- Great Colonial America Projects: You Can Build Yourself

My daughter learns the best with hands on projects. I have been making up and finding them on line for history lessons and was very excited to find this. I will be getting more in the series as I need them.

We have been loving the Colonial America book. We've already worked our way through most of it, enjoying the following projects: making a stick-and-hoop game, crafting a scented pomander (out of orange, cloves, and cinnamon), making silhouette portraits, weaving (with yarn and an oatmeal container), learning "fan talk", cooking Johnny Cakes (cornmeal pancakes), making tin plates out of foil and toothpicks, making signs for cabinetmaking and bookbinding shops, making tin lanterns...and more are planned. Along the way, I have become very pleased with the amount of knowledge my children (7 and 9) are retaining. The projects truly do include items found in most homes, and most are easy enough for the children to do alone. The book is packed with so much detail and information on daily colonial life, as well as famous figures, stories, and timelines--it is now our go-to reference book on that time period. I can't wait to go through Kris Bordessa's other hands-on books.

Good book. Some of projects for younger folks (if you have some would be great - or if your teaching primary history classes and allowed to mention early America). Some are just good things to know how to do. I'm only downgrading as somewhat more simplistic for us. Worth the buy though.

I was very satisfied with this product. It was just as described. It is very useful. Thank you. Janet W

This book doesn't have any "new" information other than what is normally taught to upper elementary school children, but it does have great projects! I'm excited to complete them with my class!

This has been a great addition to our history study.

Was expecting more pages to use as templates but this one is more along the lines of giving ideas of things to make with household objects. Still nice just wasn't what I had expected.

I purchased this book expecting "great colonial projects" for my homeschooled kids, and it delivered. A friendly tone draws young readers in, while drawings and graphics make the text visually appealing. However, this author has created a far more powerful resource than that. Ms. Bordessa includes bonus features: a timeline of the Colonial period (divided by both colony and year), background of voyages, maps, a glossary, and text boxes with interesting facts and charts. "Spotlight on Famous Colonists" provides a biographical reference. "Colonial Words to Know" are helpfully placed near the passages where they're used and are also highlighted in the text. Facts are in a frame of reference children can identify with. (For example, the colonists traveled 2,700 miles across the ocean at 2 m.p.h., about the speed of a skateboard!) In this way, the projects link to the larger colonial world. Even adults who flip through the book will learning something new. I only wish this book had been available the first ten years I homeschooled my children! But what a treat for those mothers with young children who want to bring the colonial period to life for them. Connie Lapallo Author, Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky