Hey Traveler,
I just got back from a speaking trip with my wife down South. It was awesome to be away from our CHILDREN… all by ourselves. We walked the beach, ate on the waterfront and talked.
Oh, we talked about all kinds of stuff like Christmas plans, family devotion ideas, and… things we should see — specifically things that are near us that we’ve never experienced… like the Benjamin Harrison house in Indianapolis and the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. Both places are chock-full of historical artifacts.
I mean it’s one thing to read about Rosa Parks and her bravery in refusing to take her seat at the “back of the bus” but it’s another thing to stand in the actual bus!!! You can do that at the Henry Ford Museum… because the bus is there. Mr. Ford collected all kinds of large historical artifacts like Orville and Wilbur’s bicycle shop and Thomas Edison’s workshop.
But here’s my advice in the Familyman’s Guide to Visiting Museums: Don’t ruin the experience by making your children write about it. Don’t quiz them on what they saw or prod them to learn. Just show up to the museum or location and turn them loose to explore and experience.
Oh, they may not be turned on by all the details and plaques that you’ll read… but they will learn and get a birds-eye view of the artifacts that shaped history.
I know when we visited the birthplace of George Washington Carver (the peanut guy… near Carthage, MO) some of my children loved the history, some loved the fact that he was a Christian, some loved running around the grounds, and Ike loved the bugs and animals we saw along the walkways.
What they all took away is that God used normal people to do amazing things (that didn’t seem so amazing at the time).
I know Ike (18) who loved the bugs will be inspired to see the Wright brother’s bicycle shop because he is an inventor… destined to make something great.
But as I’ve said before… you and I are the ones who have to get them there… and sometimes that’s inconvenient. But we push on. Google things to see, and GO!
So whether you have an RV or not, load up the kids and go visit the place, see that thing, and stop just reading about those significant history makers. Let your children experience them, run their hands across them, and touch HISTORY.
Swing wide and keep your eye on your tail,
Todd
