Trying to Teach My Son Greek Mythology

So, yes, I want to teach my son about Greek Mythology to start with, and perhaps introduce him after that to mythology from other parts of the world.

The subject seemed a bit complex for him up to this point, because he is very young. I picked up a book for kids on the subject of Greek Mythology some years ago, but it was at the third grade level, and he was not even through Kindergarten at the time. But his reading has improved by leaps and bounds since the end of the last academic year, which was, by almost any stretch, a challenging year for him, both academically and socially. He seems to be doing better now, and this is a subject that I long wanted to expose him to. It always seemed that this would be such a fascinating subject for kids. Also, maybe I have been reading Joseph Campbell a bit lately, and whenever I read his works, I just cannot wait to get my hands on a book on mythology. It is especially enticing to share this enthusiasm with someone, and how could it be more exciting than with my own son?

The challenge is to introduce it properly. I did not want him to think about this as some kind of boring thing associated with school, or academia. Mythology was always a source of fascination to me, and I always wished that I was more knowledgeable in the field, frankly. I wanted him to get an early start, and so I related it to modern day super heroes (I already let him know that one prominent Marvel super-hero, Thor, is directly from Scandinavian mythology).

Perhaps the biggest problem these days with teaching kids the classic subjects like this is that they have become a lost art of sorts. In this day and age of video games and thousands of channels and programs at your disposal on television, and the internet right at your fingertips, perhaps the lure of some truly amazing subjects, like mythology, have lost some luster in the popular imagination.

I wish that it hadn't. As Joseph Campbell suggested, we have lost something crucial within the society, when we lose mythology. These tales teach us about ourselves, about our values. They ground us, in a very real sense.

Yet, individually, we can obviously continue to study these, and I think that it is to the benefit of those individuals who do. That is why I wanted to teach my son about mythology, and I am starting with Greek Mythology, because that was what I started with when younger, as well.

So far, he seems interested. I am trying to keep him interested, and see if his interest takes off on it's own. Since I am doing this separate from school, it seems wise to try to keep him entertained by it, to see it as fascinating, because it is. And someday, maybe, he might derive some deeper satisfaction from his exposure to mythology.

That is the hope, in any case. But mythology is fascinating and important. I would also argue that it is still relevant, and it was something that I always assumed my son, and any other children I may or may not have someday, could eventually not just learn, but appreciate. And as his teacher in this regard, it falls upon me, right now, to make it as entertaining as possible.

By the way - I am open to any suggestions, and would appreciate any advice on the subject. I certainly cannot pretend to a mastery of the subject, and would love any helpful advice or tips on this subject! If you know of a good way to teach kids about mythology, please let me know!