I glanced around at the homeschool history co-op feast! It was all kinds of food from the 1940s with Sloppy Joes, Victory Garden Salad, Jell-O Salad, Tuna Noodle Casserole, and Monkey Bread. And of course, since M&M debuted in the 1940s we had to have M&Ms, too! When we create menus or cook up recipes, it helps bring the time period we are studying alive!
Next month would be food from a 1950’s Drive-In. I couldn’t wait! If you think I was excited, you should have seen the kids!
This is how it all began:
“How can we get the Dads more interested in homeschooling?” I asked my friend Laura.
“Food,” she replied.
Then we brainstormed. What if we made authentic recipes for geography the coming year. We started with Switzerland making fondue using cheese from Switzerland. We spent most of our grocery budgets on one meal.
“Maybe we should tweak authentic recipes to make them affordable,” we decided together. And we were off on a wild adventure of seeking recipes our family would love to cook and eat, but would line up with what we were studying. We added cooking to Ancient History, Geography, American History, and Middle Ages studies.
We didn’t realize how much fun food would add to schoolwork or co-op studies.
Ancient History Food Fun!
When we studied Ancient History, we collected all kinds of recipes based on foods and meals people in these ancient civilizations ate. Onion and leeks are mentioned in Scripture as foods the Israelites ate in Egypt, so we included those foods in some of our recipes. We learned that the Persians loved desserts, so we had to find some Persian dessert recipes.
Then we adapted all the recipes to make them easy to cook and bake in our kitchen at home.
We’ve included all our Ancient History recipes in our Ancient History Cookbook.
You can purchase a print copy of Ancient History Cookbook at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip, TeachersPayTeachers, and right here on this site. Learn more here.
Middle Ages Food Fun!
Okay Let’s Have Our Own Medieval Banquet is not a cookbook, but it does have recipes!
Beyond planning a medieval banquet complete with protocol, costumes, and authentic recipes, Let’s Have Our Own Medieval Feast gives so much information about the Medieval Times. Learn about knights, castles, monks, monasteries, nobility, archery, and so much more! But, don’t forget to try out the recipes. Hey, you just might want to have your own Middle Ages Feast, too!
You can purchase a print copy of Let’s Have Our Own Medieval Feast at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip, TeachersPayTeachers, and right here on this site. Learn more here.
American History Food Fun!
We loved studying American History in the kitchen. We discovered all kinds of recipes from Native Americans, Founding Fathers, inns, and old cookbooks, including my mother’s and grandmother’s. What fun!
You can enjoy the fruit of our research in American History Cookbook.
You can purchase a print copy of American History Cookbook at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip, TeachersPayTeachers, and right here on this site. Learn more here
20th Century History Food Fun!
HIS Story of the 20th Century Cookbook includes recipes from each decade of the last century across the globe. You will also learn about new food inventions and what foods were popular. Most recipes have been adapted with easily found ingredients so you can cook and bake these dishes in your own kitchen. You don’t need to be a professional chef either. These recipes are easy to follow, and so is 20th century history when you learn it the fun way!
We’ve included all our 20th History recipes in our HIS Story of the 20th Century Cookbook.
You can purchase a print copy of HIS Story of the 20th Century Cookbook at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip, TeachersPayTeachers, and right here on this site. Learn more here.
And Don’t Forget Geography Fun!
Children will love browsing through Travel God’s World Cookbook, enjoying the flags, photos, and recipes. The list of “Places You Have To See” for each country is a great springboard for delight-directed and unit studies. Explore food continent by continent around the world!
We’ve included all our World geography recipes in our Travel God’s World Cookbook.
You can purchase a print copy of Travel God’s World Cookbook at Amazon. The E-book is available at PayHip, TeachersPayTeachers, and right here on this site. Learn more here.
I encourage you to study history in the kitchen. You will learn something and it will taste delicious.
Until next time, Happy Homeschooling!
Meredith Curtis
