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We learn from the last general election that there was a lot of misinformation coming at people from many directions. When schools stopped teaching civics, we as a nation stopped understanding how government works and using critical thinking in our due diligence. As you travel or learn from home, I hope you will work to supplement your child’s education by adding social studies lessons. – Erin
1. Reading about what’s happening locally can help you discover and learn a lot about a place. Local newspapers are fading, but if you can find one, enjoy a quiet morning with your child at a local coffee shop. Grab a few pastries, each with a section, looking for a local story to share. Discuss current local events in the place you are visiting. Discover notable people or talk about reported laws or new measures in place. You can learn a lot about a place and how it works just by picking up the paper.
2. Look for community art that tells the story of a place. There is so much to learn in local and community arts. We learn about different events and struggles that people have experienced, and that leaves the door open to discussing these events with our children. When we travel, we often drive through a city, looking for murals.
3. Discuss the history of the location you are in. If you are in a National Park, discuss how it was protected and what types of laws would need to be put in place to give it national protection. If you are in Boston, take the Boston Tea Party self-guided tour and discuss the history of taxation in our country. These pieces of history are all around us.
4. If time permits, schedule a volunteer experience during your trip. If time doesn’t permit, that’s okay. Find a local organization that does good for the community and see how you can support them when you travel. They may have a donation box or storefront that you can support. Also discuss what that organization had to do to become established and recognized as a leader in the community, what laws are in place to ensure they take the appropriate action, etc.
5. Talk about local civil discourse and how it shaped and shaped the mindset of a location. For example, visit the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which is built around the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered. What was the impact on the city after his death? How did that broaden or break the movement? If you’re in San Francisco, discuss the programs created by the Black Panther movement, such as being responsible for creating the Percussor to Head Start and the National Free Lunch Program.
Resources to enjoy at home with your children:
Books
Websites
Movies for your older children
Podcasts
Let’s have fun together and teach your children to be travelers, not just tourists, as we bring the world around us into our homes through art, design, music, food, nature and more.
