Have you visited Montgomery, Alabama? We made a quick visit earlier this year to see some of the historic sites. We both believe that it’s never too young to expose children to history. It had been five years since our first visit to Montgomery. During that trip in 2017, we visited Martin Luther King Jr.’s home and met his neighbor, Vera Harris. I posted photos to my blog on May 26th, 2017.
Montgomery was founded in 1819 by the unification of two villages, New Philadelphia and East Alabama. The connection point was Court Square.
We visited the Montgomery Bus Boycott sites, including the exact spot where Rosa Parks boarded the bus on December 1st, 1955.
Returning from her job as a seamstress at a local department store, Rosa Parks was asked to give up her seat because of the color of her skin, but she bravely refused.
The Bus Boycott began a few days later and continued for over a year, when public transportation was integrated by order of the U.S. Supreme Court.
For standing up against the unjust segregation on buses, Rosa Parks lost her job. She and her husband ended up resettling in Detroit to escape the unjust hostility that they faced following the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Wondering exactly how you explained this situation to a 3 and 1/2 year old.
My parents explained it to me when I was around three and I remember thinking at that age that the bus driver was a mean old dummy. My parents of course told me not to call people dummy. I told my children about Rosa Parks when they were little.
I totally get this! I always talk to my boys about things which are “beyond” them… but you break it down, make it overly simplistic and just give them a sprinkling of the detail. I have three boys who adore history and politics and are very well informed. My oldest is an ardent feminist, ready to call out sexism (even when it isn’t there…)
I don’t think you should make history simplistic or leave out details. Too many facts get lost when that’s done. I also don’t think you should tell children things they can’t comprehend and can possibly make into silly or scary stories in their heads. You can cause anxiety that can come out at some later time (riding a bus, anxious that the driver is going to be mean to them too). I think you should wait until children are old enough to understand the truth about history, are learning facts already, and can comprehend. Someone Little Buddy’s age is not old enough and as Regina said, could be twisting things, even if you don’t think that’s happening. That age is the age where “monsters” are under the bed and so on and so on. You don’t need to add a very adult civil rights issue to that anxiety. There’s time to learn history later. Let kids be kids.
Simplifying things down and leaving out inappropriate details is just a basic way we interact with children all the time! It’s a great foundation and it passes the time at the bus stop…
Back when the Supreme Court used to make good decisions that were actually helpful to many people…
The SCOTUS needs a complete overhaul and they need to stop being influenced by lobbyists from any political party. It’s sad that what used to be a respected and trusted institution has come to this.
At 1:42 I was wondering how they explained it to the baby too. lol Do children really need to learn history before kindergarten??
It is never too early to teach kids about history. They need to know that the real world is not all sunshine, cupcakes, and puppies.
History is fun! I have two history degrees from Oxford university and want to pass on that interest/ enjoyment! We go to castles and old houses, sites of historical interest… we read books about the past (“carrots used to be purple? That’s amazing mummy”). It’s just part of a well rounded childhood. They don’t need history but they definitely enjoy it!
Two history degrees is impressive! Are they in a specific subset of history or general history? Living near all the rich European history would be so wonderful. The people we knew who just went to London also spent a couple days in the English countryside and Scotland. They told us about visiting Hadrian’s Wall (built by the Roman Empire!) and Highclere Castle. So cool. They were laughing because everyone just associates Highclere with Downton Abbey, but once you visit, you learn that it has a very extensive history.
My husband is a Scot, so we are on holiday in Scotland at the moment! We just took my 9 year old up Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in Britain). As you say, there is excellent history all around us.
I mainly studied 20th century history and wrote a thesis about women on the German home front. It was fascinating. I would have done a PhD but I got bored of academia and switched to law!
Lovely! Have a great time! That thesis sounds really interesting. Something that isn’t taught in schools here but would be fascinating to learn about.
Children are very inquisitive about their surroundings. Would it be better to ignore a child’s questions? Honestly, this could be a lesson in kindness, equality and equity at that age. But you’re right…wait for kindergarten to start to talk about those topics 🙄.
I would never NOT consider teaching small kids about history, especially the difficult aspects of a nation’s past. As a parent I want my kids to recognize injustice, be critical thinkers and speak up for their own and other people’s rights….I don’t think 3 is too young to learn about that.
Ellie said expose to history not teach. 😉 Teaching comes later.
It’s a fun thing to show historical places to children. It wets their appetite for learning!
Never heard of the Montgomery bus boycott.. Are teachers never taught that in school.
No children don’t to learn history tell in 7th grade of middle school.
Wonderful. I loved hearing about your trip.
As for the snarky comments above, she is educating her children. In public school , they speak to young children about more severe things and no one says anything! Let this women raise her children !