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by Brian, Meagan, Sarah, and Tatum
During colonial times, families were very large, with lots of relatives living together. There were often six or seven children in one family.
Once a month in the Colonial days, a training day was held. A training day was when children got to play games. When children didn't have chores, they could have leisure time. Men and boys ran races, held fighting matches, and took part in shooting matches. Prizes were given out to the winners. Children played tag and blindman's buff. Boys raced horses, hunted and played cards with the men. Children had toys, some of the toys were miniature soldiers, store bought marbles, tops, whirligigs, and bilbo catchers. Bilbo catchers is a cup on the end of a stick with a ball attached to it by a string. Children loved to play with puppets and Jack in the Boxes; children also had stilts. Girls mostly played with dolls and doll houses.
Every child meant an extra hand on the never-ending work of providing food, shelter and clothing for the family. The men and boys did the hunting, farming and caring for the farm animals. Girls also worked in the fields, tended the animals, filled the wood box, spun wool, made the clothes, prepared the food, and cared for the younger children. Women did countless domestic chores, worked in the fields, tended the animals, cooked, and took care of the children.
Houses in early colonial days were not big or fancy, and they were not warm. In wintertime, a colonial house was so cold that if you were writing a letter the ink might freeze. Colonial houses had one room and the older children slept in the attic. Most people had plain furniture. They made it themselves. They didn't make much furniture because their was not much room in the house. The houses were wood or straw.
The early colonists often used wooden pegs instead of nails and made wooden plates, bowls and spoons.The split the horns of cattle to make drinking glasses and kitchen utensils. They learned to make sugar from the sap of the maple tree, and they lighted their homes with pine splints, bear grease or bayberry candles. They depended on either raw materials of the countryside or on their own livestock and crops.
1. Try helping your mom cook.
2. Try sleeping on the floor for a night.
3. Try making your own blanket.
4. Try making your own candle.
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1. Collect ashes from a fireplace and put them in a barrel with small holes punched in the bottom.
2. Put a basin underneath the barrel.
3. Then put water slowly over the ashes, and let the water drip in the basin.
4. This mixture had to be stirred as it boiled.
5. This ash water, called lye, had to be thick enough to float an egg; if the egg sinks, repeat the process.
6. Mix the lye with animal fat, and the resulting soft jelly is soap.
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