"That afternoon, when Laura arrived, a little round table in the hearthplace had already been laid for tea. And what a meal! There were boiled new-laid eggs and scones and honey and home-made jam, and, to crown all, a dish of fresh Banbury cakes. The carrier had a standing order to bring her a dozen of these cakes every market day.

It seemed a pity to Laura that the first time she had been offered two eggs at one meal she could barely eat one and that the Banbury cake, hitherto to her a delicious rarity only seen in her home when purchased by visiting aunts, should flake and crumble almost untasted upon her plate because she felt too anxious to eat."  - Candleford Green, Ch. 1

Though I finished watching the final episode of Lark Rise to Candleford's Season 3 some time ago, my obsession has not subsided in the least. I've read all I could find by Flora Thompson and have spent an inordinate amount of time tracking down recipes for some of the foods mentioned in the book(s) and series. I bought The Lark Rise Recipe Book by Mary Norwak, but found it disappointing (a few of the recipes can be found here). Two things I was especially eager to try were Banbury Cake and Queen Cake.

After those cravings had been satisfied, finally, I launched into a full-fledged baking (and cooking!) spree which has lasted for several weeks now. Nevermind that it's entirely *too hot* to be baking! Here are a few of the favorites that we've tried:

• Buttermilk Spice Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting (my favorite!)
• Budapest Coffee Cake (the kids' favorite)
• Orange Yogurt Cake
• Maple-Nut Chiffon Cake
• White Wonder Cake
• Raspberry Cream Cheese Buns
• Carrot and Pineapple Cake
• Banana Coconut Muffins

Spanish Cake (from The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 egg yokes
1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg whites

Mix ingredients in order given. Bake in two 9" cake pans for 20-25 minutes at 350°. Frost with  Cinnamon Vanilla Buttercream or Chocolate Cinnamon Buttercream. (I'm thinking this cake would be delicious with just a hint of orange too!)

For quite awhile now I've been searching for a music history and appreciation program that includes music prior to the Baroque period (after all, music has existed from the earliest times!). While a few contain cursory information on the Middle Ages and Renaissance, none appear to delve into the amount of detail I require, so I've decided to pull something together myself (we're all quite passionate about music, otherwise I probably wouldn't bother!).

For starters, I purchased the HarperCollins College Outline History of Western Music by Hugh H. Miller and A Student's Guide to Music History by R.J. Stove. I may also read The Rise of Music in the Ancient World: East and West and the Norton classics: Medieval Music and Anthology of Renaissance Music (to myself, of course, if I can find the time!). While I don't plan to get super technical with the kids, I would like them to know - at minimum - the main themes, historical context and identifying styles of each period. Essentials of Music is a useful resource for this as well. If I can find enough material, I'd also like to cover non-Western music (Indian, Persian, Asian and Islamic music, for example) - however, that will require much more research!

After spending some time on Amazon, here is the 'starter' list I came up with, though I'm sure it could use some fine tuning:

• Music of the Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks by Ensemble De Organographia
• Music of Ancient Rome by Synaulia
• Hymns from the Vedas and Upanishads, Vedic Chants by Jitendra Abhisheki
• Edda - An Icelandic Saga - Myths From Medieval Iceland / Sequentia by Icelandic Anonymous
• Music of the Crusades by Geoffrey Shaw
• The Fall of Constantinople
• The Glory of Byzantium
• From Byzantium to Andalusia: Medieval Music and Poetry
• Hildegard von Bingen: Symphoniae (Spiritual Songs) by Sequentia
• Early Music Festival / David Munrow, Early Music Consort by Francesco Landini
• Music of the Gothic Era
• Love's Illusion, Music From The Montpellier Codex by Anonymous 4 (13th century)
• The Lily and the Lamb: Chant and Polyphony from Medieval England by Anonymous 4 (13th century)
• An English Ladymass: Medieval Chant and Polyphony by Anonymous 4 (13th and 14th century)
• The Black Madonna Pilgrim Songs from the Monastery of Montserrat (1400-1420) by Ensemble Unicorn
• Codex Faenza: Instrumental Music of the Early 15th Century by Ensemble Unicorn
• A Feast of Songs: Holiday Music from the Middle Ages by Barry and Beth Hall
• Sinners and Saints: The Ultimate Medieval and Renaissance Music Collection by Philip Pickett and the New London Consort
• Instruments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance by David Munrow
• Isabel I: Reina de Castilla (15th century)
• Spanish Music of Travel and Discovery by Waverly Consort (15th century)
• Carnevale! by Ensemble De Organographia (16th century Italian carnival music)
• William Byrd: Second Service and Consort Anthems by Choir of Magdalen College Oxford (16th century)
• Armada: Music from the Courts of England and Spain
• Music of the Middle Ages (OR) Terres Turquoises by Constantinople
• Early Venetian Lute Music

