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"Let bygones be bygones," my mom used to quip, about her general lack of interest in the subject of history. I guess I still don't really get the joke.

Somewhere around third grade, I became infatuated with people from the past; I handed in report after report, on everyone from good ole Honest Abe to Henry Ford to Helen Keller. I mean, seriously, I can't ever flick past Doris Kearns Goodwin on TV, and the History channel is programmed into my favorites.

So, imagine my shock when my fourth-grade son came home with a D on his history report! It was one-third of his grade, too!

I was horrified as he tried to justify.
"Mom," he complained, "history is sooo booor-ing. Who even cares what happened a hundred years ago?"

My jaw dropped. Who was this alien child?

Not only was he uttering such blasphemy, but this was the same kid who drives me n u t s with questions about how electricity works, and spouts off undesired obscure facts from the Guinness Book Of World Records at the worst possible time. Not like history? Impossible!

So, I dug deep into my archives, and came up with a plan. These are some of the things that worked for us, and they might work for you, too.

- Go Over The Assignments With Them.
It's always a good idea to scan their textbooks to see exactly what they're learning. Events don't really change, but interpretations can. Familiarize yourself with the material, and discuss it with them. Ask them to explain it to you in their words. Be warned; with history, even the watered down version in elementary schoolbooks, you could be in for it. Facts and figures can be researched together, online (use a reputable site), or with your own books and magazines. The hard-hitting questions, you're pretty much on your own with.

Also, for an assignment, be sure and ask their teacher for specific objectives, to help your child understand and identify what the teacher will be looking for in a report or project. Usually, they'll send home a guideline. Make sure these points are addressed.

- Apply History To Their World.
Grades are important, but history is so much more than that. One way you can develop your child's interest in long-ago is to start with the family tree. My mom joked about not being interested in history, but it was through her that I learned about her dad who served in WWII, and what it was like to grow up living with my great-grandparents who almost lost the farm in the Depression. Re-telling these stories to my son helps carry on family history, and he gets a personal

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