A global studies and history unit on Greece for homeschool, worldschool or just for fun.
Greece is one of those places that has a VERY popular history. When we did Greece week we were getting ready for a trip to Greece so we focused our learning around our plans. I was also completely overwhelmed with Greek Mythology and I pared it down to just one God's story - Theseus. I'm sure you could go in so many other, equally wonderful, directions but here's what we did.
Printables
Here's this week's info, all wrapped up into an easy-to-read printable. Click here for the full color copy and click here for a low-ink black and white version.
On the Dining Room Wall this Week
These Greek God and Goddess coloring cards. The girls colored while I read. I can't for the life of me find where I got these from but here's a similar bundle at A Crazy Family.
What We're Listening to This Week
Greeking Out Podcast The girls discovered this podcast on their camp bus and it perfectly tied into this week. I never actually listened to it but they apparently love it.
Find some Greek music!
Talking Points
Greek Mythology This is a behemoth topic and my suggestion would be to focus one or two deities. We chose Theseus and the Minotaur because we found some good material and also we were headed to Crete where a lot of his story takes place. The first time we did Greece Week we focused on Jason and the Argonauts.
Olympics I've included some books about ancient Olympic games and of course, everyone has a modern favorite event too!
Books
One from each category plus an assortment of picture books is usually just perfect.
Not all book series are as good as the next. Get the scoop on some of our favorites here.
There is so much material for Greece that it can be a little overwhelming. Case in point, I love when we get lucky and there's a You Choose book for our weekly theme, but for Greece, there's ten of them! So narrow down how you want and don't stress.
Base Non-Fiction Books:
Read every word or simply flip through and reach what catches your eye.
Where is the Parthenon? (Who HQ Book) - what we read A great look at the Acropolis and all it's history.
Olympics of Ancient Greece (Magic Treehouse Companion Book) A great one if you're leaning more toward Olympics topics.
Who was Alexander the Great? (Who HQ Book) We haven't read this one yet.
Base Fiction Chapter Book:
Some of these books are part of a series but all of them work as standalone books.
Younger Learners:
The Mystery of the Secret Society (Greetings from Somewhere #10) These books are easy to digest early chapter books. In this one, twins Ethan and Ella stumble upon a mystery while visiting Athens with their parents.
Hour of the Olympics (Magic Treehouse #16) Jack and Annie head back to ancient Greece to see the Olympics.
Older Learners:
The Winged Girl of Knossos This book was at the upper limit of what my girls (7 at the time) could handle and also somewhat challenging for me to read aloud. It was so rewarding though and I'm glad we tackled it. It's a retelling of Icarus and Theseus but with a young girl as the lead. We read it before we went to Crete and saw the palace ruins mentioned in the book.
Other Notable Books
Have more time? Try these too.
Any one of the You Choose Book for Greece: Ancient Greece, The Trojan War, Hades and the Underworld, Olympians vs. Titans, The Epic Adventures of Odysseus, Perseus the Hero, Jason, the Argonauts, and the Golden Fleece, Hercules and His 12 Labors, The Quest of Theseus We chose the Theseus one. As I always mention, those with young learners should be aware that you will die in about half of the endings.
Treasury of Greek Mythology This is one of many story collections you can get on this topic. We liked it and picked a few to read here and there.
You Wouldn't Want to be in the Ancient Greek Olympics (Wouldn't Want to be Series) These are fun to flip through and read what catches your eye. Others in the series about Greece are You Wouldn't Want to be a Slave in Ancient Greece and You Wouldn't Want to be a Greek Athlete.
Picture Books
Search these keywords at your local library: Greece, Acropolis, Greek Mythology, Athens, Ancient Greece, Zeus, Trojan War.
Let's Visit Athens (Bella and Harry Book) We love Bella and Harry books especially for their beautiful and accurate illustrations.
The Wooden Horse of Troy There are multiple Trojan Horse books out there that I'm sure are all fine. Read this and then proceed to do the activity below!
Things to Watch*
Jim Henson's Storytellers: Greek Myths Jim Henson (of Muppets fame) created these half-hour long episodes about several Greek Gods. The stories (like the myths they're based on) are pretty dark and intense and even though they're pretty old-fashioned compared to what kids watch today, the makeup and effects might be a little scary for sensitive viewers. Still, they are engaging and I liked that they were long enough to get into the story but not full movies. We didn't watch all of them.
Watch some of your favorite Olympic moments on YouTube!
*Always vet material before watching it with your kids, especially if they are sensitive viewers. I try to note any potential issues but everyone has different parenting thresholds of what they consider appropriate.
While You Read Activity Ideas
Color Greek Gods and Goddesses or draw your own versions of them.
Make Lego replicas of the Acropolis. Here's our version of Bella and Harry at the Acropolis.
Interactive Learning: Crafts & Activities
Trojan Horse Trick I tasked my girls with keeping a handful of plastic ninjas out of their bedroom. I told them I would only attempt to get the ninjas in while they were home. They were very vigilant all day but in the evening when I delivered a clean basket of laundry upstairs, like I always do, I had hidden the ninjas inside the pile of clothes. While one of my girls dutifully took the basket from me and turned to go into their room, the other yelled, "THE LAUNDRY IS THE TROJAN HORSE!!!" So, my little lesson was a big success!
A Virtual Tour of the Acropolis. Maybe not the most exciting virtual tour, but worth clicking around for a few minutes
Field Trip Ideas
Get Greek food!
See if your local art museum has any Greek sculptures or art.
Take a sculpture class or even just watch a sculpture lesson on YouTube. We did this Airbnb Experience of a 1-hour Greek sculpting class in Athens. Fifty percent of my two children had a good attitude and a good time.
End of Week Movie Night Ideas
Hercules (G, 1997) It's about what you'd expect from a 90's Disney movie.
Jason and the Argonauts (G, 1963) A cult classic that's fun in all its old movie weirdness. Definitely more fun if you've learned about this particular Greek myth.
Segue Ideas... Other Parts of Europe or Ancient Civilizations
Wrap Up
Greece is a big topic with a lot of material so have fun with it and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Here's our final sculpture results from our Airbnb Experience in Athens.
Final Moment
From our girls trip to Greece. Greatest field trip ever! Even without a trip to Greece, all this material would work great for a Greece homeschool unit, or for just some fun, extra learning.
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