MAKING HISTORY COME ALIVE
History is one of my favorite subjects to teach. Not only do I personally find the subject interesting, but there are so many things you can do that will take your history lessons up a notch and make them exciting for your kids!
Here are my top 5 suggestions for making history come alive:
1. CRAFTS
Studying Ancient Egypt? Make a death mask or gold bracelets from a toilet paper roll. Learning about Medieval Times? Decorate your own coat of arms and make a cardboard sword. The possibilities are endless for the things you can create for the time period you are learning about. If you feel stuck and can’t decide what craft you want to do, head to Pinterest or Google and you will be able to find a ton of ideas for a craft that will take your child back in time and having fun.
2. FIELD TRIPS
When I first started homeschooling 5 years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could plan a field trip for my kids on almost any subject or time period fairly close to my house.
Getting out and being able to explore in a more hands-on way what you have been learning about at home is a great way for history to become more real to your kids and to help cement in some really cool facts about that era. If you can’t find a place close to home, YouTube has some great virtual tours you can go on as well.
3. FIND A RECIPE
Cooking or preparing a snack together is another fun way to put yourself into the time and place you are learning about. You can just head right to Pinterest or Google to find something and then head to the store for ingredients. It doesn’t have to be a complex recipe either, for our study on Ancient Egypt, we had an easy snack of pomegranate seeds and apricots while we read about King Tut one afternoon.
4. FUN BOOKS
In our homeschool, we love cuddling up together on the couch while I read the kids a book after lunch. Some of our favorite books for history are the “Who Was…” series. They are short and filled with fun facts that are easy for kids to remember. You can find them on almost any subject or time period as well. I also like to keep 3-5 reference books on the time period we are learning about hanging around our school room that the kids can flip through whenever they want.
5. HISTORICAL FIGURE REPORT
This is a fun one! Either assign or let the children pick a historical figure from the time period you are learning about and have them fill out a short report about them. When everyone is finished with their reports, you can have them dress up as the person they wrote their report on and then give an oral report. My kids love playing dress-up nearly every day of the week, allowing them to come up with their own costumes and teach everyone else about the person they dressed up as is so fun for them and really helps history come alive.
Tia
ABOUT TIA from GENERATION EDUCATION
Hi, we're Tia & Rachel! Tia is a 4th year homeschooling momma to 4 & Rachel is a 1st year homeschooling momma to 2 + 1 on the way. We're passionate about family, education, and playtime! Our motto is "educating the next generation through homeschooling and play" and we can't wait to share our ideas with you!
