In the spirit of transparency, please be aware that this post includes affiliate links, and I had the pleasure of experiencing a free tour.
Table of Contents
Getting tweens and teens interested in history can be a nightmare. If you’re a parent riding this struggle bus, have no fear! Below are ways to make history fun and engaging for your kids. Stick around for excellent ways to inspire curiosity.
Three Reasons Why Kids Need to Learn History
“But, Mom! Why do I have to learn about a bunch of dead people?”
Suppose you’re looking for an answer to the above complaint. Something more effective than “Because I said so.” How about this?
History Repeats Itself
First, there was Pearl Harbor. After the Japanese attacked the United States in 1941, most Americans never believed we’d be attacked again. That is, until September 11, 2001, when two planes flew into the World Trade Center.
History repeats itself. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, understanding how events unfolded in the past and the consequences of actions taken can help us avoid repeating those mistakes.
Gain Empathy
The American Historical Association published Why Study History (1998). In it, the author, Peter Stearns, noted that studying history helps us understand other people and cultures, giving us insight into who they are and why they might act in specific ways.
Yesterday’s America noted that young learners benefit from studying history because learning about other people and their ways of life can help build compassion and tolerance.
Embrace Perseverance
Houston Family Magazine reminds us all that stories of hardship and overcoming obstacles have existed throughout history. Pioneer settlers who moved west to claim land barely survived bitter winters and hot summers. Slaves, such as Harriet Tubman, who risked everything to help other slaves escape to freedom. Holocaust survivors who survived brutal concentration camps. Their lives are an inspiration for us all. Reminders that if they can persevere against all odds, so can we.
Ignite Historical Curiosity!
There are many ways parents can inspire kids’ curiosity. Interactive learning opportunities and learning through storytelling are favorites. Interactive learning opportunities can range from local field trips to historical sites. Read on to see how you can spark curiosity in your child!
History Starts at Home
Resources like Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com aren’t just websites. They allow kids to travel back in time. Ancestry.com allows kids to trace their relatives through history. Newspapers.com offers a vast database allowing people to see old marriage, graduation, birth announcements, and photos of family members.
Start by showing your kids old family photos, and then encourage their curiosity by taking out a short-term membership to either of the above sites. Watch as your kids learn who they are by studying where they came from.
Folklore and Mythology for Gamers
Raise your hand if you have a teen or tween obsessed with video games. Depending on the platform, many video games incorporate monsters taken directly from folklore. For example, The Witcher Adventure Series on STEAM features vampires and werewolves, both of which have a long-standing history in folklore and mythology. Britannica references a history of werewolf trials similar to the infamous witch trials that took place in the American colonies.
Of course, there is also the Skinwalker. Several games on STEAM and Roblox feature the Skinwalker, a creature from Native American mythology. For kids interested in the Skinwalker, many documentaries are available on Netflix, Travel Channel, and History Channel.
The next time you’re having dinner with your family, ask your kids who the villains or monsters are in their favorite games. A quick internet search might help lead the way to a fun history lesson.
Take a Walk Through History
My last suggestion for sparking history-flavored curiosity in teens and tweens is also my favorite! Have you ever considered taking your kids on a haunted history walking tour?
Haunted history walking tours are one of my favorite things to do while on vacation. Most of them aren’t scary, but what they lack in fear, they make up for with a rich history of the locale you’re visiting.
My first haunted history walking tour was while my boyfriend and I were on vacation in the Catalina Islands. About a year later, we married in the French Quarter of New Orleans and spent our wedding night taking a haunted tour of the area. Not only did we learn about some of the French Quarter’s most notorious history, but we also learned how much the people of New Orleans revered Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
After Hurricane Katrina, Brad and Angelina reportedly donated a lot of money to help New Orleans recover. They also purchased property in the French Quarter and were seen occasionally taking their kids for walks to get ice cream.
Parents should exercise caution before engaging their kids in a haunted history tour. Some tours may have age restrictions, so be aware before making any reservations.
