About this episode
How do you know you’re no longer young? Your child refers to your wedding year as the olden days.
When I grew up, World War 2 certainly seemed like the olden days. It was long before I was born. Actually, now that I think about it, World War 2 was only forty years before I was born.
One Saturday afternoon, while teaching World War to my homeschooled eight-year-old, I had the chance to listen to my son’s barber come alive as he shared his stories from the war.
This man was seven when they took the ship from Dvorstadt to Canada. He’d fallen on the ship in turbulent water and broken bones so his trip was painful. When he’d arrived in Canada, he’d started school not understanding the dynamics of the war. He had simply understood that Hitler and his socialist party built the autostrada and successfully turned the German economy around. He was a powerhouse benefiting his local and national economy.
“Mom, can you tell me about the olden days?” Rachel asked as she brought her books to my desk.“Sure, honey, what part of the olden days do you want me to tell you about?”“1999”.
Arriving in Canada as a German boy, he was surprised to discover people’s reaction to him. The other school kids blamed him for his part in the World War, which was nothing, of course. That’s a heavy burden for a grade 2 kid.
This is a part of World War 2 history I rarely hear. I haven’t lived through the war so I have no experience outside the war of anger, hurt, and fear in my own soul against injustices when I was a child.
Teaching World War to Your Homeschooled Child Through Stories, Books, and Travel
So I turn to books where I can gently introduce my children to experiences through other children’s eyes. (Oh, and travel. Traveling to World War sites is the best way to learn.)
When teaching World War to a homeschooled eight-year-old, I want stories
