Make Your Own Roman Shoes

Week 8: We made Roman Shoes.

The Ancient Romans did many things similar to the way we do them today. The kids had toys, played games and went to school. They visited theaters, shopped at markets, and visited indoor heated swimming pools.

Although they were similar, they were different in other ways. Most girls were married at the age of 12 and boys were married at 15. Fighting to the death was popular entertainment, and the style of clothing was much different.

In conjunction with studying Roman lifestyle, we made Roman shoes.

Making shoes has interested my kids for several years. They have made them using cardboard and staples, tape, and fabric. They even introduced friends to their strange hobby when studying Ancient Greece. So when studying Rome, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to make Roman shoes.

I did most of the work for my six year old because leather is difficult to cut.

First I traced her foot.

Next I added oval shaped straps to the foot tracing and cut it out.

I used a hole punch to put holes at the ends of each of the straps, and am glad I only had to punch two shoes. This method took a lot of hand strength. Perhaps using an awl would have been better if we had one.

She was able to lace them up. The shoes were so comfortable she wore them all afternoon and continues to wear them.

My eleven year old designed her own Roman shoes. They cover much more of the foot and are more durable. Romans had lots of different shoe styles including winter and summer varieties.

To see more hands-on history activities, please visit our History Page where there are activities relating to the Celts, Vikings, Greeks, Scythians, Chinese, Mesopotamians and Persians.


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