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May 06, 2023
Professor Watermelon on getting kids excited in history
Feast on this: His name is Chadwick Gillenwater. But children across Indiana know him as bow-tied Professor Watermelon, the performance name he uses when he travels to schools, libraries, museums, summer camps and historic sites for presentations about history and writing. At various historic sites, Chadwick, a veteran teacher and school librarian, also offers workshops for children called Watermelon University.
The historic sites include the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home in the Lockerbie neighborhood of Indianapolis. It's also the setting for one of Chadwick's books for children, George and the Goblin Hole, in which he uses a real historical figure (the butler at the home when Riley was in residence) along with a fictional character, a contemporary boy, to inspire interest in the Hoosier poet. In addition to his presentations as Professor Watermelon, Chadwick is a history reenactor who frequently portrays James Whitcomb Riley (in costume) at civic events and presentations to children.
So why not tap Chadwick a k a Professor Watermelon for tips about how to excite children in history, and insights about what turns them off? When he joins Nelson as a studio guest, Professor Watermelon also will suggest some do's and don'ts about sparking an interest in writing among young Hoosiers.
Sites for his Watermelon University workshops have included the historic Benton House in the Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis and the Indiana State Capitol, where Chadwick took children to the courtroom of the Indiana Supreme Court. He frequently draws on Indiana history in workshops for children about writing, even creative writing. "Just like history, there is no story if there is no struggle", Chadwick says.
When presenting history to children, parents and other adults should avoid overemphasizing dates, he says. "Dates and names often get blown into the wind, but if you can captivate children with what happened, you will earn their attention. Think about it this way. The years 1862 and 1962 are pretty much the same to a person who was born in 2015."
Chadwick, a board member of the Indiana Writers Center, does regular "story time" presentations for preschoolers at the Indianapolis Public Library. He also does workshops for teachers and parents, sharing tips about reading stories aloud to preschoolers. Referring to a regular read-aloud session with young children, he says: "It's the single most important activity a parent or caregiver can do to get their child ready for kindergarten and reading."
He began calling himself "Professor Watermelon" after a young child had difficulty pronouncing Chadwick Gillenwater.
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Guest Roadtripper Marybeth Von Fange Glick of 
ARI is excellent at providing educational opportunities for all ages. They have 'experiences' and people aged 12 and older can join in unearthing history. Several camps for students are scheduled throughout the summer months. I enjoyed a tour of the Guard Site, which is only a six-minute drive away, which included atlatl demonstrations where we could try throwing this old hunting spear. It was neat to see the precise layout of the dig including depth measurements for locating artifacts. Archaeology is not glamorous but a very interesting science.
