Right now is a notable time in our history and this is a great time to see how we, as a society, work through this challenge.  

So, right now we are making history and we are in an important social study.  Like I mentioned yesterday with science, there is no time like the present to discuss how our current state is impacting our history and society as a whole.  Subjects like History and Social Studies are not just taught in school to teach about important dates and facts but also as a way to understand our past, think critically about it and then use what we have learned to impact the future. Hopefully, that impact is for the better. 

Tip #12 Look at the past to make a better future

There may be lots of resources that your child’s teacher may have given your child to work on.  Textbook readings, packets and reports may all be on the to-do list. However, I encourage you to think about how to enrich that experience.  When my kids were in 6th grade, they were learning about early Mesopotamia. During that time, all the teachers in that grade got together and created a multi-educational experience.  They read the play “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, they acted out sections of the play, and they made food that closely related to the time period. This is an experience that they remember even still now. 

In high school, my kids had a similar experience where they were learning about the Civil War.  Several teachers collaborated to have students recreate a camp where teams of students worked together to create a presentation on different aspects of the war to share. The whole school would go and visit.  Similar to a science fair. Students created films, performed music, wrote poems, made replicas of artillery and recreated the living conditions from the era. 

Before, during and after these events, students were encouraged to ask questions, think critically and connect what they were learning to current circumstances. I am not saying that your work at home needs to be this elaborate. However, what aspects can you incorporate?  Can you find a book or poem that relates? Perhaps your child can create a comic strip to explain a particular concept? Is there a YouTube video that explains concepts in a fun and interesting way? Can you make recipes that can relate to the time period that is being studied? 

In addition, perhaps taking a tour through a museum can help support a current lesson or open up a new interest.  I know that all museums are currently closed but during this time they have created free virtual tours. The American Museum of Natural History, all of the Smithsonian museums, the Louvre, the Museum of Science in Boston, Mystic Seaport, Anne Frank House, the Holocaust Museum, the Intrepid Museum, lots of children’s museums and many more are offering online resources and videos.  All accessible from the comfort of your own home. What a great way to get to see something you may not have otherwise gotten the opportunity to!!