Discover the vast wonders of ancient civilizations with Ancient History, a homeschool curriculum exploring Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia!
Step Back in Time with “Ancient History” – A Charlotte Mason Curriculum for Homeschoolers
There’s something magical about exploring the distant past with your children, where stories of ancient civilizations spark curiosity and wonder in your homeschool. Ancient History, our 6-week Charlotte Mason-inspired curriculum, is designed to take your family on an exciting journey through Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, uncovering the rich stories, art, and culture of these fascinating civilizations.
This curriculum beautifully aligns with Charlotte Mason’s living education principles, offering a feast of ideas for your children to explore. Through captivating living books, copywork featuring ancient texts, hands-on projects like crafting papyrus, and map studies of Africa and Egypt, your homeschool will come alive with history.
Your children will dive into picture studies showcasing the art of these ancient worlds—think busts, tomb paintings, scrolls, and hieroglyphics—and learn about the everyday lives of the people who shaped history. Nature studies inspired by the landscapes of Egypt and Mesopotamia add a unique connection to the natural world, while poetry and stories of early civilizations bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to their learning.
Ancient History invites your family to gather, connect, and explore the stories of the past in a way that feels both rich and accessible. Through these thoughtful lessons, your children will develop a deep appreciation for the early cultures that laid the foundations of history while building essential habits of observation, curiosity, and creativity.
Let’s step back in time together and make ancient history a living, breathing part of your homeschool days!
An Ancient Tea Time Spread
One of our favorite activities we have included in this curriculum is a Tea Time recipe section with simple, easy-to-make recipes for the whole family! Immerse yourself in ancient civilizations with recipes inspired by common foods of the time! Whether you choose to make just a few of your favorites, or you create one each week to go with your Tea Time reading selection, these historical treats are sure to be a hit!
- Ramses III Emmer Wheat Loaves
- Sugar Cookies
- Fig Cakes
- Rekhmire’s Tiger Nut Cones
- Sourdough Bread
Here is a sneak peek at the exciting recipes we have in store for you! Explore the flavors of ancient history and create memories with your family that will last a lifetime!
Add a Poem to Your Tea Time:
We have included several poetry selections within this curriculum that explore the wonders of ancient history, including selections from Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, Ancient Egyptian poets, and more, as well as copywork selections for ages ranging from primary through high school! Here is a sample of one of our favorite pieces:
Ozymandias
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Discover the Wonders of Ancient Civilizations with the 180+ page “Ancient History Morning Time Session”!
Get ready for a historical adventure with our beautifully crafted “Ancient History Morning Time Session!” This 180+ page guide has everything you need to immerse your family in the wonders of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia through creative, hands-on learning activities.
Inside, you’ll find:
- 6-week Calendar with each subject scheduled on it
- Prayer and scripture memorization
- Copywork selections from The Prayer of Moses, Ten Commandments, and The Blessing of Obedience in primary, elementary, cursive, and a notebook sheet for high school students (and moms)
- Memory Work: Prayer, scripture memory, and poetry memorization
- Living Books recommended reading list
- Artist & Picture Study: Ancient Egyptian Art
- Ancient Music Study: Music of Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Syria, and Persia
- Poetry Study: “Ozymandias” and “To the Nile,” by Percy Bysshe Shelly, “To the Nile,” by John Keats, “A Thought of the Nile,” by Leigh Hunt, “The Harper’s Song for Inherkhawty,” and “The Prancing Horse” (Ancient Egyptian Love Poem)
- Hymn Study: Down at the Cross, with sheet music and listening links
- Folk Song Study: Go Down, Moses (Let My People Go), with sheet music and listening links
- Egyptian-Inspired Teatime Recipes: Sourdough Bread, Ramses II Emmer Wheat Loaves, Sugar Cookies, Rehkmire’s Tiger Nuts, and Fig Cakes
- Teatime Readings: The Girl with the Red Slippers, The Sphinx and the Prince, The Instruction of Amenemope with a parallel to Proverbs, The Prince and the Three Fates, and The Story of the Sham Prince, Or the Ambitious Tailor
- Geography: The Cat of Bubastes, by G.A. Henty
- Bonus: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
- Handicraft: Papyrus Making
- Art Lesson: Egyptian Hieroglyphics
- Nature study: Egyptian Flora and Fauna
- Plutarch: “The Savior of Athens”
- And more!
Ready to explore ancient lands? Get your guide today and let the adventure begin!
Have a Paint Party for the Ages!
In this session, we have included an art lesson for you and your family recreating some Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on homemade papyrus! Take part in history with this immersive art lesson!
Hieroglyphs on Papyrus, by Alisha Gratehouse.
Enjoying your paint party too much to stop? Grab these lessons from the Masterpiece Society to keep the fun going!
Living Books to Explore Ancient History In Your Homeschool
Discover more about these fascinating civilizations by checking these books out from the library, or make them a permanent part of your collection by grabbing them below!
Geography
The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt (Dover Children’s Classics)
Elementary & Middle Grades
Pharaoh’s BoatBoy of the Pyramids: A Mystery of Ancient EgyptThe Golden Goblet (Newbery Library, Puffin)Mummies and Pyramids: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the MorningThe Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt (Landmark Books)PyramidA Cry From Egypt (The Promised Land)TirzahGilgamesh the King (The Gilgamesh Trilogy)The Great Pyramid: The story of the farmers, the god-king and the most astonding structure ever built (Wonders of the World Book)Voices of Ancient EgyptZekmet, the Stone Carver: A Tale of Ancient EgyptCleopatraTut’s Mummy: Lost…and Found (Step into Reading)The Magnificent Book of Treasures: Ancient EgyptSeeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs (Rise and Shine)Mummies Made in Egypt (Reading Rainbow Books)
Upper Grades
Unwrapping the Pharaohs: How Egyptian Archaeology Confirms the Biblical TimelineMara, Daughter of the NileMotel of the MysteriesUarda: A Romance of Ancient Egypt, Vol. 1 of 2 (Classic Reprint)
We hope this curriculum brings you joy as you discover the wonders of ancient civilizations!
Ready to bring the wonder of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia into your homeschool? Our Ancient History curriculum makes it easy to explore these captivating civilizations with living books, hands-on projects, and Charlotte Mason-inspired lessons that spark curiosity and connection. Let history come alive for your family—one story, one project, and one discovery at a time! And remember:
“It may be that the souls of all children are waiting for the call of knowledge to awaken them to delightful living.”
-Charlotte Mason
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