by Melanie Skelton
As a teen I was convinced I hated history. Of course, that was textbook history, not the kind of living history my children have been influenced by. It wasn’t until I spent 18 months in The Netherlands, where World War II left its devastating mark that I understood how interesting history is. Discussions with people who remembered the horrors which haunted their past and visiting the house where Ann Frank hid during that terrible siege on this small country made it real in my mind.
Educating our children at home gives us the opportunity to bring history to life for them. Though the Ann Frank house may not be in our realm of possibilities, history surrounds us. Our job is to help them live it.
The obvious way to begin doing this is to be cautious about using textbooks that focus on dates and battles. Though dates are important on your timeline and understanding battles adds to the overall picture of a war, children will better remember people. Focus on biographies and books that bring historical events to life, especially when they are forming that love of history. Reading about a person who fought in that battle will give a broader understanding of the sacrifice involved.
Keep a timeline. Whether it is on the wall or in a binder it will help your child put events in order as they learn about them.
Visiting museums lets children see interesting artifacts from different time periods. Some museums give you more than artifacts; they let you experience time travel. The Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois brings you face to face with lifelike wax figures of President Lincoln and his family and let’s you experience the places he lived from log cabin to the White House. You feel the rumble of cannons while watching the presentations on the Civil War and come to understand a bit of the task the man, Abraham Lincoln faced as our nation struggled with its differences.
Living history centers are another way to see history come to life. These are places where a historical village or setting is hosted by people in costume, playing the parts of people who would have lived in these settings. Your children may experience spinning wool or making soap in a pioneer or colonial village.
They may hear a beautiful story punctuated with the music of a celtic harp shared by players in costume at a Renaissance fair. If you want to really experience this type of history, look for an opportunity to volunteer, with your children of course, to be the players in such a setting.
Visiting museums and living history centers is not the only way to experience the costumes and the life of people from these other times though. Dress up at home with your children. Role-play the things you read about with or without costumes. If you are ambitious you may make a movie of the role playing that they can watch again later. Role-playing will bring history into your home and make it a part of your family memories.
One more way to connect with history is to learn about your own ancestry. Learning that your great-great-great grandpa told stories about marching in Sherman’s Army “and” chasing Billy the Kid is a reason to do some research on the possibilities of being involved in both. Finding a home that was owned by an ancestor in the 1800’s in a pioneer village helps children realize that their forefathers “were” pioneers. That is living history.
Bringing this love of history into the lives of your children will help them realize early in life that there is value in studying those who have come before us. They will learn lessons that will influence their lives and help them have a broad understanding of the things that have come before. History will live on in their minds.
Melanie Skelton has educated her six children at home for eight years. She is the co-founder of Utah Families Teaching at Home and assists in teaching workshops to empower and help home educators. She is the web designer for the website, found at http://www.utahfamilies.net/ and is in the process of co-authoring a book about home education. This book will help home educators better understand learning styles, personality styles and levels of learning. It will teach the reader how to apply this information to their home school and plan out a curriculum that will meet the needs of their children.
As a teen I was convinced I hated history. Of course, that was textbook history, not the kind of living history my children have been influenced by. It wasn’t until I spent 18 months in The Netherlands, where World War II left its devastating mark that I understood how interesting history is. Discussions with people who remembered the horrors which haunted their past and visiting the house where Ann Frank hid during that terrible siege on this small country made it real in my mind.
Educating our children at home gives us the opportunity to bring history to life for them. Though the Ann Frank house may not be in our realm of possibilities, history surrounds us. Our job is to help them live it.
The obvious way to begin doing this is to be cautious about using textbooks that focus on dates and battles. Though dates are important on your timeline and understanding battles adds to the overall picture of a war, children will better remember people. Focus on biographies and books that bring historical events to life, especially when they are forming that love of history. Reading about a person who fought in that battle will give a broader understanding of the sacrifice involved.
Keep a timeline. Whether it is on the wall or in a binder it will help your child put events in order as they learn about them.
Visiting museums lets children see interesting artifacts from different time periods. Some museums give you more than artifacts; they let you experience time travel. The Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois brings you face to face with lifelike wax figures of President Lincoln and his family and let’s you experience the places he lived from log cabin to the White House. You feel the rumble of cannons while watching the presentations on the Civil War and come to understand a bit of the task the man, Abraham Lincoln faced as our nation struggled with its differences.
Living history centers are another way to see history come to life. These are places where a historical village or setting is hosted by people in costume, playing the parts of people who would have lived in these settings. Your children may experience spinning wool or making soap in a pioneer or colonial village.
They may hear a beautiful story punctuated with the music of a celtic harp shared by players in costume at a Renaissance fair. If you want to really experience this type of history, look for an opportunity to volunteer, with your children of course, to be the players in such a setting.
Visiting museums and living history centers is not the only way to experience the costumes and the life of people from these other times though. Dress up at home with your children. Role-play the things you read about with or without costumes. If you are ambitious you may make a movie of the role playing that they can watch again later. Role-playing will bring history into your home and make it a part of your family memories.
One more way to connect with history is to learn about your own ancestry. Learning that your great-great-great grandpa told stories about marching in Sherman’s Army “and” chasing Billy the Kid is a reason to do some research on the possibilities of being involved in both. Finding a home that was owned by an ancestor in the 1800’s in a pioneer village helps children realize that their forefathers “were” pioneers. That is living history.
Bringing this love of history into the lives of your children will help them realize early in life that there is value in studying those who have come before us. They will learn lessons that will influence their lives and help them have a broad understanding of the things that have come before. History will live on in their minds.
Melanie Skelton has educated her six children at home for eight years. She is the co-founder of Utah Families Teaching at Home and assists in teaching workshops to empower and help home educators. She is the web designer for the website, found at http://www.utahfamilies.net/ and is in the process of co-authoring a book about home education. This book will help home educators better understand learning styles, personality styles and levels of learning. It will teach the reader how to apply this information to their home school and plan out a curriculum that will meet the needs of their children.
