Fourth Graders Experience Life During the Colonial Era with Hands On Activities

Posted Date: 03/26/2024

Fourth grade students at Forest Lake received a glimpse into what it feels like to learn, dress, work, eat, and play during the Colonial Period.

One by one, students dressed in Colonial Period clothing complete with Tricorn Hats, knickers, long linen dresses with aprons and bonnets ready to enjoy hands-on activities of the era cementing their recent classroom lessons.

Students explored each table hosted by PTA members, some also dressed in period clothing, where they experienced an assortment of tasks including filling out job applications. Some felt they would do a great job earning money as a basket maker, town crier, tailor, silversmith, or cobbler to name a few. Once they filled out their applications with a feathered quilled writing utensil, it was time to move to other activities.

Throughout the room, students churned homemade butter to be eaten with crackers, made paper weaving testing their skills hoping to get the basket maker job, created handbooks, and played with a variety of handmade games that kept children busy between the 17^th and 18^th centuries.