I would like to introduce y'all to a great group of young'ns. They are the George Washington Birthplace National Monument 4H Heritage Club. Not all of us are young, as the parents are involved in the group too!! But we strive to teach children ages 8-18 about living history demonstrating. We teach Colonial crafts (blacksmithing, hearth cooking, spinning, weaving, needlecrafts, dancing and music) in the context of the site we are demonstrating. We work in association with the National Park Service at the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. I believe we are the only 4H group nationwide that is working with the Park Service on this kind of a project. When we demonstrate at our park, we demonstrate the time period 1710-1740. Currently the group numbers 50, which is not a bad turnout as the group is less than one year old.
We have had several training classes for our members. So far they (and we adults) have received training in blacksmithing, hearth cooking, the art of first person interpretation, 3rd person costumed interpretation (our usual mode), and spinning.
