If you have been using our lesson notes, or if you are just browing, you will find that they are based on events that happened on the day the notes were written for. That is - they are based on historical happenings in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Many parents find it easier (though not EASY!!) to teach their children maths and English, and many children will enjoy learning science, but fewer enjoy history and even fewer parents find it easy to teach. Why is this? I suggest that maybe our own history education was dull and uninspiring and quite possibly, we did not realise the significance of it. I hope that as you have used our lesson notes, (or will find if you start to use them), that history is far from dull! We hope also that you will see how easily hsitory can act as a springboard into learning into other subjects. We tend to split education into subject compartments, but in reality, life is not that simple and there is much overlap between them. That makes history an ideal vehicle for education at any time, but especially during this period of emergency home-schooling. But let's stop there for a minute and think why a good education in history is important. Here are some ideas: ...our history is not only part of our culture, it is the road map to our identity. More, it tells us who we are. Ignorance of our national history – national amnesia – exposes us to those who wish to change this country forever. Furthermore, ignorance of the past means we are condemned to repeat it. As Christians we go further: History is the story of God's providence and of his church! We need to ask: How did the events of the day work out to the spiritual good of God's people? What were the ideas that drove people to act in the way they did and how did those ideas either depart from, or draw on God's Word? These are the things that interest us. As Christians we should not just want our children to learn a list of facts and figures, but to understand how God has worked and is still working. We do need to understand the past, so that we can interpret NOW according to God's Word and to examine our place here and now in time. The Bible is HIS story. As Christians we want our history to be as accurate as possible. Our main history textbook should be our Bible. Regular family Bible times are great opportunities for first reading and then helping your children to apply what as been learned to the current and past situations. Help your children to see the study of God's Word as serious, urgent and relevant. The best way to do this is to have this attitude yourself. Let them see you, their parents, reading your Bible. Let them hear you talking about it together. Yes, the day to day application of Scripture is vital too, but they also need to know how all the books of the Bible fit together, Genesis to Revelation and all the bits in between. They need to see the relevance of it to TODAY. As they grow older, be prepared for stimulating, challenging conversations, through which you will all, as a family, grow and learn! Sadly, main-stream education has reduced history into 'entertainment', making it seem almost humorous and irrelevant, especially in KS1 and KS2. In KS3 it has become subjective - and children are invited to read into it what they may. It is a subject that for too long has been taught from a secular angle, with no mention of God. Back to our lesson notes... You will find that they help the whole family learn togther. The main story may need telling more simply for the younger ones (we help where we can) and older ones can always find a more detailed book on the topic, if their curiosity has been aroused, but all can learn from the simple messages that come from the lessons. Throughout the lessons Chris (the lesson note's writer) is constantly getting the youngsters (and we parents!) to evaluate the actions of rulers or nations against the standard of God's Word. As we study, our quest should be to find out: “Where were the Christians?” What were they doing? We hope that you enjoy learning together and that history is coming alive for you and your family! If you would like more help in how to teach UK history from a Christian perspective, please see here. If you are enjoying these lessons and would like to read more of Chris's history lessons, then you might be interested in her books. For children aged seven upwards, Chris has written The Story of God's Dealings with Our Nation, sold by Icthus Resources: Volume 1 and Volume 2. These books are intended to grow with your child and provide questions to assess both understanding and encourage further research. Both of these books are also included in the Mothers' Companion curriculum, along with a treasure trove of other delights. And then there is Chris's new series of story books WULFGAR THE SAXON, for ages 8 plus, the first three of which have been published and others are in the pipe line (available here):
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