More chance for trading with groups that were rich, such as Chinese and Indians, and also, the people could take land, and natural resources.
Well, they had discovered foods that haven't seen before, also their life was a little harsh because they didn't know about the new world, they where seeing plants and animals like the pig they haven't seen before. Another thing is that their life was kind of rich because they recruited natives from the area to work for them.
It would include a lot of walking. Some children had to walk miles bundled up during the winter. Most times there would only be one classroom with all ages and grades in it. So you could write about you being a 9 year old and you got the seat next to the biggest kid in the class. You could write about recess. The kids were not as supervised as they are now. The teacher usually stayed in the classroom. You could write about lunch. Sometimes the kids walked home for lunch but most cases brought a sack lunch. Hope this helps!