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YOUR life as a Colonial Child!

By Mrs. G

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Rules and Work, even as a baby!

  • You had to follow strict rules and do a lot of work around the house!
  • Even as a baby, you were discouraged from crawling, as it was thought of as an animal behavior.
  • You had to wear a stiff stay under your clothes to help you stay upright, keep good posture, and learn to stand and walk as soon as possible.

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  • You are expected to be “Seen and not heard.”�You had to eat quickly and silently.
  • You are not allowed at the table.�You had to stand behind adults, who passed food back to you.

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Meals

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Get your CHORES done!

  • Chopping wood
  • Carrying wood
  • Husking corn
  • Retrieving berries
  • Churned cream into butter
  • Used pig hairs to make brushes
  • Cooked
  • Sewed quilts
  • Hunting
  • Milk cows
  • Feed chickens
  • Make clothing
  • Make candles

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Chores

You were expected to do chores from age THREE on!

You didn’t get your first pair of shoes until you were six!

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Clothes!

You all wore gowns until age 7.

If you are a boy, you wore:

  • Long shirts
  • Breeches
  • Wool socks
  • Plain leather shoes
  • Wide brimmed hats
  • Padded jacket with sleeves

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Clothes!

If you were a girl you wore:

  • Long dress
  • Petticoats
  • Long wool stockings
  • Plain leather shoes
  • All clothes were laced up tightly
  • Hair wasn’t allowed to be shown so they had to wear it under a close fitting coif

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School

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Most of you learned the alphabet and some basic reading skills through the use of hornbooks

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FUN

There wasn’t a lot of time for fun… but when there was you played:

  • Leapfrog
  • Marbles
  • Dolls
  • Spin tops
  • Question and answer
  • Hoop and stick game

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At age 14, you are an adult!

  • If you are a boy, you spent 4-7 years learning a trade. You would spend long hours learning how to be a blacksmith for example, with no pay.
  • If you are a girl, it’s time to get married, cook meals, keep the cook fire going, help sick children (7-10 of them), and clean.

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  • Well, we’re back to 2022 and you are a child with a computer, video games, comfortable clothing, less chores, and can talk and grab a snack when you want… you have it very good!!

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  • Now I’d like you to tweet (share your thoughts) about:
  • One thing you don’t miss about being a colonial child.or
  • Any thought you have about being a colonial child.

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Your audience is the whole world, so make your tweet clever and creative! And don’t forget to include a hashtag. You’ll see an example on the first slide and you’ll make your tweet and even add a pic on the second slide. One tweet will be chosen to go on my Twitter!

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Go to “Tweet it Out” and

when finished be sure to SHARE with me!

Mrs. G - Tweet it out!