Activity 1:Meat and Three Veg
It was common for women in the 1950s to stay home with their children and raise their family. They were called ‘housewives.’ Many housewives followed a simple rule when they prepared the evening meal: the ‘meat and three veg’ rule. This meant that they prepared dinners that included three different vegetables and a type of meat (eg. beef, lamb, or chicken).
On your blog tell us if you think that the ‘meat and three veg’ rule is a good one. Do you like the rule? Would you enjoy eating a typical 1950s dinner? Why or why not?
Activity 2:What's in a name?
During the 1950s the population of New Zealand grew by 400,000 people. That is huge! In fact, so many people were having babies that many people refer to this period in our history as the ‘baby boom.’ Popular baby names in 1950s New Zealand were:
Read through the lists. Are these popular names in your school? On your blog, tell us which names are currently popular in your school. Please provide, at least, three girls’ names and three boys names that are popular.
When I was going to school, the name ‘Jennifer’ was the most popular girl’s name and the name ‘Matthew’ was the most popular boy’s name.
Activity 3: Snail Mail
In the 1950s, most people communicated with one another by writing letters. According to the NZ history website, New Zealanders sent over 200 million letters and postcards between 1950 and 1960. That is an average of 87 letters per person!
For this activity, imagine that you are living in New Zealand in the 1950s. Use Google Draw* to design the front of a postcard that you could send to a friend. Try to include elements of Kiwiana in your design (e.g. Pohutukawa trees, Hokey Pokey ice cream, etc). Post a copy of your postcard picture to your blog. Be sure to describe what you have drawn on your blog beneath the picture.
I have added a Pohutukawa Tree and two native birds from New Zealand, a Kiwi and a Fantail.