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Lesson 2: CONSUMER EDUCATION Based on their findings in Lesson 1, students will manage daily living chores such as planning nutritious menus, shopping, cooking, serving, and cleaning up. They will demonstrate knowledge of daily living chores of the early 19th century at home and at sea, understand the process of food selection in the early 19th century, consider the differences in food preparation, at sea and at home in the early 19th century, plan menus, food selection, and food preparation, demonstrate knowledge of food storage and sanitation at sea and at home in the early 19th century and the 20th century, and know and be able to use the basic food groups to make good nutritional choices. A working knowledge of food selection, storage, and preparation will be interesting in the context of at sea and at home in the early 19th century.
ACTIVITIES: 1. Research daily living chores of the early 18th century. (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening/ History standards) 2.
Make a schedule to share chores, plan menus, shop wisely, cook, serve food, and clean the kitchen after meals. Plan a menu that may have been common fare for the 1800s, keeping in mind that it must be nutritious and well-balanced for a ship’s crew of today. (Family and Consumer Sciences standards)
3.
Research the basic food groups and types of food common to the 1800s and on sailing vessels. Students may also study how food was cooked and stored aboard ship. What time of year were fruit and vegetables available? Would there be health problems due to the lack of vitamins? (Family and Consumer Sciences /History standards)
4.
Since many cookbooks of the 18th and 19th century survive, it is possible to ask that students attempt some recipes of those eras. Reenactment groups in the area try to follow such recipes when they are reenacting certain historical eras. (Family and Consumer Science /History standards)
5.
Keep favorite recipes and household tips in the student logbook and explain the choices. (Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening standard)
6.
Make comparisons between current recipes and historical cooking, possibly with a wood stove as on the U.S. Brig Niagara, as well as over a campground fire or fireplace. (Family and Consumer Science /History standards)
7.
Explore the salt trade and how it affected the preservation of foods and the early growth of Erie commerce. Read the lesson on Colonial Food and Food Preservation in Unit III.