Famous Men of Greece · Intro, part 2 · Unit 1: The gods and the first heroes

2. The Gods of Greece (III–IV): the children of Jupiter

Goal: Your child can name the main sons and daughters of Jupiter and what each was the god or goddess of.

⏱ About 25 minutes · 6 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • A notebook or paper and colored pencils
  • The god cards from last time, plus blank cards

What's in the book

Sections III and IV of the Introduction: Mercury the messenger, Vulcan the blacksmith, Mars, Apollo and Diana, Minerva born from Jupiter's head, Venus and Cupid, Iris, the Graces, the Furies, the Fates, and the gods' home on Mount Olympus.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Use last time's cards. Ask your child to name the six gods and what each ruled.

  2. Read the chapter together

    Read pages 15–19 aloud, or let your child read and help with the hard names. Stop at "made their home there," just before the heading "Deucalion and the Flood".

    The book uses Roman names: Mercury (Greek Hermes), Vulcan (Hephaestus), Mars (Ares), Diana (Artemis), Minerva (Athene), Venus (Aphrodite), Cupid (Eros).

  3. Narration

    Close the book. Ask your child to tell the story back in their own words, from the beginning. Don't correct as they go; just listen. If they get stuck, use a prompt:

    - How was Minerva born?

    - Why was Vulcan lame?

    - What did each of the three Fates do?

    - Where did the gods go to live at the end?

  4. Talk it over

    Ask:

    1. What do Mercury's winged sandals tell you about his job?

    2. What do people mean when they say a man "is an Apollo"?

    3. Could Jupiter change what the Fates decided?

  5. Words we still use

    Some of these names are still around us. The planets Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter are named after Roman gods. A cereal is food made from grain, from Ceres. Ask your child if they can think of other places they have heard these names.

  6. Add to your cards

    Make cards for Mercury, Vulcan, Mars, Apollo, Diana, Minerva and Venus, each with a symbol: winged sandals, hammer, sword, sun and lyre, moon and bow, armor or owl (your choice), and so on.

    Not even Jupiter could change the plans of the Fates.

Afterwards

Play a quick matching game with all the cards: show a symbol, your child names the god.

Tip

The book says Diana was goddess of the moon and Apollo of the sun. Children love the twins idea: sun and moon, each with a silver bow.

Answers to the book's problems

1. He was the messenger of the gods and needed to travel fast. 2. That he is very handsome in face and form. 3. No. Whatever the Fates said must happen always happened.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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