creativehistory

Creative History
How to Make History Fun!

History is one of those subjects that people seem to either love or dislike. Unfortunately, when I was in school, I happen to be one of those that disliked history. Now that I am all grown up and teaching my own children, I have found that my attitude towards learning this subject has taken a turn for the better. Since I retained almost nothing from my years of "learning" history in school, I am excited to learn this subject along with my children but this time, the right way! What is the 'right way'? Well, it is simply learning with an eager and open heart.

Looking back from my childhood perspective, I understand why history was a downright bore to me. First of all, it had no relevance to my current life experience. History and I had nothing in common...or so I thought anyway. The second reason was the WAY that history was taught to the classroom. Staring at chapters of dry text with antiquated pictures did not peak my interest in the slightest.

The Secret to Learning.....Spark an Interest!

As human beings it is in our nature to effortlessly retain information when we have a personal "tie" to it. This "tie" could be emotional (such as remembering an embarrassing moment which happened 20 years ago), relating to a personal life experience (such as talents or interests), or a conscious awareness of the value of the information (such as something that could save your life). Conversely, we have the tendency to file information that we have no "ties" with in our mind's trash bin. Just like a computer it sits there in our short term memory for a while but will eventually get deleted.

The best way to spark the desire to learn a subject (this case History) is to find those "ties" that spark an interest in your child. Once you know what that tie is for your child you can teach history, assured that the information is being anchored in their long term memory, not their short.

The following are some ideas on how to turn History into a kid friendly, hands-on experience. I encourage you to think out-of-the-box and come up with your own creative History plan tailored made to your child's personal learning style.

Artistic History -For the child that loves to draw!
This way of teaching involves mom (or an older sibling) reading the history text or story out loud while the student draws the history story he or she is hearing about. They can either draw a time line, a cartoon sketch of the events that unfold, maps or the characters involved. Be sure to have them write what the pictures are about, the names of the people, or the setting. When you are done reading, discuss their drawings and make suggestions on things they may have left out. What's great about this method is that you can teach History all year long this way!

Materials needed:
Blank sketching notepad
Colored pencils (crayons or markers)

Tip! Write short a short quiz on the back of the previous weeks drawings.

Drama History- For the imaginative child that loves to role play.
Act out the history lesson! This exercise is especially fun when you get several children involved. Have them act out a short dramatization of that days history lesson.

Materials needed:
Household items for props and costumes

Building History- For the child who likes to build and organize.
For this exercise the child builds a mini geographic scale of the historic event that is covered for that day. They can use things like legos, blocks or popsicle sticks for the setting and miniature figurines such as army men or McDonald Toys for the people. Any important "props" needed can be things around the house or toys as well. Below is an example of how a child might Build History with Legos when covering the main events of the Civil War.

Materials Needed:
Legos, popsicle sticks, house hold items, toy figurines

1. Decide which historic event you want "built" for that day. The child will need to first write an outline of the main events. The outline will act as their guide to what they will need to build for the setting, which props to get and the figurines they will need to represents the people.

2. Have them build an area that represents the North and South.If they are using Legos, they can make lines to represent the perimeter of the states. If you want them to be specific they can even build a square for each of the states.

3. Use props or household items to mark the important location or events. For example, tape the floor (with masking tape) bewteen the north and south states and write on it, "Mason Dixon Line", throw cotton balls on the southern states to represent cotton crops and slavery.

4.. Once all the main setting is in place the child can re-enact what they just learned using toy figurines (Ken Doll, army men, etc.) Make sure they follow the outline of events so they cover everything.