Thomas County third graders traveled into the past through their annual study of Ancient Greece at Cross Creek Elementary School. Lynnette Fykes, Morgan Taylor, Jen Mobley, and Marnee Stone conducted a rotation of interactive activities aimed at reviving the dress, foods, art, culture, government, and language of Ancient Greece. 

“It is not your ordinary history lesson,” Fykes said. “It’s engaging and fun for students during this third-grade unit of study.” 

“We’ve been celebrating ‘Ancient Greece Day’ for eight or more years,” said Stone. “It was started to help the students get more interested in learning about Ancient Greece when it was a social studies standard.” 

The event is now an added enrichment because of the application of the wide-ranging discipline of the classics in academic areas such as history, archaeology, art, mythology and philosophy. 

In addition to dressing up in various Greek costumes, students rotated through different stations to learn more about life in Ancient Greece. Students created a Greek story vase, enjoyed mythology in Readers’ Theatre, participated in Greek dancing, wrote their names using the Greek Alphabet, molded a Greek clay medallion, and crafted a shield.  

The favorite rotation is the Mini-Olympics, which is complete with a foot race, javelin throw, and “Gladiator vs. Beasts” (traditional Sharks and Minnows).

The day ended with a Greek feast provided by students’ families who help bring in foods like olives, hummus, grapes, raisins, fruits, nuts, and dates. Students are encouraged to taste each food, rank how they like it, and add a note of their thoughts about it to share with their families.

Students were able to understand the connection between Ancient Greece and the impact of its government and culture on the rest of the world.  

“We want our students to be well-rounded and open to the understanding of events and things that they may not experience in the classroom, and to increase their awareness of the world around them outside of school,” said Taylor.