There’s no secret about it: I’m in love with history and geography. And why wouldn’t I be? Together, history and geography weave a vivid tapestry that can’t help but draw students in, firing their imagination and their senses. Sadly, these subjects are too often relegated to dry lists of dates and fill-in-the-blank quiz answers. These subjects don’t deserve to be presented in such a lifeless manner though. There are so many ways to make them come alive! With that in mind, here are five quick ideas for bringing history and geography to life.
1. Living Books
First, I cannot recommend “living books” enough. History is the story of people like you and me, but it’s easy to lose sight of that if you get bogged down in the names and dates. Would you rather read a dispassionate textbook about the Silk Road or read a gripping book by someone who retraced Marco Polo’s steps across the sand? Which would compel you more: a dry treatise of the cultural migration to cities during the Industrial Revolution or a book that views it all through the eyes of a child laborer? Living books by passionate authors breathe life back into these people, bringing them out of dusty annals and leaping back to their rightful place in the real world. Don’t get me wrong; textbooks are important and have a key role to fill in learning about history and geography. However, if textbooks are your only way of engaging with these subjects, you’re missing out, my friend!
2. Field Trips
A second thing you can do is take field trips and go to museums—the more engaging they are, the better. It’s one thing to read about the Declaration of Independence. It’s another thing to be three feet away from John Hancock’s famously large signature. It’s one thing to read about the Alps and their rich cultural legacy. It’s quite another to stand atop them, breathing in the crisp air, with Salzburg’s ancient beauty spreading out below you. (Full disclosure: I hope to do this myself one day. It’s a dream of mine to see the Austrian Alps in person.) Seeing and experiencing these things for yourself really helps the reality and relevance of world history hit home.
3. Immersion
Third, you can immerse yourself in the culture you are studying by digging into parts of it that fascinate you. When studying history and geography, you’ll constantly run into new information and facts. Allow the questions they raise to tease you, inviting you to discover more. You might be learning how Hannibal crossed the Alps to invade Italy and then find yourself wanting to dig into what makes the Alps such a formidable geographic boundary. Or you might be studying castles in Ireland and have your curiosity piqued by the legendary Blarney Stone. Above all though, don’t make this process a chore. If nothing jumps out at you when learning that day, don’t force yourself to do extra research on it. It’s good to recognize that different things “grab” different people. Just keep learning about history and geography in engaging ways, and I guarantee something will strike your interest before long.
4. Geography with Food
Fourth, you can experience elements of geography and culture from your own home. One simple, fun way to do this? Make recipes from other countries. I love food, and I love geography. Together, they’re a match made in heaven! From your own kitchen, you can experience wiener schnitzel from Austria, kung pao chicken from China, jambalaya from Louisiana, tiramisu from Italy, crepes from France, and many more. (Or, if you’re feeling brave, bake hardtack, dip it in coffee, and try to imagine eating that for months on end during sea voyages with the British Navy!) Truly, your kitchen can be a secret weapon for bringing history and geography to life.
5. Make It Personal
A fifth way to make personal connections with history and geography is researching your own ancestry. Especially for Americans, families often have roots based in countries from which their ancestors immigrated. I had the opportunity to research my family tree during college and never regretted it. Knowing the legacy of people like my great-great grandfather John Grond (who emigrated to America from the Netherlands in 1908) gives me a greater appreciation for both the country he left behind and the country I call home today. Honestly, there are many more ways to vivify these subjects than I have room to share here. I’m sure you can think of some ideas of your own! The key is to see history and geography for what they are: vibrant, living parts of our heritage. These ideas are not so much ways to manufacture a personal connection with these subjects as they are suggestions for revealing the connections that already exist. For all of us, the personal connection is already there, just waiting behind the door to be discovered. These are merely ways to open that door.
