Colonial and Revolutionary War Themed Gifts (Day 4)

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We love learning about early American History.  My boys are especially drawn because of the idealism and courage that our forefathers needed to buck the system and stand up for their beliefs.  And let’s face it,  people are captivated by narrative. When it comes to studying this particular period of history stories reign supreme!

If you are learning about the founding of our country, you will be amazed at how just a few key items can really ignite your child’s imagination and draw them into imaginary play where they solidify all of the interesting things they are learning about in school.  We love to dramatize historical events.  Due to our tight budget and my desire to encourage creative problem solving, I usually have my kids rustle up costumes and props from whatever we have lying around the house.  But these items that I’ll share with you today go a long way towards amplifying the power of our dramatization.  Plus, I’m not a stickler for complete historical accuracy of our costumes and accessories, so many of these pieces can double for other periods of history as well.

Our study of this particular period of history worked wonders in allaying some of my pediatrician’s concerns about homeschooling.  When kids learn in the context of narrative and then given time to PLAY out what they are learning the retention is amazing.  So today it is my delight to share with you some inspiration to make this period of history really come alive.

1. Boys British Redcoat Costume – Some kind of redcoat is essential!
2. Patriot Costume – Both sides need to be represented…
3. Betsy Ross Flag – can be used to dramatize the story of Betsy Ross or used to carry into {imaginary} battle
4. Kids Deluxe Vintage Tricorn Hat or if you need a bigger size we also love this more embellished adult tricorn hat.
5. Powder Horn – we love our powder horns.  We use them for all kinds of historical dramatizations!
6. Classic Toy Pop Gun are perfect for your younger kids.  They make a cool pop sound.  My kids loved theirs.  Another option would be to get this Musket, Wood & Steel Frontier Rifle.  It is technically a reproduction of a later rifle, but it does the trick unless you are seriously into historical reenactments. 
7. Wooden Stick Horse – I said it before when talking about medieval toys and I’ll say it again.  We ADORE this wooden stick horse.  It’s beautiful, sturdy, easy to clean and indestructible.

Colonial Costume Ideas for Your Little Lady 

For the girls, a dress or skirt is a must.  Do you sew?  If so, you can make a high quality period dress with this Simplicity pattern.  We made dresses one year when I was growing up and we played in them for hours upon hours!  If you don’t have time for homemade dresses, but are willing to pay for them Etsy is the place to go.  I’ve been drooling over dresses like this, this, and this.

Here are a few more delightful costumes to get your girl in the spirit.

1. Deluxe Colonial Girl Kids Costume
2. Colonial Girl Costume – Brown and White
3. Colonial Beauty Costume, Blue/White/Yellow
4. Child Colonial Girl Costume
5. White Bonnet Hat / Colonial Hat
6. Women’s White Colonial Mop Cap

As I mentioned in my middle ages gift ideas post, my sisters and I were huge fans of paper dolls.   They are beautiful and lead to hours of pretend play.  And mother’s everywhere rejoice that they are flat and take up very little space!

Here are some of my childhood favorites:
American Family of the Colonial Era Paper Dolls 
George Washington and His Family Paper Dolls
Colonial Fashions Paper Dolls

My sister introduced me to these beautiful new historical paper dolls from Noble Rose Press.  Two sisters drew these beautiful sets and included historical bio’s for each character.

Daughters of His Story Paper Dolls: Martha Washington & Eliza Lucas Pinkney
Daughters of His Story Paper Dolls: Abigail Adams & Sarah Edwards 

Did any of you own American Girl dolls when you were growing up?  My sister’s and I always poured over the catalogs, but it wasn’t until my two sisters were around 10 and 12 that they finally received their first doll.  I must admit that I was a bit jealous and bought Kirsten shortly before I turned 16.  Naturally, she is in pristine condition.  Sadly, they’ve discontinued many of the historical dolls, including Felicity – the colonial girl.   But they’ve put out a “mini” version that includes most of the classic dolls!  Check out the Felicity Mini Doll and her friend Elizabeth.

You might want to see if you can locate used copies of the old Meet Felicity books!

Figurines

Continental and British Army Toob Set – I’m a big fan of the Toob sets.  They are small, easy to store and so intricate and accurate for what they depict.  This set would be certain to spark many battle reenactments.

My kids are forever converting their lego’s to match whatever they are currently fascinated with.  I can only imagine what one little minifig like this Revolutionary MiniFig Soldier would do to transform their lego creations to match up to this era in history.

Spirit of America – a great cd full of classic early American Fife & Drum Corp music!
Old Fort Snelling Instruction Book for Fife with Music of Early America – An instruction booklet to get you going learning how to play the fife along with music for many early American pieces.
American Plating Metal Fife – a beautiful and well made Fife!
Tabor Drum, 10″, with Sticks – a beautiful drum to add to the fun!

Do you own the Liberty’s Kids Series?  While it leaves out any reference to the role faith played in the lives of our founding fathers, it is an otherwise top-notch production that is entertaining and draws kids into history.  And the series is only $5!

 

Revolutionary War Books that Make Great Gifts

The key to giving books as gifts is finding one’s that are engaging and weave historical fact into beautiful narrative! Here are a few of our favorites!

Picture Books

Homespun Sarah – Delightful rhymes that relay the work ethic of the early American colonists!
Hornbooks and Inkwells – Take a peek into a colonial school in this beautiful rhyming book.
Let It Begin Here!: Lexington & Concord– My boys LOVED this book.  It is a gripping account of the battle that started it all.
The Boston Tea Party
Jean Fritz books are hilarious and provide an amazing amount of history.  We love her Revolutionary War books, And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? as well as Can’t You Make them Behave King George?

Early Readers

Sam the Minuteman– We love this book and have read it over and over and over again.  I’ve then pulled it out for each of my boys when they are ready to jump into reading their first books aloud!
George the Drummer Boy – I love this book because it portrays both sides as human.  We love to have a good guy and a bad guy and this book does a great job at showing the humanity of the other side and prompted a powerful conversation with my boys.
Sybil Ludington’s Midnight Ride– This is an engaging beginning chapter book about Sybil’s courageous ride to rouse the American soldiers to prepare to fight.
Nathan Hale – I can’t say enough good things about this book.  We checked it out from the library when we learned about the Revolutionary War and it was immediately added to our wishlist so we can read it over and over again.  While it is simple enough even for a young reader, it is inspiring and shockingly enough for a newer book, still includes his faith as a key element in decisions he makes.  This book made it on my 10 Top Adventure Books to Build a Boys Faith with good reason.

Chapter Books
You Choose: A Revolutionary War Adventure –   This book (along with others in the series) draw you into this period of history and you get to make choices that determine the course of action.
Matchlock Gun – This classic adventure book is sure to be enjoyed by all ages either as a read-aloud or for private enjoyment.
Toliver’s Secret – This great piece of historical fiction gives kids a great feel for what it would be like living in occupied New York City at the time of the Revolution.  It is full of intrigue and adventure.  Although the protagonist is a girl, my boys thoroughly enjoyed it.
Johnny Tremain – This is another classic that would be well worth owning.