HELP YOUR CHILD SUCCEED Book Six: HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN HISTORY WITH ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN AGED 4 TO 11. History enables your child to understand our nation's traditions, its conflicts, and its central ideas and values, and understand other cultures.

SNEAK PEAK:

HELPING YOUR CHILD LEARN HISTORY

WITH ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN AGED 4 TO 11

By Elaine Wrisley Reed

Edited by Jacquelyn Zimmermann and Russell J. Hall

Contents

Introduction

History Education Begins at Home

Children and History
Parents Make a Difference
History Is a Habit
Enjoying Your Child and History

The Basics of History

The Meanings of History
A New Look at History
Asking Questions

Activities: History as Story

What's the Story?
Our Town
History on the Go
What's News?
History Lives
Cooking Up History
Rub Against History

Activities: History as Time

Time Marches On
Weave a Web
Put Time in a Bottle
Quill Pens & Berry Ink
School Days
Time To Celebrate
The Past Anew

Appendices

Parents and the Schools
What We Can Do To Help Our Children Learn

INTRODUCTION

Imagine waking up one morning to find out that you have no
memory! You are not able to remember who you are or what happened
in your life, yesterday or the day before that. You are unable to
tell your children from total strangers, you cannot communicate
with people because you no longer know how to greet them, or
understand their conversation. You don't remember what "the
election," "war," or "the cinema" mean.

Lack of historical memory is parallel to this loss of individual
memory. The link on which we depend every day between the past
and present would be lost if we had no memory of our history. And
we would miss a great source of enjoyment that comes from piecing
together the story of our past.

Today educators are working to promote the study of history in
the schools and at home. Knowledge of our history enables us to
understand our nation's traditions, its conflicts, and its
central ideas and values. Knowledge of world history enables us
to understand other cultures.

We hope to encourage children to love history and to enjoy
learning about it. This booklet is a tool you can use to
stimulate your children's active involvement in the history that
surrounds them every day. It includes:

* Basic information about history, and approaches to enjoying
history with your children, aged 4-11;

* History activities that you and your children can do -- at
home, in your community, and out of town -- for no or little
cost; and

* History resources in your community and nationally, in
bookshops, and libraries.

HISTORY EDUCATION BEGINS AT HOME

Children and History

As parents we are in the best position to encourage our
children's natural interest in history. It is to us they address
their first historical questions: "Where did I come from?" and
"Was I always here?" These two questions contain the two main
meanings of "history": it is the story of people and events, and
it is the record of times past.

Now is the time to bring out the historical evidence and to
share family stories with your child. Birth and adoption
certificates, immunisation records, first pieces of your child's
writing and art, as well as photographs all count as historical
sources that tell the story of your child.

The stories you tell and read to your children, or make up with
them, are part of their cultural heritage and reinforce the two
basic parts of history: "Once upon a time, and long ago."

Parents Make a Difference

Your child is born into history. She has no memory of it, yet
she finds herself in the middle of a story that began before she
became one of its characters. She also wants to have a place in
it.

As parents we can prepare our children to achieve the lifelong
task of finding their place in history by helping them to learn
what shaped the world into which they were born. Without
information about their history, children don't "get" a lot of
what they hear and see around them.

Your attitude about history can also make a difference for your
child. Showing your interest in history -- your belief that
knowing history makes a difference for your life -- encourages
your child's own interest.

Many parents say they love history. If you are one of them you
can share your particular interests in history with your children
as well as help them develop their own.

Many other parents say they find history boring. If you are
among these, try one of the following: start writing your own
life story; read the diary of Anne Frank, or the autobiography of
Winston Churchill;

TO BE CONTINUED... Buy now and enjoy the contents in full!