Greek Mythology

We have finished up our 3-week Greek Mythology Block, and it was a great success. I used D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths for the stories. As usual, the D’Aulaires’ do not disappoint! Their exciting stories and fantastic illustrations are captivating every time.

The cover was made at the end of the block, with my daughter finally getting to draw the mighty Zeus!

Spelling words week 1:

burglar skiing awkward protein counterfeit

ambrosia sickle impenetrable upheaval iridescent

immortality gaiety adequate admissible silhouette

 
5th Grader’s Main Lesson Book pages (from D’Aulaires’)

My Gaea and Uranus.

5th Grader’s Poseidon (from D’Aulaires’).

My Poseidon pencil drawing.

For the picture of Pandora’s Jar we used chalk pastels. I found this stunning drawing online and just had to do it. The little miseries were mostly from the D’Aulaires’ book. If you have never tried chalk (soft) pastels, I encourage you to try! We used paper that has a pretty good ‘tooth’ to it, as the chalk gets in the grooves nicely. We rub the chalks onto the paper, and then rub chalk dust right into the paper with our fingertips. We keep a piece of newspaper nearby, and tap the excess dust on it. This can be a bit messy! It is best to get a set with quite a few colors, as they can be finicky about blending. We have each have this set:

It is important to apply a fixative to the finished product, or it will rub off.

My chalk (soft) pastel drawing of Pandora’s Jar. Incidentally, I had never in my life read a story that referred to it as a jar. It was always Pandora’s Box. But given the Greek’s love of pottery, the jar seems more fitting. Plus, it is way more fun to draw!

5th Grader’s Greek Alphabet, written with a fountain pen fitted with a calligraphy nib. This was a treat! The only problem was that she wanted to write her name and such all day, instead of the Greek alphabet. But, it was finally completed.

The Twelve Labors of Heracles was a wonderful story… sure to delight any boy. My son absolutely relished this story. This picture came from Live Ed.

After we had read most of the stories, I asked my daughter who was her favorite god or goddess, and the next day’s artwork would be that god. She thought it might be Zeus, but no, it turned out to be Iris, the messenger of the gods. Iris is only briefly mentioned a couple of times in the stories, and she does not really have a story of her own. But she does have a rainbow, and my daughter never passes up an opportunity to paint a rainbow!

Spelling List Week 2:

ailment crystal crystallize exhibit monotonous

somersault approval detach irresistible pastime

onslaught terrific democracy foreigner flourished

 

 
And lastly, in our spare time, we have been reading The Adventures of Odysseus & The Tale of Troy: Homer’s Great Epics. This story is also briefly told in D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. So we painted the Trojan Horse, but I am not very excited about this painting. If you decided to paint the Trojan Horse, please let me know, as I would love to know how to make this painting better!

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