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Depression simulation for kids

February 25, 2013 Ticia 12 Comments

Depression Era simulation for kids
Depression Era simulation for kids

The 1930s is a fun era to study with your kids.  It’s something many of our grandparents lived through and tell stories of.

 

Many things were set up societally for us during this time period.  Side effects from laws enacted during that time period are still being felt now, so I want my kids to understand this time period or at least get an idea of what happened then.  So, I set up a Depression Era Simulation for kids, and they went through it and had a blast.

 

Hooverville hobo house

First we read aobut what happened then, how so many people couldn’t afford to pay for their houses, they had borrowed too much money during the ‘20s when everything looked great, and now they were kicked out of their houses.  So, they made houses out of whatever they could find, fabric scraps, newspapers, random wood scraps.  It wasn’t known what they’d use.

make a hoover house foldable
make a Hoover house foldable

After talking about the houses for what seemed like forever to me, the kids were fascinated by it.  We made our own report on what it would be like living in our very own Hoover house.  Doesn’t mine look great?  I forgot to say originally, I based it vaguely off the President’s Day craft idea I found.

1930s writing prompt

I still need to work on the kids understanding right to left progression on their writing, but they are getting better at expressing themselves.

049

This was the part that really cracked me up.  The size of their forks to their bodies is hilarious.  I think the fork is almost the same size as them.

 

Come back tomorrow for part 2 of our Depression simulation and then check out Depression Era movies.

 

I’m gonna link up over at All Things Beautiful.

history Depression era, modern history, US history

Comments

  1. Our Country Road says

    February 25, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    They are PITCH forks don’t ya know :). I am always fascinated by the stories my husband’s grandmother tells, and the stories my great-grandma used to tell. Neither lost their homes, but they all had a very hard time simply because there was no money to make. Neat lesson!

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      February 27, 2013 at 1:14 pm

      Of course, why didn’t I see that?

  2. Phyllis at All Things Beautiful says

    February 25, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    I LOVE being right behind you in history. You come up with all the great ideas and I can just use them right away. LOL

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      February 25, 2013 at 9:48 pm

      I liked it much better when I was right behind you on these things. How am I supposed to steal ideas from you?

  3. maryanne @ mama smiles says

    February 26, 2013 at 2:58 pm

    I think this is a good reminder that, as bad as the economy is right now, it can still get worse!

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      February 27, 2013 at 1:13 pm

      That’s for sure!

  4. Natalie says

    February 27, 2013 at 11:58 pm

    It always fascinates me to think that US went through such a difficult time without society completely falling apart.

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      March 3, 2013 at 5:35 pm

      It does me too. They went through so much, and everyone for the most part pulled together.

  5. Crissy Nelson says

    January 25, 2023 at 10:05 pm

    About how long does it take to play the dice game?

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      January 25, 2023 at 10:14 pm

      It will depend on the personality of the kids and the number of kids. With my three kids in a homeschool situation, it took between 10-20 minutes. I think in a classroom with around 20 kids it would take longer as you have to wait to have room to take your turn.

Trackbacks

  1. Depression Era Simulation: Living as Hobos | Adventures in MommydomAdventures in Mommydom says:
    February 26, 2013 at 6:38 am

    […] ← Previous […]

    Reply
  2. Movies to Learn about the Great Depression | Adventures in MommydomAdventures in Mommydom says:
    March 6, 2013 at 10:14 am

    […] Depression Simulation for kids, part 1 […]

    Reply

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Ticia Adventures in Mommydom Hi, I'm Ticia! This is the adventures of my family in life and learning. Follow along with us as we share our adventures. We're having a lot of fun and learning as we go.

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