1. Ask children to design a flag for their school or town.
2. Create your own class art gallery. Ask children to draw their favorite Massachusetts site or famous person.
3. Conduct an ethnic food day. Ask children (with parental assistance) to bring in and share different foods specific to their culture.
4. Hold an ethnic celebration day. Children can discuss and share traditions of their origins. Mention cultures which may be prominent in your area.
5. Allow children to plant a class garden to give them an understanding of how the Pilgrims had to plant crops for food.
6. Conduct a mock legislative hearing on a choice for a state emblem, for example, a state color.
7. Have your class make corn muffins in honor of the state muffin.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil or butter (melted)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
2-4 tablespoons sugar (optional)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg (beaten)
Combine dry ingredients. Add oil or butter, milk, and egg and
mix until just blended. Place in a greased muffin tin. Bake at
400 degrees for 1-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
8. Ask your students to choose a class symbol and discuss the reasons for their choice. Allow students to collectively make or construct (paper, papier-mache, cardboard, clay, etc.) the class symbol.
9. Assist students in plotting a trail through your city or town which would include points of interest. As a field trip, you may wish to hike the trail.
10. Instruct students to write letters to pen pals in other states (you may wish to limit this exercise to one of the 12 other original colonies) telling the pal about Massachusetts history, sites, and why they like their state. (The teacher may wish to contact a school in another state to generate pen pals.)