Aiden the Colonial brickmaker

Aiden has been studying Colonial Times in school and is getting ready for the job fair. He chose to be the brickmaker. After researching the wardrobe, and the process of how bricks were made we were on our way back in history...

He was most excited about the musket he found at the costume shop. 

The hat isn't what a brick maker would have worn but was typical for colonial days. 

He poured over youtube brickmaking videos, read through Colonial Williamsburg Brickyard on facebook, and any other information he could find on the web.

This is his shop.

He made his own brick mold with the help of a wonderful neighbor. Mixed some mortar for people to touch and it was also what he used to make his own brick. The "kilns" are made from boxes with red lamps inside for the fire. He painted examples of the different stages of bricks. We researched signage from that time and he designed the "wood" sign, I helped with the execution out of foamcore. The poster shows the steps of brick making. 

Here are the brick samples. A brick from a school in Augusta Ga. made by slaves. 

Aiden also painted a sample Green, Salmon,  regular and a clinker brick. 

a close up of the kiln opened

Setting up for the visitors

He throughly enjoyed telling everyone about the 

process. He came right out of his shell for this one!

He chose to tell his story from the point of view of a 9 yr old boy. The children and slaves are the ones that typically made the bricks. The "skilled" labor ran the kilns and built the brick structures.

A group shot of all the Colonial kids.