Several of the above CD's are published by Naxos, which has a great Early Music Collection. Since I'm only personally familiar with the Anonymous 4 selections (which are beautiful!), I tried to choose only those that appeared historically accurate and had very positive reviews. I've ordered a few CD's to get started, so we'll see how it goes! My plan is to spend about 30 minutes per week on a formal lesson, but we'll play the CD's quite frequently during reading and at other quiet times.

This list is very much a work in progress!

• The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History by Carol Strickland
• The Annotated Arch: A Crash Course in the History of Architecture by Carol Strickland
• Architecture: The World's Greatest Buildings Explored and Explained by Neil Stevenson
• Building (DK Eyewitness) by Philip Wilkinson
  
• Arches to Zigzags: An Architecture ABC by Michael Crosbie
  
• Great Artists: The Lives of 50 Painters Explored Through Their Work by Robert Cumming
• Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained by Robert Cumming
  
• History of Art for Young People by Anthony Janson
  
• The Story of Painting (DK) by Sister Wendy Beckett
• Looking at Pictures: An Introduction to Art Appreciation by Joy Richardson
  
• Usborne Introduction to Art: In Association With the National Gallery, London
  
• Art From Many Hands: Multicultural Art Projects by Jo Miles Schuman
• Teaching History Through Art (Visual Manna)
• The Incredible Art Department: Website with many wonderful lesson plans & resources.
• Architecture for Kids: From Teach the Children Well.
  
• Architecture for Kids: A complete unit study on sacred architecture.
• Cupola's Building and Structure Gallery: Galleries for each major architectural period.
  

Year 1
Art History:

• Ancient Egyptian Art (Art in History Series)
  
• Ancient Greek Art (Art in History Series)
  
• Ancient Chinese Art (Art in History Series)
• Ancient Roman Art (Art in History Series)
• An Ancient Greek Temple by John Malam
  
• Pyramid by Dave Macaulay
• City: A Story of Roman Planning & Construction by Dave Macaulay
  

Art Instruction:

• Hands-On Ancient People Vol. 1: Art Activities About Mesopotamia, Egypt and Islam by Yvonne Y. Merrill
  
• Hands-On Ancient People Vol. 2: Art Activities About Minoans, Mycenaeans, Trojans, Ancient Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans by Yvonne Y. Merrill
  
• Draw and Write Through History 1: Creation through Jonah
• Draw and Write Through History 2: 600 B.C. to A.D. 395

Year 2

Harmony Fine Arts Medieval & Renaissance Art & Music Appreciation is now available and is designed to be used in conjunction with Artistic Pursuits or Mark Kistler's Draw Squad for hands-on art instruction.

