Are you having trouble imagining life during the American Revolution?
Why don't you do what this Junior Ranger did and build your own fort!
How does a fort work to protect the soldiers and families within? Check out the link to the following Anatomy of a Fort video series.
This fun fort activity brought to you courtesy of Junior Ranger "S."
National Park Service
You can make your own fort out of anything from popsicle sticks, to blocks, to cardboard!
Junior Ranger "S." spent a lot of time completing his popsicle stick Fort Stanwix. It has a draw bridge and even four bastions. He even found cannons and model soldiers to put inside of it to represent a siege!
To compare the pieces of your fort to the pieces of Fort Stanwix you can click on the link here: Fort Description Page
The Orderly Book of Major John Grahm's Company of the 1st New York Regiment was kept at Fort Stanwix, N.Y. from August 9, 1779 to July 12, 1780.
M. Colangelo Sr/National Park Service
Make Your Own Ink
Traveling with a special book called a "journal" makes it much easier to remember the special things you have done and where you've been.
During the American Revolutionary War, different soldiers and officers kept special journals called "Orderly Books" to keep track of the day's orders and commands. Click here to learn about the history of the First New York Regiment.
You can make a journal out of a few scraps of paper strung or stapled together. To make ink to write in your journal, follow the instructions below:
Make Your Own Ink Supply List:
- 1 cup ripe blackberries
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Strainer or cheesecloth
- A jar with lid
Steps:
1. Mash the berries through the strainer into the jar to make a berry juice.
2. Add the vinegar and salt to the juice so that it will last a long time.
3. Keep the lid on the jar when not using the ink, so that it doesn’t dry up.
Practice Like a Soldier
What does it take to become a Continental Soldier?
Click on the link here to find out!
National Park Service Arrowhead
Did you know that every detail of the arrowhead was chosen to represent something that the National Park Service cares about and protects within its parks? Let's take a closer look at the arrowhead and see what symbols we can find.
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