Homeschooling Means...#28

...an impromptu history lesson about World War II propaganda at the dinner table on a Sunday.

Somehow "freedom fries," "liberty sandwiches," and "victory gardens" came up.  Then Hubby said something about propaganda, which prompted Primus to ask what that word meant.  She had heard it before but didn't understand.  Hence, the history lesson and discussion about what it is, what its purpose is, and what are the short and long-term effects to our country and culture.  

The kids already knew about Rosie the Riveter, and it blew their minds when we told them that Walt Disney and Dr. Seuss both made propaganda cartoons during the war years.  So of course we had to show them some.  


The first one I found is where Donald Duck has a nightmare about joining the Nazis.  The kids thought it was hilarious, especially when Donald is coerced to repeat "Heil Hitler" over and over again while assembling shells. They kept quoting Donald and singing "Der Fuehrer's Face." 

We had to have a serious discussion before I let them rewatch it. While it's hilarious when you understand the context and nature of the cartoon, they are not allowed to repeat any of it outside of our home. Because the world is crazier than usual right now and could you imagine the outrage and problems it might cause??



We also watched this one where "Commando Duck" is tasked with wiping out the enemy Japanese camp. There are some VERY racist things about the Japanese in this one! Wow!  We discussed what was going on, why they were being characterized like that, how absolutely ridiculous and offensive it was, and what the goal of this propaganda piece was.

Especially with Hubby being such a history fanatic, we believe strongly in our house that we must learn from the past in order to prevent it from happening in the future.  We don't want to put our kids in a bubble and hide the ugly things of the past from them.  We want them to see how much better things are in the present and then continue to improve things for the future.


(This series is meant to be mostly lighthearted and fun.  Some may be serious, but most will be silly, braggy, or of the keepin'-it-real variety.  Not every homeschool is the same.  And some of these things could be said by public school parents.  This is just to highlight MY experience with MY homeschool and MY children.  Enjoy these little insights into our life and feel free to share your own "Homeschooling means..." in the comments!)