by Louise LaBianca- 5/2021
INSPIRE PRIDE and Knowledge While CREATING and LEARNING
Learning history can be fun and inspiring in today’s classroom environment, while at the same time a unique way for children to gain self-esteem and pride in their cultural roots.
To instill a sense of pride in the young student, a variety of family-centered approaches with hands-on experience can be introduced. Ideas include sharing family mementoes, photos, and other treasures from home, shared in the classroom setting and the exchange of ideas can generate lively discussion among the students.
Grandparents are often great sources of inspiration for young children.
For example, a favorite grandfather was a classic car expert, and enjoyed bringing his two young grandsons along with him to classic car shows. Often the boys would learn about the history of car design and grew increasingly knowledgeable about car history. They began to collect a variety of special model cars and brought them to class, and shared them with the class. This hands-on lesson generated further discussion on the history of cars, and the boys felt a growing sense of self-esteem and pride in their knowledge taught by their grandfather.
PHOTO QUILTS
One grandmother had an especially close relationship with her granddaughter, an only child with a creative flair for art. The two formed a bond in their artistic endeavors over the years, and they began to collaborate on making photo quilts—quilts which incorporated family photos dating back several generations. Using the same historical framework, they also made collages and other fun projects which taught the young girl many historical facts about her ancestors and instilled a sense of pride while learning. She then shared some of her handiwork in a classroom presentation that had two positive effects: one, she enjoyed showing her classmates some of her designs and two, the sense of sharing family history also enhanced her self-esteem.
Teaching history need not be on such a personal level, however. Most young students enjoy the dramatic flair required of the “If I were president” game, which in some school districts has advanced to a competitive speech and debate level. For fun, the game allows the students to play-act and also to think about what is important to them on the world level and in their own communities. This is an especially fun and inspiring game for middle-schoolers, as Cora Lassen learned when she had the opportunity to give her speech at the Modern Woodmen of America regional speech competition in Rock Island, Illinois. Cora declares, “Being president would be even worse than being a celebrity,” and has also decided she would rather be on stage than to be either a speech-giver or a president. Yet the experience has taught her some fun aspects of learning history and performing in front of a large audience as well.
At Park Dale Lane School in San Diego County, one day every year is reserved for a historical dress-up day. Students wear fun and inspirational costumes that enhance their speech presentations, and provide them with memorable experience in addition to learning more about historical figures.
Marshall Duke, a noted psychologist at Emory University, advanced some interesting and inspirational ideas on the connection between children’s self-esteem and the importance of family. In his research that included a questionnaire for children, “Do You Know?” asking questions about grandparents and family events, Dr. Duke found that the more children know about their family’s historical background, the higher their self-esteem was. His advice to parents revolves around a unique and fun, personal theme: develop a strong family narrative. Tell your children about their quirky great-great aunt, or the time when your grandfather walked nine miles to school in a winter snowstorm, or any anecdotal story that enhances their knowledge about past family events.
There are limitless ideas on how to engage students in fun while learning history—costume design and acting out history, a weekly “meet and greet” with historic characters, and museum outings all have a fun and edutainment value for students of all ages. Another popular activity includes sharing food from various cultural backgrounds, as each student might be asked to bring a favorite family recipe to a potluck party at school. These fun activities are often favorites among home-schoolers who can take turns getting together at parks or each other’s homes in a variety of settings.
Museum outings and field trips to historical landmarks in local communities are always a favorite with young students. The Wells Fargo History Museum in the Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles is a fun example. Here the students have an opportunity to learn about life in the 1800s—including an original stagecoach and hands-on learning adventures about the gold mining days in California. Nearly every community has some unique place where students can learn more about their environment, whether it is in the area of natural history or cultural background. All of these experiences can add to their self-esteem and pride as they gain knowledge in an edutaining way. By taking pictures and gathering souvenirs during each of these memorable outings, students are certain to always remember the things they learned there.
