Boys and girls in this day and age are a lot more involved in updating their face book page than in actually putting their faces into a book.    Sometimes it seems like kids are just not interested in anything that doesn’t have flashy graphics attached to it.  Multi-tasking seems to be the flavor of the day, so long as none of the tasks involve anything remotely significant.  But, as you know, history is really a helpful thing for them have.  It’s not enough to know that there were some guys named Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Benjamin who now have their faces on our money.  If we’re going to remain a successful nation we really need to instill some of our vibrant traditions to them.  So how do we get them to crack the book on the traditions of this country without feeling like we’re pulling teeth? There are lots of ways, but one particularly good way is through model locomotives.  Yes.  That’s right, period specific toy trains.  Here’s how to pass on history with toy locomotives:

Use trains as a secret vehicle for our traditions:

Try to make your set-up period and location specific. Imagine a set-up that is set during Reconstruction in the American Southwest.  You can feign ignorance and get your kids to “help” you figure out what would make for appropriate scenic details to your setup.  They might read about the telegraph and add telegraph lines next to the tracks.  Or they might create a vibrant town near the tracks to symbolize the boom cities that were the winners in the railroad speculation game.  Maybe even have a few washed out prospectors still panning for gold in the nearby stream.

Historic toy locomotives are also a good alternative to the usual diorama or scale model:  

Diorama and similar craft projects are fine but if you’ve already gotten your child into toy locomotives why not take advantage of his or her hobby to really impress at his next school presentation.  You will need to set it up on a portable table and possibly help your child bring it in on the day that it is due, but the combination of historic detail and the fascination that such trains foster simply on their own are likely to really go over well. A picture of Jesse James is fine, but what if you incorporated toy trains to bring the locomotive robber’s life details and cultural context to life.  As your period specific locomotive rounds the curve there are Jesse and his whole gang just waiting to pounce and continue his wrong headed crusade.  It’s your youngster though, who will be stealing that A right out of his teacher’s grade book!

Visit a toy locomotive Museum:  

If you’re anywhere in the American West you are never far from historical locomotive sites and museums where toy locomotives are often featured.  If your local historic train site doesn’t have model trains consider suggesting they incorporate some to the curator or manager of the site.  Some rolling exhibits may come around as well. Just do an internet search and you are sure to come into contact with your local model locomotive society.

All of these things are sure to place your child on track to greater national literacy.  Even if you just do model training without even considering the educational possibilities you will inevitably foster a greater sense of historical knowledge simply by handling these little mechanical doorways to the past.  

Here is more information on Model Steam Trains. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Model Trains.

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