Costumes have become a way of life for us, both while exploring historical locations and in our homeschool.
When our homeschool studies hit a rut, Becoming History excited my kids so much that they eagerly researched and created while my extended family finally “got” homeschool, fully supporting us.
I – Wishbone Began the Tradition
II – Costuming got us out of a rut
III – Colonial Williamsburg Inspired
IV – Photojournal of Rhetoric Homeschool History Presentations
V – Links to Dialectic and Grammar Homeschool History Presentations
VI – Little Women Inspired Simplicity
VII – Costumes versus Historical Clothing as a choice, not a mandate
VIII – More Simplicity Tips
IX – Interested in On-line Becoming History Presentations?
WISHBONE BEGAN THE TRADITION
It probably all began when they were toddlers watching Wishbone: the Dog with the Big Imagination.
Because of that dog wearing costumes while telling tails tales, my kids learned Classical literature galore in a fun and easy way.
Later, we naturally fell into numerous costuming opportunities of our own, including with our church’s children’s choir productions and missionary week outreach.
BECOMING HISTORY GOT US OUT OF A RUT
In our grammar years of homeschooling, we did three presentations with costumes, which we had a blast with.
Then in time our homeschool studies hit a rut.
Deciding to incorporate costumes while sharing with extended family about all we were learning, I quickly saw my kids get excited, wanting to research, thinking outside the box, and learning more than we ever did before.
As a result, the extended family quickly became excited and supportive of homeschooling…and eagerly anticipated our next production, and the next, and the next.
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG INSPIRED
In 2008, the kids enjoyed their second visit to Colonial Williamsburg, but their first in costume.
Completely smitten by their interactions with the interpreters, they declared they wanted to up the ante with their Becoming History Presentations, by presenting their personas in the first person throughout the program, instead of strictly as a speech.
We put this into practice with our Dialectic Napleonic Era presentation, and the tradition stuck, at my kids’ insistence, for each program after that.
Right before extended family arrived to see the presentation, my son had a quick idea to stage us, similar to a movie about Thomas Jefferson (portrayed by one of the Colonial Williamsburg interpreters) , John Adams, and Abigail Adams we had recently seen.
Thereafter the kids sought creativity for their theatrics in these presentations, something my daughter carried to college, causing her classmates to want to be in her presentation group.
RHETORIC BECOMING HISTORY PRESENTATIONS
1950s Cold War Era showcasing an iconic Quiz Show
WWII: Hollywood Cantina, Spying in a French Museum
1930s Dinner at Chartwell House, Home of Winston Churchill
Roaring Twenties to Stock Market Crash
1900-1920: Presenting Christy Huddleston, Napoleon of the White House, WWI Flying Ace
1877-1898 Gilded Age: Rough Riders and Biltmore House
1861-1865 Civil War: Picnic at First Battle of Manassas, Monitor and Merrimac, Taps
1836: Texas Independence with Tocqueville, Lafayette, and Napoleon
Meriweather Lewis, Bonapartes, and Lafayettes
American Revolution: Cato, Recitations, Subscription Ball, Minuet
1600-1750: British Mercantilism
16th Century Renaissance: Masquerade, Intrigue, Spies, Danger
Medieval Feast, Stained Glass, and Alchemy
Ancient Romans: Widows mob Senate to claim rights
Ancient Greeks: Tragic theater, fall of democracy, Alexander the Great
Homer’s Era of Early Greeks: Iliad and Odyssey
Books of Moses: Ancient Egypt, Alleluia Adonai, Hebrew Feasts
DIALECTIC BECOMING HISTORY PRESENTATIONS
Check this link for our Dialectic Becoming History Presentations.
GRAMMAR BECOMING HISTORY PRESENTATIONS
Our Grammar Becoming History Presentations are at this link.
LITTLE WOMEN – LITERARY JOURNAL AND TRUNK OF OLD CLOTHES
When I’m often asked how I sewed our costumes, I reply that I simply found patterns from Jo Ann Fabrics, that often sold for $1, from which to sew.
