Now that you have finished your research on what life was like during colonial times, it is time to create our colonial village where we will hold our fair. As part of our study of the American colonies, you will create a NY colonial village.

You will be working with your family to open a shop or school in the colonial village. If you are a slave, you may choose a family from your class to work with. All research and project requirements will be shared by the members of your group. You will also need to coordinate your ideas so that everyone in the group makes a contribution to the project.

On the day of our project, you will dress as a colonial person to the best of your ability. You will need to share information with visitors as the character of the colonial role you were assigned. You will be demonstrating your trade, serving food, going to school and sharing information about products in your shop or toys and games that you have. Be ready to talk about colonial life in the village, and answer any questions your visitors might have. Keep in mind that you have to stay in character so that the visitors will have an authentic colonial experience.

Dressing for the Fair:

You will need to wear a colonial costume appropriate to who you are. All costumes can be made inexpensively from clothing you have at home. Below are some guidelines for your basic costume. Depending on your trade, you can add additional garments such as aprons, scarves, or hats.

Boys should wear breeches and a loose fitting white button-down shirt. Breeches can be made from old pants cut at the knee and folded into a cuff. Baseball pants are another alternative. White soccer socks should meet the cuff of the breeches. A vest was also commonly worn over the shirt. Boys should also wear shoes and not sneakers to complete their costumes.

Girls should wear a long skirt and blouse or a dress that is made from plain or simply printed fabric. Girls can also wear aprons and a white mop cap depending on their trade. Girls should also wear shoes and not sneakers to complete their costume.

Click on the link to portraits of colonial trades people on the following website to get an idea of authentic clothing: http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/trades/tradehdr.cfm

Here are some links that will help you dress for the fair:

Backdrop of Colonial Shop:

For our colonial village your family will need to create a backdrop for your shop or school based on the occupation of the father (or mother if applicable). Your backdrop will be created in the art studio during your art time. It should include a sign that advertises your trade. Go to this site from the Colonial Williamsburg page to see what a colonial sign might look like. Create a drawing on the sign for your trade. Keep in mind that some people in eighteenth century colonial America could not read or write. They relied on bold graphics and images in order to find what they needed. Make sure your sign has the following elements:

A drawing representative of your trade
Minimal use of words - words should be written in calligraphy - this can be done by hand or by using the computer.
You will sketch your design in pencil first and then paint your sign.

Your backdrop should also include the family name, and a large image of the colonial shop you work in.

Display Table:

There will be a display table in front of your shop. Each member of the family will sit behind the display table at the fair. Your family will create an exhibit on the table for the visitors to our colonial village. Your exhibit should include the following:

The materials you use for your demonstration should be as authentic as possible. You may use genuine products such as cloth, wood, leather, shoes, wigs, and various metals, etc. You may also make replicas of genuine materials out of inexpensive materials such as paper, tin foil, and cardboard. For example, you could make a tinfoi wall hanging.

The Colonial School:

As part of the village, we will have a colonial school. The school will be run by the person assigned to be the schoolmaster. Some of the colonial children can elect to go be at the colonial school for our fair. This should be worked out ahead of time. These children will have to create hornbooks or primers to have at the school. Additionally, these children will need to make quill pens. One person should be responsible for making a dunce cap. When visitors come to the school they should see a class in progress! You should also have a display table with examples of a hornbook, a primer, perhaps an ABC book, and ink and quill pen.

Colonial School Resources:

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