That being said, I enjoyed taking a haunted history tour with the Savannah Ghost Tour. It did not disappoint! But before I spill the tea on some of Savannah’s most sordid history, let me introduce you to the incredible tour group that hosted my tour.
The Savannah Ghost Tour
Savannah Ghost Tour by US Ghost Adventures
The Savannah Ghost Tour operates under its parent company, US Ghost Adventures. If you don’t live in or near Georgia, have no fear, US Ghost Adventures operates nationwide.
The Savannah Ghost Tour offers multiple tours available during the day or night. Their family-friendly tours include:
For a complete list of all tours available, check out their website.
The Savannah Ghost Tour operates rain or shine. I know this because it rained when I took my tour. So, if you plan on attending, pay attention to the weather and come prepared. Also, the tour I attended was the Savannah Terrors Ghosts and Ghouls of the South.
Compared to other haunted tours, the Savannah Terrors Ghosts and Ghouls of the South was one of my favorites. My guide, Maggie, was fantastic. She spoke enthusiastically and authoritatively at all our stops, and her voice was clear and easy to hear.
Because of the weather, only two of us were in the group, which contributed to our ability to hear her, but I’ve been on other tour groups, like the one in the Catalina Islands, where I had a hard time hearing what the guide was saying.
The other thing I loved about Maggie was that she didn’t have chewing tobacco in her mouth during the tour. This was a pleasant change from our tour guide in the French Quarter, who couldn’t part with his chewing tobacco for the one-hour duration of the tour, making it difficult to understand what he was saying.
Maggie was also easy to spot. This is important because we met at Oglethorpe Square, per the Savannah Ghost Tour’s instructions sent before each tour. Why is this important? Olgethorpe Square is a popular meeting place for tours in Savannah. We weren’t the only people waiting for our guide.
Why was Maggie easy to spot? She was wearing a black US Ghost Adventures shirt and carried a lantern. None of the other tour guides had a lantern.
One fun fact about this particular tour is that pets are welcome. Yes, that’s right. As long as your furry companion behaves and doesn’t interfere with the tour, you can bring her along.
Tour Highlights
I will focus on my three favorite stops during the tour and provide some tips for parents on turning the historical events discussed into mini history lessons for their kids. All the information I’m sharing came from marvelous Maggie and the Savannah Ghost Tour.
Wright Square
When visiting Savannah, you must understand that the entire historic district is one big graveyard. Graves were left undisturbed, but headstones were removed so buildings and roads could be built. Many executions happened near Wright Square because it was close to the courthouse.
The first ghost story is about Alice Riley. She was an indentured servant from Ireland and was employed by an individual with a reputation for being cruel to his servants and staff. Alice was no exception.
One evening, Alice assisted her master with a bath. He went under the water and never came out. Alice and a friend attempted to hide his body before fleeing. Unfortunately, the body was found, and so was Alice and her friend.
Her friend was executed immediately. Alice was pregnant at the time of the alleged murder and, therefore, was kept alive until she gave birth to her baby. Within hours of delivering her child, Alice was executed, and her child was sent to an orphanage, where it later died.
Fast-forward to today. Multiple witnesses have reported seeing a disheveled woman in Wright Square frantically searching for her lost child. The witnesses call the police to come to the square to help this woman, but when the police arrive, she’s gone. These 911 calls are so frequent that rookie police officers are often sent to the square to help the woman.
READ MORE: My Trip to the Moon River Brewing Company
Since Alice Riley was an indentured servant from Ireland, this would be an excellent history lesson in what it means to be an indentured servant and what was going on in Ireland in the 1730s that might force someone into indentured servitude.
If you want to give your kids extra history homework, check out Teachers Pay Teachers. They have a ton of very affordable options on any subject. The Indentured Servants in Colonial America – History Snip-Its Series is perfect for learning more about this topic.
