http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday A Visual Art Fundraiser for Reenacting Arts in America Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:28:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As birthday and other family get-together opportunities come up, we get a kick out of playing historical games together.  Recently, while explaining a couple of old English games that would have been familiar to the Mayflower pilgrims (1620), husband Dave asked me if the word "hoodwinked" could have come from one of the games called Hoodman's Blind.  It seemed a ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/carries-chat/cliches-hoodwink-and-pull-the-wool-over-his-eyes/ The use of ear candles to clean supposed wax from the ear canal dates back possibly as early as 2500 BC.   Egypt, China, India, Tibet, and the Mayan and Aztec cultures all used similarly designed pottery cones to achieve desired ear wax removal.  The beeswax coated cotton cones (shown) plausibly ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/carries-chat/ear-cleaning-candles-history-safety-hoax/ I have been feverishly making updates to the Thanksgiving how-to guide and producing the companion video.  The project is going well and I feel confident I will be ready for the 2008 season with an expanded quality product, retail distribution channels, and a realistic offline and online marketing plan. My stack of history and ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/personal-journey/having-fun-filming-at-home-but-pooped/ Limited edition Puzlet Gem replacements are only available for a very short time. We may or may not keep a small backup supply following sell-out of an edition. After a brief period any backup supply is destroyed or stamped “sample” in order to maintain edition limit integrity. If you receive a Puzlet ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/art-puzlets/how-to-repair-or-replace-puzlet-gems/ Recently, while researching the customs of serving Victorian tea, I thought to refer to my 1873-74 copy of “The House-Keeper’s Manual,” written by Harriet Beecher-Stowe and her sister, Catherine E. Beecher.   (Harriet is best known for authoring Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in 1852.)    I was astounded to discover that Ms. ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/carries-chat/hot-drinks/ By Carrie Franzwa and Leonia Meek The most sure way to make history learning fun at any age, is to employ the three easy stages of The Alluring Approach to History.  This teaching approach puts academics last, and creative arts first, and is based on the observation that young and old ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/carries-chat/make-history-fun/ For those Americans who love our country, and who hunger to see the real history of Thanksgiving restored to our annual holiday, here’s a simple and historically accurate project that will spark curiosity and conversation at your next Thanksgiving get-together. As detailed in How to Re-Create an Authentic 1621 Thanksgiving ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/carries-chat/serviette/ As a family, learning the foundations of our American history is fast becoming a matter of adventure and play.  The more fun I have researching Thanksgiving, and “how they did stuff way back when,”  the more my kids get a kick out of doing things a little different than normal. I ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/carries-chat/thanksgiving-history-live-in-the-franzwa-home/ In-Home Reenactor’s Guide Sparks New Thanksgiving Fire Lebanon, Oregon - Home educator and history enthusiast Carrie Franzwa is releasing the first at-home guide for re-introducing historic authenticity to Thanksgiving.  The unique guide is titled “How to Re-create an Authentic 1621 Thanksgiving,” and offers an eye-opening look at the historical foundations of ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/carries-chat/in-home-guide-for-1621-thanksgiving-new-release/ As I have spent the last couple months immersed in the study of America's colonial beginnings, I spent a great deal of time pondering issues related to the influence of early European slave trading.  I was saddened to learn that the practice threatened peace in this nation from our very opening moments, ... http://www.letsplayhistory.org/3squaresaday/carries-chat/slave-ship-museum/