Students Enjoy Annual Colonial Fair at CV Starr in Brewster
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Dressed in colonial garb and full of excitement, CV Starr fourth-graders recently took part in the Colonial Fair, one of the school’s most beloved annual traditions.
“The Colonial Fair began in 2001 thanks to a Brewster Education Foundation grant,” said fourth-grade teacher Danielle Recine. “Through hands-on experience, students gain an appreciation for the challenges colonists faced as they settled in the New World.”
This year students began the day by making colorful whirligigs. Students used markers to make colorful designs on a disc and then watched their designs dance as they spun them around and around on their strings.
Afterward, students traveled to three different “shops” where they became apprentices in different trades: candle-making, furniture graining and stenciling.
During candle making, students rolled strips of beeswax around a wick.
“You have to try to smash it down every time you roll it so that when you finish, it doesn’t have any extra space,” explained fourth grader Peyton Casey. “If that happens, you have to unroll it and roll it all over again.”
Peyton spoke from experience, as she had to reroll her candle and try again. Still, she enjoyed the experience.
“You get to use your hands,” she said. “It’s really fun.”
In stenciling, students practiced their stencil technique while making bookmarks before they moved to stenciling wooden frames. They used colorful paints to create unique designs and they were both surprised and delighted by what they were able to make.
In furniture graining, students first painted small wooden boxes.
“Less is more,” Frank LaMorte warned his group. “The less you use, the better it will come out.”
After applying a base coat, students used black paint to create intricate designs. Some students mimicked woodgrain, while others painted stars and hearts.
“What do you think you’ll put in the boxes?” Pamela Clapes asked her group. The answers brought students firmly back to the twenty-first century.
“Cash!” one yelled out.
“Pokemon cards!” said another.
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