George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation

Kids step into the 1700s

Summer Discovery Workshops at Historic Kenmore and George Washington's Ferry Farm use all five senses to teach kids about life in another time

By COLLETTE CAPRARA
Published in the Free Lance-Star: July 13, 2006

The two lines face each other, and, as the music begins, those on the left bow in unison. Those on the right respond with a curtsey and, joining hands, the couples begin their first steps to the 18th-century music.

The interesting thing about these ladies and gentlemen is that they are all about 3 feet tall. They're preschoolers who are participating in the History Through the Arts Summer Discovery Workshop, sponsored by George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation.

This tour of the Colonial era (one of a series of various sessions, beginning next week and continuing throughout early August, for four different age groups) is especially designed for ages 3 to 5 and will focus on the five senses through activities that would have been popular in the 1700s.

The sense of smell, for example, will be at the center of a discussion of the ways in which herbs were used. The sense of touch will be the focus of an activity that will have youngsters pulling objects, ranging from dice to oyster shells, from a grab bag to learn how they once were used at George Washington's Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore. The sense of taste will be highlighted during a refreshment break with ginger cookies, a common treat in Colonial days.

Children will be able to perform with puppets of George Washington they make from paper bags, cut-out tricornered hats and yarn. In the process, they will learn about the first U.S. president's character and his trustworthiness through a skit about the legend of the cherry tree.

Another workshop for the preschool set--Corn, Canoes, and Buffalo Fur--will focus on what life was like for the American Indians who gathered at the Ferry Farm site in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

During this session, packed with hands-on activities, participants will shake gourd rattles, dance to music and test their skills at games such as stick toss, in which they try to catch little sticks, decorated with Indian symbols, on the backs of their hands. Children will learn that the games their American Indian counterparts played prepared them with the skills they'd need for hunting and gardening.

Participants will learn how paw prints were tracked and have an opportunity to touch various skins and furs of the animals that roamed the land. In addition, they'll learn the importance of gardening to American Indians. They'll handle seeds, nuts, berries and watermelons and will learn how plows were made from deer antlers.

"Kids absolutely love anything about American Indians," said Marti Stout, GWFF's educational coordinator. "They'll get to touch all of these things, and the more they touch, the more interested they become."

Play and Work in the 18th Century, a session designed for ages 6 to 12, will show what jobs needed to be done as people went about their daily lives on a Colonial-era plantation.

Participants will come to appreciate the convenience of today's grocery stores as they learn that producing even a little bit of cornmeal meant grinding corn with a mortar and pestle and sifting it. And they'll see that to preserve peas for future use in an era before cans and frozen foods lined grocery store shelves meant stringing them and hanging them up to dry. (Children will be able to take home the strings of peas they thread.)

In addition, they'll be introduced to the predecessor of today's ballpoint pens, the quill.

One facet of the 18th century that is sure to spark youngsters' interest is a discussion on the battle against odors in a close community with its animals and privies. Children will learn about the sachets that people kept in their pockets and held directly under their noses when confronting an especially foul smell.

The last 20 minutes of this workshop will be devoted to experimenting with Colonial-era games, including Jacob's ladder, ball and cup, hoops and sticks, and graces, in which players use sticks to catch small hoops tossed by their partners.

Young archaeologists workshop at Ferry Farm Another of Ferry Farm's most popular activities, an archaeological exploration called I Dig George, is presented in four sessions designed for ages 3 to 5, 6 to 7, 8 to 10, and 10 to 12.

Participants will be introduced to archaeologists involved in an ongoing dig on-site. They will see how they use huge sifters to recover buried remnants and how they attempt to determine what objects the fragments were part of.

The children can then try their hand in the archaeological process at one of Ferry Farm's educational dig sites, where fragments of replicas have been buried.

"More than anything, we want the children to understand that history is interesting and that it is fun to learn about it," said Stout. "The workshops give them an understanding of and an appreciation for people and their lifestyles, whether they lived in Colonial times, in American Indian times, or even today."

Collette Caprara is a freelance writer who lives with her family in Spotsylvania.