Imagine traveling back in time to hear a young Ben Franklin complain about the smell of tallow or to celebrate with a Cheyenne boy who has just killed his first buffalo. What about learning to make a quill pen or hasty pudding? The numerous projects and enjoyable activities in Hands-On History allow young readers to do just that. Thanks to easy, step-by-step instructions and an engaging "you are there" tone, children can build models of teepees and windmills, play age-old games, and cook traditional recipes. In so doing, they gain firsthand experience of different customs and fascinating insight into different times and places in American history. Fully illustrated with just the right amount of historical background, the series focuses on colonial times, southern plantations, westward expansion, and Plains and Southwest Indians.