Author Archives: Renee Duke
TRIVIA TRAIL: EASTER ISLAND
Question: How did Easter Island get its name? Answer: European explorer, Jacob Roggeveen called it Paaseiland (Dutch for Easter Island) because he first saw it on Easter Sunday, 1722. Its Polynesian name is Rapa Nui. https://kids.kiddle.co/Easter_Island https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/eais/hd_eais.htm
HISTORIC FASHION: PAPER CLOTHES
And they weren’t for paper dolls! First manufactured by the Scott Paper Company in 1966, paper clothes for actual people were trendy for a while, but the craze didn’t last long. Maybe because they were only ‘somewhat’ water and fire resistant. https://groovyhistory.com/paper-dresses-a-brief-1966-fashion-fad/9
DON’T FORGET THE ‘STORY’: TIME TRAVEL FICTION FOR KIDS, TEENS, AND ADULTS
The word ‘history’ contains the word ‘story’, and as Rudyard Kipling once said, “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” And books with characters living in bygone times really do bring those times to life in an interesting and entertaining way, and thus make them memorable. Beginning this […]
HISTORIC MOVIE IDEAS: ‘BEST PICTURES’ SET IN BYGONE ERAS
Many of the history-themed movies and television series I enjoyed as a child are now on DVD. I have treated myself to several of them, and being possessed of a multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player can run them regardless of what format they’re in. Most of the ones based on real people aren’t historically accurate, but […]
HISTORIC ANIMALS: DONKEYS
My first contact with the humble creature that’s been serving mankind for so long was at the seaside, when, like millions of children before and after me, I rode one along the sands of Weston-super-Mare. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230116-how-donkeys-changed-the-course-of-human-history https://www.equest4truth.com/equus-in-the-bible/123-donkeys-in-the-bible https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/donkey.htm
HISTORIC ANIMALS: NON-HUMAN WAR WORKERS
Many soldiers in Ukraine have made pets of stray cats and dogs to help them through their day. But all kinds of animals have a history of ‘going to war.” https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/15-animals-that-went-to-war https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2016/06/07/war-heroes-just-happened-be-animals https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/classroom/tales-of-animals-in-war/2013/goat
HISTORIC ANIMALS: HISTORIC SHEEP
Where I live, March came in like a lamb and will therefore, purportedly, go out like a lion. With that in mind, kids might be interested in knowing about some famous ovines. https://www.woolovers.com/blog/the-5-most-famous-sheep-of-all-time-242
Time Travelling With Kids 