Colonial Day at Peirce

If it is Spring and there is the sound of musket fire in the air and children in tri-corner hats and bonnets, then it must be Colonial Day in Arlington, particularly at Peirce Elementary School.

An annual tradition for third-graders in all of Arlington, Colonial Day is a chance for students to dress-up and actually re-enact all the things they have studied in their History class's unit on Colonial Times.

The students churn butter, dip candles, play Colonial games, punch tins, make sachets and wear their Colonial best.

"This is a great hands-on experience," said PTO Co-President Kristen Garrigus, one of the parents helping to run the event.

As for the third-graders themselves, they all took to the games and even practiced some on their own during free play.

One group of girls, in particular, spent part of the morning playing "Oats and Beans and Barley Grow," a game they likened to Ring Around the Rosy, only " a lot more fun," explained Peirce third-grader Venice Mountain-Zona.

The costumes are kept through the years and passed down. The district has been doing the event so long, it is not easy to say when it started.

"I know high schoolers who still talk about Colonial Day," said Brenda Kokubo, one of the organizers at Peirce. As fun as it is for the students, the parents also join in the fun, dressing up, playing the games and helping to facilitate the transitions between activities.

"It is a group effort to make the day work," Kokubo said.