It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.

— Albert Einstein

Teach your children well …
They seek the truth
Before they can die.

— Graham Nash

A recent blurb in the local paper caught my eye — it concerned a survey that showed that only 1 in 4 Americans surveyed could name the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment, but that over half could name all of the members of the Simpsons (if you only knew the self-restraint it takes not to say “D’oh!”). The survey found more people could name the three “American Idol” judges than identify three First Amendment rights. They were also more likely to remember popular advertising slogans.

It also showed that people misidentified First Amendment rights. About one in five people thought the right to own a pet was protected, and 38 percent said they believed the right against self-incrimination contained in the Fifth Amendment was a First Amendment right. The article goes on to say about 1 in 5 of our fellow citizens could name all 5 members of the Simpson clan but only 1 in 1,000 could name freedom of worship, speech, of the press, of assembly and freedom to petition to the government for redress of grievances. The telephone survey of 1,000 adults was conducted Jan. 20-22 by the research firm Synovate and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Is this possible?

Our youngest child, Kate, when asked “What is the 2nd Amendment?” will tell you it’s the right of the people to keep and bear arms — when further pressed, she will tell you why it’s important. “Because you need to protect your family and get meat if the stores don’t have any.” Is Kate just abnormally bright?

Well, of course she is, but then so is almost any 6 year-old fortunate enough to have a parent home with them at all times to teach them. I have a friend who said that 4-1/2 year olds (the age that we first started to introduce Kate to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution) was too young; that kids can’t comprehend or remember such things. But these same simple minds can store and retrieve seemingly thousands of Yu-Gi-Oh, Barbie or Care Bear characters so I doubt 10 amendments should pose too difficult a task. The trick of course it to present it in a way they can relate to, to help them see how these freedoms impact their very families and communities. (And truth in advertising compels me to admit that Kate gets a little bit fuzzy on details by, say, amendment 9, but we’re getting there!)

My husband and I have made this knowledge and understanding of our rights an important part of her homeschool curriculum … and the internet is a fabulous source of information that appeals to kids without boring them. One of the myriad sites is a free site called “Downloadable Learning” that has an entire section devoted to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, complete with graphics, quizzes and games … and did I mention it’s free?

Why is this important? Because Kate will be armed — armed with information that will help her see the disparity between what the politicans say and what they do; and she will be armed with information to detect and deter those who would use force and fraud to enslave her and steal her natural-born rights. We will teach her that politicians prefer unarmed peasants.

Then will come the day when Kate will be ready to be armed more fully and hopefully take her place among the brave, the truly patriotic who have learned the lessons of our Constitution and have learned to respect the rights of others and herself. She will be fully armed — with knowledge.