The Ox Cart Man

The Ox Cart Man introduces students to life in eighteenth century through a series of hands-on activities that relate to Donald Hall's award winning book, The Ox Cart Man. Depending on the size of the group, students hearth cook journey cakes like the Ox Cart Man would have taken on his trip, they card and spin wool like his family did in the winter, and they try some eighteenth century games that his children might have played.

How is the day’s visit scheduled?

Your groups’ visit begins at the Remick Barn, Old York’s education center, with a short orientation and a reading of the book to the whole group. During this time, chaperones will receive their own orientation on how to assist in each activity area.

For the rest of the program, your group should be divided into smaller groups, as specified in your confirmation letter. The smaller groups will rotate among the following activities:

  • Hearth Cooking: Preparing johnny cakes that students enjoy at the program’s conclusion

  • Textiles: Carding and spinning wool

Optional activities (determined ahead of time by teachers and Old York education staff)

  • Games and Crafts: Playing period children’s games.

  • School Lesson: Take a class in our eighteenth-century schoolhouse.

You should plan for your visit to last from one to one and a half hours.

Before Your Visit

  • Review costume information with students and send home copies of the "Costuming Suggestions" sheet.

  • Ask for chaperones to accompany the group. Ideally, there should be one chaperone for every five students.

  • Please have your class divided into their smaller groups before arriving. Check the confirmation form for how many groups you will need.

  • Have name tags for each student.

  • Read and discuss Ox Cart Man as a class

  • Try out some of the classroom activities described later on this page.

After Your Visit

After your visit, explore some of the classroom activities described below. Also, ask students for their impressions of the day and send them to us at Museums of Old York, P.O. Box 312, York, Maine 03909 or email us at education@oldyork.org. We love to hear from you.

Ox-Cart Man Curriculum

How can I make my class' visit to Old York a part of my curriculum? A description of all of our programs and the learning standards met by each can be downloaded here. Programs are alligned with learning standards from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In addition, Old York has compiled the following list of activities that teachers tell us that they use in their classrooms to augment their visit to Old York. Many of these activities bridge across disciplines and provide wonderful opportunities for inter-disciplinary learning.

Links to Art

  • Design murals for each of the four seasons to reflect the cycle of life on a farm

  • Dip candles like the Ox Car Man's family

  • Weave on a cardboard loom

Links to Social Studies

  • Have students draw a map that details the Ox Cart Man's journey to Portsmouth, NH and back home again.

  • After visiting Old York, have students compare their life today with that of the Ox Cart Man and his family. What is different? What is the same? Which would they prefer?

Links to Language Arts

  • Have students imagine that they are the Ox Cart Man and write a journal of his trip to Portsmouth from his point of view.

  • Have students create a poem with illustration that describes their experience at Old York

  • Write a letter to the people you met in the Tavern. You could even try to write with quill pens!

  • Read related historical novels (see list below)

Links to Math and Science

  • Build math skills through bartering activities. Ask each student to bring in a small item that they would be willing to trade. Have students barter with each other for different goods or services. They could even barter with you for their recess!

  • Examine cotton, wool, and linen fibers under a microscope.

  • Grow a classroom garden full of potatoes or other vegetables that the Ox Cart Man's family enjoyed.

Ox Cart Man Resources

Grades K-2:

  • Hall, Donald. Ox-Cart Man. Viking, 1979. Depicts the life and work of an early 19th century family through the seasons of the year.

  • Smith, Maggie. Counting Our Way to Maine. Orchard Books, 1995. Geared toward young children learning to count. Meshes fun and learning.

Grades 3-4:

  • Bowen, Gary. Stranded on Plimouth Plantation, 1626. Harper Collins, 1994.

  • Kirk, Deborah. A Day in June. Old Sturbridge Village, 1982. Eleven year old Sarah Ann writes in her diary about life in a rural New England town.

  • Turkle, Brian. If You Lived in Colonial Times. Scholastic, 1982. Provides overview of daily life and responsibilities.

Costume Suggestions

During your students' visit to Old York, we ask that they wear a costume suitable for the 1780s~1790s. Costumes allow students to place themselves in the past and experience eighteenth century York. The museum buildings can be quite cold as only the Remick Barn is heated! Be sure students are dressed appropriately for the cold winter months. The students should be warm, comfortable and feel as though they are living eighteenth century York history. Please do not feel that your students must sew or buy a whole new outfit. The following suggestions are geared towards using what the students may already own to create an appropriate costume:

Men and Boys

  • Shirt: Any plain white shirt, turtleneck, or sweatshirt.

  • Breeches: Knee-length pants were the fashion, so take a dark pair of pants or sweatpants and roll them up to the knees.

  • Stockings: Use plain colored knee-socks which will fit up under the breeches. Athletic socks without stripes are fine.

  • Shoes: Any plain dark shoe, but try not to wear sneakers. Buckles can be added made out of cardboard covered with aluminum foil.

  • Accessories: A sleeveless vest adds warmth to the costume. A straw or tricorn hat also helps keep you warm, but please no baseball caps!

Women and Girls

  • Basic Dress: Long plain dresses or long plain skirts with white shirts. Women and girls could add white aprons, extra petticoats, shawls, and knee-socks for warmth.

  • Mob Caps: No females went without caps in the 1790s. Cut a circle about 1 ½ to 2 feet in diameter from an old sheet or piece of white material. About 2 inches from the edge, string ribbon/yarn through to make a circle. Draw the ribbon/yarn into gathers to fit the child’s head and knot at the ends to secure.

  • Shoes: Any plain dark shoe, but try not to wear sneakers. Remember to wear comfortable shoes!

  • Accessories: A fichu, or large neckerchief worn around the neck, is an important accessory. Fold a scarf, shawl, or blanket into a triangle and place around the neck, down across the front of the dress and bring the ends around the back of waist and knot or tuck into the front waist. A sleeveless vest (waistcoat) in a plain color will add warmth to the costume