Question

Plese, review it for me. It's an essay I've written for a national contest (How well is it written in terms of a 13-year-old?) Any suggestions, mistakes?


How can history and cultural heritage be brought alive for children?

History is a subject which is a necessity in every school curriculum yet often, isn't the cynosure in the eyes of school-goers. So why should kids bother learning it whereas there's more to life than just age-old rituals and the infamously 'boring' cultural histories? Why spend their precious time and moolah on visiting memorials when one can enjoy the bustling city life?

However much challenging it is to find studying cultures and heritage enjoyable, it will still get neglection. Presumably, this is due because the learning process is disconnected from their reality and experience. Not only the subject but the knowledge of various customs, traditions or even cultural heritage itself doesn’t quite seem overwhelming enough for children to take interest in, considering it ‘too dull and uninteresting’. Kids prefer whatever is fun and intriguing; and if somehow, ‘fun’ can be incorporated into knowing our heritage, then I’m sure children will take interest in it. Teaching heritage's importance the unorthodox way is more entertaining than cram studying and tuitions. How engaging it would be to conduct an ancient Greece - fancy dress competition or a skit based on battle strategy?

A good way to get them to become interested is to visit places of historical importance. Buy a trip to the Colosseum or the Angkor Wat and collect as many pictures or Polaroids. Make a blog or a scrapbook or a creative display. If the kids are travel-averse or tend to prefer movies than trips, grab some popcorn and put some thrilling historical drama/movie on the television. Classics such as ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ and ‘The Boy in Striped Pyjamas’ are excellent choices of books which not only are favoured by people worldwide but also give a glimpse of the discontented days of the world wars.

It is crucial to understand heterogeneity in humans. Consequently, discussing family history with children is necessary for their future. Family heritage also helps to preserve memories for not only children but also later generations to have an idea of where they come from, which becomes an essential part of their identity. Discussing family heritage is also a great way for children to embrace their familial past. Gathering several pictures from both sides of the family and learning about the family's past ancestors is one of the ways to genealogically gain knowledge of their familial culture.

Museums are multitudinous in this country, ranging from the regular ones with middle-aged artefacts to thrilling ones with ancient mummies and dinosaur endoskeletons. These eye-catching displays will leave the kids in awe as they look up a pile of bones fastened together that once belonged to a minacious dinosaur long before the humans arose. Figuratively, a museum is a history textbook come alive; Strolling past a baroque dagger that previously was a possession of a Mughal wazir or an array of terracotta toys which once children from the middle-ages played with. It will certainly be a fascinating yet enlightening experience for not only the young ones but all.

Barely a few cards have been bestowed, several are still left in the deck to choose from. Just keeping in mind that entertaining activities are the ideal 'baits'. Reading books, watching documentaries, visiting museums are all recreational methods of learning which kids will participate in rather than cramming in notes. So, choosing edutainment methods of learning cultural heritage is the key to help children blossom into young, little historians!

Answer 1

Well.. Its very good and keep the good work up