Art History:

• Romanesque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting by Rolf Toman
  
• Gothic: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting by Rolf Toman
  
• The Art of the Italian Renaissance: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Drawing by Rolf Toman
• Baroque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting by Rolf Toman
  
• The Renaissance Art Book by Wenda O'Reilly
• Go Fish for Art Game: Renaissance Artists
• 120 Italian Renaissance Paintings (Book & CD-Rom)
• Master Builders of the Middle Ages by David Jacobs (OOP)
  
• Castle by Dave Macaulay
• Cathedral by Dave Macaulay
• Mosque by Dave Macaulay
  

Art Instruction:

• 1-2-3 Draw Knights, Castles, Dragons by Freddie Levin
  
• Draw and Write Through History 3: Vikings through the Middle Ages*
• 1-2-3 Calligraphy by Eleanor Winters
• Medieval Letters Set: Kit to easily design your own illuminated letters.
  
• Design Your Own Coat of Arms by Rosemary A. Chorzempa
• Rose Windows and How to Make Them by Helga Meyerbroeker
  

Medieval art incorporates many mediums, especially frescoes, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts and mosaics. The major periods are:

• Early Christian, A.D. 100 - A.D. 500
  
• Celtic, A.D. 600 - 1200
  
• Byzantine, A.D. 300 - 1453
• Romanesque, A.D. 1000 - 13th century
  
• Gothic, Mid-12th century to late 15th century
  
• Islamic, From the 7th century...

The major periods of Renaissance art are:

• Early Renaissance, Early 15th century
  
• High Renaissance, 1495-1520
  
• Mannerism, 1520-1580
• Baroque, 1600-1730
  

Key Artists:*

• Cimabue (1240-1302)
  
• Giotto di Bondone (1266-1377)
• Donatello (1386-1466)
• Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455)
  
• Fra Angelico (1395-1455)
• Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1466)
• Jan van Eyck (1395-1441)
  
• Masaccio (1401?-1428)
  
• Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1474)
• Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
• Michelangelo (1475-1564)
• Raphael (1483-1520)
• Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510)
• Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
  
• Titian (1485-1576)
• Tintoretto (1518-1594)
• El Greco (1541-1614)
  
• Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
• Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)
• Diego Velázquez (1599-1660)
  
• Rembrandt (1606-1669)
• Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)
  

*The Basic Art Series by Taschen includes most of the above artists. Each book retails for $9.99.

Artist Biographies & Other:

• Antonio's Apprenticeship: Painting a Fresco in Renaissance Italy by Taylor Morrison
  Painting in the Renaissance by Una Roman D'Elia
• Renaissance Artists Who Inspired the World by Gregory Blanch
• Marguerite Makes a Book by Bruce Robertson
• Brother Joseph: The Painter of Icons by Augustine Denoble
  
• A Boy Named Giotto by Paolo Gua
• The Glorious Impossible by Madeleine L'Engle (artwork by Giotto)
  
• Da Vinci: Renaissance Painter
• Famous Artists: Leonardo Da Vinci
• The Second Mrs. Gioconda by E.L. Konigsburg (Leonardo Da Vinci)
  
• Michelangelo: Renaissance Artist
• Michelangelo by Diane Stanley
• Michelangelo and the Renaissance by David Spence
• Michelangelo's Surprise by Tony Parillo
  
• Rembrandt and Dutch Portraiture by David Spence
  
• I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton De Trevino (Diego Velázquez)

Overall, it was a fun project that we would definitely enjoy doing again!

Because Winter Promise Quest for the Ancient World takes more of a regional approach to ancient history (rather than chronological), it was necessary for me to re-work a few things in order to include The Story of the World, Volume 1 (SOTW1). Essentially, I re-ordered the chapters from SOTW1 to align them with Winter Promise's schedule for The Mystery of History, Volume 1 (MOH1) chapters. These were the results:

THE SUMERIANS

• The Earliest People, SOTW1 Chapter 1
• The Sumerians, MOH1 Lesson 7
• The First Writing, SOTW1 Chapter 3
• The Story of Gilgamesh, SOTW1 Chapter 8
• The Epic of Gilgamesh, MOH1 Lesson 9
• The First Sumerian Dictator, SOTW1 Chapter 5
• The Tower of Babel, MOH1 Lesson 8

