Curious Historians:
Puzzle Pieces of our Past
by Kallos Kids and My Curious Child
Is History more than…
a list of dates to be memorised?
a big book of facts?
a bunch of myths?
History is more than a dry collection of things that happened long ago. History is hidden in the walls of our homes; the journeys of our families; the voices of our parents and grandparents. It’s hidden in the soil beneath our feet. It’s the universe of stories that make up who we are today.
History is an investigation, a puzzle-piecing of fragments that may seem not to make sense at first. Every object and every voice gives us a fuller understanding of the picture. How do we know what was true? And how do we know what truly mattered?
Embark on a journey to uncover the stories that make up who we are. Through a seven-week programme, participants will discover more about the many factors that make them who they are today, including their social, societal, cultural, and linguistic environment.
THE PROGRAMME
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THE PROGRAMME ·
Key Details:
7 Tuesdays in Oct, Nov and Dec [Contact Jiamin @mycuriouschild for exact dates]
2:30-4:30pm, inclusive of 10min break
Sengkang, Singapore
Best for ages 9 to 11
Participants are strongly encouraged to commit to all 7 sessions for a cohesive learning experience
Key Learning Points:
Verifiable facts are not the only type of “truth” that matter
Diverse stories and perspectives help us arrive at a fuller picture, but never a complete one
Critical consideration of information: Where did it come from? What is it useful for? What is it not useful for?
Our lives are a product of History, and History continues to breathe through us
History of my Family
· Introduction to History: Questions and Misconceptions · Show and Tell a picture of their parents · Draw a simplified family timeline · The “world” surrounding the picture: e.g. their physical environment, the culture, the tech, their thoughts and feelings at the time ·
History of Ancient Singapore
· Myth, archaeology, and maps · What is real? How do we know? How did they know? · (**Relevant NMS exhibition: Once Upon a Tide: Singapore's Journey from Settlement to Global City) ·
History of Singapore: The Separation Mystery (1960s)
· Autobiographies: Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee · Malaysian primary and/or secondary sources · TV recordings · Melanie Chew’s “Leaders of Singapore” interview · The Albatross Files (**Relevant NLB exhibition: The Albatross File: Singapore's Independence Declassified) ·
Snapshot in Time: 1999, 1940s
1999:
· Y2K fears (factually grounded? still real?) and how it influenced society · Economy, technology, and music · Artefacts ·
1940s:
· Multiple perspectives on World War II: primary and secondary sources, different individual accounts and the picture they paint of the war · Food, language, hopes and fears, and how it influenced the generation ·
History of the English Language
· Etymology as evidence · History’s impact on language: Imperial conquest (French) versus intermarriage (Old Norse) ·
History of Knowing
· Myth, story and poetry · Art and etchings · Writing, codification and dissemination · Factual investigation
History of Me
· Recap of 7-week investigation · What factors make up who I am? Social, economic, linguistic, societal, and natural environment ·
Kallos Kids: Meet Karen
After graduating with a BA (Hons) in History at Yale-NUS College, I began my full-time career as a English and creative writing teacher to primary and secondary school students. However, as I conducted lessons, I heard children talking about things that made me deeply disturbed and troubled. It made me think: How can I play a role that nurtures a child’s life beyond their grades? How do I help them not just become top scorers, but wise, intelligent individuals?
Troubled, disillusioned and keen to explore the world beyond school, I left my full-time teaching appointment to pursue a research and curatorial role at the National Museum of Singapore and Founders’ Memorial from 2018-2021, and then joined an MNC as a project manager from 2021-2024. In the meantime, I continued to teach, worked with a couple of education-related business, and ghostwrote a book featuring national athletes.
In 2025, I decided to return to the education space via a postgraduate diploma in early childhood education. Now, I run Kallos Kids, a developmentally enriching playspace for children that allows parents to breathe while their children continue to enjoy the quality play they deserve.