Historypin
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The parents' guide to what's in this website.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Historypin is a great tool to bring families together to share stories. Users pin historical photos to a mapped location and add a note explaining the image. Younger kids should be guided through the site by an adult, but teens are mature enough to review the content themselves. The images are more likely to hold the interest of older kids (lots and lots of black and white photos here). Users can flag inappropriate content. (At the time of this review, we saw nothing of concern.) Parents should also know that accounts are recommended for users over 16; younger users can share with a parent.
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What's it about?
HISTORYPIN is a map-based website that allows \"people to come together, from across different generations, cultures and places, to share small glimpses of the past and to build up the huge story of human history.\" Users do this by \"pinning\" photos to a location on the map and attaching a note to describe what's in each image. The site urges individuals and families to dig through their attics, scan those old photos, and share them with the world. Anyone can add to Historypin's map, from seasoned historians to average families, making it an epic, crowdsourced project that grows along with its community.
Is it any good?
Historypin is a great idea that's executed just about perfectly. By allowing anyone to become a historian, it gathers democratized information about the past, sometimes from the very people who lived it. The part kids will like best? Sharing their own stuff. But through that, they'll begin to see how important history is, how cultures change over time, and what it means to maintain a legacy. Kids will be tickled to see old photos of their parents (if you wish to share, of course!) and grandparents. Historypin allows kids to visualize the shared history of their city, country, and world, as well as the individual experiences that shape our past.
Talk to your kids about ...
Explore your family's town and neighborhood on the Historypin map. Families can make discoveries together about people's lives, both past and present, through each pin.
Historypin offers a great opportunity to review your own family history with kids. Get grandparents and other family members together for a photo sharing party!
Website details
- Subjects: Social Studies: cultural understanding, geography, history
Language & Reading: reading, storytelling, writing
Arts: photography - Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: applying information, collecting data, thinking critically
Tech Skills: social media, using and applying technology
Responsibility & Ethics: honoring the community
Emotional Development: perspective taking
Self-Direction: self-reflection - Genre: Educational
- Topics: History
- Award: Webby Award
- Price: Free
- Pricing structure: Free
- Last updated: November 11, 2020
Our editors recommend
For kids who love learning about history
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.