EARLY CIVILIZATIONS

• Stonehenge, MOH1 Lesson 10
• Hammurabi and the Babylonians, SOTW1 Chapter 7
• Hammurabi, MOH1 Lesson 16

The Assyrians

• Shamshi-Adad, King of the Whole World, SOTW1 Chapter 8
• The Return of Assyria, SOTW1 Chapter 16
• Ashurbanipal's Attack, SOTW1 Chapter 16
• The Library of Ninevah, SOTW1 Chapter 16

The Minoans

• The Minoan Civilization, MOH1 Lesson 12
• Bull-Jumpers and Sailors, SOTW1 Chapter 18
• King Minos and the Minotaur, SOTW1 Chapter 18
• The Mysterious End of the Minoans, SOTW1 Chapter 18

ANCIENT EGYPT

Egyptian Life & Culture

• God Speaks to Abraham, SOTW1 Chapter 6
• Abraham, MOH1 Lesson 13
• Jacob & Esau, MOH1 Lesson 14
• Joseph Goes to Egypt, SOTW1 Chapter 6
• Joseph, MOH1 Lesson 15

Egyptian Beliefs & the Nile

• Egyptians Lived on the Nile River, SOTW1 Chapter 2
• Early Egyptians, MOH1 Lesson 11
• The Old Kingdom of Egypt, SOTW1 Chapter 4
• Making Mummies, SOTW1 Chapter 4
• Egyptian Pyramids, SOTW1 Chapter 4

Egyptian Hieroglyphs

• The Israelites in Slavery, MOH1 Lesson 17
• The Israelites Leave Egypt, SOTW1 Chapter 14
• The Baby Moses, SOTW1 Chapter 14
• The Exodus from Egypt, SOTW1 Chapter 14
• Moses & the Exodus, MOH1 Lesson 19

The Pyramids of Egypt

• The Ark of the Covenant, MOH1 Lesson 20
• Joshua, Jericho and Rahab, MOH1 Lesson 21 b
• The Middle Kingdoms of Egypt, SOTW1 Chapter 12
• Egypt Invades Nubia, SOTW1 Chapter 12
• The Hyskos Invade Egypt, SOTW1 Chapter 12

The Pharaohs of Egypt

• The New Kingdom of Egypt, SOTW1 Chapter 13
• The General and the Woman Pharaoh, SOTW1 Chapter 13
• Amenhotep IV and King Tut, SOTW1 Chapter 13
• Amenhotep IV and Nefertiti, MOH1 Lesson 22
• Tutankhamen, MOH1 Lesson 23

Unwrapping Egyptian Mummies!

• Ramses II, MOH1 Lesson 24

THE HEBREWS IN ISRAEL

The Hebrews in Israel

• Ruth and Naomi, MOH1 Lesson 26
• Gideon, MOH1 Lesson 27
• Samson, MOH1 Lesson 28

Israel's Great Kings

• Samuel, MOH1 Lesson 30
• King Saul, MOH1 Lesson 31
• David, MOH1 Lesson 32
• Solomon, MOH1 Lesson 33

Israel's Neighbors: The Phoenicians

• The Phoenicians, MOH1 Lesson 34
• Phoenician Traders, SOTW1 Chapter 15
• The Founding of Carthage, SOTW1 Chapter 15
• The Return of Assyria, SOTW1 Chapter 16
• Ashurbanipal's Attack, SOTW1 Chapter 16
• The Library of Ninevah, SOTW1 Chapter 16
• Israel Divides, MOH1 Lesson 35

Israel's Prophets

• Elijah, the Fiery Prophet, MOH1 Lesson 36
• Elisha, MOH1 Lesson 37
• Joel & Obadiah, MOH1 Lesson 38

More Prophets

• Jonah and Amos, MOH1 Lesson 42
• Isaiah & Micah, MOH1 Lesson 44
• Hosea, MOH1 Lesson 46

