Help your child write down some of the unwritten rules of your household. The civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt were each based on rivers. Use an atlas to play a game with your child in which he or she locates five major cities around the world that are also located on rivers. Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics, a system of writing that uses pictures to stand for ideas, words, or letters. Find a book that shows and translates Egyptian hieroglyphics and work with your child to write a short letter to another family member using hieroglyphics.
Historians often evaluate the positive and negative aspects of past civilizations.
Discuss with your child, or invite two or three other adults to discuss, what they consider to be the greatest achievements and the worst problems of the United States. With your child, follow stories about India in newspapers or radio or television news reports over the course of several days. Note any references to geographical features, then locate these features on a map of India. Buddhist teachings focus on how people should think and act. With your child, find five to seven photographs of different Hindu temples in a book or magazine.