It's hip to be Perseus.

In case you hadn't noticed, Ancient Greece is cool again.

The 2010 Winter Olympics open on Friday night, of course. Those started in Greece, you know. (Homeschoolers, get your Olympics' unit study resources here, here and here.)

I picked up "Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome" from the library, and we'll probably do a project or two this week, and make a Greek feast for the Opening Ceremonies. The book includes sections on history, food, clothing, art, science and more. (If the library wants it back, they're going to have to race me for it!)

And, as if the Olympics, Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, and Presidents Day weren't enough excitement for one weekend, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," based on the first novel of the Greek-mythology-filled series, also opens on Friday!

Scott, Eldest and Middlest finished the book tonight and are SO excited to see the film. In the meantime, we're reading "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths." They love finding the connections between the original stories and the modern Percy Jackson version.

Memoria Press has an interesting article regarding whether Christians should study pagan myths, in case the idea bothers you. My boys are very clear about the "gods" being false gods, and simply characters in the Greek's stories.

The D'Aulaires book is a classic, filled with vivid storytelling and beautifully detailed illustrations. You can probably find it at your library, if it's not already checked out. You can even find literature guides to go with it, if you like, here and here.

I'm also planning to read the boys "The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy". If I tell them it's about a war, I have no doubt they'll sit and listen.

Scott's also anticipating the remake of the 1981 film "Clash of the Titans," which opens in March and also features the Greek demigod Perseus as its hero. It looks very intense, heavy on the digital monsters and lots of action.

I'll probably skip that one. Netflix has the original "Clash" on instant download, which will likely seem mild (dare I say, vintage?) in comparison.

So, yeah, two movies about Greek myths in the same season -- maybe filmmakers are taking their trend cues from classical homeschoolers. ;)