My family had the privilege of trying the D'Aulaires' Greek Myths from Memoria Press for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool curriculum. This is a Schoolhouse Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.
Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company that produces simple and easy-to-use classical Christian education materials for home and private schools. It was founded by a woman named Cheryl Lowe in 1994. They currently have preschool through ninth grade in most of their curriculum and some through twelfth grade. They also cover subjects in: Classical Core Curriculum, Latin, Classical Studies, Christian Studies, Logic & Rhetoric, Phonics & Early Reading, Penmanship, Literature & Poetry, American & Modern Studies, Writing & English Grammar, Science & Math, Greek, Modern Languages, Educational Resources, eBooks, Special-Needs, and Art & Music.
The D'Aulaires' Greek Myths is a great curriculum all about Greek Mythology. This set includes a book, student guide, teacher guide and flashcards. Geared towards 3rd through 6th grade it introduces students to the stories and tales of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. This is a great addition to a classical education and homeschool.
Set includes:
- D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
- D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Student Guide
- D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Teacher Guide
- D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Flashcards
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| Teela reading the D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Book and some illustrations. |
The D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire is not really by Memoria Press, but is still a very important part of the rest of the set and is sold with it. This over-sized volume has lovely illustrations with a beginning that talks about In Olden Times, Gaea (Mother Earth), and the Titans. It then goes into three main sections that talk about Zeus and his family, Minor Gods (nymphs, satyrs, and centaurs), and Mortal Descendants of Zeus. These sections go into each character or thing in greater detail. The book ends with an Index listing things in alphabetical order, giving page numbers to locate them within the book.
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| Teela working in the D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Student Guide Workbook. |
The D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Student Guide by Cheryl Lowe & Leigh Lowe follows along with the Book by the D'Aulaires and covers about 30 lessons. This workbook has important facts to know, vocabulary, comprehension questions, a picture review, and activities section. It begins with a chapter on why we should study Greek Mythology and an explanation about how to use the guide. After each set of five lessons it has a review with write in, matching, vocabulary, map activities, and some drawing pages. The student guide ends with a final review (fill in missing information, identification, name and describe characters that match the category, short answer), Final Study Sheet, more than 100 Drill Questions for Greek Mythology, Greek Myths List, Maps, and a D'Aulaires' Pronunciation Guide.
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| Teela using the D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Flashcards as a learning aid. |
The D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Flashcards are a set of 107 flashcards. These contain short descriptions on one side and the corresponding person, place, or thing on the other. These flashcards are to be used as review with the rest of the curriculum. Memoria Press sends them as nine sheets of twelve (one is a place keeper with the barcode, D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths Flashcards, and a copyright 2011 Memoria Press printed on it) that you will have to punch out yourself.
How We Used This and Our Thoughts:
Even though my daughter Teela is in second grade she reads at a fifth-sixth grade reading level. This is why I picked her to do the reading and work from the workbook for testing the products of the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths Set. I knew she could handle it.
We have done a lot of classical studies in our homeschool. My older children, my two sons, have had the majority of the studies having to do with Greek Mythology though. Their studies have included: The Iliad and The Odyssey, Shakespeare, and Argonautica. They also have read a very popular book series, called Percy Jackson & The Olympians. All of these books and some of the plays by William Shakespeare have to do with Greek Mythology in some regard. Also, a lot of our pop culture gives a nod to these Greek stories. Take the Apollo Space Program or the Xena Warrior Princess TV series for example. In order to better understand our society and pop culture Greek Mythology needs to be taught. This is why I feel that Greek Mythology should be taught in our homeschool classroom. It is a part of our history and a large part of the world around us, whether we want to admit it or not. Even though this is true, since I am a Christian I do point out to my children that each of these Greek gods were envisaged to only have a small part of what our GOD encompasses. We believe our GOD is omnipotent (all seeing and all knowing) and has power over all.
My two daughters who are the youngest have not really had a chance to be a part of this slice of classical education. The other studies I was doing with my boys were too complicated for the girls to follow and my very youngest was not ready to learn about the Greek Myths anyway. This is why I love the D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Set sold by Memoria Press. Teela was the perfect candidate for these studies. The reading book was perfect for her reading level and she did not have any trouble with the workbook tasks. This book is written with younger children in mind and does not go into anything too explicit or graphic. It has gorgeous illustrations on every page and was even engaging to my youngest. She loved flipping through the pages looking at the drawings.
We also thought the flashcards were very handy to have with the set. Besides containing a small amount of information these are also numbered. These numbers correspond to the what chapter the information on them is found. We used these to further aid in learning the Greek Myths.
I found the teacher's guide very convenient and thorough. I had all the answers at my fingertips and I did not have to read the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths myself, even though I did. As a homeschooling teacher, I actually highly recommend reading the whole book even though they spell it all out for you in the teacher's guide, because you get more out of the lessons as well and can discuss everything about it with the student.
I highly recommend the Memoria Press D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Set. It is great for learning more about classical education and our own pop culture. We enjoyed this homeschooling curriculum very much and learned so much along the way.
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You can purchase the D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Set on the Memoria Press website for $57.
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