3 Ways to Teach the Big Ideas That Change the World

By Vicki on 04 July 2011 / Healthy Living, High School, Personal Growth, Social Studies, The Home / 7 Comments

I am fortunate to live within driving distance of the Liberty Bell, so all my children have grown up visiting that American icon. They also have also memorized the scripture engraved on it:

Proclaim liberty throughout the land and unto all the inhabitants thereof. Leviticus 25:10

Our founding fathers had a big idea: liberty.

That idea of liberty encompassed a lot of stuff: economics, politics, religion, lifestyle.

They didn’t just accidentally all come up with the same thoughts at the same time. These men had spent their youth and early adulthood reading and memorizing two important authors that drilled the idea of liberty into their souls:

-God (you know, the Bible)

-John Locke (the philosopher who came up with most of the ideas that you see in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.)

If you would like to teach world-changing ideas to your children, try this:

-Bible Study                                                                            

Model Scripture knowledge yourself. Read and memorize Scripture with your kids.

The culture of our founding fathers valued Scripture memorization, thus they had personal access to many verses and Christian ideas for wisdom and guidance.

-Literature Study

Read and memorize poems and quotes from the period. Experiencing the literature of the time period helps a child internalize the ideas that drove that culture.

While our learning co-op children have groaned in the process, they can tell you what it is like to recite The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus at the foot of the Statue of Liberty (in the rain).

-Philosophy

All students should study the ideas that drove a culture. Young students do this through biographies

High schoolers should study the ideas that drove what people were doing through history. They can do that through biographies and the study of the philosophic ideas of the time. (A History of US by Joy Hakim covers some of that. An extensive and interesting coverage of that is in our e-text that is in production now World History and Philosophy.)

Young people who are not idea driven may become self-driven and selfish. Young people who carry big ideas make big changes in the world!
What big ideas do you teach your kids?

This is BOGO week. Buy one get one free curriculum at our ebookstore. Sign-up for our newsletter right here on this page for the details.

Related Posts:

• 4 Ways to Avoid Homeschool Animal School
• 5 Tips to Beat Post-Christmas Blues
• 5 Things You’re Doing Right, Homeschool Mom
• Homeschool Mom Discovers a NEW Law of Science