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Learning history through songs


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My DS learns everything better when it is put to song. I would love to help him better understand and remember history by collecting some great songs, e.g "in 1814, we took a little trip" or "the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

 

What songs have brought a bit of history to life for your kids?

 

Thanks in advance for the help!

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Darn it! I was hoping this was something cool I could buy. It's right up our alley. Kids just learned the names of the States from 50 nifty United States on youtube. They get ahold of a song like that and they sing it to death. I would totally buy a cd that was kids songs with a walkthrough of world history or American history.

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Sorry to inflict this on you.

 

It sounds complicated, but my dd memorized it when she was 8, after listening to it over and over and over and over. She knows way more about English history just from this song. We still listen/watch occasionally just for fun. 

 

Kings and Queens of England:

 

 

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We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel

 

Actually, I'm not sure my ds has heard it, but I should definitely play it for him this year when we study the 20th century.

 

Yes! I love this song! I was just trying to remember the lyrics for my kids a few days ago - we're doing 20th c. this year as well and I'm going to definitely play it for them a few times (and have it in my head for the next several months...)

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History Teachers have some songs on their YouTube channel. I weave them in as appropriate - but we don't memorize them.

My girls love We Didn't Start the Fire -- I hope to do a semester Modern History course with that song as the spine for high school when we get there.

 

I wish there was a program that used good songs to teach history. Something that included things like The Day the Music Died or Alabama's Song of the South about the depression. Or even James Taylor's Line Em Up to spark discussion about Richard Nixon & Watergate.

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Classical Conversations has audio CD's of all 3 cycles of memory work. Each Cycle cd has 24 history songs on each. They are fantastic! Cycles 1 and 2 are world history spanning ancient to modern times. Cycle 3 is American history broken down chronologically in 24 songs. There is also a wonderful history timeline put to song that covers 160 items. I don't participate in Classical Conversations but I have found of their memory work resources so beneficial. We have been using them for five years.

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Classical Conversations has audio CD's of all 3 cycles of memory work. Each Cycle cd has 24 history songs on each. They are fantastic! Cycles 1 and 2 are world history spanning ancient to modern times. Cycle 3 is American history broken down chronologically in 24 songs. There is also a wonderful history timeline put to song that covers 160 items. I don't participate in Classical Conversations but I have found of their memory work resources so beneficial. We have been using them for five years.

I have been looking at CC memory stuff for a while. There's not a lot of previews of their materials. For foundations, what is the difference between the resource CDs and the audio CDs? And how necessary is the foundations guide if I am just buying for personal use, not to join CC? Thanks.

 

Edit:

Just realized I hadn't looked in the right places... Found my questions answered on other threads about various aspects of CC. Sorry if I stuck this in the wrong spot!

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If your ds enjoyed the Horrible Histories song about kings and queens of England, you may want to watch more Horrible Histories. There are a lot more history related songs and skits. I found the Henry the Eighth song helpful for keeping track of his wives - and it's a great way to smile instead of cringe when thinking of the man. ;)

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