Henry Ford (History--Hands On)

Children of today are so used to going everywhere quickly and comfortably in the family car, they take the whole thing for granted. They don't have a clue about the problems and challenges that had to be met by early inventors and automobile factories to make a smooth ride possible for us today. So why not bring one of the inventors of the automobile right into your classroom! Introduce Henry Ford to your students and let them discover for themselves the exciting early history of cars!

Henry Ford was one of the most interesting inventors in American history. Students will learn about his early life and see the curiosity that motivated him. They'll discover that he was a hard worker and that once he set his mind on a goal, he didn't give up until he reached it. Students will have an opportunity to take apart machines to see how they work, then try to put them back together as Ford enjoyed doing. They'll look at pictures of Ford's first car and his Model T to compare them and see what improvements Ford made in the later car. Through an action song students will discover that riding in a car in Ford's day was fraught with difficulties. They'll be able to design their own cars and they'll discover why Ford's Model T was the most popular car in America. They'll even get to experience working on an assembly line, and be able to set up their own automobile museum in the classroom.

The study culminates with a Ford Festival with students involved in the food, decorations and entertainment.