Imagine what 18th-century life was like beyond the smoke and chaos of the battlefield. Emily and Kelsey describe other reenactment venues, games, and fun -- colonial style.

step one | step two | step three

Step One: Discover Other Activities
Find out about reenactment opportunities that don't take place on a battlefield: encampments, parades, and school visits.

"Every year my dad and my grandpa and some other minute men come in and talk to my class about all the different clothing and things that happened back then."
-- Kelsey

"We do school presentations and we go to different elementary schools and we show them our uniforms and talk about April 19th... We did a presentation where we were on the field, for tourists... playing games."
-- Emily

Step Two: Try the Toys
Check out colonial wooden toys. Some are still popular today, like the Jacob's ladder -- a stack of thin wooden pieces, connected by thread, that "flip" when unfolded.

"We have dolls and Jacob's ladders."
-- Emily

"There's the game with a string with a ball around it and you try to push it and get it into the cup."
-- Kelsey

"We play games where you have hoops and you have two sticks and you throw the hoop at someone else and they catch it with the stick."
-- Emily

"They also play checkers because they made the checkers out of wooden pieces. They would just find sticks and chop them up to make the pieces."
-- Kelsey

Step Three: Learn and Have Fun
Reenacting colonial life not only helps you understand history -- it's also a lot of fun! Once your friends see you doing it, they'll want to try, too.

"Doing the reenactment and being in the minute men is a fun way to learn about colonial times. It's exciting for me to be there in the moment."
-- Emily

"[Reenactments] are really fun for the kids. It gets them involved. After going to the parades and just watching, it's fun for them to actually be in it."
-- Tom, Emily and Kelsey's father

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