Hello everyone

We've been fighting a lot of illness and so haven't found much time to blog. I do have a lot of photos to post eventually. Perhaps with the break coming for christmas I can get it all on.

Speaking of Christmas, I found a great giveaway for Christmas check it out at

http://thecraftyclassroom.com/blog/2009/11/15/pop-up-nativity-talking-jesus-giveaway/

Fighting over North America

Iroquois Longhouse
Julia is sitting in our model of an Iroqouis longhouse. They were allies of the French.
Sophia wrote:

The English sent a message to Ohio telling the French to stop. George Washington volunteered to send the message. He got promoted. The English won because they learned from the French how to fight by putting their uniforms inside out and covering their barrels in mud.

King Louis XIV

Our Project was getting Louis ready for the day!First he has to be woken by his page, Julia.
Then after his doctor, Sophia, pronounces him well, his page and selected courtiers are allowed to help him dress.
His 12 to 16 course breakfast is brought one course at a time and tasted first by his page.
This is his 5th course fruit.

Julia wrote:

When Louis the XIV became king he was four and eight months old! When his minister died he declared that he would rule with no advisors. He remembered that his old minister had told him that a king should be treated like a god. He made almost everything he did like a ceremony. Even getting dressed was a big deal.

Battle, Plague and Fire in London

Well, back to the British Isles. During the 1600's in England King Charles 1 made a mess of things causing a civil war, precipitating the Commonweath, and had to deal with a year of plague and then a fire that destroyed 4/5 of London. We chose to burn down London for our project.First we built London's crowded streets.
We identified the starting point, The bakery at Pudding Lane.So that is where we started the Great Fire.It started out slow, as did the real Great Fire. The Lord Mayor went to take a look and said, A woman could put that out!Then it began to spread from one row of houses to another!Within hours/minutes the city was in flamesIt took 3 days/minutes to put out the fire.When it was all over 4/5 of the city was in ashes!

So I accidentally found this great website that helps people connect with each other in the way of trading stuff from other cultures/countries. I think this would be a great thing to do to get to know other cultures. We are in California and would be willing to trade food, magazines, items of clothing, toys, seashells, anything you might want just let us know and we will try to get it.  Jan Lance

Monday we learned about Japan during the 16th and 17th centuries. This was the age of the Samuri. Late 17th century the samuri became more administrative and less soldier and were encouraged to use their skills in less violent ways, such as Sumo Wrestling. We did some Pillow Sumo. There is a lot of ceremony involved. First you set up your dohyo, your ring, we used a rope,  and put the pillars to represent N, S, E, and W. ( our construction paper) then you stand on opposite sides and clap once.

Then you stomp faster and faster to scare away the evil spirits.
Then you throw salt across the ring,
and take a sip of water to purify yourself.
Then you stride to the center of the ring, 
and the Stare Off begins, in which you have 4 minutes to intimidate your opponent.
At some point during those minutes you begin to attempt to push or pull your opponent out of the ring.

And out she goes.

Julia wrote:

Hideyoshi first was a peddler. Then he joined the Samuri army of Oda Nabunaga. First he was a sandal bearer. Later Oda Nobanaga made him a general. When Nobunaga died in battle four samuri fought over his place, but Hideyoshi took it first. He tried to take over China but Korea didn't let them pass through. Hideyoshi never conquered China. When Hideyoshi died he left his throne to his son Hideyori. The five advisors that were supposed to help Hideyori fought for the throne. Ieyasu won within the five and he started gathering an army. This army was called the Eastern Army. The Western Army was loyal to Hideyori. When Ieyasu finally attacked, he killed Hideyori's family and Hideyori killed himself. Jesuits were Christian missionaries. they came to Japan to spread Christianity. When the Shogun, Ieyasu, asked his advisors about the men the advisors said to beware of them. The the shogun forced all the missionaries out of the land. His son, Hidetada, executed Japanese Christians. His son Iemitsu, completely closed Japan to the outside world.

Tobacco and unwilling colonists, Slavery.

We learned today about the growing of tobacco in Virginia, the Triangle Trade, the middle passage, the Portuguese Slave Trade, and Nzinga an African Queen who fought the Portuguese.

Julia's map of the Atlantic showing the Tobacco going to England from Virginia and the Triangle Trade route.

*Photo coming soon*

Joshua's drawing of Queen Nzinga's clever "chair" when meeting with the Portuguese.

*Photo coming soon*

Sophia wrote:

John Rolfe planted Spanish tobacco in Virginia. The people in England thought smoking was great, but King James thought smoking was terrible. John sent the new tobacco to England and they loved it but it is hard to grow. So they hired indentured servants. What they got in return was money and clothing, England traded from one country to another in a triangle. This was called the triangular trade.

Nzinga was the queen of an African Kingdom. Portuguese have been trading with them but now they are attacking. Nzinga's brother asked if she could talk to the Portuguese and have a treaty. She went and the Portuguese agreed but not for long. Nzinga's brother died and she took over but then she died and Portugal took over until 1975.