Time Traveler: Then & Now

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About this activity

Students flip between THEN and NOW storybook scenes at five everyday places from a hundred years ago, matching clues and sorting objects to learn how daily life has changed and what has stayed the same.

Who is Time Traveler: Then & Now for?

Designed for grade 1-2 students, ages about 6-7, as a first gentle introduction to comparing past and present rather than a review activity.

What does Time Traveler: Then & Now teach, and how?

Students act as a Time Detective, choosing a location such as School, Getting Around, Home, Store or Playtime, flipping a glowing lever between THEN and NOW scenes, and completing tap, drag, match and sort challenges including a BOTH category for things that never changed. A finale has them drag four life-stage cards into a left-to-right timeline from baby to first grade.

How is success measured in Time Traveler: Then & Now?

Progress is shown through five fillable Time Badge icons, one per location, that are never taken away for a wrong answer, plus a difficulty choice between Little Explorer and Super Sleuth. Correct answers bring cheerful animation and a one-sentence explanation, mistakes get a second try before the answer is revealed, and finishing earns a golden Time Detective badge and a recap celebration screen.

How long does Time Traveler: Then & Now take, and what does it need?

Played on a tablet or computer with only taps, drags and mouse clicks, no typing or account needed, and sound effects that can be muted; each location takes just a few short rounds, with progress saved on the device so a child can replay or continue later.

Sources

  1. Children's Lives at the Turn of the Twentieth Century · loc.gov
  2. daily life - Kids · kids.britannica.com
  3. 100 Years of Personal Electric Transportation Goes on View in the “America on the Move” Exhibition at the Smithsonian · si.edu
  4. 100 Years of Personal Electric Transportation Goes on View in the “America on the Move” Exhibition at the Smithsonian · americanhistory.si.edu
  5. Summer 2010 Teaching with Primary Sources Quarterly · loc.gov
  6. transportation - Kids · kids.britannica.com
  7. Roaring Twenties · britannica.com
  8. The Electric Light System - Thomas Edison National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) · nps.gov
  9. A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Electric consumer appliances proliferate · pbs.org
  10. Keeping your (food) cool: From ice harvesting to electric refrigeration · americanhistory.si.edu
  11. "The Electric Project": The Minidoka Dam and Powerplant (Teaching with Historic Places) (U.S. National Park Service) · home.nps.gov
  12. housing - Students · kids.britannica.com
  13. 1920s consumption (article) · khanacademy.org
  14. The First Measured Century: Program: Segment 3 - The Children's Bureau · pbs.org
  15. An Extra Life? Doubling Humanity’s Life Expectancy · pbs.org
  16. More Than a Century of Tracking our Children · census.gov