MESOPOTAMIAN POWER STRUGGLE

Assyria Comes to Power

• Israel Falls to Assyria, MOH1 Lesson 45
• Hezekiah & Sennacherib, MOH1 Lesson 47
• Manasseh, MOH1 Lesson 50
• The Powers of Mesopotamia, MOH1 Lesson 51

Ninevah's Destruction

• King Josiah, MOH1 Lesson 52
• Nahum & Zephaniah, MOH1 Lesson 53
• Jeremiah, MOH1 Lesson 54
• Ninevah Destroyed, MOH1 Lesson 55

Babylon Rules Mesopotamia

• Habakkuk and Huldah, MOH1 Lesson 56
• The Babylonian Captivity, MOH1 Lesson 57
• Nedbudchadnezzar's Madness, SOTW1 Chapter 17
• Nebudchadnezzar II and the Hanging Gardens, MOH1 Lesson 58
• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, SOTW1 Chapter 17
• Ezekiel, MOH1 Lesson 61

God's Men in Babylon

• Daniel, MOH1 Lesson 59
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, MOH1 Lesson 62
• A New Empire, SOTW11 Chapter 21
• Cyrus the Great, SOTW Chapter 21
• Belshazzar and Cyrus the Great, MOH1 Lesson 66

Persia's Power

• Darius I, MOH1 Lesson 67
• Zerubbabel, MOH1 Lesson 68
• Haggai, MOH1 Lesson 69

Persia Helps Israel

• Xerxes I, MOH1 Lesson 73
• Esther, MOH1 Lesson 74
• Ezra and Artaxerxes, MOH1 Lesson 78
• Nehemiah, MOH1 Lesson 79

ANCIENT NATIVE AMERICANS

• Ancient Native Americans, MOH1 Lesson 48
• The Nazca Drawings, SOTW1 26
• The Head of the Olmecs, SOTW1 26
• Rabbit Shoots the Sun, SOTW1 26

THE EASTERN WORLD

A Look at China and India

Ancient China

• Lei Zu and the Silk Worm, SOTW1 Chapter 10
• The Pictograms of Ancient China, SOTW1 Chapter 10
• Shang Dynasty, MOH1 Lesson 18
• Farming in Ancient China, SOTW1 Chapter 10
• Zhou Dynasty, MOH1 Lesson 29
• Qin Dynasty, MOH1 Lesson 90
• Calligraphy in China, SOTW1 Chapter 32
• Warring States, SOTW1 Chapter 32
• The First Emperor and the Great Wall, SOTW1 Chapter 32
• The First Emperor's Grave, SOTW1 Chapter 32
• Confucius, SOTW1 Chapter 33
• Confucius, MOH1 Lesson 65
• Han Dynasty, MOH1 Lesson 92

Ancient India

• The River-Road, SOTW1 Chapter 9
• The Mystery of Mohenjo-Daro, SOTW1 Chapter 9
• Hinduism, MOH1 Lesson 40
• Life on the Ganges River, SOTW1 Chapter 30
• The Castes of Ancient India, SOTW1 Chapter 30
• Siddhartha, SOTW1 Chapter 30
• Buddha, MOH1 Lesson 63
• The Empire United, SOTW1 Chapter 31
• Emperor Asoka, MOH1 Lesson 88
• The Jataka Tales, SOTW1 Chapter 31

ANCIENT GREECE

Introducing the Greeks

• Malachi, MOH1 Lesson 82
• The Trojan Horse, MOH1 Lesson 25
• The Mycenaeans, SOTW1 Chapter 19
• The Greek Dark Ages, SOTW1 Chapter 19
• Greece Gets an Alphabet, SOTW1 Chapter 20
• The Stories of Homer, SOTW1 Chapter 20
• Homer, MOH1 Lesson 39

