Customer Reviews

Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful book to use with a unit on colonial life. I teach second grade and found the activities easy to understand, with a minimal amount of preparation needed. There are so many activities that you can pick from with everything from games to food covered. Everything is well-organized in a way that makes sense for lesson preparation. The activities are easily adapted to fit the needs of all elementary grade levels. For parents wishing to enrich their children's lives, I highly recommend this book---especially if you are planning a trip to Colonial Williamsburg or Plymouth Plantation.

While there is no doubt to the value of Carlson's books, I have been slightly disapointed with some of the authenticity. ( Example: New World Cocoa Mix is made with nondairy creamer and powered chocolate drink mix--like Quik. These are not items EVER found in colonial times so the "recreation" of the drink is not much of a learning experience) Try David C King's American Kids in History series (Colonial Days) for a more realistic items.

I teach pre-school and was able to build an entire unit with this book. So did the art teacher!!! Very interesting and easy to use recipes and crafts. I am craft "challanged" and was able to complete them, so this book is not advanced. Great for homeschooling and involved Moms. This book is easy to read. Includes a historical timeline in the beginning of the book,along with facts about the colonial times. Informative and fun.

We homeschool, and are currently covering colonial America. While there are plenty of great texts to use, and many great fiction books to supplement those texts, an activity book like this is invaluable. The book includes sections on sailing and settling in the New World, clothing, the home, eating, everyday life, arts & crafts, school and games. Each chapter includes several to many activities, such as building a ship, making butter, making soap, paper quilling, making a quill pen and ink, playing horseshoes, etc. There are over 75 activities, from cooking to making toys -- all of which help to deepen one's understanding of life in the colonies.

This has proven to be a valuable supplement to our texts. Highly recommended.

Are you planning a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, or are the children in your circle studying 18th Century history? If so, Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World is a magnificent study aid to bring this period of history to life. From getting on the ships, to clothing for both boys and girls, crafts for home life (even cough syrup and soap!), food preparation and more will give your family or class a wonderful taste of life back then.

What could make history more fascinating than getting to know what it was really like for the people who lived it by experiencing some of that life, yourself? This is a wonderful and useful book!

There is enough good material in the text to make this the basis for your child's learning about Colonial times in North America. Maps, religious and political context, and a timeline set the scene for the book. The crafts include stenciling, making butter, making clothing (mostly with glue), lots of recipes, candles, weaving, planting corn and beans (this works), making a book cover (we used suede from the fabric store and the project worked GREAT), decoupage, paper quilling -- all very doable WITHOUT MUCH HELP FROM MOM. I think that's important.

This book includes lots of games, too. It's a fun, inventive book that lets kids create.

This is a great book full of ideas. I don't know how practical some of the ideas are, but still, it's great!

Just a wonderful book.