A hard life

Mike Sciacca

Katie Unland’s fifth-grade classroom looked and felt as though it had

been transported back to the 18th century.

Stations were set up in three classrooms at Moffett Elementary School

-- each for different activities. Students were dressed up in costumes

reflecting the time period and they busied themselves with various tasks

as they took part in the celebration of Colonial Day.

There were those dressed as school children, others as blacksmiths.

They wore bonnets and boots and did the chores children might have done

in Colonial times.

Unland’s classroom took on the feeling of a colonial village as 15

different shops, ranging from the “Ye Olde Print Shop,” to the “AM

Apothecary,” lined one wall of the room. The shops were designed by the

students.

“They have really taken well to this project. I am impressed with

their hard work and the knowledge they have gained from studying this

time period,” Unland said.

Jessica Supernaugh, wearing a long dress complete with apron, learned

that the people of that day had to do everything “homemade.”

“We have it better today,” said the 10-year-old. “To be honest, it

sounded very boring back in that time.”

Students spent 45 minutes at each station. They took part in

cross-stitching, which was a primary hobby of colonial women. There also

was the making of butter, candles and pomander balls -- an orange spiked

with cloves and decorated with ribbon, which was used as an air

freshener.

They made silhouettes and wrote calligraphy, used a tin punch and then

finished with a performance of minuet dancing.

The students had practiced their dance steps for the past two months,

Unland said.

In between their travels from station to station, the students enjoyed

a 15-minute break in the courtyard where they feasted on Johnny Cakes and

juice.

“I learned a lot about all of the colonies and what the people needed

to do in order to survive in those days,” Jessica said. “It was a tough

life but they did the best they could.”

MIKE SCIACCA is the education and sports reporter. He can be reached

at (714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.