Life on the Farm

Imagine you live in New England in the early 1800s. Like many people, you live on your family's farm. The whole family works together to make what they need for daily life. You barter for items that you cannot make yourselves. Your father may trade corn with the blacksmith for horseshoes or nails.

You and your brothers and sisters have specific jobs to do throughout the day and have little time for school or play. Together you grow all of the family's food. You plant seeds in the spring, care for fields during the summer, and harvest crops in the late summer and fall. You have to help store food for the winter, so your family can have something to eat when nothing is growing outside. Your family preserves fruits and vegetables and stores potatoes, squash, and pumpkins in a cool, dry root cellar. Your father and older brothers cut and store hay in the barn for the animals. They also cut wood for the fires that keep the house warm and provide heat for cooking. Your family cares for animals that provide milk, eggs, and meat. You milk the cows morning and night and gather eggs every day.