The people in colonial times did not buy clothes, they made their own by hand. They used wool from their sheep, and planted flax to make linen thread. They used berries and flowers to dye the cloth that they made. Girls wore bright red capes and hoods and always kept their hair covered. Boys wore brightly colored stockings and caps. by Cathleen A blacksmith made kettles, hinges, ox shoes, horse shoes, and nails. They didnÕt wear anything to protect themselves. A blacksmith would work in a shed to shoe a horse. The tools he used are the forge, anvil, and hammer. They got anvils from England. (They came over by boat -- the anvils) . Sometimes they would even pull out someoneÕs aching tooth. Sometimes they would work in a barn or shop. by Darius In colonial times everyone had to do chores, even children. girls made candles, churned butter and helped their mother cook meals. Boys worked in the fields, milked the cows and went fishing and hunting. Children started doing chores when they turned 6 years old. Living in colonial times was hard work for everyone. by Dylan Colonial families lived in different types of houses. Some homes were made of wood, brick, or stone. Many of their roofs were made of thatch, which is like straw. Also the floors were dirt because they couldnÕt afford rugs. The houses had one main room called the keeping room. As the mom had more children, they added more rooms. People burned giant logs to keep warm. They helped each other build, protect and take care of their houses. by Eliot In colonial times there were male and female teachers. A female teacher had to quit teaching once she was married. It was important that teachers had neat handwriting. Teachers gave pupils chores like cleaning the blackboard, etc. All schoolhouses in which they taught were one room schools. The class was made up of different age groups. Because supplies were expensive, they didnÕt have paper. by Emily The peddlers were salesmen. The peddlers sold a lot of stuff. Some peddlers went from England to New England. Peddlers traded things that settlers needed. Some things peddlers sold were musket balls, dishes, books, and candlesticks. Peddlers told the news too. by Eric The carpenter makes houses to make room for the kids. The houses often smell like pine because he says, ÒPine is the best to make houses!Ó He makes houses so sturdy and strong , he boasts. ÒIÕm the best carpenter in town.Ó And he is. And the people like it. His workshop smells like oak, cedar, willow, and pine. And there is wood shavings inside and out. by Grant ÒSmash smash smashÓ goes the noise of the hammer as the silversmith makes spoons, cups, and plates. ÒSizzle, sizzle, sizzleÓ goes the forge as silver melts inside in order to make jewelry. Then he puts almost all the silver in a mold to make all this cool stuff. ÒDrop drop plop plopÓ goes the sound of dropping coins. ÒDentÓ is the sound we all hear as the silver gets dented. by Jenn Back in colonial days punishments were awful. Criminals got punished in public, so they felt ashamed of their bad behavior. Some people had to sit on a ducking stool, which is a long piece of wood with a handle. The criminal sat at one end of a plank and the man at the other end dunked the criminal in the cold water. Another punishment was the stocks. Stocks were upright wooden planks with holes. Criminals put their feet and sometimes their hands in the holes. Just for embarrassment , the colonists wrote what the criminals did wrong on signs and hung them around their necks. Only men could vote on laws. A man could only vote if happened property or land and if he was a member of the church. by Laura People in colonial times would bake bread. Starting in the evening, they kneaded the sough, let it sit over night, and in the morning they baked it in a brick oven. Today there is almost no difference between our baking and the way they did back then. Except they used a small brick oven. And they stuck their hand inside the oven to check the temperature of the oven. Some people when they got good enough at using a candle to time the oven could mark one hour exactly, no more, no less. by Anna The doctor from colonial times had a tool called a lancet. A lancet was used for bleeding people. It is a small knife. Doctors thought that ÒbloodlettingÓ would help people. Instead it made them weaker. No wonder! The doctor also had a scarificator. It was used for scratching off a strip of skin. Plus, the doc had a saw for amputating limbs. Amputating means Òcut offÓ. Unfortunately, the saw was not clean. Some people fainted or else they died! I donÕt think they has anesthesia. The doctor also bled people with leeches! It is a privilege not to live in those days, is it not? by Lily During colonial times, colonists made the laws by voting. There were laws against getting drunk, swearing in public, and adultery. Many of the laws were to protect peoplesÕ feelings. It was very hard to follow some of the laws because if youÕre in a park and you throw the ball over your friendÕs head and you say ,ÒShootÓ some people might think you said a swear. HereÕs what would happen if you broke the laws that I mentioned. You would be put in the stocks or a dunking stool. by Elan Most clocks were made out of wood. Two popular clocks were the Connecticut clock and the steeple clock. The clock maker would make just the inside of the clock and if the person he sold it to wanted something called a case, he would have to go to a man called a cabinetmaker and get the case there. Some people hung just the insides of the clock on the wall. The name of that clock was the wag-on-the-wall clock. To make a clock you would have to use lots of parts and lots of metal tools like tweezers, screwdrivers, and screws. The clock maker would work in his work room. If you wanted a clock, a person would have to trade. For example, ten potatoes for one clock. by Mariel Colonial people had to grow and hunt their food. They hunted deer, geese, turkey, rabbits, and fish. They grew corn, carrots, cabbage, wheat, tomatoes, beans, squash, pumpkins, and apples. They perserved food by putting spices or salt on it but sometimes they smoked it. In the northern colonies they could pack it in the snow for the winter. by Allie In colonial times kids didnÕt have a lot of time to play. They managed to squeeze some time in but not a lot. The boys and girls didn't always play together. The girls played dolls and the boys played ball. We still play games they played like marbles. by Mikaela In colonial times teachers could punish their pupils badly. Sometimes a child would be punished by having to wear a card with an insult on it. For example, this childÕs insult was ÒBite Finger BabyÓ because he bit his finger or fingernails in class. Another punishment for students was having to sit at the back of the room where there was no heat because they were disruptive in class. If students were caught whispering in class they would get something called a whispering stick. A whispering stick was a round piece of wood which would get stuffed in a childÕs mouth so it was hard to talk. A very serious punishment was when the teacher took a student outside and burned their ankles with a magnifying glass. Children in colonial times probably didnÕt enjoy school as much as children today. by Hayley The cobbler spends his day making and fixing shoes. He makes his shoes out of leather that the customer brings. The cobbler traces the customerÕs foot and cuts the leather out with a knife. Some other tools he uses are: hammers, awls, needles, and thread. The cobbler works in a small shop or in the customers home. Starting in 1767, they made eighty thousand pairs of shoes a year. It took one to two days to make a pair of shoes. To keep the shoes on, they used buckles. by Rachel A colonial farmerÕs day begins early in the morning. He works even when itÕs pouring. Farmers have a very big job keeping crops and livestock healthy. They sell their meet, veggies, and grains to keep the farm operating. Farmers used horses for pulling plows and carts. Other tools included hoes, scythes, buckets, fences, pitchforks, hammers, and axes. All the people that were farmers in a colony helped everybody. by Scott A cooper is a person who makes barrels. Every ship coming to America needed a master cooper to build new barrels and maintain all the barrels. Barrels were very important in colonial times because barrels were used to store almost everything. Barrels which held liquids were usually made of hickory and oak. Household items were stored in barrels made of pine and cedar. When a cooper came to America, he was very busy making new barrels to store food and water. by Stan This bench was near the fire all day. The fire stayed lit all the time because the colonial people didnÕt want to have to light the fire again and again when they cooked because they cook all day. At night, the colonial people would sit on the bench and the kids would sit nearer to the fire so that the kids could get warmer. They sometimes talked. The bench was made out of very dark wood. The colonial people only had one chair and the bench because the house was only one room. by Hadley