Making “Connections” (Our New Podcast Series)

Almost one year ago, we introduced our “Connections” podcast series as a way of teaching short, meaningful history lessons to families who might just want “a little taste” of black history moments from which to grow.  During this Black History month, be sure to check out 1 or more of these podcasts; they might just be the jump-in point for your most reluctant history student!

Why do we have to learn about all this stuff, anyway??!!

I think we have all asked ourselves this question at some stage in our educational process, and many of us have certainly heard our kids express a question along this line. When it comes to history, there are great curriculum out there to “bring history to life,” incorporating multiple learning styles or offering additional activities or even virtual tours. But getting a child to grasp history, to really engage himself in the time period, is a challenge all its own—one not necessarily resolved by curriculum choices.

I believe one of the problems with teaching this generation history is a disconnect. That disconnect exists between an understanding of history beyond the name/date memorization, and an impactful appreciation of what said names and dates actually mean in modern times. Most curriculum lack the tie-in between our shared experiences as people, regardless of the time period. We deify a number of all-too-common heroes (and a few heroines), and then we skip forward, without discussing their humanness or their lives before or after they made history.

It all has me thinking:

What if history were presented in a way that helped kids clearly connect the dots between past, present, and future?

What if we made the characters more relatable?

What if we presented short lessons that sparked interest, but didn’t tell the whole story (that way, you have to dig for the rest of it)?

So, with all of that in mind, I am putting together a series of history “shorts,” simply called “Connections.” These podcasts are only about 15 minutes in length (hence the moniker “shorts”), so they are ideal as a jump-off point for further discussion, or as an introduction to someone that your child might find interesting enough to find out more. The content includes a brief history of a character, along with suggestions for more reading and/or activities. What I also discuss, which is why I call the series “Connections,” are the life lessons that each of us can learn from the historical character. After all, only a connection will resolve a disconnect, right?

The collection of podcasts is, at least for now, composed of highlights of our own history studies. The characters are in no particular order, but they will be people who are “off the beaten path.” If you want a different spin on Harriet Tubman or Martin Luther King, Jr., you might want to check elsewhere—at least until the Lord gives me a different direction. But, if you are genuinely curious about history that you might not know, and stories that might entice your children to learn more, then come join me.

The first of the “Connections” podcasts is available for sale at my new store. (See the tab up top or click here). Since it is Women’s History Month, I am starting with a history “short” on…well, you just have to come and see.