Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Michael Farris:
So you're ready to start, but you don't know how to make ancient history interesting for your kids. Try focusing on the daily life of the people you study.

Here's an example: talk about ancient history as you survey the Bible. Encourage your child's curiosity about the real people they encounter there. What is known about this people of Ur, the city Abram left to begin his sojourn to Canaan? What was life really like in Jesus' Palestine? Why were the Ephesians so upset when Paul preached Christ to them instead of Artemis? You could begin by reading a short survey of the period you're studying. Find the area you're studying on a globe. Follow this with a trip to the library to explore something specific that sparked your student's interest, or read literature from that period to see what the people were thinking and talking about. Drawing pictures of ancient inventions and architecture or tackling a special hands-on project reflecting life in that time can stir up fresh enthusiasm.

Ancient history could be a life study, so don't feel like you have to cover every detail in one year. Most classical curricula spread this study over three years. Start out with a broad outline, adding details as your study progresses.

The study of history is exciting. Don't think of it as names and dates of a lot of dead people, but rather as a chance to look back on thousands of years of God's interaction with man. I'm Mike Farris.