I am the other fourth grade teacher at WES and just wanted to chime in.  Both of the fourth grade classes wrote a letter together, but I wanted to add my perspective as a teacher.

I thought your program was excellent.  Even though many of the kids have been to museums, and seen movies, and we’ve studied a lot about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War, there is still nothing like being able to see and touch something “real” to get them excited about what they learn.  When you came, and were unpacking your items, I was amazed how transfixed the students were, just watching all this cool stuff come out of your bag!  They were really focused and engaged while you presented stories and realia.

Also, I thought that the way your presentation was structured was wonderful: weapons first, then ammo, then supplies and clothes.  You got the kids hooked with the big stuff.  You also explained well what a replica was and preempted the gun shot with an explanation that they would not hear a loud boom.  Because you did that, they were still really excited about the sparks!  Kudos for great teaching technique!

Overall, it was really a great event, very worthwhile and I’ll highly recommend it to anyone.

FYI – I am copying our Elementary School Director, because she didn’t see your presentation, but wanted to share with her how successful it was.

Also, I am attaching a copy of a worksheet I made with your vocabulary words which the kids did before your presentation (maybe you can use it with other school).  Activating their prior knowledge was a good thing before you started, and I thank you for supplying us with the vocab.

We’ll look forward to seeing you next year. In the meantime, I’ll be singing your praises.

Sincerely,
Barbora Bridle
Fourth Grade Teacher
Washington Episcopal School

Dear Mr. K,

Thank you for coming to our school last week. You are awesome!

Some of our favorite things about your presentation were watching you fire the musket and seeing all the sparks fly. We also liked learning about the cards that the Revolutionary soldiers played with. We also enjoyed trying on clothes and looking at the powder horn. The clothes were very heavy.  We can’t imagine marching more than 20 miles in those clothes.   We liked learning about the cartridge holder and how bullets were made, too.

Even though we’ve been studying the Revolutionary War a little bit, and knew many things, we learned a lot from you.  For example, we didn’t know that the soldiers carried their ammo in their pouch.  We also didn’t know how much all their supplies weighed and how far the soldiers had to carry it.  We also learned that the soldiers had to keep their coats on, because underneath they all wore white and might get killed by their own soldiers.

Thank you for bringing all the reproductions, and letting us touch them.  Some of us wonder where you got all that interesting stuff.  Thank you again for sharing your time, your knowledge and your stuff with us.

Sincerely,
The Fourth Grade
Washington Episcopal School

I wish to thank you on behalf of the many residents that attended your wonderful and informative presentation on the American Revolutionary War.  You certainly have proven that learning at any age can be fun.  I was very impressed with your in depth knowledge of the historical period and your concise and informative delivery style.  Whether the participants in the audience were seasoned history buffs or knew very little about the subject matter, clearly everyone equally enjoyed the presentation.  Your sense of humor and the many anecdotes that were provided throughout the program also helped to maintain a high level of interest among the participants.

Many of our residents indicated that they really enjoyed the hands on segment of your presentation.  The wide selection of Revolutionary War reproductions that they were able to touch and view was especially enlightening and helped to encourage less verbal individuals to be actively involved in the program.  It definitely was a picture perfect moment at the conclusion of your presentation when residents had the opportunity to actually try on a uniform from the Revolutionary period.

Again, Mr. Kuehhas thank you for the outstanding presentation.  We look forward to a return visit and future historical programs.

Andrea Stockton-Barton, Activities Coordinator
The Arbor at BayWoods of Annapolis
7101 Bay Front Drive
Annapolis, MD 21401

Time Traveler, 1776  was a great program and having a historian/archivist  add artifacts really does put every story in perspective in terms of appreciation of what life and sacrifice was all about.

Thank you, thank you!

Carol Fuentevilla
Holiday Park Senior Center
Program  & Center Director
3950 Ferrara Drive
Wheaton, MD 20906

240-777-4966

I am writing to let you know the residents thoroughly enjoyed your Revolutionary War presentation on Thursday evening, July 28th.

Several residents have made it a point to stop by my office to tell me your program brought a part of American history to life in a fascinating and enjoyable way.

When I looked around the room during the performance I noticed the residents were captivated by your presentation and asked many thought provoking questions.

Your organized and personable manner worked beautifully and the residents could hear your every word.

