In “Throw a Party to Learn History,” episode #073, Meredith Curtis shares with teens and their parents a fun way to learn history while enjoying life and making friends. We look for any excuse to throw a party in our house. Studying history? Let’s celebrate with fun and festivities. Meredith explains how much learning goes on in the process of planning a party and how to keep things as simple as possible. Join us and learn to enjoy history the fun way!

 

 

 

 

 

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Show Notes

I love history!

I even pick up history textbooks and read them for fun. There! I admitted it!

How about you? Do you love history?

However, not every teen is born loving history. So, I have looked for ways to bring history alive. We read historical fiction, make timelines, look at maps, watch movies, make crafts, time travel in the kitchen,  create radio dramas, and write poetry.

We also throw parties to study history!

Yes, we do!

We have had medieval banquets, archaeology digs, luaus, 1950s sock hops, Victorian teas, and Ancient Greek Olympics.

Is that a lot of work you ask.

Well, yes and no. We love parties, so I am motivated if it means people I like, good food, and lots of wholesome fun! My kids love parties, too.

How We Learn History by Planning a Party

We have to research history to create an authentic experience. We dig deeper than normal to find out what they wore, what they ate, exactly what they did, where they did it, and why they did it.

When we planned our Ancient Greek Olympics, we learned that the games were a form of worship to their idol/gods. They opened each day by committing everything to one or more of the idol/gods or idol/goddesses. We decided to open our ceremonies in prayer and commit the whole event to Jesus. Then we learned about all the events and how they competed. In the process, we learned about Greek city-states and their relationships with one another. We discovered some funny stories along the way.

The same thing happed when we planned our medieval banquet. We learned all about nobility and the different titles to discover who would sit "above the salt." We also learned about knights, jousting, and tournaments, even though we ended up using pool noodles for our own jousting tournament.

History Party Ideas 

Ancient Times: Archaeology Dig, Ancient Greek Olympics, Passover Feast,

Middle Ages: Medieval Banquet,  Morality Play & Pageant

Modern Times: Luau, Victorian Tea, Sock Hop (1850s), Square Dance (wild west), Come as Your Favorite Decade Party (20th Century), Miniature Golf Tournament (1920s), Disco Dance (1970s), English Country Dance (1700s)

How to Plan a History Party

* Plan the time and day

* Choose location (keep in mind how many people will be coming and the weather if it's outside)

* Plan Outfits (it's always fun to dress up)

* Plan Decorations

* Plan Activities

* Create a Flexible Timetable

* Plan the Menu

* Put one person in charge of the flow of the event

Making It Work

Delegate where you can

* Put one person in charge of the flow of the event

* Put one person in charge of set up/decorating