In Colonial America, children helped with many household chores such as making soap and candles, chopping wood, and helping with livestock. You can help your third graders make candles like a child would have in the Colonial Era. This activity can be messy and dangerous, so be sure to cover everything with newspaper and explain to the students that the wax is very hot. Melt some wax in a double boiler or tin can. If you'd like, you can color the wax using broken crayon pieces. Give each child a long piece of wick and have him dip his wick into the hot wax. Pull the wick out, let the wax dry (about 15 seconds), and dip it again. Repeat this process until the candle is about one inch thick. This is one way Colonial children would have helped their parents.
Take some time to play games that Colonial children would have played. Many of these games are still played today in one form or another. Ninepins was a popular Colonial game played with wooden pins, like bowling pins. Make your own version using an inexpensive set of bowling pins from a toy store. Another game that Colonial children played was "hoop and stick" by rolling a wooden hoop along with sticks. You can re-create this game using a hula hoop and a couple of sticks. Marbles, hopscotch, and "draughts" (checkers) are some other games enjoyed by Colonial children.
Children in Colonial America learned the alphabet using hornbooks. Have your third graders make pretend hornbooks. You'll need enough cardboard, paper, and plastic wrap for each child. First, have the children cut a paddle shape out of the cardboard. Next have them write the complete alphabet, both upper and lower case, on the piece of paper. Glue the paper with the alphabet onto the cardboard. Finish the project by covering the paper on the cardboard with plastic wrap and taping it around the edges.
Help the children make a Betsy Ross flag. Talk about the uniting of the thirteen colonies and their need for a flag demonstrating that unity. Show the children a picture of the Betsy Ross flag and allow them to each make one and take it home. You'll need white poster board for each child -- you can choose the size -- and red, white and blue construction paper. Have the children cut the red paper in strips, the blue paper into a square, and the white paper into thirteen stars. Finally, have them glue their construction paper to the poster board in the correct order. The children will love taking their flags home and telling their parents about what they learned.