The Planning Begins!

My mind has been whirling with all the ideas for after spring break.  So I sat down to jot them all down.  Wow!  I do have a few things happening all in a matter of a few weeks.  Let's see:

• We're participating in Fort Box (part of Plymouth's Green Celebration) - all of the students will be creating houses for other children in the community to enjoy.
• We are going to introduce a unit on Colonial America to the students as a simulation.
• Through the unit we will have the students dip candles, wash clothes on rocks, write with a quill pen and make a quilt piece are some of our ideas.
• We are going to ask if a middle school student would play the role of King George so the elementary students can experience way the United States split from England.
• The students will all sew.  The boys a sack and the girls the cap that all females wore.
• As part of the simulation we are going to incorporate a post office unit, since Ben Franklin was instrumental in starting the post office.
• Creating a measuring unit with cut out life-size animals that would be found in the colonies, like a horse, cow, pigs, sheep and hens for all the students to practice measuring in inches and metric.
• Integrating a garden in the unit with herbs and vegetables.
• Mother's Day gifts for the students to make.

I'll so excited about the possibilities.  I love making history come alive for my students.  They get so much more out of it when they live it.