Things You'll Need:
- Gold novelty coins
- Cost-of-living data related to the depression
- Photograph of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Woody Guthrie's songs
- Depression-era photographs
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Step 1
"Pot of Gold", by tao_zhynExplain the rarity of the 1933 Saint-Gaudens old double eagle coin. Children are fascinated with play money and coins. Capitalize on their fascination to teach about these real gold coins, produced in 1933. During the Depression, times were tough at banks in America and many people wanted to trade their paper money for gold. However, the U.S. government was unable to effectively meet the public's demand for gold. As a result, President Franklin Roosevelt decreed that all gold must be confiscated by the government and exchanged for paper money (See Reference 1). He even stated that the possession of gold was illegal. Shortly after being produced, the 1933 Saint-Gaudens old double eagle coin was seized by the government and melted down. Only a precious few of these rare coins still exist. Let children view photographs of this rare coin, and consider teaching them about the coin with the aid of novelty coins and paper money that they can manipulate.
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Step 2
Compare Depression-era costs and wages with present-day figures. Kids can learn computation skills by trying to figure out the purchasing power an average person's wage during the 1930s (See Reference 2). Children should be encouraged to ask their parents for help in determining present-day costs of common necessities. When comparing the past with the present, children can be taught how to use an online inflation calculator to understand how money has changed in value over time. Thus, kids can learn about two economies at once: the one of today and the one of the Depression era.
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Step 3
"Franklin Delano Roosevelt", by jimbowen0306Discuss why journalists did not print photographs of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (F.D.R.) in his wheelchair. F.D.R. wanted to be perceived as a strong leader, despite that he was unable to walk due to polio. For this reason, he asked journalists to refrain from publicizing that he used a wheelchair. Viewed as a beacon of hope by many Americans, F.D.R. was concerned that public knowledge of his condition would demoralize the nation. By showing children a photo of F.D.R., and explaining his story, you will be able to teach them about one of the most influential political figures of the Depression era. Once you pique their interest, you may also be able to tell them about F.D.R.'s reform programs, such as the Works Project Administration or the national Social Security system.
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Step 4
Play music by Woody Guthrie and encourage children to sing along while listening. Woody Guthrie's popularity as an American troubadour arose from his affinity for the life of the common man of the Great Depression. His life was colorful, as he traveled across the United States in boxcars, and he packed his experiences into his music. Let children learn about this music, and teach them how to sing it by printing out lyrics sheets for them to read.
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Step 5
"Boy near Cincinnati, Ohio" by bobster855Help children create a scrapbook filled with reprints of vintage photographs (See Reference 3). Assembling a scrapbook is a craft project that can help kids to practice organizational skills, writing skills and even team-building skills. In addition to permitting children to select pictures from the Internet, books or magazines, you should also encourage them to include copies of photos of their own distant relatives in the scrapbook. Scrapbooks may be assembled chronologically or thematically, and once they are created they can be displayed so that their creators will be able to share their newly-gained knowledge with others.
