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| Renaissance Fair Marketplace |
The school year is now in full swing and as
many parents heave a sigh of relief now that they have a few hours to
themselves or enjoy a real, hot cup of coffee, millions of children find
themselves back in orderly classroom rows. The troops are in training and
elementary and secondary school centurions are urging them on. The homework has
begun, as well as the early morning battles for what to wear and how much to
eat. Legions can’t go far on empty stomachs!
I am still traumatized by early September,
the memories of the end of Summer still all too vivid in my mind. I remember
detesting school. Yes, it’s true. Sadly, most of my teachers were just bitter
and had been at it far too long to get any joy out of it. I used to feel
chained to my desk during the day. The ultimate terror, of course, was the
threat of being called to the front of the class to answer some math problem
that was more confusing to my primary school mind than deciphering Egyptian
hieroglyphs. And sadly, when it came to history lessons, everybody groaned.
History does not have to be boring!
I’m always trying to find ways to entertain
and teach my own kids about history and, in truth, it is not very difficult
because they love it. Of course, travelling to ancient or medieval sites and
telling stories about those sites is one of the best and most fun ways to learn
– turn it into an adventure! But, unless you live in the UK and Europe ,
this won’t exactly work as a weekend outing.
However, there are many fun things you can
do. How about dressing up the kids (and yourself if you dare) and hitting the
local Renaissance Fair where you can roam the marketplace looking for
historical replicas, plush swords and of course the standard smoked turkey leg.
Or you could head out to your local museum where, especially at the biggies,
you can see suits of armour, swords and lots of gold. If your kids like to
draw, bring along some paper and markers and have them sketch.
Kids love stories too and there are so many
tales from mythology, ancient and medieval traditions, that you can tell a
different one every day. Some are bloodier than others so you may have to tone
it down for the wee ones but for older kids, that may just be the thing to grab
their interest.
And that’s what it is all about, grabbing
their interest.
Many people don’t like the idea of using
films to teach history but I have always been a big fan of this. Kids are very
visual and need visual aid. Movies, whether Robin Hood, Braveheart or Ben Hur,
can ignite interest and spur a whole load of questions which can be encouraged
thereafter. It doesn’t have to be academic, just interesting. Once they are
into it they will read all on their own. Just be sure to highlight what things
are real and what are made up at times. Listen to some period music (or ‘Castle
Music’ as my kids call it) and look at a reference book with coloured pictures.
Have a medieval meal at home with clay cups and all or, if you can handle it,
take everyone down to Medieval Times to eat chicken with your hands and watch
the staged combat. The kids will love it and, if you let loose and yell along
with the crowd, so will you.
If you need some ideas there are many
resources on-line that offer some great suggestions. The BBC History has a lot of great information and even some colouring pages for different
periods from Stonehenge to the Vikings and
more.
The National Geographic Archive on-line also has some great teacher aids that
could also be adapted to guide you at home. If you want something ancient, they
even have lessons on practical topics such as Greek and Roman Land Use,
handy if your kids are learning about history and the environment at school.
If ancient Rome
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