Many years ago, we purchased a history curriculum which had a number of D’Aulaires’ books, and I fell immediately in love with them. So, you can understand why I might be excited to be one of the lucky reviewers to work with this set from Memoria Press!
We are reviewing the D’Aulaire’s Greek Myths Set.
We received for the purpose of review the following products:
- The D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths book
- The Teacher Guide by Cheryl Lowe and Leigh Lowe
- The Student Guide, also by Cheryl Lowe and Leigh Lowe
- A package of flash cards
This study package is well laid out, and makes a great deal of sense. I realize there are some Christians who would question our studying this topic, but right from the introduction of the Teacher’s Guide, the question of “why study Greek Mythology?” is discussed. There were things that I had never really known, such as the fact that next to the Bible, the Greek Myths are the most important set of stories in human history. They are stories which are everywhere in English literature and in our culture, something you can even see in the names of planets, constellations, and even the names of products we can buy!
I like the way that this particular study guide shows that the Greek myths and other ancient stories often are similar to Bible stories. I like that in my opinion, this shows that even without the actual Bible, other cultures have the same knowledge from The Lord, regardless of how they have passed it down. For example, nearly all ancient “mythologies” have the story of the garden of Eden, and the world-wide flood.
The evidence of seeing the similarities can be used to either show proof of the Bible, or if one is contrary, to show that the Bible is also myth, but for my fellow believers, I agree with the authors in that “students who have gone through these thought processes will be prepared for the mythologizing of the Bible that will come later in life.”
We are really enjoying the stories in the D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, and the study materials only make it better! It is laid out by lesson number, for example lesson one would be pages 9 – 15 in the D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, covering “Olden Times, Gaea, The Titans, and Cronus.”
Each lesson has the following sections to aid in study and memorization:
- Facts to know
Facts to know highlights the most important information in the D’Aulaires’ book. It should be drilled throughout the year, after which the student should be able to recite the information at the end of the course.
- Vocabulary
This section covers words that may be new and challenging, so that they can be defined and discussed before reading, or as they come up while reading.
- Comprehension Questions
These questions are designed to help the student best identify the virtues and follies of the mythological heroes.
- Activities
The pictures from the D’Aulaires’ book are so wonderful, and help as a memory aid. The activities sections in the study guide have the student identify specific details that bring the story to life, perhaps even by labeling them in pencil. There are also many enrichment activities, such as maps, timelines and family trees.
The flashcards included in this set are GREAT for review, whether at home or on the go! They re-enforce the knowledge we have gained through reading the Daulaires’ book and using the study guide.
We are enjoying this set, and think you may as well. To find out what other crew members think, please click the banner below.
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