For those who would like to try some of these ideas without all the sewing, I recommend Lousia May Alcott’s version of costumes that she and her sisters performed in the attic: old clothes stored in a trunk.
I highly recommend the Wynona Ryder movie version of Little Women to see their wonderfully written plots that they recreated with old clothes from a trunk!
SEWING COSTUMES OR HISTORICAL CLOTHING
Seven months later, we moved to Virginia, which enabled us to visit Colonial Williamsburg nearly as much as we wanted…a lot!
On our 6th visit to Colonial Williamsburg within two months of moving here, my kids implored me to sew for us historical clothing, so we’d look like a real historical family in the historic area.
Since I learned so much during my historical sewing journey, by the time we began our Rhetoric years, I decided to try to sew our homeschool costumes as historically accurate as possible, only since I had the time and passion.
SIMPLICITY TIPS
However, for others who prefer a simpler way, I highly recommend putting your kids in charge!
They’ll have so much fun while increasing their creativity.
Whether learning to hunt for old clothing at thrift stores or deciding to learn to sew…even taking short cuts (like using felt instead of wool, like I most often did for the history presentation regimentals).
This is meant to have fun, not add more stress. So for those who are interested, keep it simple.
Before my kids started into all the theatrics, we kept it museum style, where they showed off all their school work and art project of the era they had studied, and gave one speech and/or recitation about the era.
I highly recommend IEW for learning how to give a speech.
INTERESTED IN ON-LINE PRESENTATIONS?
Although my life has been insanely crazy the last few years, I’m hoping to create on-line presentations of individuals in history, which include video demonstrations of creating the persona.
I’m still working out the details in my mind…but would any homeschoolers be interested in something like this? Please let me know in the comments.
For more photos, check my Flickr set.
COMMENTS FROM MY OLD BLOG
Wow! You guys are amazing! My sister and I grew up homeschooled and we did costumes for history with our mom, too, but not to this extent. We’re all grown ow and off to college. These costumes are so accurate, creative, and unique! (and you started all this before all the craftiness of pinterest was a thing.)
Homeschooling is an amazing way of learning. Carry on you educated folks! Anonymous, May 1, 2013
What fun costumes! I just bought a few today for our Roaring Twenties celebration, but will be heading into the sewing room as well! -Anonymous, October 24, 2014
COMMENTS FROM FAMILY MEMBERS
I would love to be apart of your redemption celebration and plan to attend the whole presentation. It will be an honor to learn what you have worked so hard on in the first part of the school year. I’m looking forward to witnessing the massive amounts of talent you all have. Thank you for inviting me. -D_____, Oct 16, 2006
Just wanted to tell everyone again how much I enjoyed your presentation. Each of you did a great job. I am certainly looking forward to the next one. -P__________, Oct 22, 2006
I just finished viewing all the pictures and reading the explanations. What a wonderful job you all did. I very much appreciate all the time it took to lay this out. It certainly showed me what you have been doing these first weeks of school. -S________, Oct 23, 2006
I can’t believe you took the time, but you really managed to bring the experience you all had come to life! -W______, Nov 13, 2006
I am so impressed by both the teaching and learning! This curriculum you are using encourages such an in depth study of the culture of these people and their civilization. I’m even a little envious, I have to admit. If an approach like this had been used when we were growing up, I would have been so excited to learn each segment…That you then put that to practical use by creating the clothing, temple, boat, food, and so much more, must have been so much fun. Just the pictures of the projects look great to me. How I would love to attend one of these celebrations, hear the words, taste the food, see the projects.
-R_____ Dec 21, 2006
I viewed the pictures last night and tried to picture the day to day schooling that led to such a wonderful presentation. S_____________, Feb 8, 2007
Thanks and the kids did an EXCELLENT presentation on Sunday. I have sent this on to my high school friend that teaches music at her church Christian School. I have also looked at the pictures and saved quite a few. -P____________, April 17, 2007
It seems like every presentation gets more detailed and the art work just gets better and better. -S________, April 17, 2007
