Do you teach younger children about human sacrifice?

[Sahamamama]

We are currently reading/learning about the first peoples to come to the Americas. Last week we learned about the Ice Age and the Bering Strait, and how perhaps people walked across Beringia (?) from Asia and followed animal herds into the Americas. We also learned about the domestication of corn (Corn is Maize, by Aliki), along with potatoes, beans, squash, and tomatoes. Yum.

 

So, on the agend this week -- We plan to read a little bit about the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. I'm usually OK with just telling it like it is, but the only resources I could find on this topic are quite graphic -- the illustrations include bleeding human war captives about to be slaughtered and bloody sacrificial stones and priestly knives. Gasp.

 

It kind of makes me skaky, and I'm not a little kid! What do you all do when you come to material like this with your younger students? I do not want to just teach the "nice" stuff, so that civilizations of the past seem harmless, peaceful, and friendly, if that was not the case. I don't like to romanticize any of it, but then again, I'm not sure how far to go in telling the past the way it really happened -- it's so.... brutal.

 

What do you do?

[lovemyboys]

So, on the agend this week -- We plan to read a little bit about the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. I'm usually OK with just telling it like it is, but the only resources I could find on this topic are quite graphic

 

I don't like to romanticize any of it, but then again, I'm not sure how far to go in telling the past the way it really happened -- it's so.... brutal.

 

What do you do?

 

We were doing medieval history at the same time that the History channel was doing a medieval/viking series. I was really excited about the timing until I watched the first one and realized that all of that carnage and evisceration wouldn't suit dc here.

 

I would look for other resources. Our library has a great selection of history through the ages. Any younger version nonfiction or fiction you could pick up? Is the curriculum a good fit for your age dc? I would just avoid the areas that are a bit too harsh, substitute with something more appropriate and move on. Sounds like you're enjoying the progression so far.

[Trivium Academy]

I wouldn't use graphically violent books at all, saying that they killed other people as a way to sacrifice like in the Bible is one thing- it's not visual. I wouldn't use anything visual until they are much older, but then I'd also follow it up with talking about Moses and maybe a bit of culture during those times.

 

You'll study this again later, save the more gory stuff until then. :) Just my thoughts.

[Elaine]

We are currently reading/learning about the first peoples to come to the Americas. Last week we learned about the Ice Age and the Bering Strait, and how perhaps people walked across Beringia (?) from Asia and followed animal herds into the Americas. We also learned about the domestication of corn (Corn is Maize, by Aliki), along with potatoes, beans, squash, and tomatoes. Yum.

 

So, on the agend this week -- We plan to read a little bit about the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. I'm usually OK with just telling it like it is, but the only resources I could find on this topic are quite graphic -- the illustrations include bleeding human war captives about to be slaughtered and bloody sacrificial stones and priestly knives. Gasp.

 

It kind of makes me skaky, and I'm not a little kid! What do you all do when you come to material like this with your younger students? I do not want to just teach the "nice" stuff, so that civilizations of the past seem harmless, peaceful, and friendly, if that was not the case. I don't like to romanticize any of it, but then again, I'm not sure how far to go in telling the past the way it really happened -- it's so.... brutal.

 

What do you do?

 

I am not sure the ages of your children, but you need to decide what is going to bother them. I didn't sensor too much because that kind of thing doesn't really bother my boys. I tend to be a "just the facts, ma'am" kinda gal and present material in a straight forward manner. I let them use their imaginations for the blood and guts.;)

[Plaid Dad]

I think a lot depends on the age of the children and their sensitivity. So far we've only encountered this in the Bible, in discussing the historical context for Gen. 22. If you do decide to mention human sacrifice, I don't think it's necessary to bring in gory illustrations or go into any great detail. I would probably talk about the great achievements of these cultures, and then say that there were some very bad things as well. I might end by talking about what we have gained from them - cultivation of maize, etc. - and about how and where their descendants live today, so the "last word" on the subject wasn't a wholly disturbing one.

