The story of Mike Mulligan and his dedicated steam shovel, basically known as Mary Anne, is a great conversation opener for so many topics. In a contract offer, Mike needed to prove that Mary Anne could do the work of 10,000 men in a week in one day. As a testament to all the good hard work ever, Mike and Mary Anne did exactly that, but created a dilemma in the process, one that has a beautiful result.
One of my favorite ways to use this book is to introduce the topic of technological change over time. This book covers the history of engines and is an excellent starter book as it looks from the industrial age to today’s technology, particularly the development of modern communications technology. Poor Mary Anne was in direct competition with her more modern counterparts and had to prove herself as a locomotive that she seemed to have been replaced.
Visits to historical museums are a must for homeschoolers using this title. Of course, no museum is the same, and each has its own key exhibits. From ‘cheese’ museums displaying items that were used in historic cheese making to ‘transportation’ museums looking at changes in travel to ‘pastoral’ museums looking at historic farm equipment, you can choose any one to explore technological change. over time or even look at several. Then, it would be complemented by a visit to a modern equivalent. Plan in your schedule a trip to a cheese factory, to a car dealership or mechanic, or to a modern farm. It would be a great research project that compares not only the technology of each era, but also the impact that this technology has on the daily lives of those who use it.
Another great project is to get a ‘classic’ car and a late model vehicle side by side with the hood open. Then, using someone with a mechanical background, explore the different components of each vehicle and discuss all the additional parts on newer vehicles and design changes that have occurred to parts like the engine. As a derivative theme, through the exploration of accessories, there could be a learning directed at car safety. This would include discussing how seat belts, airbags, brake assist, and stability control work in a vehicle, the purpose they serve, their effectiveness, and how they, as transit users, can keep themselves safe.
Alternative educational uses
However, this amazing book by Virginia Lee Burton opens up a lot more conversations then just a conversation about technological change, consider the following ideas.
An interesting retrospective study for older children that may emerge from this is on consumerism, disposable lifestyles, and waste of resources by first world nations. Then it can provide a very interesting critical thinking exercise about whether it is important to take care of and preserve our possessions. This can lead to some really cool hands-on exercises on how to preserve different possessions. Safe storage of photography products, preservation of wood surfaces, reupholstering and repairing furniture rather than replacement, and finding alternative sources for secondhand household items.
Along with this, you can take field trips to antique shops and restoration businesses, spend the day being tutored by an upholsterer, and learn where to get used items on budget, within the time of the house, and how to care for them. From there, some communication or home based projects can be started using the skills learned through these excursions. Polish silver, restore wood, repair goods. Imagine what your child could do to help an elderly neighbor!
Another great idea is to discuss the importance of our history, not just the national history, but also the history of communities and families. Studying one’s own family history and learning lessons from our elders can bring a child’s life into perspective. As teenagers, many homeschooled children can explain why their parents are the way they are by studying the lives of their parents’ parents. This opens a door into the genealogy and life of family ancestors, a process that will reinforce learning about national and local history for those family members.
Another entirely different thread that learning could take from this wonderful book is based on the dilemma Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne faced after completing their homework. (You’ll have to read the book to find out what that dilemma was.) Of course, this speaks to a skill that is highly sought after in workplaces and essential to running a family home: planning! This provides an opportunity to discuss the importance of planning, types of planning, how to plan, communicating your plan to others, and how planning can help prevent dilemmas like the one that needed to be resolved in this book.
This book is a great book for a child of any age and is a great resource in any parent’s library. It has my own five star rating and I recommend you check it out for yourself! This book crosses many of the social barriers that many other titles introduce and creates a secure base for entering the subject of history with an open mind.