Customer Reviews

Ancient Greece!: 40 Hands-On Activities to Experience This Wondrous Age (Kaleidoscope Kids Books (Williamson Publishing))

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When I was in the sixth grade we moved twice, and in all three of the schools from New Jersey to Connecticut to Japan I got to study Ancient Greece in the history part of the class. I also got a lot of mileage out of having read Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" (I still have my mythology report with my versions of all of the illustrations). But in all the times I got to study Ancient Greece before, during, and after the sixth grade I never got to do any of the fun stuff that Avery Hart & Paul Mantell come up with for "Ancient Greece!: 40 Hands-On Activities to Experience This Wondrous Age."

This Kaleidoscope Kids volume for kids ages 7-12 not only offers activities but also a variety of information about the Ancient Greeks. So this is not simply a book of activities that teachers can pick and choose from to give their students hands-on experiences, it is also a source of facts and stories that will supplement what exists in whatever textbook is being used. Throughout the book there are "Great Greeks!" and things to "Think About." After reminding young readers of the gifts that have come down to us from Ancient Greece, Hart and Mantell get students acclimated to the idea of looking at the past from the perspective of those who lived way back when. Then the book looks at key periods of Greek history.

"Meet the Minoans: The Pre-Greeks of Crete" looks at the culture that gave rise to the greatness of Greece with activities to make a Greek yo-yo, a Great Mother figure, a Hamster Labyrinth (without the Minotaur), and a fantastic fresco. That gives you an indication of the sort of activities to be found in this book before we even get to Greece itself. Other chapters are devoted to "The Age of Heroes," where you get a super-short version of "The Iliad" and can build a Trojan Horse, "Language Unites!" (including speaking "Pig Greek"), "The Dawn of a Golden Age," where you can organize a pentathlon and make a victory wreath, and "Ye Gods! Greek Religion and Mythology," where you can design your own constellation.

In the last part of the book chapters cover "Classical Athens: The Flower of Ancient Civilization," where you get to build a Greek Temple with Ionic columns (or even build the entire Parthenon), "Think For Yourself: Philosophy," where students can make a monochord or hold a symposium, and "The Amazing Arts," which covers create sculptures and painting pots in the first part and making masks to make up a Greek play in the second part. The final chapter covers "A Wider World: Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age," where you can start a library. At the end, students can appreciate how being a Greek meant standing in the center of the world (as least, as far as the Ancient Greeks were concerned).

Again, there are some key issues to be discussed to go along with the activities. Students can debate what is the difference between a hero and a celebrity, understand why every vote counts in a democracy, and decide what makes somebody beautiful. Learning how to press olives or how huge blocks of marble were transported across the sea, gives students an appreciation for how things were different way back when. Throughout the book Hart and Mantell show how ancient ideas live on in modern traditions, which remains the biggest legacy of the Ancient Greeks.

I teach Classical Greek & Roman Mythology (not to be confused with Modern Greek & Roman Mythology apparently) but I teach it online so I do not really have any opportunities to have my students engage in hands-on activities. But that does not mean I cannot do them in the privacy of my own home or that elementary school teachers will not find these extremely useful for their unit on Ancient Greece. Although I am suddenly reminded of coming up with the "Sparthens" (a.k.a. the warriors with the brains) in elementary school. But that is another story.

On the positive side, this book suggests some fun activities, like making your own Minoan-style fresco or Trojan horse. The authors also present some good discussion questions for the classroom, e.g., how has the concept of heroism changed over the last 3000 years?

But this is supposed to be a history book, too, and on that count, the book has serious problems. Things get off to a bad start right away. Who were the ancient Greeks? According to the authors, they were "people from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa who met and mingled in the Greek islands." (p.8) What about the Indo Europeans who brought the Greek language (and other traditions) to the islands? They aren't mentioned here.

Later, the authors describe the ancient Greek language this way:

"Early Greek was a lively mix of Hebrew (now spoken in Israel, Turkish (spoken in Turkey), Arabic (spoken on the Arabian peninsula), and other languages now lost in time."

Yes, they really do say that on page 40. That's probably the most wacko statement in the book. But there are other questionable claims.

* On Minoan social life: "The art and artifacts from the time of the Minoans reveal that their culture was one of the least sexist ever. Men were free to be gentle as well as powerful..." p.21 (Reality: Kids might well wonder how this could be established from a few frescos and pots.)

* The palace complex as Knossos in Crete "seems to include a mysterious labyrinth..." p.24 (Reality: There is no maze in the palace. But some have suggested that the intricate floor plan of the palace may have given rise to the myth of a labyrinth.)


* Ancient Greek clothing was simple. "Quality material draped on the human body was all they needed to look their best." p.69. (Reality: Check out any history of ancient fashions)

* The ancient Greeks wore togas. (p.9) (Reality: The toga was a distinctive, 6-meter long garment worn by ancient Romans. Not Greeks.)

* Among other staples, the ancient Greeks ate "corn." You might think the authors are using the word "corn" in the British sense, i.e., "the seed of any cereal plant, including barley or wheat." But it's pretty clear that the authors are using the American definition of corn (i.e., "maize"), because "corn" appears in a list--"barley, wheat, millet, lentils, corn" p. 70.

I've got more (e.g., some mixed-up claims about origins of the words "barbarian" and "earth."). But let's end with something more important. The authors present this "puzzle of history" for the reader to ponder:

"You are a historian. Trusted archaeologists have found the following clues about the Minoans:

* The island of Crete has earthquakes

* Earthquakes sound like powerful bulls

* Bulls were sacred symbols to the Minoans.

Now, what do you think an earthquake meant to the Minoans? Remember, nobody knows for sure--so your educated guess is as good as anyone's!" p. 24

I don't know about you, but I hate this. The implication is that modern-day scholars depend on Monty Python-like reasoning to make claims about the past.

The bottom line? I like many of the activities. I appreciate some of the "social studies" questions the authors have posed to the reader. But the history is sloppy. If the publishers respect history--and our kids' capacity for critical thinking--they need to run their manuscripts by a fact-checker before they go to print. The "Kaleidoscope Kids" series includes some truly outstanding books--e.g., Bridges: Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test (Kaleidoscope Kids). This volume isn't in that league.

I bought this book for the activities, which were okay (but I thought the Pyramids! book in the series was better for that), for some future homeschooling programs. It was fine until I hit page 31 and the "Super-Short Version" of The Iliad. I stopped reading.
What they presented was, in fact, a synopsis of the Trojan war stories. I failed to find anything in this version that *occurred* in The Iliad. The poem of that name is about the chain of events leading up to the death of the Trojan hero, Hector. Anyone who read this synopsis and then later tried to read the Homeric poem would wonder where the horse was and if they accidentally skipped the famous argument settled by Paris.
Reading other reviews I see that the authors played fast and loose with facts in other areas.
I am now very disappointed with this book. I don't recommend buying it. If you want to use it, cherry-pick the activities from a library copy, but don't believe everything you read in it.