Whatever Happened To...

And odd by-product of yesterday’s post about togas was an off-shoot about something called Colonial Day. Parents were lamenting the disappearance of said yearly event from the curriculum.. I had never heard of it. I’m pretty sure there was no Colonial Day at my daughter’s elementary school.

Fill me in, oh gracious readers. Did your child’s school ever have a Colonial Day? What did they do? Is your school still doing this as an annual event?

While the idea of dressing up, doing hands-on activities and even cooking (and getting to eat what you cook) sounds awesome, I can also see some issues around the “Colonial” theme that could be problematic.

Not all of us identify with whites of the American Colonial period. Native Americans had land stolen. Africans were brought here as slaves. We don’t spend a day re-enacting those historical experiences.

Also, I wonder if an event like Colonial Day is something that depends on the involvement of many parent volunteers. In less affluent areas, where parents are often working multiple jobs just to get by, that kind of volunteer pool is unavailable.

It’s altogether possible that Colonial Day fell victim to the mindset of our not-too-distant past where things were deemed worthy only if they could be tested. And that would be sad. Taking away multi-sensory experiences from education definitely finishes the learning experience. If Colonial Day is no more, what other engaging, interactive learning experiences have we put in its place?

Tell me more. I’m interested.


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