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Legacy: Learning About Children of Yesterday

By Katti Gray | Staff Writer

By sitting on a feather-filled mattress or trying on clothes of the 18th Century, children get to sense colonial life at the Joseph Lloyd Manor House on Lloyd Neck.

``It's very important for children to learn about history outside of the textbook,'' said Eleanor Ryder, a teacher at Medford Elementary School who takes fourth-graders to the house every year.

One Medford student, Diana Ortiz, 9, of Patchogue, said life as a colonial child was hard, especially for slaves. ``The slaves didn't play too much, they just worked,'' she said. ``To me it's sad.''

Diana found the house's feather bed soft. She was less enthusiastic about a ``potty chair'' used in days before indoor plumbing. ``I don't think people would like it,'' she said.

Vinny DePierro, 9, of Patchogue, learned that 1700s children didn't have TV. ``They never really had fun, except when they had time,'' he said. Vinny thought working as a child and not going to school ``would be a little boring.'' But he could envision himself in colonial times: ``If I'm busy I'm fine,'' he said.