Monthly Archives: July 2014
HISTORY TIDBIT: HISTORIC FOOD
Everything has a history – even food. On July 30th, 1898, W. K. Kellogg perfected his recipe for his now-famous Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®. The Americans kept it to themselves for a while though. It wasn’t available in Canada until 1914, and didn’t go across the pond to Britain until 1922.
HISTORIC FAILURES: SPANISH ARMADA TRIES TO INVADE ENGLAND
In July, 1588, one hundred and thirty warships, twenty-two of them fearsome fighting galleons, set sail from Spain, bent on invading England. They’d tried to do that back in the spring, but had to return to port after a bad storm damaged several ships. They should have taken that as an omen, because the July […]
MAKING A GAME OF HISTORY # 7: HISTORY-BASED PLAYSETS
Above, Trixie decimates the legio IX Hispana. (And here you thought they just mysteriously vanished into the mist up in Scotland). So, the kids don’t want to read about history, or watch it on TV, or even go to a museum? Then how about re-creating it? (Or changing it so it goes the way they […]
HISTORIC DOUBLE DATES: THE CHARLOTTE MINT
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A. was named after Queen Sophia Charlotte, wife of King George III back in the days when America was a British colony and still has the nickname “Queen City’. After gold was discovered in the Piedmont Hills in 1799, Charlotte became quite prosperous and considered to be a good site for a […]
SCHOOL’S OUT – KEEP KIDS CONNECTED TO HISTORY
* Authorized Reproduction, Rex May: http://baloocartoons.com/ In most places in the Northern Hemisphere, school is out for the summer. Remember to keep kids connected to history.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCE GEORGE
In addition to the famous infant who is celebrating his first birthday today, Canada has its own Prince George – a city in British Columbia. The area was originally the home of the Carrier and Lheidli T’enneh First Nations, but when white men settled there, they called the town they built Prince George, in honour […]
HISTORY-MAKING KIDS: THE NEWSBOYS STRIKE OF 1899
One sure way to attract kids to history is to find some that involves kids. Before child labour laws succeeded in making it illegal for children to work in the U.S.A., city streets were full of youngsters selling newspapers. Known as newsies, the kids rose early and picked up bundles of newspapers which cost them […]
HISTORY MOVIE DVD IDEAS FOR JULY
Movies reflective of revolutions and other July-related historic happenings. Carry On: Don’t Lose Your Head (1966) (French Revolution) Dangerous Exile (1958) (French Revolution, based on the book, A King Reluctant) Johnny Tremain (Disney, 1957) (American Revolution) Lady Jane (1986: 14+) (Short Reign of England’s ‘Queen’ Jane) Newsies (Disney, 1992) (New York City newsboy strike of […]
Time Travelling With Kids 