Parenting Pointers: Guest Post

Enriching Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Kids: Teaching History from the Mistakes Made in Movies

As any history teacher or enthusiast will attest, history gets an unfairly bad rap. Often written off as dull, history as a subject is immediately put at a disadvantage. Keeping kids focused and interested in a subject is difficult enough as it is, doing so when students have already given up on a subject can be nearly impossible. One way to spend some quality time with your children, while also enriching their minds is featuring Hollywood blockbusters for a valuable educational lesson in history. Using big name Hollywood films to teach lessons about history may be the answer to spiking your kids' interests and teaching worthwhile lessons in history. These five tinsel town sensations feature erroneous historical inaccuracies. Use these mistakes to create engaging and insightful lessons for your kids at home in the history of our nation, our society, and the world.

The Patriot (1998)
Loosely based on true historical events, The Patriot features an inspiring and painful story about the American Revolution. The protagonist of the story, Benjamin Martin, is based on a real-life man from the Revolutionary War named Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion. While the fictional Marion is a brave soldier and hero, who fights and single-handedly kills an entire unit of British infantry, the real Marion is best known in the history books for brutally murdering dozens of unarmed Cherokee Indians and doing other atrocious acts. Parents (and even teachers) could use the fallacy created in this movie to open a discussion about Native American history or even the history of minorities in America. With your kids you can explore the various sides and perspectives of the American Revolution by discussing the perspective The Patriot chooses to take. Looking at perspective and viewpoint is an important lesson early education and life.

Gladiator (2000)
As a hugely well-known film full of thrills, fights, and romance, Gladiator is sure to hold the attention of any history student. While the film's characters are animated and interesting, many of the facts surrounding the plot are completely fabricated and false. Parents can use this film to discuss the structure of Roman society and Roman government. In the film, Commodus, the evil Roman Emperor, ruled all of Rome for only a few months. In real life Commodus ruled for thirteen years and was held in high regard by the Roman senate and Roman citizens. This mistake (which was certainly created for cinematic affect) invites a lesson on Roman government. Parents can watch this film with their kids (be sure they are age appropriate for the film) and use it to open a discussion on ancient government and how that structure influences structures of government that exist today.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age
There is no character in history that raises more interest than Queen Elizabeth I. As an astounding leader during a period when Queens were merely breeders and women could not rule, Elizabeth I has fascinated historians, filmmakers, educators, fiction writers, and consumers for decades. In the film set in 1585, Elizabeth is supposed to be 52 years old. However, she is characterized as being much younger and heavily courted by suitors. In history, Elizabeth would not have been courted much during this time period. Moreover, in the movie one of her courters was Ivan the Terrible who would have been dead by this time. Elizabeth: The Golden Age could be used to open an important discussion about gender equality in Tutor England and today. The film features Elizabeth's famous speech to rally the troops at Tilbury. Parents can use this instance to open a wonderful discussion about rhetoric and the historical relevance of this iconic speech.

Each of these films invites debate and exploration of important moments and periods throughout history. Allow your kids to engage in the Hollywood versions of history and work with them to decipher fact from fiction. Using film to demonstrate mistakes made about history is an interesting and engaging way to get kids and teens involved in critical thinking.

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Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer.