Reading: Ages 7-14

Put Yourself In a Character's Shoes

 

            Today's Snack: Throughout history, shoes have mostly been made out of leather. So in honor of shoes, eat some sweet and chewy "fruit leather" today. You may know it as "fruit by the foot" or some brand name like that. But it's a fairly healthy snack, as long as it isn't your "sole" nutrition for the day. (Sorry about that shoe humor!!!)

 

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Supplies:

 

A good book | Writing paper

Reference books or websites on shoes throughout history

Drawing paper and pencil

 

 

            Ask a librarian's help in checking out a book that interests you that has something to do with history. It should be set in some time period long ago.

 

Read the book. Then pretend to be one of the people in that book. Choose the character that you would most like to be. A hero in ancient Greece? A fine lady from medieval times? A slave in the early United States? A soldier in World War I? An inventor or clown or rodeo rider from long ago?

 

Write a one-page autobiography about "yourself," based on what you know from reading the book.

 

They say that to really understand someone else, you have to walk a mile in their shoes. So to really understand the key character in your book, take a hard look at his or her shoes.

 

Research in a history book, encyclopedia, or informational website, what shoes were made of or looked like "back in the day" of the character that you have chosen to be.

 

Were they sandals?

 

Boots?

 

Homemade deerskin?

 

Hobnail boots?

 

High heels?

 

Wingtips?

 

Wrapped-up rags?

 

Why did they look the way they did? What were they protecting your character's feet from? What did they probably feel like to wear?

 

Using fine pencil, sketch what "your" shoes would have looked like. Make them as realistic as you can, with laces, hooks, buttonholes, creases, flaps and so on.

 

If you like doing this, then choose your favorite pair of shoes that you own now, sketch them, and write a story about something that you pretended to do while wearing those shoes.

 

Make your story similar to something done by your favorite character in the book you read . . . only make it suit YOUR character even closer!