Theobroma Cacao - Educational and Delicious

This week we're studying the great Native civilizations of Central and South America. We read a book today about chocolate, which is related, right?  It talks about the history of chocolate, and how it was used by the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs. We also got in a little explorer talk, since they were the first to bring it back to Europe. (The kids love learning about the explorers, because we get to feel all smug and superior since we know what the world looks like, and they didn't. They just laugh and laugh.)

We learned a lot about Cacao trees and Cocoa pods, which have to be pronounced differently, and are very confusing. The kids decided they desperately needed some hot chocolate after we finished our book, and I couldn't argue that need.

We did some Mayan math today too, learning how to use a base 20 system, and how you would write your age, or do a story problem. They wrote their numbers up to 50 and did some tricky math problems without realizing that's what they were. Ah, deceptive math is so much fun.

This is the kind of day that makes homeschooling so special. It's a little too chaotic to be an everyday method, but it works well for those cloudy days when noses are runny and coughs are creeping in, and everyone starts out a tad cranky.

Unfortunately, now we need to go do English, Spelling, Vocabulary, Science,Writing, Bible, Spanish and etc. I suppose we could write and diagram some sentences about chocolate? Maybe I'd better just stick with the books. There's only so much side-tracking I can handle before the guilt becomes too much.

Must produce well-educated children to prove my worth to the world!