Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes - Softcover

King, David C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471161683 ISBN 13: 9780471161684

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 1997

Synopsis

Over 40 fun, hands-on projects and activities from the days ofcolonial America

Spend a year with the Mayhews, a family living in the Massachusettscolony of 1732. Ten-year-old Nathan and his twelve-year-old sister,Sarah, are eager to share all the fun and adventure--and the hardwork--of their daily lives. Along the way, they'll show you how toplay games, make toys and crafts, and perform lots of interestingand challenging everyday activities.

Churn your own butter and whip up a batch of tasty Maple Creamtreats. Write with a quill pen you can make yourself, learn how todip candles, and play popular games like Jackstraws, Crack the Egg,and Sheep Over the Fence.

Colonial Days is filled with interesting historical information andfun facts about growing up in days gone by. Discover howdifferent--and how similar--life was for American kids in history.

About this title

About the Author

DAVID C. KING has written many books for children and young adults, including Pioneer Days (Wiley), First Facts about American Heroes, America's Story, and The Heroic Age of American Invention. He has worked as a curriculum developer in both history and social studies, and as a high school English and history teacher.

From the Back Cover

Over 40 fun, hands-on projects and activities from the days ofcolonial America

Spend a year with the Mayhews, a family living in theMassachusetts colony of 1732. Ten-year-old Nathan and histwelve-year-old sister, Sarah, are eager to share all the fun andadventure—and the hard work—of their daily lives. Alongthe way, they'll show you how to play games, make toys and crafts,and perform lots of interesting and challenging everydayactivities.

Churn your own butter and whip up a batch of tasty Maple Creamtreats. Write with a quill pen you can make yourself, learn how todip candles, and play popular games like Jackstraws, Crack the Egg,and Sheep Over the Fence.

Colonial Days is filled with interesting historical informationand fun facts about growing up in days gone by. Discover howdifferent—and how similar—life was for American kids inhistory.

Reviews

Grade 3-5AEveryday life in Colonial America is presented through text, games, activities, and recipes. The introduction sets the historical stage and introduces the fictional Mayhews: mother, father, and four children, who live on a farm in the Northeast in 1732. As the seasons change, readers see them at work, at play, and at school. The Native American point of view is covered briefly by way of visits between the Mayhews and a family in a nearby Indian village. A sidebar at the beginning of each chapter lists the projects for that season. They include making a sundial, growing an indoor herb garden, dipping candles, and weaving a pot holder. There are directions for games such as quoits, jackstraws, and Iroquois snow snakes. Recipes are included for such delights as maple cream, blueberry slump, jack wax, and berry syllabub. Some of the activities are simple enough for kids to do on their own; others require adult assistance. Explanatory text alternates with instructions and other sidebars that provide brief history lessons. The materials needed are readily accessible in grocery, hobby, or craft stores. The line drawings are clear and helpful. Howard Bovet and Marlene Smith-Baranzini's The Book of the American Colonies (Little, Brown, 1996) examines groups of people living during this period, such as different tribes of Native Americans, Quakers, Puritans, etc. Colonial Days is more specific in its setting and places more emphasis on activities than on history.ALucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3^-6. King follows the fictional Mayhew family of western Massachusetts throughout the year 1732 as a framework for describing more than 40 colonial activities. Projects include making a sundial, measuring the height of a tree, dying yarn, and dipping candles. Most activities can be accomplished without adult help; those that require assistance are clearly labeled. Although the majority relate to the English colonies, the author does include directions for some Native American endeavors, such as making a drum, drumstick, headband, bead necklace, snow goggles, and snow snake and playing a stick-toss game. Frequent sidebars introduce related information about various facets of colonial life. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings and appended with an extensive glossary, this will make a useful source for classes studying American history. Kay Weisman

Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0471161683
• ISBN 13: 9780471161684
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128