History Day

Today we went to the Oriental Institute in Hyde Park. It has to have been 20 years since I was there - and what a gem it is! We hiked about six blocks from the parking lot because parallel parking a Volvo station wagon with three backseat drivers is not my idea of fun. And parking on a university campus is notoriously bad.

Once we got there and paid my suggested contribution, the place was a fantastic compliment to our slow progress through The Story of the World. Many artifacts from Mesopotamia, implements used to make the cuneiform writing, a replica of a stela showing the Code of Hammurabi, remnants of carriage wheels, etc. The Little Guy particularly enjoyed the touch screen interactive computer set up. We'll be coming back.

The problem we had with the Story of the World last year was mine. I couldn't just follow the plan and the suggested additional reading and projects. It took us 9 months to go through 6 chapters. I had to get every possible book on Ancient Egypt, for example. Folktales, mythology, many books on mummies and pyramids, DVDs of explorations and reenactments. Then we did every last project I could find, making clothes, meals, pyramids out of sugar cubes, checking out loan boxes from the Field Museum. I killed the poor kids with it.

I have a history of doing this. When the older two were interested in American Indians, they were maybe 3 and 4 years old. I checked out every possible folk tale of many different Native American tribes. Creation tales, fables, folk stories, you name it. After about 30 books, no exaggeration, Buddy said "Aren't we DONE with these yet, Mommy?" But there are so many good books out there, so many great resources through the library system, I can't help myself.

This year I'm trying to do things differently. They don't need to know, nor are they particulalry interested in, every last detail. They just need to know enough to recognize their own interests. Then they can do the complusive, exhaustive research on their own.