Colonial Life Immersion Experience Delights Students

Mendham Township, NEW JERSEY (April 17, 2023) – The sky was blue and the weather perfect as the town crier rang the bell, gathering a crowd of children and adults dressed in mob hats and aprons (for ladies), and tricorn hats, vests, and colonial coats (for gentlemen). Following the town crier’s proclamation outlining activities for the day, fourth-grade students, teachers, staff, and parent volunteers at Mendham Township Elementary School (MTES) stepped back in time to the 18th century.

Friday, April 15, 2023, was Colonial Crafts Day at MTES and it is part of the fourth-grade history curriculum at the school. This popular annual event is designed to give students a hands-on experience of life in the 18th century and provides them with an opportunity to live a day filled with activities typical of that time. Students immersed themselves in the heritage of Mendham by learning crafts and skills that would have been extremely important for living in the 18th century. Students received instruction on butter churning, candle making, pottery, cross stitch sewing, jewelry making, decoupage box design, making whirligigs and other popular colonial games. Without electricity for lights or online shopping for buying clothes the children experienced the patience and focus required to create some basic life comforts.

The day passed quickly, and the immersion process helped with understanding life in earlier times and created an appreciation of skills and knowledge that were necessary to survive more than two hundred years ago. Much planning and collaboration took place to create such a wonderful educational experience for the students. “This is such an exciting learning opportunity for our students,” said Michal Ferenc, MTES Assistant Principal. “I thank the members of the Mendham Township School District PTO, Board of Education, our fourth-grade teachers, in particular Mrs. Barlow - Colonial Crafts Day Teacher Liaison, and all of our parent volunteers for creating a ‘Colonial Day in Mendham.’ Our young students will certainly have some happy memories when they look back on their MTES school years.”

Watch a short video clip of the event at: Mendham Township School District | Facebook