What's For Dinner? Story of the World Feast

Today's What's For Dinner? post is about a FEAST we had to celebrate a study of Ancient Africa (as done in chapter 11 of The Story of the World). I used two recipes from the activity guide and they were wonderful, so I wanted to share. If you click on the link you'll see a sample of all the activities from a chapter, via The Well Trained Mind website - awesome!) I'll also share a cute and easy craft idea, and a sweet idea my daughter came up with on her own.

As always, if you have a recipe you would like to link up, please share at the end of this post! All I ask is that you link back to my site, either by linking to me in your post, or grabbing my cute What's For Dinner? button and placing it on your blog or in your post. Thanks!

On to the recipe: (this appears in the activity guide for Volume 1 of Story of the World)

Chicken With Figs

3-4 lbs. chicken legs
1 lemon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
8-16 oz. dried figs (we used Mission Figlets)
salt to taste
parsley

Preheat the oven to 400.

Peel and slice the lemon. Place lemon slices and figs in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Add the chicken legs.

In mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, water, and lemon juice.

Pour mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and parsley.

Bake, covered with foil, for about 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes. Baste frequently during the last 20-30 minutes. Remove chicken, figs, and lemon slices and place on a serving tray.

Skim off any fat and use the remaining juices as a sauce for the chicken.

* We served the chicken with green beans and rice. The chicken was amazingly juicy and the baked figs are a new found love of mine! For dessert we made fried plantains. We used a recipe from Food Network instead of our activity guide, and it was delicious! My nine year sliced the plantains - I fried them in the oil - then she sugared them and added whipped cream. YUMMM!!!!

For fun decorations we printed and colored African Masks. To print them, go here. I thought they turned out really cute.... we laminated and taped them onto a straw so they can be used in the future. We also read a little about the history of African Masks/art here. My daughter also looked up African proverbs, copied some onto little pieces of paper, and set one at each person's place. (I wish I had gotten a picture of them, but here is a wonderful list of proverbs -- perfect for copywork!)

My daughter's mask - done to perfection, just as she likes it!

Isn't this guy cute? My six year old is an enthusiastic artist

Once again, The Story of The World proves itself to be an invaluable resource in our homeschool. I can't recommend this enough!

Feel free to share a recipe with me via a comment or by joining the linky. I look forward to seeing What's For Dinner in your house!

Who is God? And Can I Really Know Him? - Apologia Review

Our family has had the privilege of reviewing Who is God? And Can I Really Know Him? - a family-inclusive, biblical worldview study published by Apologia Press in partnership with Summit Ministries.

Up to this point we have been doing a simple devotion each day, using a scripture memory box, and choosing our own Bible readings. We also read Bible stories, attend Sunday School.... essentially our faith is part of our lives. I was so excited to get this book through The Homeschool Village, because I am wanting my children (especially my nine year old daughter) to dig DEEPER into God's word and understand what it means for her life. I also desire for her to be able to defend her faith in any given situation.

First, a description of the book:

• Ten lessons ~ the publisher recommends taking two weeks to complete a lesson.

1. Where Am I Building My Life?
2. How Can I Know What's True?
3. What is God Like? (Part I)
4. What is God Like? (Part II)
5. Who are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?
6. If God Created the World, Why Isn't it Perfect?
7. Why Did God Create Me?
8. Will God Meet All My Needs?
9. Why Does Sin Keep Me From Knowing God?
10. Is Jesus the Only Way to God?
    

• Each lesson is divided into several parts - for example, The Big Idea, What You Will Do, Short Story, Think About It (journaling), Words You Need to Know, Hide It in Your Heart (copying Bible verses in a journal), Integrated Learning, What Should I Do?, Prayer, Worldview Study, and House of Truth.

• The book is written directly to the student, so it could be completed independently (we chose to work on it as a family)

• The textbook is recommended for use by ages 6-14.

• Is the first in a series of four books - all by Apologia Press.

What we thought of the book:

Apologia has written this book for quite a broad age range (6-14). My children are 6 and 9. My six year old was not very interested in the material, but it was perfect for my 9 year old. She liked the real life examples and the opportunities for journaling. I would let her go to a quiet place in the house with her Bible and the journaling assignment, which worked well. I would not recommend the book for younger children. If you have younger children who will be listening with their siblings, the material is appropriate for them, but their attention span obviously won't be as long.

There are many places for discussion, which really seemed to interest my daughter. Throughout the book there are also recipes, real life examples, and opportunities for learning in other subject areas (history, science, etc...). I believe she will benefit from this study and gain an understanding of HER place in God's world, and why God's word is the only truth for her life.

This book is definitely NOT an elementary Bible study. It explores a Biblical worldview of God and Truth, which may be quite tough for younger children to grasp. We are still teaching the foundations of our faith (which is Lutheran) to my six year old. This is an ongoing process, and I don't feel he is ready to tackle some of these larger issues that the book presents. My daughter, on the other hand, is in the logic phase of her development and is ready to tackle these difficult questions.

For example: Chapter Two in the Book explores "What is Truth?". We had a particularly good discussion about Charles Darwin (who the chapter highlighted) and why we cannot believe his theory of evolution. To me, this seems to be one of the biggest issues we face as adult Christians, and I loved the way it was presented to children in this book. I have to give a huge THANK YOU to Apologia for helping me explain this to my children in such a seemingly simple way. At the age of 9 or 10 I believe children are ready to tackle these tough questions and they need to hear from us what the truth is, not from some other source that may or may not share our beliefs.

As always, I believe it is essential to preview the material before I present it to my children, so I read the chapters/assignments first. I have noticed a few small things that might not align exactly with the teachings of the Lutheran church , but we can talk about them and learn from that, too.

If you have an older child who wants to learn more about God and their relationship with Him, and also about their place in the world as a Christian, I would recommend this as an integral part of your Bible studies.

*Please note that I have been provided a complimentary copy of this resource by The Homeschool Village specifically for review purposes. If you visit The Homeschool Village you can also read others' thoughts about this same book. You can also WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK!