Making Connections:
Colonial
Days in 2nd Grade
In Early October 1690 (2015), Country School 2nd Graders went on an
amazing hands-on journey with Mrs. Johnson (Science), Mrs. Knowlton (2nd
Grade), Ms. Smelser (Art), and Ms. Wepler (Music). Students began their
journey learning why people came to the New World and what the voyage
would have been like for children and their families. Once they arrived, they
learned about building villages. They took on colonial names and personas
(including trades), and ventured into the woods, where they began
constructing their own “villages.” (At right, students in their “house.”)
They learned about schooling, the importance of good manners, and hard
work. Quilting was essential to the colonial family, and students created their
own quilts. In addition to activities in the woods surrounding campus and in
the classroom, students visited the school’s garden, learning about herbs and
how colonists made use of available plants and animals.
They also had a chance to travel farther afield. Visiting the historic Deacon John Grave House gave them the
experience of a true colonial home. They also toured a colonial home and its garden at Mystic Seaport, where they
visited a schoolroom, a blacksmith/shipsmith shop, a general store, and a cooperage. They made rope and boarded
a fishing vessel, where they learned the importance of the fishing trade.
S
CIENCE
Students traveled to The Country School garden to gather
herbs just as the colonial children would have done to
assist with the harvest. They did a tea infusion, made
herb charts, pressed the herbs to preserve them, and
learned the many important purposes of herbs, including
medicinal ones. They made herbal soaps and worked
with essential oils. (At right, making soap in the STEAM
kitchen.)
Baking corn bread introduced discussion of physical and
chemical changes. Students also helped convert a liquid
into a solid when “churning butter,” by shaking liquid
cream until it formed a solid chunk of butter.
T
ECHNOLOGY
Back in 1690, the colonists used design thinking and planning when creating quilts. TCS students used iPads to
research and record their design quilt ideas. Children typed their paper quilt stories on the computer. Students saw
many tools and materials that made work easier at Mystic Seaport.
E
NGINEERING
Students hiked weekly to their colonial plots and created authentic family homes using cooperation, critical thinking
skills, and the natural environment (sticks, trees, logs, leaves, and rocks). Students kept in mind the keeping room and
other “of the time” features. Not everything, then or now, went as planned. When parts of structures collapsed due
to weather or design, families reassessed their earlier planning and worked together to repair and rebuild their
structures. Students created Horn books, using recycled cardboard to represent wood or slate slabs. They practiced
perfectly engineered letters using rulers and pencils. During their field trip to Old Mystic Village, they learned barrel
and rope making. Through all of these activities, they had to work through frustration and practice teamwork and
perseverance.
A
RTS
Students learned that colonial dancing can
take on many different forms, from high
society dancing at formal functions to country
dancing at family celebrations. Some of the
dancing styles contain elements of early
square dancing, and the violin or ‘fiddle’ was a
popular colonial musical instrument. Colonial
songs and rhymes were discussed and
practiced. For example, “One, Two, Buckle My
Shoe” helped children remember the chores
that needed to be done each day. At right,
students perform colonial music during their
Celebration of Learning.
Students read colonial day articles and stories and wrote and illustrated a journal entry as well as letters home to their
families in England. Pictures depicting colonists were used as a springboard for using a dialogue lead in Writing
Workshop. Keeping Room dioramas were created and accompanied by a written text describing its features.
M
ATH
Students developed skills in Pattern Design. Graphs were used to plot lines, colors, and designs for projects and then
students sketched ideas for quilt squares on graph paper. Basing their designs on traditional patterns and stories, they
used tangrams and built their squares with oak tag and construction paper. Students selected nine four-inch squares,
and then pieced them together, sewing them into place by hand. Quilting of the Nine-Patch completed the piece.
Word stories focusing on colonial days were used for problem solving, both in class and as part of homework. Students
measured ingredients while making cornbread and used 10 pieces of wood, 2 inches square, to make Jacob’s Ladders,
traditional colonial toys.
This Colonial Days STEAM, brain-based educational experience made connections between different styles of learning
and daily educational practice. This study was truly a hands-on experience. The interrelationships between the
subjects of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math and how they relate to colonial life created an
experience that fueled creativity, deepened understanding, and fostered collaboration.
For more, visit http://thecountryschoolsecondgrade.blogspot.com/