Rise of Athens & Sparta

• The First Olympic Games, SOTW1 Chapter 20
• Olympic Games, MOH1 Lesson 41
• Rise of Athens & Sparta, MOH1 Lesson 49
• Life in Sparta, SOTW1 Chapter 22
• Life in Athens, SOTW1 Chapter 22
• The Greek Gods, SOTW1 Chapter 23
• The Golden Apple, SOTW Chapter 23
• Aesop's Fables, MOH1 Lesson 60

The Battle of Marathon

• Pythagoras & the Temple of Diana, MOH1 Lesson 64
• Greece's War With Persia, SOTW1 Chapter 24
• The Battle of Marathon, MOH1 Lesson 71
• The Greeks Fight Each Other, SOTW1 Chapter 24
• Herodotus , MOH1 Lesson 72

The Golden Age of Greece

• Golden Age of Athens, MOH1 Lesson 75
• Pericles, MOH1 Lesson 80

Great Men of Greece

• Socrates, MOH1 Lesson 76
• Hippocrates and the Statue of Zeus, MOH1 Lesson 77
• Plato and Aristotle, MOH1 Lesson 83

Alexander the Great

• Peloponnesian War, MOH1 Lesson 81
• Phillip and His Son, SOTW1 Chapter 25
• Philip II of Macedonia & the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, MOH1 Lesson 84
• Alexander the Great, MOH1 Lesson 85
• Alexander's Invasions, SOTW1 Chapter 25
• The Death of Alexander, SOTW1 Chapter 25

Grecian Power Declines

• The Split of Alexander's Empire , MOH1 Lesson 86
• Archimedes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, MOH1 Lesson 87
• The Spetuagint and the Colossus of Rhodes, MOH1 Lesson 89

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Rise of the Romans

• The City of Rome, MOH1 Lesson 43
• Romulus and Remus, SOTW1 Chapter 27
• The Power of Rome, SOTW1 Chapter 27
• The Roman Gods, SOTW1 Chapter 28
• The Roman Builders, SOTW1 Chapter 28
• The Roman Republic, MOH1 Lesson 70
• Hanibal, Elephants & the Punic Wars, MOH1 Lesson 91

Roman Gladiators

• The Roman Gladiators, SOTW1 Chapter 28
• The Gladiator School, SOTW1 Chapter 28
• The Maccabean Revolt, MOH1 Lesson 93
• Spartacus, MOH1 Lesson 94
• The First Triumvirate, MOH1 Lesson 95

Cleopatra's Power

• The Rise of Julius Caesar, SOTW1 Chapter 34
• Caesar is Kidnapped, SOTW1 Chapter 34
• The Consuls of Rome, SOTW1 Chapter 34
• Caesar and the Senate, SOTW1 Chapter 34
• Julius Caesar, MOH1 Lesson 96
• Caesar Fights the Celts, SOTW1 Chapter 35
• Caesar Crosses the Rubicon, SOTW1 Chapter 35
• Caesar and Cleopatra, SOTW1 Chapter 35
• The Death of Caesar, SOTW1 Chapter 35
• The Second Triumvirate, MOH1 Lesson 97
• Cleopatra, MOH1 Lesson 98

Everyday Life in Rome

• Herod the Great, MOH1 Lesson 99
• The First Roman Prince: Augustus Caesar, SOTW1 Chapter 36
• The Battle of Actium, MOH1 Lesson 100

Augustus Caesar

• Augustus Caesar and the Roman Empire, MOH1 Lesson 101
• Tiberius Caesar, Pilate and Herod, MOH1 Lesson 105

The Birth of Jesus Christ

• John the Baptist, MOH1 Lesson 102
• The Birth of Jesus, SOTW1 Chapter 37
• Jesus Christ, His Birth, MOH1 Lesson 103
• Jesus, His Teachings and Miracles, MOH1 Lesson 104

