TrrIMMED

So what does learning history by discovery look like in our homes? The following suggestions might be summed up as Sticky History for Dummies (like me). I have arranged these suggestions so that the first letters form the acronym TRrIMMED. Think of your package of sticky history being TRrIMMED with a lovely bow of discovery learning.

Toss the Text?

For some moms, the first item in the acronym sounds like a license to toss the text, but not so fast! Jan Bloom, in her book Who Should We Then Read?, defends texts when she states, “A good textbook is like a guide pointing out the particulars of the scenery on a tour through time.” She cautions us, however, to choose texts carefully. You will find insight for making text choices in the introductory pages of her book and in Cathy Duffy’s 100 Top Picks.

Read Real

Bloom compares texts to grocery lists, giving dates, names, and descriptions. In Who Should We Then Read? she tells us, “This is useful information for comparisons and record keeping, but the numbers are easily forgotten. If, however, the shopping list is used to recall what was created with the ingredients listed; what it looked like, how it tasted, when, and with whom it was enjoyed, the memory remains long after the ink on the list has faded . . . when the stories of people and their predicaments are told with skill and vividness, history becomes memorable.”

Reading real books from various genres, especially biography, historical fiction, and nonfiction, enriches our children’s understanding of history. You will find excellent sources for suggested history-related reading in Duffy’s and Bloom’s books, with Duffy’s suggestions listed by historical period.

Recently, our 21-year-old son returned home for an extended stay. I felt convicted to renew my commitment to read aloud with my family when he remarked, “Mom, why aren’t you reading together in the evenings? It’s one of my best memories from growing up.” Reading aloud strengthens the family bond while it enhances children’s grasp of history.

Role Play and Reenact

Your daughter won’t soon forget taking a gallop around the yard on a stick horse dressed as Queen Elizabeth I in all her finery. Your son will form lasting memories of past explorers when, dressed in buckskins, he paddles his cardboard canoe in the basement. Make costumes, even simple ones, and have your children reenact great moments in history. When your child wonders, “What was it like to wash clothes by hand in a wooden tub?” simulate the pioneer experience in your backyard or basement. As children role-play the history they study, they form more tangible memories that stick so they can recall them later.