The 1400s saw the beginning of a new age of exploration. As European countries sought to expand their empires, trade networks expanded, and the world began a very slow process of globalisation.
We journeyed with several explorers, having 1600s pirate fun along the way and learning about the places they visited and the issues they caused/faced.
We used an explorer book, studied the globe and world maps, and looked at the routes the explorers took.
We spent some time looking at serious issues like the Transatlantic slave trade. Sunbaby was sad about this, and we talked it through insofar as she was able to process it for her age.
We also took lighthearted, comedic approaches to raise awareness of imperial imposition without the more sombre dynamics, such as the creation of our own European diseases.
The explorers we studied were:
Marco Polo and the Silk Road
Vasco da Gama and his journey to India
Christopher Columbus and the New World
Ferdinand Magellan and his journey around South America
Hernando de Cortés and the Aztecs
Francisco Pizarro and the Incas
Captain James Cook and Australia
Maritime fun: making whirlpools and jellyfish swirls
Captain Jame Cook
