The Star Wars Curriculum
Lately, in my household, it’s all about Star Wars. Every morning during our walks, my daughter and I dive into spirited discussions about the different characters — their alliances, personalities, and who might be stronger than whom in various ways. When I went down to breakfast this morning, my kids ambushed me with a surprise: a game they’d been designing, complete with character cards for everyone from Obi-Wan to Boba Fett. They even included a card for Salacious Crumb, Jabba the Hutt’s little pet!
Not only did they design character cards, but they also mapped out two game boards: one for Tatooine and one for Endor. (Helping them spell “Tatooine” was a fun task!) Each map has spaces where players can move around, debating who holds power in different areas based on their knowledge of Star Wars lore. For two weeks now, almost every conversation in our home has somehow circled back to Star Wars.
My two daughters are on a self-led, phenomenon-based learning journey
But this isn’t the first time an interest has taken over our home. Before Star Wars, it was Lord of the Rings, then mermaids, and even unicorns had their moment. What I’m seeing is that my two daughters are on a self-led, phenomenon-based learning journey — and they’re doing it with just a few nudges from my wife, Mila, and me to guide them. They pick topics that captivate them, then dive in deep.
Beyond the Surface of Star Wars
What’s happening here is far from a simple fandom. They’re not just talking about movies; they’re actively exploring ideas, dissecting character motivations, and questioning why things are the way they are in this fictional universe.
Just the other day, my nine-year-old asked me, “Why did the Empire even want to build a Death Star?”
I answered, “Because people respond to extreme power.” She thought about that for a moment and said, “So…it’s kind of like nuclear weapons in our world.” In that moment, she connected the fictional universe of Star Wars to a real-world threat, using her knowledge of the story as a metaphor to understand something complex and relevant.
This kind of learning — rooted in their interests, curiosity, and the stories they care about — feels natural. Kids, when left to their own interests, don’t just skim the surface. They dig deep, dissecting every piece in ways that can even surprise adults.
Kids, when left to their own interests, don’t just skim the surface. They dig deep, dissecting every piece in ways that can even surprise adults.
Depth vs. Breadth: What Are Kids Really Learning?
One question that often comes up with interest-led learning is whether it can provide the same breadth of knowledge as a structured curriculum. My instinct is that it can — maybe not in every subject, but in a way that matters and is relevant to them. They’re connecting these experiences to other parts of the world and to broader ideas.
Take mermaids, for example. This might sound like just another childhood phase, but my daughters’ fascination with mermaids led them to ask questions about mythology and folklore. They started learning about different cultures that share mermaid myths, from Celtic to Southeast Asian traditions. To follow that curiosity, they needed to know where countries were on a map, why sailors might have imagined these mythical creatures, and even how history shaped these legends. Their questions led to new discoveries, and each question they asked deepened their understanding.
Does this approach have gaps? If you compare it to a standard curriculum, absolutely. They aren’t systematically covering every learning outcome that traditional schooling prescribes. But maybe that’s not a bad thing. The areas they choose to explore may be the ones most relevant to them, and maybe the ones they skip aren’t as essential in their lives right now.
Rethinking “Essential Knowledge” in Education
Of course, certain core subjects like math often don’t get covered organically in this kind of learning. Calculus, for instance, probably wouldn’t come up in their exploration of Star Wars. But that raises another question: Do we need to teach calculus just because it’s in the curriculum? Or could we focus instead on the skills calculus develops — problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning — in ways that feel more relevant to kids?
So why don’t we let kids explore their interests more often? I think it’s because our education system leans heavily on standards and learning outcomes. In many schools, these standards aren’t just guidelines; they’re more like a Bible that teachers must follow. Under immense pressure and oversight, teachers often have little choice but to check off boxes rather than engage in meaningful learning experiences that deviate from the script.
Take something like the Cold War as an example. Students might learn about the basic facts — the divided world, the arms race, the nuclear treaties — but they might miss the underlying fear and motivations that drove those decisions. A metaphor like Star Wars could help make those ideas more relatable, allowing students to understand complex ideas like mutually assured destruction through a story that resonates with them.
Finding a Balance: Kid-Led Learning in a Structured World
So, how can we incorporate more of this interest-driven approach in larger, more traditional classrooms? Homeschooling offers flexibility, but in a bigger classroom, it’s harder to allow for this kind of exploration. Perhaps approaches like project-based learning are a way forward, where kids learn processes and apply content based on their interests. Instead of dictating what they learn, we could teach them how to learn — and let them pursue content that speaks to them.
As for my own home, I’m enjoying the ride. I’m embracing this Star Wars phase and seeing where it takes us. My kids are asking things like whether X-wings are astrodynamically realistic or what it might be like for robots and humans to coexist. These conversations are a way for them to explore the future, science, and ethics — ideas that push their understanding of how our world works, and why it is the way it is.
I’ll keep you posted on where this adventure leads us.
