George Washington’s Secret Spy Ring: Uncovering Truth for America 250

As George Washington spread the ferrous sulfate over the letter, he held his breath. This letter could be the one that alters the outcome of the war. On the surface, it was about Robert Townsend’s family. But by reading between the lines (literally), Washington received critical intelligence about the British army via invisible ink that could only be read by spreading a second chemical over it.

Thankfully, kids don’t need any special chemical to evaluate documents today, but they do need some special skills to become document detectives who can identify real truth and cut through agendas and bias. And parents can teach these skills using original sources and books that teach critical thinking, like the Tuttle Twins history books.

Learning from History in Time for America 250

America 250 is the perfect time to teach critical thinking because history is an excellent lens for it. Books like the Tuttle Twins history books teach critical thinking by helping kids learn to think for themselves and evaluate sources before deciding what to believe.

Story-driven history books not only engage kids to help them remember what they’re learning but also teach critical thinking by explaining why things happened the way they did instead of just what happened. The Tuttle Twins history books tell the story of the past in an exciting, fun way that teaches not just history but also critical thinking. There’s even a new edition in the Tuttle Twins history books series, Volume 3, just in time for America 250.

Kids learn critical thinking by discovering how people of the past thought and seeing the importance of evaluating original documents instead of secondary sources.

How to Raise Independent Thinkers

Books that teach critical thinking will help you learn how to raise independent thinkers. When you bring your kids original sources like the Declaration of Independence, you teach them to think for themselves instead of simply taking in what ordinary history textbooks have to say about it. The problem with some history textbooks is that they have an agenda or tell history from a biased perspective, whether the authors meant to or not. The only way to combat this is to evaluate the original documents and sources. This is how to raise independent thinkers.

You can cement these lessons into your kids by turning ordinary family gatherings like dinnertime into extraordinary times of learning! During dinnertime or right after evaluating various sources on a historical event, consider asking your kids questions such as these:

• Who wrote this?
• What’s the purpose of this?
• What did the author(s) leave out?
• Is this fact or someone’s opinion?
• When did the author(s) write this?
• What differences do you see between the original document and the history textbook you read?
• Do these differences reveal any sort of agenda or bias? Why or why not?
• What other reputable sources could you look at to get additional information?

As you discover how to raise independent thinkers using original sources and books that teach critical thinking like those in the Tuttle Twins series, you’ll also create memories your kids will carry with them forever by asking questions like the above.