Today, we’re learning what plants and animals did Lewis And Clark discover on their long journey. Also, grab more ideas on my page Lewis and Clark Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook.
The Corps of Discovery was an expedition that was led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark.
This long journey was almost 8,000 miles.
It was taken over the span of May of 1804 to September of 1806 and was made on foot, on horseback, and by canoe.
It led the group down the Ohio River, up the Missouri River, across the Continental Divide, through the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains, and to the Pacific Ocean.
Facts About What Plants And Animals Did Lewis And Clark Discover
The group was made up of almost 50 including 27 young soldiers, a French Indian interpreter, and Clark’s Slave, York.
One of the most famous members of the party, Sacagawea, joined the Corps of Discovery at about 16 years old.
During this time, they found many yet unknown plants and animals.
They recorded 178 plants and 122 animals that were not previously known to science.
In his journal, Lewis recorded and pressed, and preserved 240 different plant species and brought them back with him.
The expedition also brought back skins, skeletons, horns, a live prairie dog, a magpie, and many more specimens.
They named many of the geographic locations after expedition members, peers, loved ones, and even their dog.
Additionally, they made maps of uncharted land, rivers, and mountains.
Too, they filled their journals overflowing with details about navigation, Native American tribes, and scientific notes about plants and animals.
The tales of their adventures sent many Americans westward in search of all the wonders that they found and more.
Lewis and Clark Exploration Hands-on Activities
Moreover, a Lewis and Clark unit study and lapbook lends well to tons of fun hands-on activities.
Activities are numerous and I a few here to get your creative juices flowing.
- Unit Study Ideas | Lewis and Clark Exploration Lapbook
- 22 Free Lewis & Clark Activity Posters (You Don’t Want to Miss These)
- Mighty Mississippi book & Sediment Activity
- Cooking on the Trail
- Lewis and Clark Expedition – The Ultimate Guide
- Lewis and Clark Louisiana Purchase Edible Map
- Hands-on History. Make a Char Cloth
- How To Make An Easy Ink pot & Quill Pen with Berry Ink
- Free Westward Ho History Cards
- 10 Westward Expansion History Fun Coloring Pages
Books About Lewis and Clark
Also, look at some of these books to add your study of Lewis and Clark’s trek.
15 Lewis and Clark | Sacagawea Exploration Unit Study Resources
Lewis and Clark is one of the most significant periods in American history and you can spend weeks exploring the lands and people west of the Mississippi with these fun books and resources.
Appealing art and descriptive text bring Lewis and Clark alive for young adventurers. Carefully chosen text from Lewis and Clark's actual journals opens a fascinating window into this country's exciting history.
Explore one of the most recognized figures in American history with this biography of Sacagawea. Kids will learn about her crucial role in the Lewis and Clark expedition and her influential legacy. The level 3 text provides accessible, yet wide-ranging, information for independent readers.
Commissioned in 1803 by President Thomas Jefferson to explore and open up this vast territory, Lewis and Clark felt it was the realization of a lifelong dream. Against the hardships of the wilderness, possible attack by hostile Indians, sudden blizzards and terrifying natural obstacles, these two men led the Corps of Discovery ably and nobly to complete their mission. Their Corps included American Indians from the Sioux, Mandan, Shoshone, Clatsop and Chopunnish tribes. Sacajawea, the only woman on the trip, was a Shoshone woman who contributed invaluable service as interpreter and guide. Daugherty's evocative sepia and black ink illustrations depict individuals of humor, vitality, passion, and strength.
From the New York Times bestselling author the definitive book on Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, the most momentous expedition in American history and one of the great adventure stories of all time.
The only book ever written that tells the eyewitness truth about this famous teenage Indian mother who was indispensable to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
On May 14, 1804, the Corps of Discovery set out from Camp Dubois, Illinois, heading westward under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his Second Lieutenant, William Clark. While Lewis led the group in terms of rank, the two men became de facto equals, giving their names jointly to a journey that would shape the future of the fledgling United States — the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This book presents journal entries taken directly from the expedition.
Describes how Sacagawea found adventure guiding Lewis and Clark to the Oregon coast.
Take Your Own Journey through History on the Lewis & Clark Trail! Follow the journey of the Corps of Discovery from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello through the Midwest and the Rockies, to the Pacific Ocean and back with this detailed chronicle of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. This third edition of the classic guidebook features accessible text that combines the historical sites and color maps that merge the past and present in a user-friendly and entertaining way.
When Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the "Corp of Discovery" left St. Louis, Missouri, on May 1, 1804, their mission was to explore the vast, unknown territory acquired a year earlier in the Louisiana Purchase. The travelers hoped to find a waterway that crossed the western half of the United States. They didn't. However, young readers will love this true-life adventure tale of the two-year journey that finally brought the explorers to the Pacific Ocean.
