"Colonial Day"

Last Friday was "Colonial Day" for Jaron's class at school. They have been learning about colonial times and what the people of that time had to do for themselves. To give the kids more of an idea on how things were, Jaron's teacher planned some activities and had a professor from UNLV come to teach the kids how to make different things, just like people back then had to.

I came to help out at the butter making station. Each one of the kids had to make their own butter using only heavy whipping cream, salt, and a plastic container. I gave each of them some whipping cream and salt in their containers and made them shake it up until it turned into butter. This took a lot longer than the kids thought it would and most of them got really tired, so I did a lot of shaking for them.


After all the shaking was done, this is what Jaron ended up with...butter! He got to enjoy some of it on a cracker, but I don't think he really liked it. Almost every kid there told me they are so glad they didn't live back in colonial times because they didn't want to have to make their own butter.



Jaron's next stop was learning how to make a candle. He had to dip a wick in melted wax and then put it in cold water and keep repeating that process until he had a thick candle. This is why he's wearing a grubby shirt over his other one, so he wouldn't get wax all over it.



After he was done with his candle, he went to make a Quill pen and write in his book with it. He had to keep dipping the feather in ink and use it to write. He didn't like that very much. He said it didn't write very well and he's glad he gets to use pencils and pens.


The last thing Jaron got to make was his own doll (or action figure as he calls it) using corn husks. He actually thought this was the funnest thing to make out of everything else. I even caught him playing with it while he was supposed to be getting his picture taken with his class...funny kid.




Here's a group shot of his class holding their favorite thing they made that day. Do you notice how none of them are holding their butter? I guess it wasn't that much fun to make, but they enjoyed eating it.


Jaron told me after that he's so lucky and grateful to be living in today's times. He likes all the luxuries we have now. Maybe I should make the kids start making their own things here to enjoy...nah, I'm not that domestic!