Teaching Civics in Five Ways When Traveling with Children

The Field Trip Newsletter: #92

Nov 10, 2024

We are learning from the latest general election that there was a lot of misinformation coming at people from many directions. When schools stopped teaching civics, we, as a nation, stopped understanding how government works or using critical thinking in our due diligence. When traveling or learning from home, I hope you will work to supplement your child's education by adding civics one small lesson at a time. - Erin

When you read about what's happening locally, much can be discovered and learned about a place. Local newspapers are fading, but when you can find one, enjoy a slow morning with your child at a local coffee shop. Pick up a couple of pastries, each taking a section to find a local story to share with one another. Discuss current local events in the place you are visiting. Discover remarkable people and talk about laws reported upon or new measures in the location. You can learn a lot about a place and its operation just by picking up the paper.
Look for community art that tells the story of a place. There is so much to learn in local and community art. We learn about different events and struggles that people went through, and that leaves the door open to discussing these events with our children. When we travel, we often drive around a town, exploring and looking for murals.
Discuss the history of the location you are in. If you are at a National Park, discuss how it came to be protected and the types of laws that had to occur to grant it national protection. If you are in Boston, walk the Boston Tea Party self-guided tour and discuss the history of taxation in our country. These bits of history are all around us.
If time allows, plan a volunteer experience when you travel. If time doesn't allow, that's okay. Find a local organization that is doing good for the community and see how you can support them when you travel. They may have a donation box or a storefront you can support. Also, talk about what that organization had to do to get set up and recognized as a leader in the community, what laws are in place to ensure they take the correct measures, etc.
Talk about local civil discourse and how that shaped and formed the mindset of a location. For example, visit the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which is built around the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. What was the impact on the town after his passing? How did that broaden or break the movement? If you are in San Francisco, discuss the programs created by the Black Panther movement, such as being responsible for creating the Percussor to Head Start and the National Free Lunch Program.