Foods stored in barrels were able to last for many weeks. If electricity were lost, refrigerated food would go bad very quickly. But refrigerators require electricity that has to be produced on the ship. Foods carried in barrels might spoil, and food in refrigerators will keep much longer. Food Storage: barrel versus refrigerator-Colonial ships carried food and goods in large wooden barrels.Use the information below to help guide the discussion. Ask students to think about the pros and cons of each as you discuss them. Have a whole-class discussion about the worksheet.Īs a class, compare and contrast each 17th century object and its modern equivalent. Then have them complete the worksheet independently.ģ. As a class, look at the picture of each object and discuss briefly what students think it might be and what it is. Then explain to students that the objects below the ships are items that would have been common on a 17th century ship and objects that might be aboard a ship today. Point out the colonial ship and its modern counterpart. Give each student a copy of the worksheet. Have students complete the worksheet Sailing Through History. Today, the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean by ship takes seven days.Ģ. Tell students that when Henry Hudson, a Dutch colonial explorer, sailed from Amsterdam to New York City in 1609, the voyage lasted over two months. Then ask students to brainstorm what the same voyage would be like today on a modern ocean liner. How long did it take them to cross the Atlantic Ocean?ĭraw a simple T-chart on the board with heads Colonial Period and Today.What did travelers eat in the 1600s and 1700s?.Use the following questions to prompt students: Have them imagine what it would have been like on a colonial ship sailing from Europe to America. Remind students that the colonial period took place from 1600-1799.

Ask students to imagine life on a colonial ship sailing from Europe to America.

Drawit yourself european sailing ship