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A number of activities and topics of interest are included in the blog posts below. For educational curriculum enhancers on Texas history, visit the Fort Bend Connection page.
 By ALLISON HARRELL Texian Time Machine & Outreach Coordinator Do you think you have mastered Texas history by now? Do you know the names, dates, and faces that have made our state what it is? Test out your knowledge with this fun timeline game. There are two events per year – one in Texas, and one somewhere else in the world! This game can be played by one to four players. Directions
Answer Chart: 
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 By ALLISON HARRELL
Texian Time Machine & Outreach Coordinator Take a tour of Richmond -- and learn a little bit about money management -- with this quick little game that's easy to set up and play with your family! (And, as a bonus, you might even learn something new about the history of Richmond!) CLICK HERE to download the game PDF. By ALLISON HARRELL
Texian Time Machine & Outreach Coordinator So...we found out that yesterday was National Coloring Book Day! To celebrate (even though we're a day late), we have made a small coloring book of different historic structures in Richmond. To assemble this tiny booklet, just download the PDF, fold along the dotted line and cut along the solid line. After that, you should be able to fold it together to make a coloring booklet that is perfect for coloring on-the-go! Download the PDF here: 080320-mini-richmond-coloring-book.pdf By ALLISON HARRELL Texian Time Machine & Outreach Coordinator Slang terms from the 1920s are simply hotsy-totsy! Today you can try your hand at filling in a Mad Lib inspired by the slang of the 1920s! What sort of fun combinations will you come up with?  By ALLISON HARRELL Texian Time Machine & Outreach Coordinator
 Do you feel like you know more things than your family? Do you like lording obscure knowledge over others? Prove it! This game is a new twist on our popular Timeline games posted earlier this spring. This game can be played by one to four players – if you have more players, we suggest working together in teams.  Directions
By CYNTHIA TOTH Museum Intern Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a wild (or relatively calm) ride: Dresden figurines are here! In 206 B.C.E, China created the world’s first porcelain. This new and beautiful form of ceramic was a hot trading item for hundreds of years -- and an expensive commodity at that. China and Japan both mastered the technique long before Europe, and the race to catch up with their trade was a long and hard one. In 1709 C.E., Augustus the Strong placed alchemist Johann Friedrich Bottger under house arrest. (It was rumored that Bottger could turn clay into gold.) In his quest to figure out how to turn clay into gold, Bottger accidentally discovered how to make pure porcelain. Augustus the Strong immediately established a royal porcelain factory in Meissen, Germany -- one of the greatest pottery achievements in Europe -- and the Dresden figurine obsession began.  Figure 1- Collection Piece from the Fort Bend Museum 'Staffordshire Figures'Slowly but surely, the new porcelain made its way through Europe, finally landing in England in the mid-1700s. Since porcelain was considered the "gold of ceramics," it was a trinket only the wealthy could afford. England is credited with making options for the lower classes. Called "Staffordshire Figures," the figurines were created out of a cheaper stoneware and painted by factory workers. Though not as high-quality as Dresden porcelain, women from all classes could collect and enjoy the knick-knacks.  Florence and Inez discover this porcelain figurine from the Fort Bend Museum's collection. Favorite ThemesSimple scenes such as animals, young couples and mothers with children were the most popular. Nostalgia for "days gone by" was high and the idea of a pure and simple life brought joy to many people. Later, as immigrants came to America to build new lives, they brought their figurines with them -- and the craze began sweeping the United States, lasting well into the 19th century. Does your family have any cherished porcelain figurines?By ALLISON HARRELL Texian Time Machine & Outreach Coordinator Chuck-a-Luck is a game that began in English pubs and made its way to America around 1800. The game has had a number of names through the years, including Birdcage, Sweat and Sweat Rag. (Watch this great video from the Alamo for an explanation on those last two names!)
Directions:The game has two roles:
1. Dealer – He/She is responsible for rolling the dice and paying out/collecting bets 2. Players – They are responsible just for betting The game is very simple.
Bertillon Card ActivityMaterials
 By ALLISON HARRELL Texian Time Machine & Outreach Coordinator SCENE: You are a pioneer who has been living in Texas for a year, and a few new settlers have been staying with you for the past few days. This morning when you got back from taking care of the chickens, you found a note: “We have gone out to explore a little, and will be back by lunch time.” When no one returns by nightfall, you start to get worried. The Texas prairie is confusing at the best of times, and these people have only been in Texas for three days! You have to go into the prairie and find them. You set out early the next morning with a plan and food rations to last a few days. Explore the prairie and find all of your friends! MATERIALS:
GOAL: Find all the Aces! (The Ace cards are your friends who are lost in the prairie.) DIRECTIONS:
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Funding has been provided to the Fort Bend History Association from Humanities Texas and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.
AuthorFort Bend Museum Staff Archives
December 2020
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