The Life & Death of Jesus Christ

• The Twelve Disciples of Christ, MOH1 Lesson 106
• Jesus Crucified and Resurrected, SOTW1 Chapter 37
• Jesus, His Death and Resurrection, MOH1 Lesson 107
• Jesus, the Mystery of History, MOH1 Lesson 108
• The End of the Ancient Jewish Nation, SOTW1 Chapter 38
• The Destruction of the Temple, SOTW1 Chapter 38

Rome and the Christians

• Nero, the Evil Emperor, SOTW1 Chapter 39
• Christians in the Catacombs, SOTW1 Chapter 39
• The Emporer is a Christian, SOTW1 Chapter 39
• Rome Begins to Weaken, SOTW1 Chapter 40
• The British Rebellion, SOTW1 Chapter 40
• Rome Divided in Two, SOTW1 Chapter 40
  

The Attacking Barbarians

• Attila the Hun, SOTW1 Chapter 41
• Stilicho: Roman and Barbarian, SOTW1 Chapter 41
• The Coming of the Visigoths, SOTW1 Chapter 41

The End of Rome

• The Last Roman Emperor, SOTW1 Chapter 42
• The Gifts of Rome, SOTW1 Chapter 42

I'll be elaborating more on the weekly breakdown in future posts.

For the past few months I've gone back and forth about our history curriculum for the year. Finally, I decided on Winter Promise: Quest for the Ancient World and Story of the World (Volume I). Winter Promise uses Mystery of History (Volume I) as the primary spine for its curriculum, so this guide to corresponding chapters between the two has been enormously helpful. The following supplements are included in the Winter Promise package:

• Oxford First Ancient History by Roy Burrell
  
• The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
  
• “Make-Your-Own” Ancient History Book
  
• Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt (Landmark Books) by Elizabeth Payne
  
• Hittite Warrior (Living History Library) by Joanne Williamson
  
• God King: A Story in Days of King Hezekiah (Living History Library) by Joanne Williamson
• The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
• Adara by Beatrice Gormley
  
• Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah (Living History Library) by Frieda C. Hyman
  
• The Iliad (Kingfisher Epics) by Nick McCarty
• The Odyssey (Kingfisher Epics) by Robin Lister
• The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
• Gladiator by Richard Watkins
• Hieroglyphics (Treasure Chests) by Richard Platt
• Pyramids: 50 Hands-On Activities to Experience Ancient Egypt (Kaleidoscope Kids) by Avery Hart, Paul Mantell
• Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome (A Kid's Guide series) by Laurie Carlson
• Lift The Lid On Gladiators: Enter The Roman Colosseum And Prepare Your Gladiator For Combat by Philip Wilkinson
• Make This Model Trojan Horse (Usborne Cut-Out Models) by Lain Ashman
• Ancient Science: 40 Time-Traveling, World-Exploring, History-Making Activities for Kids by Jim Wiese
• Archaeology for Kids: Uncovering the Mysteries of Our Past, 25 Activities (For Kids series) by Richard Panchyk
• Old Testament Days: An Activity Guide by Nancy I. Sanders
• DK Illustrated Family Bible by Claude-Bernard Costecalde
• Lamps, Scrolls & Goatskin Bottles: A Handbook of Bible Customs for Kids (Teacher Training Series) by Julia Hans
  

Additional books for the year include:


Unfortunately, I'd already purchased a lot of books before selecting Winter Promise, so I'm not sure how much we'll actually be able to get through. Fortunately, we all love history!

We'll also be using an Ancient History Copybook by Julie Shields and these History of Ancient Times Notebooking Pages. Additional activities include:

• Ancient Roman Coin Kit from Dirty Old Coins
• Egyptian Symbols - A Hieroglyphic Stamp Kit by Jennifer Larson
• Ancient Egyptian Writing Kit
• Mystery of History Vol. 1 Craft Pack
  

I'm sure I'll have more to add - I'm especially interested in finding more crafts and activities because we really enjoy those. Enrichment4you.com has some great resources, so I may purchase a few extra supplements from them, but first I'll need to see how everything comes together.