Projects About Plantation Life

Children's Literature

This book describes plantations throughout the South plus provides hands-on craft projects for children. Specifically, three different chapters each highlight a plantation in a certain state at a certain time period: Virginia in 1770, South Carolina in 1850, and Mississippi in 1860. Each chapter also features three craft projects that depict the particular plantation and time period. Sample craft projects include making a commonplace book, creating a yoke for carrying water and preparing a cold remedy. The book also includes one boys' game—the marbles and ring taw game played on a South Carolina plantation—and one girls' game—the graces game from a Mississippi plantation. Each of the craft projects includes a list of materials needed as well as numbered step-by-step instructions. The instructions are quite thorough, and most children in the 8 to 12 range should be able to follow them with minimal adult direction. In the back of the book, there is a glossary as well as a bibliography that includes both books and websites. The book is in the series "Hands-on History." 2003, Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish, Ages 8 to 12.
— Lynn O'Connell

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Each of these volumes begins with period illustrations, a colorful outline map, and an invitation to readers to journey back in time and enter a particular era. The books are divided into four chapters, each one dealing with a different geographic area introduced by a page of historical background. Three or four interesting projects are included in each of these sections. They reconstruct something from the period, such as a recipe, a game or toy, a tool, or a craft. The clearly written directions include numbered steps and helpful thumbnail watercolor illustrations. Materials lists are printed on yellow backgrounds. These titles are solid choices for children who need activities to enhance their social studies projects or who just enjoy handicrafts. Laurie Carlson's Westward Ho! (Turtleback, 1996) has more projects and more historical information than Westward Expansion, but the steps are not as well delineated as in Broida's book.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.