Cycle 3 history and art week 2

This week in history we studied the Puritans and the journey they took to the new world on board the Mayflower.  We created diarama's to go with our history sentences about the Puritan Colony that landed in Massachusetts in 1620.

These were really fun to do, and I loved seeing the creativity of the kids and the parents in our little co-op.

Here are my recommendations for books.

What kind of ship was the Mayflower? How did the Pilgrims feel when they saw land? What was the first building in Plymouth? In lively question-and-answer style, this fact-filled book answers all sorts of questions about the Pilgrims' journey on the Mayflower and their first year in America.

Boys and girls will find out why the Pilgrims left England to live in America, what they took with them on board the Mayflower, and the hardships they endured. They'll learn what the Mayflower Compact was, how the Pilgrims made a peace treaty with the Indians, and how these brave settlers managed to survive in their new land.

Ms McGovern has carefully researched the Pilgrims' journey and their first year in America. Her portrayal is full of fascinating detail about their everyday life. Young readers will be intrigued to discover that Pilgrim boys and girls slept on corn husk mattresses they made themselves, and that most of the houses had only one chair -- which was reserved for the man of the house!

The humorous, true-to-life illustrations serve as effective complements to the informative, fun-to-read text.

My other recommendation is for adults:

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War 

by Narhaniel Philbrick

This book I listened to on audio cd. This brought new insight into the struggles that these people had to overcome, at those that survived. It was a fantastic book.  My kids listened with me in the car.  I do caution parents with sensitive children, it does have some troubling events like when they cut off the head of the Indian and when they hanged a man.  

Sarah Morton's Day, by Kate Waters is written from the perspective of the 9 year old Sarah and what her day is like.  I especially liked the detail given for what a child wore in the 17th century.  The kids and I thought this was fascinating.  We discussed garters, and wool clothing. The photo's were clear and descriptive, taken from the Pilmoth Colony reinactment in Massachusetts.

Samuel Eaton's Day, by Kate Waters is much like Sarah Morton's Day.  It describes the life of a Puritan child in the 17th century, what he wore, what he ate, and how he worked.  We were surpized to learn that boys wore dresses until they were 6 years old!