Columbus Day is a good opportunity to explore some geography which is fun, adventurous, understandable and includes dollops of history. Not too far in our past kids have been taught absurd things in history.
The controversy
Just like talking about war with kids is difficult, talking about the deliberate spread of disease is one of the most difficult. How can we explain that Europeans deliberately spread disease among the native populations in the Americas? We abhor the use of bio weapons today, but it was used without remorse to conquer a land and its occupants. After having done all this, it is rather strange to celebrate the finding of the 'New World'. Where was the newness in this well inhabited world?
The Fun Part
The beauty of history is its multi-facetedness. It shows the advances in sea faring equipment and cartography. The adventures and innovations which came out of these long voyages and the innumerable tales. Kids will always enjoy the fact that Christopher Columbus headed out to find a westward path to the 'Indies'(present day India) and mistook the land he found as Indies. Eventually, this became the West Indies. Working through this story with old maps and drawings from the past ages, can bring alive a bunch of children. Get them to dress up like an old seafarer of that era, and the fun just explodes!
Understanding the damage
As kids grow up, they also understand how a celebration of such days is but the perspective of a few. The Columbus voyage started a huge cycle of exploration and innovation, which laid a strong foundation for growth in many fields. It also laid the foundation for the slave trade across the Atlantic. This was an enormous growth in wealth for a few but created human tragedies and poverty of epic proportions.
Using Technology
Just like we use online games to get kids interested in sports, we should use the available technologies of movies, videos, and apps to develop content which will interest our kids. We must help our kids understand history so as to not repeat it.
"Viajes de colon en" by Viajes_de_colon.svg: Phirosiberiaderivative work: Phirosiberia (talk) - Viajes_de_colon.svg. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viajes_de_colon_en.svg#/media/File:Viajes_de_colon_en.svg
The controversy
Just like talking about war with kids is difficult, talking about the deliberate spread of disease is one of the most difficult. How can we explain that Europeans deliberately spread disease among the native populations in the Americas? We abhor the use of bio weapons today, but it was used without remorse to conquer a land and its occupants. After having done all this, it is rather strange to celebrate the finding of the 'New World'. Where was the newness in this well inhabited world?
The Fun Part
The beauty of history is its multi-facetedness. It shows the advances in sea faring equipment and cartography. The adventures and innovations which came out of these long voyages and the innumerable tales. Kids will always enjoy the fact that Christopher Columbus headed out to find a westward path to the 'Indies'(present day India) and mistook the land he found as Indies. Eventually, this became the West Indies. Working through this story with old maps and drawings from the past ages, can bring alive a bunch of children. Get them to dress up like an old seafarer of that era, and the fun just explodes!
Understanding the damage
As kids grow up, they also understand how a celebration of such days is but the perspective of a few. The Columbus voyage started a huge cycle of exploration and innovation, which laid a strong foundation for growth in many fields. It also laid the foundation for the slave trade across the Atlantic. This was an enormous growth in wealth for a few but created human tragedies and poverty of epic proportions.
Using Technology
Just like we use online games to get kids interested in sports, we should use the available technologies of movies, videos, and apps to develop content which will interest our kids. We must help our kids understand history so as to not repeat it.