 

Fwiw, I did let my dd see that the story of Abraham and Isaac is very hard for me to read, even though I know it ends well and is a particularly important one for Christians. I don't think we're required to act as if these topics aren't horrific.

[Jenny in Atl]

I've covered the subject with both dds. It's just a fact of our human history. I neither glorified it nor made it to be horrific. We talked about the groups belief systems and how human sacrifice was a part of this. I also emphasize that these practices have long since died out. Well, unless there are still a few head hunters deep in New Guinea or the South American jungles. :eek:

[Mom0012]

I read an Usborne book to my kids on the Aztecs. My son was fascinated and my daughter asked if "WE COULD NEVER READ THAT AGAIN"! So, I haven't.

 

My son is 8 and my daughter is 6.

 

Lisa

[Tami]

I am not sure the ages of your children, but you need to decide what is going to bother them. I didn't sensor too much because that kind of thing doesn't really bother my boys. I tend to be a "just the facts, ma'am" kinda gal and present material in a straight forward manner. I let them use their imaginations for the blood and guts.;)

 

:iagree: That is me, to a "T." Evil is very real, and, for us, this is a good occasion to discuss and contrast the goodness of God with the reality of fallen man. When I see the depravity of man and the acts that man is capable of, I wonder at the patience and longsuffering of God!

[nmoira]

It depends on the child. I'm amazed at what DD has picked up from Horrible Histories: she's conversant in leeching, trepanning, human and animal sacrifice, and some rather interesting recipes. :) I think they talk about some of this stuff in the Horrible Histories cartoons too. However, I'm not going to show her realistic video of these acts; I don't think she could handle it, and I see no reason to anyway. Aside from the intense graphic imagery, it would be harder for her to detach because it would no longer seem thousands or hundreds of years in the past, KWIM?

[LisaCA]

I wouldn't until over 5th grade.

also waited on Greek mythology which worked great, DD really enjoyed it last year and we could use editions that included some original work and she was able to connect the ideas better and could analyze the material.

[Adrianne]

My boys love the gore and guts stories with lots of fighting. They especially liked the book, You Wouldn't Want To Be an Aztec Sacrifice by Fiona MacDonald.

 

http://www.amazon.com/You-Wouldnt-Want-Aztec-Sacrifice/dp/0531162095

 

 

I did ignore however the topic of sacrificing children. This topic bothered me. Otherwise, I give them as much information as they want on these sorts of topics and take a very laid back, factual attitude about it. If they got upset, which they usually do not, then we talk about it or stop the subject all together.

 

I have noticed that if the material or I attach an emotional note to the material, i.e., dramatic music or I get upset, they get up set as well. This is when we stop.

[Sahamamama]

Last week and yesterday, we made our way across the Bering Strait and learned that the First Americans eventually came to warmer areas, where they began to cultivate maize, beans, squash -- the Three Sisters. My daughter was impressed by this nomenclature. "Mommy, it's just like our family -- we have three sisters." And then she tried to figure out which girl got to be the maize (she did), which got to be the squash (Mary), and which got to be the beans (Hannah). What a trip!

 

We did simply read a little about the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. I realized that my What Your First Grader Needs to Know has some brief information about these groups, nothing too graphic. The text matter-of-factly mentions that the Aztecs practiced killing their war captives, or kept them as slaves (we've talked about slavery before with Joseph, and then the Israelites in Egypt). So... we got through it!

 

Thanks for the encouragement to just be truthful with her about it. I think that, with this child especially, that's the best approach. Thanks!

[Sahamamama]

... that I was able to tell my daughter about my summer missions work in Belize, Central America, waaaaaaaaaay back in 1989.

 

When I was in Belize, I met and worked with Maya Kekchi people in Las Flores village, and we had Mayan boys living on our mission base (YWAM). I also visited a Mayan temple (Xunantunich). My daughter was pretty interested in those stories, especially the part about how I obliviously sent my mother (Grammy) a photograph that looked like I was falling off the temple (I wasn't, obviously). My mother nearly had a heart attack.