http://www.zihala.com/word-ephemera/
How To Use The Internet To Teach Your Children
With classroom budgets being slashed every year, it’s become incumbent on parents to expose their children to the information they’re not getting in school. Luckily, the online world is filled with teaching materials — if you’re savvy about searching for them. And because children are so ahead of where we were at kids, accessing the Web for learning is like second nature to them. I watched my 4-year-old nephew navigate YouTube looking for Cape Kennedy launch videos and tornado pictures, so it should be a piece of cake for older kids.
You can often find learning opportunities in unusual places, such as in the world of vintage art. Digitized old postcards, greeting cards, magazine pages and other “ephemera” contain a wealth of historical information that’s quite revealing. The following are just some of the online vintage images you can use for teaching:
Vintage Travel Art
Kids will enjoy learning about their world if you expose them to vintage travel art. These views of travel from days gone by instruct not only about the destinations themselves, but also about how people used to view them.
Old Sailing Ships Photos and Paintings
There’s a lot of fascinating information to be found if kids study old sailing ships. From sloops-of-war to caravels like Columbus sailed, stories abound of life at sea.
Vintage Historical Figures Postcards
There were quite a few postcards created that featured American statesmen and heroines. In fact, these used to be very popular. From free Abraham Lincoln pictures to greeting cards with images of John Adams and Betsy Ross to fictional American icons like Uncle Sam, the web is full of these antique historical images. Many tell stories along with the pictures, making them a great source of mini history lessons.
Spoonerisms
Spoonerism stories originated in the early- to mid-Twentieth Century, brought forth by Rev. William Archibald Spooner and made famous by radio comedian F. Chase Taylor, who performed under the name of Colonel Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle. These twisted tales swap the first letter or phonetic sound of one word with the next word or a word that falls a few words away. Authentic examples from Spooner himself include “fighting a liar” for “lighting a fire” and “cattle ships and bruisers” for “battleships and cruisers”. Besides being funny, these mangled mash-ups also give children the chance to play with words.
Victorian Era Fashions
Studying fashion doesn’t have to be trivial or just for children who want to become designers, if it promotes an understanding of the way people used to live. Looking at Victorian fashion what life was like in the 19th century century. With any luck, they’ll understand just how good they have it now!
You can also find plenty of current subjects that make fine teaching materials. You just have to make sure the materials, or at least your presentation of them, is impartial. Kids are like sponges, so you’ll want to make sure they receive balanced information. That emphasis on fairness will bear sweeter fruit for them later on in their lives.
Mary Millington. Come Play Me. Side A / 02.