Historical Addiction: Making History Come Alive for Kids
“History is the core of knowledge,” says Sonia Warshawski, holocaust survivor and speaker from Prairie Village. But after a recent study showed that 77 percent of high school students in a neighboring state cannot name our country’s first president, it seems many kids are dwelling in the Dark Ages. Warshawski believes it is up to us, parents, to teach a love of history to our children. Here are some ideas to bring history home in fun, exciting ways.
Dig into Family Roots
Unearthing a nugget of history in their family line—a grandparent fighting a war, an ancestor championing the Underground Railroad—makes a historical event uniquely relevant to children. Daphne Lauber, a North Kansas City mom, was amazed at what a little bit of digging uncovered for her family:
“Two of our ancestors were hanged as witches during the Salem witch trials,” Lauber discovered, “and another escaped religious persecution on the Mayflower voyage.”
Begin by interviewing elderly family members. Riffle through old photographs, newspaper clippings and journals. Search hometown records or a genealogy database online—www.FamilySearch.org is a free resource.
Connect with Your Faith
Religion plays an enormous role in history. It has built and overthrown kings and empires, inspired and squelched movements of thought, forged alliances and spilled into battles, and preserved centuries-old texts.
If your family has a faith, devote time to exploring its origins. Research how its stories connect with ancient civilizations—Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Greco-Roman Empire. Examine its role in periods of history—the Middle Ages and Renaissance—or explore its contributions to the Modern Era.
Have a Party with Themes
Pick one theme and integrate it through multiple resources—movies, storybooks, projects, games and activities. Brenda and Judd Blake, from Shawnee Mission, decided to study the U. S. presidents with their three young kids. “We taped a poster on the refrigerator of the presidents to familiarize the kids with their faces and names. We’ll talk about their favorite foods and cook them. In honor of Abe Lincoln, we’re making fruit salad, cheese and crackers.”
Field Trips
The Kansas City area is rich in historic sites. Visit the United States’ official World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial. Stroll through old farm days at Deanna Rose Farmstead. Explore the Kansas City Museum, Steamboat Arabia or the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Take in the autumn smells and Cockney accents of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. More field trip fun is at your fingertips on the www.KCParent.com website and Kansas City Parent Magazine’s Facebook page.
Seek Out Primary Sources
Reaching older children with her holocaust story is Sonia Warshawski’s “greatest joy.” Warshawski is a treasure trove of wisdom and experience and offers it generously to those willing to listen. This, she says, is her purpose: that the silenced voices of her people will be heard through her so they will never be forgotten. Find people who have lived history—veterans, grandparents, elderly neighbors—and, together with your children, lend them your ears. Warshawski observes that children learning the rich history of our world are “much deeper, more understanding people. And this, right there, makes them different.”
Wendy Connelly’s two young children soak up family history with their grandmother and great grandmother. All four generations live in Overland Park.