Colonial Daily Life

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     The colonial people were homebodies.  There was a lot of work to be done and everyone had to work hard.  Every person in the family had to do their share of work.

     Colonial men had to hunt for wild birds and animals.  They also cut down trees for firewood and planted and harvested crops.  Planting was done in the spring and harvesting was done in the fall.  There were gardens to weed and corn rows to hoe.  Most of the men were farmers, but some trained to do different trades.  Farm work was very hard and there were always chores to do.

     The women of the family worked just as hard as the men. They had clothing to make and meals to cook. Almost everything needed for the home was made in the home. The women would make the candles and soap. These jobs would take more than a day. Clothes for the family had to be made and there was spinning and weaving and knitting to be done. The women of the family would get up very early in the morning to start preparing the meals for the day. Preparing meals in the colonial days meant that birds had to be plucked and bread had to be baked.

     The children of a colonial family also had their chores to do.  They were always working.  They would start doing chores at a very early age because laziness was considered a sin. The girls would help with the cooking and also do many of the inside chores.  They would sweep the floors, make beds, feed the chickens, milk cows, and gather vegetables from the garden.  Boys in colonial times would work just as hard as their fathers. They would walk around the fields barefoot and help the plants by pulling out the weeds. They also had the job of caring for the animals and running any errands. Boys would also learn to hunt with their fathers.  They would also learn to make furniture and repair broken barrels and buckets.

     Colonial life was very hard, but everyone knew they had to help to make their home successful.  

Colonial man spending some leisure time reading.

Everyone was always busy in a colonial town.

Colonial woman making soap.

 Created by Marc, Max and Aitan

Solomon Schechter Day School

June 2006