Follow-up Activities
1. Riddle
Teacher's note: the answer to the riddle (see below) is located in http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/dayinlife/cabinet/fun.html
Thomas Jefferson and his grandchildren were fond of riddles. Perhaps you would enjoy discovering the meaning of this one.
The following is a riddle that Jefferson mailed to his granddaughter Cornelia Jefferson Randolph when she was eight years old. (Cornelia's silhouette, made when she was a young woman, is shown at right.) The point of the riddle, wrote Jefferson, was to figure out "how to read these lines so as to make them true."
I've seen the sea all in a blaze of fire"All this is true," he added, "whatever you may think of it at first reading."
I've seen a house high as the moon and higher
I've seen the sun at twelve oclock at night
I've seen the man who saw this wondrous sight.
Hint: Jefferson suggested to Cornelia that he selected these lines because she was just learning to write: "they will be a good lesson to convince you of the importance of minding your stops in writing."
2. Make a recipe from Thomas Jefferson's cookbook
Ice cream -- recipe located at http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/dayinlife/dining/at.html
English muffins -- two versions of the recipe are located at http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/dayinlife/breakfast/at.html and http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/dayinlife/breakfast/fun.html
3. Play the game "I Love My Love With an A"
In the Parlor at Monticello, Jefferson and his grandchildren played both board and word games. "I Love My Love With an A" is quite easy to learn and is a fun activity for classroom use. To play, you can start with any letter in the alphabet, but the letter A is the usual starting place. Each speaker uses the same letter, but must not repeat the same word. When one letter has been used by all players, go onto the next letter until you finish the alphabet. It is customary to omit the letters X, Y, and Z, as there are few words which start with these letters.
For Example:
A. I love my love with an A, because he is Affectionate. I hate him because he is Awkward. He came from Amsterdam; lives on Apples. His name is Alexander, and I will give him an Agate for a keepsake.
B. I love my love with a B, because she is Benevolent. I hate her because she is a Bully. She came from Bedford; lives on Buttermilk. Her name is Betty, and I will give her a Ball for a keepsake.
And so on through the alphabet.
4. Have your students correspond with "Thomas Jefferson" via e-mail!