What
did people do for fun?
Section
1: Content
This lesson is not really as complete as I would
like it to be. With that said, here
goes:
What did children do for fun during the late
1700s? Did they have electricity? Ok, no X-Box or Wi. How about batteries? Ok, no Gameboys or electronic games. How about TV and movies or DVDs. Darn, there’s that electricity problem
again. Did they have games? What kind?
How about books? Again, what kind? Toys?
This discussion could take whatever form you need for your grade level
students.
Next topic:
how much “free” time do you have after school? What kind of things do you do? Little league, AYSO, dance, cheerleading,
piano/music lessons, etc. Do you think
the children of the 1700s had these kinds of activities?
So, in a world without electricity, telephones,
computers, and “organized” sports, what did children do for fun? They talked.
They played games. They went to
parties/dances/social events (and, horror of all horrors), THEY WENT WITH THEIR
PARENTS!!
As we have been going from site to site, I’ve been
looking for stuff to show my most primary students (grades K, 1, and 2) as
these are the ones for which I have the most difficulty developing lessons. I’ve found a few really cool things: a light infantry signal whistle, pewter
jacks, a tin penny whistle, and a couple of books. Now, how can I use them? That’s my question for you.
Section
2: Creative Activities
HELP!!!
Section
3: Standards
These depend on the activities section.
Section
4: Depth of Knowledge Questions
DOK
1: tell, identify
DOK
2: infer, predict
DOK
3: assess, draw conclusions
DOK
4: create
Section
5: Danielson Domain Framework
Domain 1d, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 3c
Further
Reading/Resource Sites
Newport,
Theodore, comp. Children’s Toys and Fashions from Long-Ago Mail Order Catalogs. Bloomington (IL): Remember When Books, 2004. Print.
Newport,
Theodore, comp. Youthful Recreations.
Bloomington (IL): Remember When
Books, 2004. Print.
I know I have books about games that were played in
various cultures from around the world.
I miss my library. L
Artifacts
Muhle wooden board game
from the Junior Historian Program of the Somerset Historical Center (from the
sugar maple camps)
Light Infantry Signal
Whistle (wooden whistle) from the gift shop at Friendship Hill National
Historic Site. Made by the Cooperman Fife
& Drum Company, Bellows Falls, VT
Tin Penny Whistle
(metal—looks like a “recorder” that I played in 5th grade) from the
Friendship Hill site. Made by the
Cooperman Company, Bellow Falls, VT
Pewter Jacks (package
has a wooden ball—that gets tossed in the air, and the players must pick up
bones or pebbles if jacks are not handy).
Made by Cooperman Fife & Drum Co.
Ok, so I forgot yo-yos and wooden spinning tops. The other factor I forgot to consider (and thanks to Rhonda for her insights at dinner tonight) is the location and time period. Of course children had work, or chores, or school, but even then, some may have had a longer "leisure" time than others based on family circumstances. Also, hot all toys would have been used during the same time periods, nor in the same geographic locations. The maple sugar board game, for example, would have been employed here in western PA, but not in the east.
ReplyDeleteOk.... we get to observe your thinking processes as you develop this lesson! It sounds like Rhonda brought up some interesting variables that could lead to several centers or stations for research for your older students and hands on activities for the younger ones. Good luck,I hope you hear from others!
ReplyDeleteWhat toys could children make themselves versus what toys had to be purchased? There's quite a history of dolls - cornhusk dolls, rag dolls, china dolls with fabric bodies, etc.
ReplyDeleteRhonda
More thoughts - what games had to be played together versus what could a child play on his/her own?
ReplyDelete