Grandmother’s Trunk Pre and Post Activities

Objective: Grandmother’s Trunk seeks to explain to children the modes of transportation, things needed for transportation and the clothing worn during the mid nineteenth century.

Pre Activities

Activity 1: Traveling in the Past

Have different types of transportation for you students to manipulate.

i.e.: Toy cars, trains, horse and buggy, boats, airplanes, hot air balloon, buses

In groups of three or individually (depending on number of sets of toys) have students try to place them in chronological order of when they were invented and used, earliest to present.

-Group would then draw a picture chart of their conclusions and share with class.

- After students have shared their charts, give them the correct chronological order and

have them examine the differences from their chart and discuss why.

Suggested transportation questions:

Do you think it took more or less time to travel from place to place? Why?

What type of fuels were used for the different modes of transportation? (Steam, Coal, Gasoline, Air, Wind etc., animal power.)

Activity 2: Clothing in the Past

Have students bring in pictures of their parents or grandparents from the past. Their photographs should not be current but old enough that the clothing is outdated. (For children, five years ago is old, that is fine) i.e.: Parents dressed from the sixties or seventies.

Teacher brings in old magazines with people in dated clothing. Allow students to have one magazine per person or two per group of four or five students.

In groups, have the students share their pictures or go through the old magazines. Have the students examine the hats, dresses, shoes, and hairstyles and compare them to present day clothing. Discuss differences, dislikes, likes. Discuss fads and how clothing items go in and out of style.

Suggested clothing questions

What is different about the women’s clothing? More or less clothing than today?

What is different about the men’s clothing? Is it similar or very different from today?

Are there any clothing fads from the pictures that are now back in style? Why do you think they are back?

Activity 3

Suggested Readings:

Changes for Addy (American Girl Series): A Winter Story Written by Connie Porter

If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War Written by Kay Moore

Post Activities

Activity 1:

During the mid nineteenth century, a day of travel would probably consist of twelve hours from sunrise to sunset. Traveling in a horse and buggy you could go approximately five miles per hour.

Have students choose a location:

Memphis, TN - 245 Miles from Murfreesboro

Nashville, TN - 34 Miles from Murfreesboro

Chattanooga, TN - 101 Miles from Murfreesboro

Knoxville, TN - 180 Miles from Murfreesboro

Assist them in calculating how many days it would take to get to their destination. Compare the traveling time with traveling time now for the same locations.

Activity 2

Have students write a letter describing their travels from their home to the city they chose in Tennessee. Ideas for letter, what they carried in their trunk, how far it was from home, sites they saw along the way, who they visited and how long they stayed away from home.

Activity 3

Students are to choose from (Manipulative 1 & Manipulative 2) showing mid nineteenth century fashion to color. Display finished artwork on a bulletin board of Victorian fashion.

Activity 4 (Outreach Program Only)

During the Civil War people in the South had to make their own clothing and hats when goods were scarce. Students will be given an opportunity to make their own hat during the outreach presentation from newspaper. Allow students more time to completely decorate their hat. Have a fashion show of the different hats and a contest for the best hat.