Girls donning mob caps and cotton dresses and boys sporting breeches and three-cornered hats huddled on the ground around a game of marbles while, nearby, a child in a flowered bonnet turned the wooden handle of the press to fill her tin cup with sweet cider. Soon, she would hover over a mason jar of hot wax, patiently building a candle, layer upon layer. For the elementary students of Central Christian School (CCS) in Kidron, these old-time activities were brand new novelties as they learned what it meant to experience Colonial life, gathered last Friday under a big yellow tent on the front lawn of the school.

Joyce Taylor, CCS’s middle and elementary school principal, has been overseeing Colonial Day for the past 12 years. The event, which takes place every four years, incorporates elements of their curriculum with fun and learning that they’ll carry with them for life.

“They’ll never forget this day,” said Taylor. “Kids in middle school now see us and remember it. They wish they could do it again.”

The students, pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, have spent classroom time learning about the early centuries of United States’ history.

On Colonial Day, they invited their grandparents to join them, moving from station to station to glean from parent and teacher volunteers who showed them how to churn butter, make simple toys and work with needle and thread. At one station, children were offered a handful of beads to represent wampum, sacred shells used for trading with the Native American people. Third-grader Chad Conrad and fourth-grader Sam Yoder spent their wampum wisely before moving on to candle-dipping.

“We went shopping at the general store,” said Chad, as he concentrated on creating a candle. “I bought an apple for seven beads and a cookie for three beads.”

Sam, who used his beads to buy a cookie and some candy, lifted the wick from the hot wax.

“I don’t know how many times I have to dip it,” he said, “but it takes a long time.”

“They really love the candle dipping,” said Taylor, adding that the event generally offers the same activities, but with something new thrown in each time. This year, they introduced finger-knitting. “The kids will do that in their free time because all they need is fingers and some yarn.”

Part of the charm of the day is that it draws several generations together. Children, parents and grandparents are encouraged to dress in colonial-style clothing and pack their lunch in baskets and cloths. Taylor said help from the families is priceless.

“Most of the centers are run by parents. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Todd Geiser’s grandparents, Gordon and Marieda Geiser, spent the morning weaving rugs and tying knots with their third-grade grandson, who could have been mistaken for a young Daniel Boone, with his fox pelt hat and deer hide vest.

“I think it’s cool because the kids get to relate to history,” Marieda Geiser said.

“And they learn a lot of new things,” her husband added.

Taylor said the grandparents always give great reviews.

“A lot of them remember doing some of this even past the colonial period,” Taylor pointed out. “Some things are also kind of nostalgic, making it fun for everyone.”

As the children finished their game of marbles and moved to another station, pre-kindergartner Sophia Rohrer intently put the finishing touches on her cross stitch, bent head-to-head with CCS’s International Volunteer Exchange Program participant Lanhua Yao from China. For Rohrer, there was more to sewing than practical stuff. Without lifting her head she quietly declared, “I’m designing art.”