This popular Greek dish is traditionally served with pita bread; for a gluten free / keto option, consider serving with linseed focaccia bread or a mezze platter. Shown with: carrots, cherry tomatoes, green beans, cheese, and beef meatballs w. sliced almonds.
We made this as part of our Discover Greece unit 🙂 Ancient Greek black-figure vases are both beautiful and they help to provide insight into the culture, mythology, iconography, and daily activities of the time. You can read details of the artistry process here or here.
This black-figure pottery activity for kids is a simplified version that can be done with just a few cheap materials!
Materials
Small terracotta pot (i.e. from a garden store)
Pencil and eraser
Black permanent marker (fine tip)
Red crayon
Black acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Rubber bands
Something to scratch with (like a dull nail or a metal crochet hook)
Directions
If your terracotta pot doesn’t have a natural lip, use rubber bands to create top and bottom strips. Colour these strips in with a red crayon.
Lightly water a small amount of black acrylic paint into a smooth paste. Paint this over the crayon (the rubber bands should help to keep the paint neatly in line). Allow to dry.
Look at photos of Greek vases online and think about what story you want to tell. Will you draw figures? animals? daily life? a mythic adventure? Begin by drawing with pencil in the untouched inner band of pottery. Make adjustments as you go. When you are happy with your work, trace the outlines with black permanent marker and then colour them in as solid shapes.
Choose a Greek geometric pattern to scratch into the painted top band of your project. Use a metal tool (like a dull nail) to carefully scratch away the paint – revealing the red crayon beneath.
You begin by opening your travel mail from Milo and Anya to find out about their latest travel adventures! Miss 6 enjoys seeing all the photos in Greece.
There is a passport sticker to add to our Adventure Passport and various cards about Greece to add to it as well. These range from a country map and cultural information, to activity cards with things to do. Learn: some Greek words; learn about the Olympics, learn about black figure pottery, and the Acropolis of Athens.
We loved making this craft and it has been very well used in mock battles. We also enjoyed reading about the Trojan War – from the silly (The Boy who called Horse by Terry Deary) to the serious (British Museum: The Legend of Troy by Goldie Hawk).
Making Santorini landscape
This is a lovely craft that features both suggestions and plenty of room for open-ended creativity. Using the collage materials provided, you make a spinnable Santorini island that can move between day and sunset.
HOW DO I ORDER ATLAS CRATE?
This is not a paid review. I spent a lot of time searching the internet to find out more information about the Kiwi Crate and Atlas Crate boxes before deciding to try them and found the blog posts / photos that people shared were really useful!
If you would like to try Atlas Crate (or one of their other lines), you can receive 50% off your first box by clicking here.
What I like about the Atlas Crate kits is that they provide a colourful and imaginative way of exploring the world through hands-on activities. I like that they use a mix of STEM and art to explore different concepts and ideas. Their products are also very well made, with clear instructions, and kids feel a real sense of pride in what they accomplish with each box.
There’s no obligation to sign-up in an on-going capacity so it’s easy to tie them in with birthdays / Christmas; the boxes are quite compact so they also store easily in a cupboard for bringing them out on a rainy day. Other families will choose to sign up for a longer period (like a 3, 6, or 12 month cycle).
WHAT IS IN AN ATLAS CRATE?
Each Atlas Crate comes with a special airmail envelope from Anya the Cricket and Milo the Sandpiper revealing where they’ve been on their latest adventure. There is a special passport sticker for your child’s Atlas Adventure Book plus seven new pages to add about a new country (highlighting geography, customs, landmarks, history, and foods).
There are supplies for two activities (which might be a mix of art, STEM, and games) as well as suggestions for more DIY activities to try at home – from things to make, to things to bake!
If you choose the Deluxe option, then you will also receive a book that helps you explore that month’s destination. This upgrade is an additional USD$9.95 (approx. $15 NZD) and can impact shipping costs as well. Since we’re homeschooling, I decided that we’d try the Deluxe option for 6 months to see how useful we find it.
While we were studying Guatemala, we really enjoyed learning about the life cycle of sea turtles and how important it is to provide safe nesting sites for them to lay their eggs; such as the beaches of Monterrico. Turtles return to where they are born to lay their eggs, which are then vulnerable to predation (by both humans and animals). Once safely in the water, turtles form a vital part of the eco-system and without them systems can become imbalanced – such as an increase in jellyfish populations and a decrease in fish. In addition to adult turtles being actively hunted for commercial purposes, they are also at risk from increasing plastic pollution in our oceans – often mistaking it for food such as jellyfish.
Help protect our oceans by arranging a clean-up at your local beach. In New Zealand, you can even claim a beautiful wooden medal through DOC’s Kiwi Guardian programme!
Flying Solo 