Sophie's 2nd Grade class presented a Wax Museum today. It was the culmination of a couple weeks' worth of researching on a famous American of their choice. Sophie's choice? Abigail Adams. And can I just say, I love that she picked her?? Abigail was quite a woman! I actually read a biography on her for Book Club several years ago, and I had forgotten how much I admired her. How could I not love a woman who argued that an educated mother produces intelligent children?? Hahaha.
Sophie actually quite enjoyed doing the research as well, and really identified with Abigail. :) As a child Abigail was sickly and petite and a voracious reader. And quite rightly, Sophie identified with all of that. Haha. After writing up a research report, she worked on the speech for the Wax Museum, and I worked on making over a costume for her.
I mended her colonial "ball gown" costume from 5 1/2 years ago (the zipper needed to be reattached and the hem was a little raggedy), and whipped up a little pinner cap for her, modeled after the one that her Felicity doll has for her ball gown. Some white stockings, black church shoes, and my pearl necklace finished off the outfit. It is kind of hilarious that the dress still fits her as an 8 year old when she wore it for Halloween when she was 3. Hahaha. Granted, it was HUGE on her then, but still.
{Hahahahaha. She was SOOOOO excited about the "ball gown" I had made her. I think I had to pin up the length of the skirt and the sleeves so that it wasn't too long. And if I remember correctly I had to cinch the back tighter with a safety pin to keep it from falling off her shoulders. :) }
I was nervous about taking Alex and Jane with me to the speeches, because I know how loud and disruptive they can be, but with the Scott's help, they did a pretty good job managing. He DID end up having to take them in the halls for a bit in the middle, but overall they did okay thanks to some action figures for Alex and a notebook and pen for Jane.
Sophie was SUPER nervous about giving the speech today, but I had her practice a ton last night, and we prayed a ton, too. :) She performed for the kids this morning at Scripture Time, and by the time the actual performance came around, I couldn't even tell she was scared! She did great. When I asked her afterwards, though, she said she was so nervous she felt like she was going to throw up. Hahaha. Luckily, she pulled it together, and no one would have even known.
{
Hello!
My name is Abigail Adams. I
was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts on November 11, 1744. I had a brother named William and two
sisters named Mary and Elizabeth.
I was very sick when I was little.
I didn’t get to go to school because I was a girl, and girls were not
allowed to go to school. I thought
it was unfair. My mother taught me
and my sisters how to read, write, and do arithmetic. I loved to read and my father and grandfather had large
libraries. I educated myself by
reading through all their books.
Still, I always wished I could have had a formal education.}
{
Soon I became in love with John Adams. I liked him because he was so into
politics and how to change the world.
After we were married, John traveled so much with his political career,
and the only way to keep in touch was through letters. I wrote almost 1,100 letters to him
over the years. One of my most
famous quotes comes from one of these letters. While John was meeting with others to form the new
government, I told him to “Remember the Ladies.”}
{
Living through the Revolutionary War was pretty
tough. John wasn’t there to help,
but I managed to take care of the house, the farm, and the kids on my own. We had six children together, but two
of them died while they were young.
John became the 2nd President of the United States of
America, and I was the first First Lady to live in the White House. Many years later, after I had passed
away, my son John Quincy Adams became the 6th President. }
{
The things I was most passionate about were
education and equality for everyone.
I was a strong and powerful woman during a time when women weren’t
allowed to decide very many things.}
The Wax Museum presentation as a whole was LONG -- 3-4 minutes a speech per kid and there were probably 20 or so in there -- so everyone was getting a bit antsy by the end, but overall it was great. Even if there were 5 Abraham Lincoln speeches to get through. Hahaha. I just love these kinds of projects, and I'm glad that Sophie enjoyed it, too. :)
Alex packed two superheroes and two villains to take along for the ride. He likes to keep things balanced like that. Hahahaha.
Meanwhile Jane is REALLY into space these days. Fitting, really. Hahaha.
{The Research Report in full:
Abigail
Adams
Abigail Adams
was the wife of John Adams, the second president of the United States of
America. She was a woman of great influence to her husband, her family, and her
country. She believed in women’s rights and education and equality for
everyone. She was strong and powerful during a time when women weren’t allowed
to decide very many things.
Abigail had
challenges in her childhood. She was born on November 11, 1744 in Weymouth,
Massachusetts and she almost died. She was frail and petite all through her
childhood. Another hard thing for Abigail was that during the colonial time
only boys were allowed to go to school. Abigail thought that it was unfair to
girls. Even though she couldn’t go to school, she got a type of education from
her mother who taught her how to read and write and how to do arithmetic. Her
father and grandfather had large libraries and she spent most of her time in
them.
As an adult,
Abigail had a lot of obstacles to overcome, too. She lived through the
Revolutionary War and she had to take care of her kids and the house and farm,
while John was traveling for his political career. She wrote almost 1,100 letters to John while he was
traveling. In one of the letters,
she said, “Remember the Ladies” as they were forming the government. She argued for equal rights for women
and was a strong supporter for education.
She believed an educated mother produces an educated child. She had six children, but two of them
died young. One of her children,
John Quincy Adams, became the sixth president of the United States of
America. Abigail was famous
because she was the First Lady.
Some people called her Mrs. President because she was a strong influencer
to her husband, John Adams.
Abigail Adams
lived an interesting life. Her
husband was the 2nd President of the United States and she was the
first First Lady to live in the White House. She helped to shape the country and had a good influence on
all the people in her life.}
Thank you and GOODNIGHT!
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