Fun Things To Do

Make a radio broadcast

Radio was one of the main forms of entertainment in the 1930s. A fun activity for learning about radio is to make your own show!

First, listen to a couple of shows to get a feel for them. I have links to listen to on the music/radio page. You can also read some info on radio here:
The Golden Age of Radio
Radio's Forgotten Years

Next, make your own show! If there are many students, some can be actors, some can be sound effects, etc. You will need a microphone and a recording program. Audacity is freeware and can be found here: audacity.sourceforge.net. The page also has a description of what Audacity is and links to some guides under "Help".

You will need a script. You could take an existing one, write one with your students, have the students write it themselves, or whatever you choose. You could make a story show, a talk show, weather report, commercial jingle, whatever you and your students think would be most fun!

The best part, besides acting out the parts, is the special effects! Don't use any fancy equipment from nowadays - be creative! Slowly drop rice onto metal for rain, hitting coconut shells together for hoofbeats, blowing through a straw into water for a boiling sound, etc! This site has a few more ideas: old-time.com

Cooking

Peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies were invented in the 1930s (see cookie-recipes.net). Therefore, these might be a tasty and educational treat to make! Icebox cookies, with refidgerators being invented, also became very popular. Here are a few sites with 30s recipes:
The American Woman's Cook Book (1939) - copyright free!
The Food Timeline - 30s school lunches
Better Homes and Gardens - 1930s

Here's a sample recipe from The American Woman's Cook Book:

ICEBOX COOKIES

3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup other shortening
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups medium brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking-powder
4 eggs
5 cups flour

Directions

Cream the shortenings together and with the sugar. Add the well-beaten eggs and beat well.
Sift all the dry ingredients together and add to the first mixture. Pack the dough into a butter carton, or form into roll. Wrap in wax paper and put in the coldest part of the refrigerator for several hours.
Slice as thin as possible with a very sharp knife, place on a greased baking-sheet, and bake for ten minutes in a moderate oven (375° F.).
A part of the mixture may be baked and the re- mainder kept in the refrigerator for later use.

Dance the Night Away

Learn a dance step that was popular in the 30s! Not the whole thing neccesarily - just the Basic Step! If you are teaching, learn the step first so you can personally teach it to others.

Info on 30s dancing: mixedpickles.org

Makeup and Hairstyles

Here's some tutorials on 30s makeup:
Makeup 1930's
Marlene Dietrich 1930's inspired make-up tutorial

Men's Hairstyles

Men's vintage hairstyles
"Short Back and Sides" - looks a little less silly than most men's 30s hairdos. used in Johnny Depp film "Public Enemies"
eHow - 1930s Vintage Hairstyles

Women's Hairstyles

Alas, women's hairstyles are harder than men's - or at least the tutorials I found were.

Best one I found was this YouTube video:
Mr. Leonardo -Finger Wave- Complete
Hairdresser's instructions on fingerwaving
revamvintage.com
Yahoo Answers - What did woman put in their hair in the 1930s? - look at the answer that won (the first answer)
Black Short Hair Style: Quick Finger Waves and Natural Curl
YouTube video - 1920s-1930s Hair Tutorial for LONG HAIR
YouTube video - How to create a Retro Wave Hair Tutorial
YouTube video - Fingerwaves done with a curling iron version 2.0

Make Your Own Hair Care Products

This 1939 grooming pamphlet (Grooming) has a shampoo recipe on page 6 and a hair waving solution on page 7. It might be fun to make your own shampoo (using it is another matter, as we now have much better shampoos these days). The hair waving solution would be great if you wish to try doing your hair in the styles of the day (see the Makeup and Hairstyles tab).

Here are some more links for making your own shampoo - they may not be quite as authentic, but do they have to be?
PassionateHomemaking.com
Instructables.com
Ezinearticles.com

Other Homemade Soap Recipes

Castile Soap
Laundry Detergent - doing laundry 30s style would be a very educational experience in terms of realizing how far we've come with technology!

Here's a link describing how laundry was done then:
Doing The Laundry--1930's

Miscellaneous

Compare movies made in the 30s with movies made now
Play games from back then, such as Monopoly
Book club! Read a few books from the book list and discuss, write an essay, compare, whatever!
Try this awesome online museum website:
Picturing the 30s. It is a great way to learn about the decade!

Throw A Party

Why not combine a couple of these activities into a swinging party?

Dress up, do your hair and makeup, watch a movie, learn some dance steps, listen to some tunes, etc!