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The American Experience School is out for summer and our July 4 celebrations kick off a couple of months of respite from homework, tests and other pressures of school life. Yet, the summer months represent a wonderful opportunity for parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to introduce children they have in their care to the kind of hands-on education not available in school. For example, our American history, culture and ideals are often forced aside in modern curriculum in favor of time spent on the “basics” of math and literacy, time spent on other peoples and cultures, and time spent on preparing students for standardized tests. If that last bit sounds like an overstatement, consider what Robert Tobias, a former New York City testing director, said about the recent improved test scores in that city. Quoted in the June 29, 2005 New York Times, he said “An unprecedented increase in test preparation has been widely reported…this test preparation is not designed to increase student learning but rather to try to beat or game the test.” What is more, for those who have examined school text books from the late nineteenth century on up to the mid twentieth century, the current curriculum deficiency in American history and culture is readily apparent. That is why parents and others should step in during the summer months. Readington parents are fortunate enough to be living in a geographic area rich with American history and culture, and the opportunity to bring this history right up to where children can reach out and touch it should not be overlooked. Aside from our own Readington museum complex and their programs, there are lots of local day trips that can give parents a chance to discuss the American experience in a way that is enjoyable for children. Family outings to places like Jockey Hollow, Rockingham, Valley Forge, Monmouth Battlefield and Washington’s Crossing are an easy and inexpensive means of bringing history alive. Another inexpensive means of engaging children on the significance of the American way is to have a family viewing of the movie “1776”, which is available on DVD. This is the movie adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of the same name, and it is an excellent choice for the July 4 holiday weekend. The 1972 movie is a kind of cult classic used by many teachers as a resource for lessons today. Some high schools still put on the original play. Yes, it is a musical and it is corny at times. Still, it seems to work with children as a vehicle to initiate discussions about the meaning of the revolution, American principles, slavery, and the reason we celebrate July 4. The movie is rated PG for some relatively mild language, so it is not for the very young. To those able to spend a little more money and time, the museums and historic destinations available in obvious places like Philadelphia, Washington DC, New York City, Newport, Boston, and other cities make for worthwhile trips. Two lesser known destinations, though, make for extraordinary opportunities to engage children on a level that relates the entire American experience to them all at once. Both destinations can be reached and experienced from our area in a matter of two or three days. Old Sturbridge Village is a complete recreation of life in the 1830’s as set in a community located about an hour West of Boston. An entire day is required for the complete experience, and many choose to return for a second day. As visitors walk through the gates to the village, the 200 acres and 40 something buildings of this “living museum” bring into sharp focus the reality of the early American experience. With reenactors dedicated to the authentic demonstration of 1830 living, Old Sturbridge Village engages children with an almost visceral intensity. Children will experience and speak with farmers, homemakers, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, a lawyer, a banker, a printer, a sawyer, a shoemaker, a store owner, and many more people of the era in a stunning, pastoral setting that genuinely tricks the mind into thinking: this is 1830. Hands-on demonstrations for children are all over the village on any given day. A schoolhouse offers children a glimpse of their own fate in this era. An heirloom garden, a working farm and various uses of water wheels show the meaning of the land to early Americans. A dining area offers a meal of old-fashioned American dishes to assuage the appetite visitors build while walking the grounds. This experience is one that children will long remember. Outside of the village, in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, historic lodging and restaurants are available as well as modern amenities. Another worthwhile destination, though not as complete nor with as much depth, is the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. The vital importance of maritime history in a developing America is on display here. Hands-on activities and authentic displays of ships and a nineteenth century coastal village help children understand America’s relationship to the sea and the importance of maritime trade. Boat rides on historic vessels and discussions with those restoring historic vessels help complete the experience. This destination can be completed in a day. Outside the museum in Mystic, Connecticut, there is a chance to walk the back streets and view some fantastic regional architecture created during an era when ship captains were among the most respected and well-paid people. Seeing the drawbridge go up while enjoying an ice cream cone on the boardwalk doesn’t hurt either. American parents, grandparents and other guardians of youth cannot and perhaps should not rely on schools to convey the meaning and the significance of our national experience. Taking time over the summer months to provide our children a living understanding of our American history, our culture and our ideals is the very least we can do to help extend our experiment with democracy into the twenty-first century. We owe this debt to our children and to our ancestors |
