Using the Internet to Teach Your Kids History and Current Events
With classroom budgets being slashed every year, parents have to pick up the slack and expose their children to learning opportunities. Fortunately, the online world is filled with teaching tools — if you’re savvy about searching for them. And since children are so hip, using the Internet for teaching is totally natural for them. I watched my four-year-old nephew navigate YouTube looking for space shuttle launch videos and footage of tornadoes, so it should be a piece of cake for older children.
There are plenty of opportunities for learning in odd places, for example, in the world of vintage art. Digitized old postcards, greeting cards, magazine pages and other “ephemera” contain a view of history that’s quite revealing. The following vintage images are great examples of online materials that can be used for teaching:
Free Vintage Travel Posters
Children will enjoy learning about their world if you expose them to free vintage travel art. These walks down memory lane not only teach about the destinations, but also about how people used to view them.
Old Sailing Ships Paintings and Photos
There’s a lot of fascinating information to be found when studying tall ships. From pirate and slave ships, to Orient clippers and multi-masted, ocean-going vessels, there are interesting details bound to catch any child’s imagination.
American Icon Postcards
There was a remarkable selection of postcards created that honored American presidents, statesmen and even heroines. As a matter of fact, these used to be very popular. From pictures of George Washington to cards with pictures of Betsy Ross and John Adams to fictional American icons like Uncle Sam, the Internet is full of antique pictorial references. Many tell stories along with the pictures, making them a great source of mini history lessons.
Colonel Stoopnagle Tales
Spoonerisms for children hail from the early- to mid-Twentieth Century, created by Reverend W.A. Spooner and made famous by Frederick Chase Taylor, a radio comedian, performing under the name Colonel Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle. These twisted fairy tales swap the first letter or phonetic sound of one word with the next word or a word that falls a few words away. Authentic examples from Spooner himself include “cattle ships and bruisers” for “battleships and cruisers” and “a blushing crow” for “a crushing blow”. Besides being funny, these mangled mash-ups also teach children to play with language.
Victorian Fashion Illustrations
Studying fashion doesn’t have to be frivolous or only for children who want to go on to become fashion designers, if it promotes an understanding of the way people used to live. Studying Victorian costumes how different life was almost two centuries ago. At the very least, they’ll get a better perspective on just how good their lives are now!
Current Events Teaching Resources
But history isn’t the only place you’ll find subjects suitable for teaching on the Internet. You just have to watch out for impartiality. As an example, there are probably a lot of parents who don’t like President Obama’s policies. But they shouldn’t let that stop them from using free Obama clipart, free Barack Obama photos or even Michelle Obama paper dolls to create lesson plans. In fact, one open-minded homeschooling mom accessed all three to make a large, interactive tally board for her children during the last presidential election. It wasn’t about her political views, As a result or her impartial way of conveying the information. Due to her neutral presentation, her kids are now better equipped to make their own decisions when it comes to politics.
Remember, kids are like sponges, so giving them balanced information is important. That emphasis on fairness will bear sweeter fruit for them later on in their lives. Who knows, one of the children you’re teaching could be the president some day!
