Dr. Peabody and the Wayback Machine

When I was a much younger girl I loved to watch the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The section that held my attention the longest was the Wayback Machine segment of the show where Sherman and Dr. Peabody always visited some distant time. In those minute minutes I learned about the early Romans, ancient Greeks, fables, myths, and other bits of history that I could recall later during an actual lesson or as I read a book.

Earlier this summer I wrote about a lesson I attempt to give early in the year where students are taught that the very ground we walk on has a history as well. It is all around us if you just take the time to stop, look, and listen. If you missed the post you can view it here.

Another site I like to use when planning lessons is the Atlanta Time Machine. This site has hundreds of old picture postcards of Atlanta, pictures of Atlanta street scenes, even specific buildings and houses as they appeared 30, 40, even 50 years ago along with an image of how the property looks today.

Back during the summer Hubby and I tooled around on the site for an entire evening looking at places we used to go to as children such as Johnny Reb’s Restaurant, Lester Maddox’s Pickrick, Pilgreen’s, and Hartsfield (the airport). With the exception of the airport (a much, much larger version now) none of those places exist today. I’m actually glad Johnny Reb’s doesn’t. It was a horrible name for a restaurant. They actually had carpet on the walls instead of wallpaper. We always sat where some kid before us had gotten mashed potatoes on the wall. Yuck!

At any rate…..take a jaunt on the Atlanta Time Machine. Sherman and Dr. Peabody won’t be there but you may enjoy it just the same. I believe there are some links from that site to other cities.

Elementaryhistoryteacher is finally off to the beach tomorrow so posting may be sparse. We are taking the laptop but unsure if we will be able to use it.

Have a great Fall weekend!