Historical Dramas

Historical dramas are a great supplement to your history curriculum. You've probably already read how I like teaching history as a story.

Today, April 17, 2008, we saw a "school showing" of a play called Battledrum, the story of Rufus, a Confederate orphan adopted by a troop of Union soldiers who eventually becomes their drummer boy. (The Eckerd Theatre Company of Clearwater, FL is doing this up and down the east coast.)

First, I must say that I am a firm believer that all the experiences you can give your children become a part of who they are. I try to make sure the girls learn things in as many different ways as possible, and not just from a book - that's why I love "field trips." They use these experiences to build a framework for future learning and make the future learning easier to process. (The “education lingo” for this is called an “advance organizer.”)

Upon arrival, the greeter directed our attention to a small display that was put up by the theatre company with pictures and detailed stories about young soldiers and women in the Civil War. They also had information on the research the set and costume designers did to fulfill their duties. My kids took a full 20 minutes before being seated reading and studying the information in the display. (One more bit of knowledge to use as a building block either today or in the future.) I was so sad for the children who got off the busses and were herded into the theatre, totally missing the opportunity to glean another bit of knowledge from a different perspective.

I really loved that my kids WANTED to study the background information on this historical drama. I didn’t force them, or lead them, or ask them a hundred questions about what they learned. After we were seated and waiting for the show to start, they offered up a few bits about the set design and the war that they had learned just minutes before. The best part is, I know some of this information will make its way out again, in another place, in another time, and it will thrill me to know that what I’m doing as a homeschool mom is really making a difference.

More on educational field trips here.

More on teaching history in your homeschool.

Just a little footnote since I wrote this over two years ago. We have been to many other historical dramas since I wrote this. As the kids got older, they started to notice that many of the productions seemed to be a little bit political in their presentations, calling for actions our family doesn't agree with at the end of the show. This hasn't bothered me so far, because it presents an excellent springboard for discussion on the way home. Not only are my children learning history through theatre, but they are also learning our family's value system and how to think critically through the discussions we have afterwards.

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