariel was very amazed to learn that if Jesus is still living among us today, he would have been  more than 2,000 years old!

2. Qn: Why were castles built on a hill?
Ans: So that people could see their enemies from afar
Learning Points and Activity: Perspective - the higher we are, the further we can see.
*Observe: Look out of your window, what can you see?
*Imagine: Would you be able to see the same things when you're on the ground?

3. Qn: What were castles made of?
Ans: They were first made of wood. But wood is not very strong and they catch fire easily.
Then people tried to cover the walls with leather to prevent fire, but it's expensive and difficult.
(Imagine how many animals they have to slaughter for the hide?) Castles were later made of stones.
Learning Points and Activity: Different things have different properties.
We can change the properties of materials by adding things to them. Eg. How to make paper waterproof?
Activity: Paper Boat folding and waxing the bottom of the boats so they can float longer on water.
* The girls had fun playing with boats!!
Another activity they did was doing "Paper Batik Painting" - Use a candle to draw designs on an
artpaper and paint over it. The designs become "visible" after painting over paper. Why?

4. Qn: What is inside the Castle? 
Ans: The castle is often self-sufficient with bakeries, wells.
They had no electricity in the past, and they made their own machines.
Learning Points: Here's when we explore the use of 'wheel and axle' in the working of a well.
Activity: We tied a pail to a rod using raffia string and placed the rod on the back of 2 chairs, to pretend it to be a well.
*The girls had fun putting different things into the pail and pretend they were drawing from a well.
Imagine: What other things use this principle to work? Eg. Their bicycles! They observe how the chains pull the wheels to make their bikes move!!

5. Finally, on the topic on Knights,
Learning Points of : 1) Properties of Materials and 2) Machines are further enhanced as the girls learn
about how a metallic armor and shield can protect the knights from being hurt.
Some of the weapons used during battles eg. the catapault are also "machines" used for attack.
*Biblically, the story of David and Goliath once again fascinated the girls. 

From this syllabus, it is interesting to see how there can be so many learning points even in a supposedly 'frivolous' subject. The girls had fun making their own sword and shield from recycled materials, and playing make-belief as knights and princesses.