Geography study: First stop Europe

The focus of our social studies this year is cultural geography.  We are using Bob Jones University 9th grade geography book as our spine this year.

We started off with Europe.  We are about to finish up with Great Britain and move on to one of the other countries in Europe but Great Britain has so much information, we are having a hard time getting out!  I also thought it would be fun to investigate a few haunted areas in Europe since it is almost Halloween, and it turns out, that is a very good idea since London is the most haunted capitol in the world.  I had no idea!  Before I get side tracked, here are a few of the topics we focused on while in the British Isles.

*Factoids:

*The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

*Famous Brits include Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Princess Diana, Michael Faraday, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkein, and Charles Dickens.

*The longest river is the River Thames.

*In Chester one can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow on the inside of the city walls after midnight.

*The name Big Ben actually refers to the big bell in the clock tower and the actual clock is officially known as the "Clock Tower."  This is also the most important tourist attraction.

*The telephone was invented by British inventor Alexander Graham Bell.

*The first steam locomotive was invented by Richard Trevithick.

*British inventor John Logie Baird invented the television in 1925.

*French was the official language for 300 years.

*There are more chickens in England than humans.

*In the Medieval Times, an animal could be put on trial for crimes and sentenced to death. (This is a weird one).




*England is the home to the prehistoric monument known as the Stonehenge.  Stonehenge is on the most famous sites in the world. The Stonehenge is believe to be built anywhere from 3000 BD to 2000 BC.  What exactly is the Stonehenge?  No one knows for sure but it is believed it could be a type of calendar, a burial ground, a healing center, or a sun temple.

We also did a few outline maps, as well as learning the most important current events and facts about the United Kingdom.

Now for some spooky British info.

London Bridge is rumored to be haunted.  Many eyewitnesses have reported seeing a woman wearing black roaming the bridge at night, and if that is not creepy enough, it turns out that a Plague Pit which contained a large collection of skeletons was discovered in 2007 at the bridge, London Tombs.

 Construction crews refused to work at that section of the bridge alone.  The London Bridge is also where the Tudors used to impale the heads of traitors and criminals via spikes along the bridge.  They wanted to make sure you understood what could happen to you if you were not loyal.

Another famous haunted site is the Tower of London.  The Tower of London is one of the top visitor attractions in London.  It is said that the tower is home to many inhabitants-the undead kind.  Many hangings, tortures, murders, executions, and beheadings took place there and don't forget, this is where Richard III allegedly murdered his nephew, the Prince, in order to be next on the throne.  What a nice guy!

If you plan on going to London, you can go back in time and experience something similar to what really may have happened on the bridge or in the tombs here.  Before you book your ticket to London, be warned, there have been many recounts of the ghosts of some of the victims of Jack the Ripper still linger on the streets and can be seen and heard at various times. (Insert manacle laugh here!)  As you can probably tell, I get a little side tracked when I am interested in something.

Great Britain science kids
Wiki Stonehenge
Haunted London
Top ten British inventions
More on Jack the Ripper
London Tower

All images from the web.