Foley House
Foley House Inn was a bed and breakfast owned by a widow, Mrs. Foley. Mrs. Foley had an unwanted admirer boarding in her home. He often followed her around and propositioned her, but she always denied his advances.
One evening, when she was asleep, her admirer invited himself into her bedroom and tried to assault her. Mrs. Foley was able to fend him off and, in the process, killed him with a heavy candlestick. Upset over the attack and unsure of what to do, Mrs. Foley enlisted the help of another individual boarding in her home. His specialty was construction.
His solution was simple: They crammed the body into a corner of a room and built a brick wall around it. Years later, Mrs. Foley died, and her home was eventually resold. Fast-forward to the 1980s. Many renovations occurred throughout historic Savannah, and the Foley House was no exception.
There are two versions to this next part.
Version 1:
The unsubstantiated rumor was that when workers came across this random wall in the Foley House that wasn’t in any of the original plans, they tore it down and discovered the remains of a body. Here’s where things get exciting. The Foley House discovery wasn’t the only dead body found in Savannah during this renovation period.
The process for such a discovery was to call the authorities, who would launch an investigation and attempt to identify the remains. But while the investigation was ongoing, construction had to stop. The Foley House, allegedly, didn’t have the money or time to wait for an investigation. Instead of reporting the remains to the authorities, the construction workers left them where they were and put the wall back up, where it supposedly remains today.
Version 2
The body was discovered, removed, and is no longer inside the Foley House.
I prefer version 1, but version 2 is probably more accurate.
READ MORE: Search Warrants
Kids today might not understand that the forensic science they see on television and in documentaries took a century to evolve into what it is today. And therefore, back in the early 1900s, getting away with murder was much easier than it is today. Mrs. Foley’s assailant was a loner. He didn’t know anyone in the local area, and no one came looking for him after his death.
When I think of a body being bricked up and hiding out in a house, my mind goes to a lesson in Forensic Science. To further explore forensic science and how it’s evolved, check out Introduction to Forensics – History of Forensic Science on Teachers Pay Teachers.
The Forensic Files on Hulu is also a fantastic resource for learning modern-day investigation techniques.
READ MORE: Postmortem Identification
William & Nellie Gordon - An Afterlife Love Story
With all the bad we learn from history and its tragedies, every now and then it’s nice to hear about something pleasant.
Juliette Gordon Low’s (the founder of the Girl Scouts) parents were William and Nellie Gordon. At the time they were married, it was common for parents to arrange marriages for political reasons or maintain a certain social status. Basically, most people who were married back then, didn’t marry for love. If love ever developed between husband and wife, it took time. William and Nellie Gordon were fortunate in that they truly loved each other.
Nellie was frightened about dying and what would happen in the afterlife. William told her that in the event he died first, he would find a way to come back for her when it was her time to go.
Sadly, William did die first. But when it was Nellie’s time to go – roughly 20 years later – he didn’t forget his promise. One of Nellie’s family members was outside Nellie’s room when she saw the ghost of William, dressed up in his formal military attire, enter Nellie’s room.
As Nellie lay dying, she saw the ghost of her husband, sat up in bed and reached for him. Then fell back down and died.
Of all the stories Maggie shared with us during our tour, I think this was my favorite. It’s a nice reminder that not even death can stop true love.
READ MORE: The Unexpected Death
The biggest history lesson parents can give their kids is about Juliette and how she founded the Girl Scouts. One fun activity parents can do with their kids is try to make Thin Mints®. There are many recipe hacks floating around the internet like this recipe by Baked by an Introvert.
Many parents struggle trying to get their kids to learn history. Experts agree that learning about important historical events is essential for kids. Fortunately today, learning about history and making it fun is easier than ever – in particular if it’s interactive.
Let your kids explore their family history on the internet. Use story-telling and a fascination of video games to sneak in history lessons. And of course, consider taking your kids on a haunted history walking tour with the Savannah Ghost Tour. If you don’t live in or near Georgia, US Ghost Adventures has locations everywhere.