You mentioned having another program on 18th century medicine currently being worked on at this time.  As soon as you are ready, please contact me so we can add you to our social calendar…something we won’t want to miss!

Thanking you again for presenting history on a whole new level…we loved it!

Teresa Harris
Recreation Director
The Fairfax Retirement Community
Ft. Belvoir

Thank you, Tom, we enjoyed your program very much.

Martha Armstrong
Braddock Glen Adult Day Care
Fairfax, VA

Tom talks to Rockville, MD seniors

The presentation by Thomas Kuehhas at Ingleside was outstanding! Thomas was engaging, knowledgeable, and his program brightened the lives of over 60 senior citizens. Our residents loved learning about the life of a Revolutionary War soldier from an expert in the field.

Tiffany Proctor
Cultural Arts Manager
Ingleside at King Farm Continuing Care Retirement Community
(240)499-9038

Dear Mr. Kuehhas,

We enjoyed your presentation and we learned a lot about 1776. It was fascinating how soldiers tied spikes to their shoes called ice-creepers to protect themselves when they walked on ice. We learned that soldiers had to carry a lot of weight, including their musket, bayonet, and bags of clothing. It was interesting that the bayonet could be used by itself or in addition you could add the musket. An astounding fact was that professional soldiers could fire three times a minute. We couldn’t believe that soldiers had one coat throughout the year, leaving some to freeze to death and others to die of heat stroke. We learned how soldiers fired the musket and that when the flint hit the metal it created a spark which ignited the gun powder. We enjoyed seeing the soldiers’ uniforms, including the breeches, socks, and coats. Even though one of the canteens looked larger it was interesting to find that the British and American canteens held the same amount of water.

Some of our favorite parts of the presentation were learning how the musket was held and fired and when students got to try on uniforms. We enjoyed passing around the objects and looking at them, especially the original archive. We would have liked more information on the two posters you brought to the presentation.

We really enjoyed your visit. Thank you again for giving us such a great presentation.

Sincerely,
Washington Episcopal School 4th grade

Fairfield County Public Schools

Mr. Thomas Kuehhas, a Revolutionary War expert, came to our school in January 2011 to speak to our entire fourth and sixth grade student body. He presented a program to four classes a day for three days, each program lasting approximately one hour. He was very easy to work with and flexible when a delayed opening completely changed our schedule.

Mr. Kuehhas billed himself as a “Time Traveler” and to our students he appeared so. He came dressed in period clothing and even allowed the students to try on some of the extra items he brought so that they could experience for themselves the smell, feel, and weight of each article.

He patiently answered all questions and explained everything in great detail. His presentation engaged even the most challenging students. The visuals he brought helped form pictures in the students’ minds when the actual artifacts were not allowed into our school (period weaponry).

This “hands-on” Revolutionary War presentation enabled the fourth and sixth grade teachers to “frontload” SOL objectives covering this period of history. I definitely recommend that teachers take advantage of this presentation as an alternative to a field trip.

Sincerely,

Laurie J. Hartt

Lorton Station Elementary
9298 Lewis Chapel Road
Lorton, VA 22079
571-642-6000

I recently had the pleasure of hiring Thomas Kuehhas to bring his Time Traveler program to my school.  Specifically, Mr. Kuehhas gave a hands-on presentation emphasizing the equipment and tactics employed in the U.S. Revolutionary War.  Mr. Kuehhas amazed students with his stories and artifacts from the war.  He presented a musket and bayonet, colonial Minuteman uniform, canteen, ammunition, and other trinkets used by soldiers.  His knowledge of the period was exemplary and he had a great rapport with students.  He tailored the program to Maryland by including anecdotes about local soldiers fighting all over the colonies.  His presentation lasted about an hour and the audience was rapt throughout.

Mr. Kuehhas would define and explain an artifact, ask questions and discuss answers, then allow the students to handle the item.  The kids truly enjoyed the experience, especially getting to dress in the full regalia of a Minuteman.  My students’ excitement carried over into the classroom where we continued a discussion about the war and the life of a colonial soldier.  The presentation allowed the students to picture what we had studied and place themselves, literally and figuratively, into the time period.  I would highly recommend the program to any school teaching about the Revolutionary War.

Sincerely,

Colin Saba
The Banner School History Teacher
1730 N. Market Street
Frederick, MD 21701