Lesson 4: Daily Life in the Colonies
Wrapping Up
Conclusion
Do you think you would have liked to live in the colonies? Think about what challenges you would have faced that you don't face today. Are there parts of colonial life that appeal to you? If so, what are they? In the next lesson, you'll learn more about life on colonial farms and in growing towns.
Questions to Discuss
- How was life in the colonies different from life in Europe? (Answers will vary, but it was much harder to obtain many things easily and cheaply. People lived off the land and more simply. Colonists from other countries often lived nearby, so people had the chance to see how those in other parts of Europe might have lived. Your child may mention other differences.)
- How did people get clothing in the colonies? (Only the wealthy could afford to buy clothes made by someone else. You could pay a local shopkeeper to make clothes from wool, silk, cotton, or flax. Alternatively, you could buy cloth and make your own clothing or, most cheaply, raise sheep or grow flax and turn the wool or flax into thread and then into cloth and cut and sew the clothing at home.)
- Do you think you would have liked to live in colonial times? Why or why not?
Things to Review
- Review your child's responses to the reading questions.
- Review your child's "Colonial Goods" activity page.
- Review your child's costume project or prop project.