Kandice Kimmel, Latin & History, 5th-8th

This is what happens when you let kids trade worksheets for whale blubber, blacksmithing, and butter churning.

My 5th and 6th grade history students spent weeks researching, designing, building, creating, and bringing colonial America to life! From whale hunting and blacksmithing to candle making, tailoring, farming, printing, and even making bread and butter, these students turned an ordinary space into a full-fledged colonial village.

They didn't just build displays. They became the tradespeople, learned the skills, made the tools, prepared demonstrations, and taught their visitors what everyday life was really like in 1776.

There was a whole lot of creativity, collaboration, historical learning, elbow grease, and probably enough hot glue to hold the thirteen colonies together.

We had Scrimshaw Shores, Tallow & Torch, Inn Dependence, Pins, Pleats, and Patriots, Patriot's Forge, No Taxation, Just Cultivation Farm, Liberty Press, and The Little House of Knead. And yes, we are just as proud of those names as we are of the work behind them!

I am incredibly proud of these kids! They worked hard, learned a tremendous amount, stepped outside their comfort zones, and proved that history is a whole lot more fun when you get your hands dirty.

Thirteen Colonies. Countless hours. A ridiculous amount of creativity. Zero indoor plumbing.

The revolution may have been brewing in 1776, but the real chaos was happening right here!

A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Denise. Without her, projects like this would not be possible.