Living History

Living history as a teaching tool

Imagine being able to travel back in time and be in the audience while Abraham Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address. Or wearing a beaver hat as you walk with Daniel Boone through the Cumberland Gap.
Providing our children with these types of experiences through “living history” events will help them connect to the events more emotionally and remember them more deeply.

I remember shortly after my first daughter was born, my parents telling me about a Civil War reenactment that would be happening near me that they would really like us to go to together.
I was so excited, selfishly not because of the weird historical event they wanted me to go to with them, but because it meant they would be spending the weekend, and I was feeling overwhelmed with my new baby.

A new tradition begins

They came. We went. It was loud, but my newborn daughter slept through it. Fast forward to the next year (and the one after that and the one after that…), they came to visit for the weekend, and we went again(and again and again…). It became a tradition. One that I will forever cherish, as will all my children.

For the first few years, I was just excited that my parents would come visit for a weekend. But, over the years, it definitely morphed into something completely different. My children started wanting to dress up and act out some of the things they saw while there. We slowly acquired enough Civil War items to start our own small museum. The kids didn’t just enjoy the loud “booms” of cannons and guns; they also learned so much about the Civil War and what it was like to live during that time period. I’d often find them checking out books from the library about the Civil War, along with biographies of people one of the speakers there had mentioned.

By the time my daughter was 5, she knew more about the Civil War than I did! It was crazy! It definitely made me reflect and realize that this type of activity was something I wanted to include more of in our lives.
Immersing ourselves in learning. Living history whenever it was possible.
I was always on a quest, one that I am still on, to bring history to life for my children whenever possible. Although this hands-on type of learning didn’t stick with just history, it also moved on to the fields of science, nature, sports, art, etc; But living history always has and always will hold one of the most special places in my heart.

I find it so heartwarming when my adult children still reminisce so warmly about these Civil War reenactments.

So what is it about living history that makes it so memorable for children?

Living history turns abstract facts into real, sensory experiences. Through reenactments, artifacts, and storytelling, children will connect emotionally to the figures and the events. They will understand how people lived and oftentimes understand why they lived the way they did and how that led to certain events happening.

Sure, kids could memorize the dates, events, and names, but it wouldn’t feel relevant and meaningful.

For example, you can tell your children about the food the soldiers in the Civil War had to eat. They will hear you and possibly even remember.
Or, they can go to a reenactment, watch “soldiers” cooking the food outside over the open fire and then taste it.
Of the two, which do you think they’ll remember more? Which one would you remember more? Which one will spark more curiosity and questions? Which will lead to our children “cooking” Civil War-era food in their play kitchens?

Now that you’ve heard me talk about the Civil War reenactments we attend, you may be wondering what other living history events you could look for in your area.

Some of my recommendations:

Reenactments(war, battles, etc)
Encampments
Colonial-era festivals
Frontier or homesteading demonstrations
Historical farm days
Renaissance fairs
Native American heritage events
Seasonal events at places where actors recreate daily life
Pirate festivals
Medieval tournaments
Historic town museums

As you can see, the list of possible living history events is long. Depending on where you live, you will find more or fewer of these types of events.
I’d love to hear about any living history events you have attended! Please share 🙂

If you’d like some ideas about SUMMER BOREDOM BUSTERS, please check out my post here:https://learningisawayoflife.com/summer-boredom-busters/

Feeling like a pioneer in this prairie dress! Perfect for historical events and reenactments.https://amzn.to/4y6OMxT