Colonial American Days

To design a Colonial American Day program, I recommend offering six stations with one or more adult volunteers manning each station. Each station would have a different theme and each activity at that station should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Teachers at Hayes Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, led by Shauna Harris, designed a program to match this description. You can view their 90-minute rotation plan here and the accompanying Pilgrim's Passport (a sheet for student reflection on at each station) here. Alternatively, teachers may choose to dedicate one day to an individual station's theme, doing all the activities from that station in a whole class or small group setting throughout a single day.

Station possibilities include art, cornhusk dolls, science, games, cooking, and household chores/trades. Examples of centers for each of these stations appear below and are also available as a downloadable document. The downloadable document is editable and includes needed materials for 72 participants (12 per station at one time). Pictures of these activities taken on September 16, 2009 at Green Valley High School as part of the Clark County School District Teaching American History Grant appear below.

___________________________________________
Cornhusk Dolls

• Place a tarp on the floor and place a large tub of water in the middle to pre-soak cornhusks.
• Materials: Version: Corn husks (enough for each participant to have about 10 husks), Ball of string or twine, Scissors, Large tub filled with water (place corn husks in water before class), Rubberband ball, Tarp
• Use the instructions available at http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/cornhusk.htm

Here is a video of third graders in Ms. Graham's classroom at Staton Elementary School making cornhusk dolls.

Video

___________________________________________
Science

Sundials

• Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 9.
• Materials: Ream of cardstock (any light color), Scissors, Black felt tip pens, Rulers, Protractor, Scotch tape

Measuring Tree Height

• Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 22.
• Materials: Ball of string, Scissors, Measuring Tape/Yardstick, Masking tape

Making Compasses

• Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 16.
• Materials: Small magnet, Nails (long), Pie pans (filled with water), Wine corks

Candle Making

• Place melted paraffin into clean cans placed on beverage warmers (to keep wax melted). Have students wrap the end of an approximately 12" string to one end of a pencil or popsicle stick and wet the string to give it some weight. Have students dip their string into the wax and then immediately into the water. Repeat this process until the candle forms to a reasonable size. Use hands to massage the candle into the proper shape.
• Materials: Ball of white string, Popsicle sticks, Household paraffin wax, Scissors, Beverage warmers, Cans (fill half with water), Aluminum foil (to cover beverage warmers to keep them clean)

Here is a video of third graders in Ms. Graham's classroom at Staton Elementary School making candles.

Video

___________________________________________
Games

Jacks

• Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 39.
• Materials: Jacks, Small rubber balls

Jackstraws

• Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 94.
• Materials: Handfuls of coffee stirring straws

Hoop Roll

• Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 114.
• Materials: Hula hoops, Wooden sticks (1 per hoop)

Marbles

• Use instructions from http://www.1771.org/cd_marbles.htm.
• Materials: Strings arranged and taped into a 24" circle, Marbles

Stick Toss

• Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 80.
• Materials: Box of toothpicks (for betting), popsicle sticks, fine-tip red, yellow, and black marking pens, instruction sheet (see JPG below or link to the PPT version).

___________________________________________
Household Chores/Trades

Sewing a Pocket

• Use instructions from Broida, M. (2003). Projects About Colonial Life (Hands-on History). Benchmark, page 40.
• Materials: Felt, Needles, Thimbles, Thread, Needle threader, Pincushion, Scissors, Beads

Sailor Stitches

• Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 13.
• Materials: Ball of rope, Thick dowel

Rag Rug

• Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 28.
• Materials: Needle, Thread, Pincushion, Thimble, Rags, Safety pin, Fabric glue

Fishnet Making

• Use instructions from Broida, M. (2003). Projects About Colonial Life (Hands-on History). Benchmark, page 10.
• Materials: Twine, Chair, Scissors, Dowel

___________________________________________
Art

Quill Writing

• Use instructions from http://www.ehow.com/how_4762757_write-quill-pen.html.
• Materials: Feather quills, Ink, Wipes, Paper, Tide Stick, Cups (filled with water), Newspaper, The Mayflower Compact

Here is a video of third graders in Ms. Graham's classroom at Staton Elementary School writing with quill pens.

Video

Stenciled Notecards

• Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 100.
• Materials: White card stock, Painters tape, Pencils, Power towels, Stencil brushes, Paint tub (filled with water), Paint, Small paper plates, Self-healing mat, Exacto-knife, Newspaper

Paper Quilling

• Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 99.
• Materials: Coffee stirrers, Toothpicks, Scissors, Paper cutter, White glue, Wrapping paper, Book on quilling

Stitch a Sampler

• Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 109.
• Materials: Colored pencils, Graph paper, Cross-stitch fabric, Embroidery skeins, Embroidery hoops, Scissors, Embroidery needles

Knit a Patch

• Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 65.
• Materials: Yarn, Pencils or knitting needles

___________________________________________
Cooking

Gingersnaps

• Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 41.
• Materials: Parchment paper, Brown sugar, Butter, Eggs, Molasses, Ground cloves, Flour, Sugar, Baking soda, Wipes, Wooden spoon, Toaster oven, Oven mitts, Hot pad, Spatula, Plates, Mixing bowl, Cookie sheets (small for toaster oven), Measuring cup, Teaspoon, Cinnamon, Ground ginger, Knife, Paper towels

Butter

• Use instructions from http://www.ehow.com/how_4691483_own-butter-home.html.
• Materials: Heavy whipping cream, Paper towels, Plastic shaking jar, Strainer, Pitcher filled with water, Bucket, Bowl, Plastic wrap, Knife

Here is a video of third graders in Ms. Graham's classroom at Staton Elementary School making butter.

Video

Berry Red Ink

• Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 55.
• Materials: Strawberries, Strainer, Large spoon, Small bowl, Paper cups, Salt, Measuring spoon, Vinegar