Mix It Up

Blending other subject areas into the study of history also helps children remember better what they have learned. Hulcy likens the study of history to observing a three-dimensional sculpture. If we look at a sculpture from one angle only, we will have an incomplete concept of the whole. If, however, we walk around the sculpture, noting the angle of the head, the placement of the feet, the posture of the back, the expression of the face—examining every detail from every angle—we will form an entirely different impression of the masterpiece. We add depth to our children’s study of history in the same way. This kind of discovery experience causes children to own the knowledge; ownership, making history a part of themselves, allows children to recall the experience and related facts even years later.

Make It Fun

We have addressed two important ingredients for our “sticky history” formula: discovery learning and integrating subjects. However, we are still missing an important element. That element is fun. Wait! Please hear me out. I stand among you as a mom concerned that today’s children are addicted to entertainment. We do not want to encourage that addiction, and I am not endorsing fun in the self-focused sense of seeking more pleasure through entertainment. Yet, fun isn’t all bad. Hulcy tells us, “I can attempt to force my children to pay attention with threats. Or by the way I teach, I can motivate my children to want to pay attention from inside themselves. Motivation is far easier than force and has fewer tears attached.”

When we use purposeful fun to teach history, we serve our children by opening up new horizons that will enrich their lives and may eventually translate to vocations or ministries.

Any formula will fail if the elements sit independently on the counter. Someone must care enough to combine them. In our adhesive-making formula, the parent completes the picture. Our children crave our involvement. We have all heard the words, “Mom, come see!” or “Dad, will you do something with me?” We will likely influence our children to loathe history or love it based on whether we choose to discover its truths with our children or remain aloof. This is where we set aside the laundry or our need for “alone time” and consider our children’s need for interaction first (Phil. 2:3-4).

Trying a new formula involves risk (at least perceived risk), and formulating sticky history is no different. In this case, we must break free from a previous bond to the scope and sequence approach to learning. Hulcy, who taught in public schools before coming home to teach her own children, explains that the public school system designed scope and sequence because teachers frequently moved on. The scope and sequence approach provided a standard to ensure that teachers covered everything necessary and that students would complete a full course of study regardless of teacher turnover. While you need to follow an obvious sequence for math and phonics, I encourage you to break the bonds for history and other topics and use only a suggested scope as a checklist to be sure that you teach vital topics. We want history that sticks to brains, not brains gummed up by irrelevant frameworks.