Textbooks are great for giving timelines and facts, and recently they’ve undergone many improvements that generally make them more fun and hands on. But relying on them only gives you HALF of the story! The writers and editors have sifted through to give only the most important things that happened over a given period of time – generally leaving out many things about the culture and everyday lives of the general population. But, they make a good jumping off point. So, how can you fill in the blanks?

Movies: There are some great historical movies out there that cover periods from the beginning of time to more modern events. Even comedies can be useful in the study of history. Some examples:

- A Knights Tale: It provides not only a great story about medieval Europe, but also gives the opportunity to discuss what things they did have, and what they didn't have back then. (In this case, they juxtapose Rock Music with historical contexts.)

- The Princess Bride: A look into Renaissance culture, and a good story to boot!

- Robin Hood, Men in Tights: A very silly look at medieval culture.

There are also movies – such as Gettysburg, or The Patriot – which are more appropriate for older audiences, but which are useful in studying history none-the-less. If you have the time to edit out the scenes which might be too intense for your child, I highly suggest it. (Or, you could follow the time honored traditions of flipping the channel for a few minutes or fast forwarding!) Also, don’t be afraid to introduce your kids to black and white movies, either. They not only tell their story, but the story of early movie making!

Books: If there are a lot of historical movies, there are even more historical books! Anything that was written in a past period can be, at the very least, used to study the author’s culture. If the book is above your child’s reading level, it might provide a good opportunity for togetherness – find time to read it together, or get an audio version and listen while you’re in the car. Then talk about the story and the characters. Examples include:

- Johnny Tremain: The story of a teenager during the American Revolution. It’s
got a little of everything: Adventure, Romance, teenage struggles. Really a good book!

- Little Women: A classic, set during the American Civil War. It’s a look at life on the home front.

- The Magic Treehouse series – This series is a fun look at different time periods (And, as of September 2008, the restaurant chain “Wendy’s” is offering Audiobook copies with their kid’s meals!)

- The American Girl series – each character is from a different time, and there are some great accessories to help facilitate learning!

Note: I highly suggest previewing supplemental material for your kids. As a parent, you know what your child is intellectually ready for. Trust your own instincts.

Music: Though out most of human history, and pretty much every culture, you can find examples of music. Keeping in mind the fact that recording devices are a relatively modern invention, it may be more difficult to find good examples of past music. But, though the efforts of historically-minded musicians, a lot of music from past periods has been reproduced to the best of our abilities. It’s possible to find examples of music that has roots in the time before Ancient Rome and Greece. The best way to find these examples is to do an internet search.

Other ways to connect with history?

Look up art from that culture and use what it depicts and how it was produced to learn about an event or a culture. Or, make your own art about a particular event!

Go see, participate in, or read aloud a theatrical play about the time period you’re studying – the example that comes to mind first is Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare; it’s not only a look at Ancient Rome, but also at Elizabethan England!

Play Dress Up and pretend you’re living in a different time and place.

Write your own history! It can be about yourself, someone in your family, or it can be about something you imagine taking place in the past using the people and dates that you know!

Visit some history! (This is one of my favorites!) You don’t have to go far from home to learn about the way things were! Chances are good that somewhere close by you have a memorial to a past war, a home that belonged to an important historical figure, a park named for someone important or interesting, or a spot where someone important visited. At the very least, you can talk about when your town, city or state came into being… How your country came into being… Or what life was like before all of that!

The biggest thing to keep in mind is what interests your little learner! If you drag them from historic home to historic home and they don’t see them as anything more than “Dead People’s Houses” they won’t much out of the visits.