In this epic graphic novel, follow the dramatic story of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1804, these two explorers, along with their "Corps of Discovery," traversed the unmapped American West, leading to scientific discoveries, interactions with Native nations, and route to the Pacific Ocean. Dramatic illustrations and fast-paced text provide a "you-are-there" experience. With extensive back matter, including a bibliography, extended reading list, glossary, and further Internet sources, young readers will gobble up this action-packed comic book about one of history's most compelling moments.
In The Oregon Trail: The Journey Across the Country from Lewis and Clark to the Transcontinental Railroad, readers ages 9 to 12 can delve into the explorations of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and other explorers. They can learn about the more than half a million people who followed during the nineteenth century. What challenges did these pioneers face on the 2,170-mile journey? How were Native American tribes and nations affected by this mass migration? Primary sources allow readers to feel like a part of the Oregon Trail experience while biographical sidebars will introduce the compelling people who were part of this time in U.S. history. Investigative, hands-on projects and critical thinking activities such as writing a treaty and researching artistic impressions of the Oregon Trail invite readers to further their understanding of life on the trail, early towns and forts, and the Transcontinental Railroad that followed the wagons into new lands and territories that would eventually become states.
A trade paperback edition of the award-winning tale of the journey of Lewis and Clark. When Seaman, a Newfoundland dog, met his new master in August of 1803, he didn't know that he would spend the next three years on an adventure of more than 8,000 miles to the Pacific Ocean and back. Seaman's Journal is based on actual entries in Meriwether Lewis s journal describing Seaman, and it presents an account of the Lewis and Clark expedition as seen from the viewpoint of Lewis s dog. Join Seaman before the trip as preparations take place. Meet the Native American guides and friends they encountered along the way. And read of Seaman s love for Sacajawea, the Shoshone woman whose husband acted as interpreter and guide. Ages 5-8.
Describes the expedition led by Lewis and Clark to explore the unknown western regions of America at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Following Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s Corps of Discovery as they navigate the muddy Missouri River and begin a great adventure, this activity book is set against the background of the vast North American continent. It takes children from President Jefferson’s vision of an exploratory mission across a continent full of unique plants and animals through their dangerous and challenging journey into the unknown to the expedition’s triumphant return to the frontier town of St. Louis. Twenty-one activities bring to life the Native American tribes they encountered, the plants and animals they discovered, and the camping and navigating techniques they used. A glossary of terms and listings of Lewis and Clark sites, museums, and related websites round out this comprehensive activity book.
Sacajawea was a brilliant, multilingual Shoshone girl who was torn from her home at a young age. In 1804, she set out with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide across hundreds of miles of unmapped land to reach the Pacific Ocean. Almost 200 years later, she became the first Indigenous woman to appear on a US coin. This is her story.
List of What Plants And Animals Did Lewis And Clark Discover
Next, here is a short and longer list of what plants and animals did Lewis and Clark discover.
Have your child choose an animal and a plant from each list below and draw, paint, create a diorama, make a Minecraft scene, or write a report to create a wonderful science and history lesson all rolled into one little project.
The expedition was successful in discovering 178 plants and 122 animals, but I am giving you a quick list of 10 of the most common in each category.
If you want a full list you can find them linked below.
● Animals
● Plants
Then look below for a quick list of 10 in each category.
Animals
- Grizzly Bear
- Buffalo
- Black-Tailed Prairie Dog
- Mountain Goat
- Western Rattlesnake
- Red Fox
- Plains Gray Wolf
- White-Tailed Deer
- Striped Skunk
- Harbor Seal
Plants- They found plants that were edible, medicinal, and good wood for building just to name a few uses.
- Bitterroot
- Blue Elderberry
- Cottonwood Tree
- Wormwood
- Purple Coneflower
- Orange Honeysuckle
- Tansy
- Prickly-Pear Cactus
- Tarragon
- Cluster Rose
Next, we chose the Bitterroot flower. We chose this one because it has many uses and fascinating facts.
5 Facts About The Bitterroot Flower
- Lewis collected a blossoming Bitterroot specimen near Missoula, Montana, and it was named in honor of Lewis (genus name- Lewisia).
- It later became Montana’s State Flower in 1893.
- Native Americans used the flower and roots as medicine for sore throats and toothaches.
- The Bitterroot is also known as “the resurrection flower” for its ability to survive a year without water.
- Three different geographic features are named after the Bitterroot- Bitterroot Mountains, Bitterroot Valley, and Bitterroot River.
Finally, look how to make an egg carton Bitterroot flower.
How to Make An Egg Carton Bitterroot Flower
You will need:
- Cardboard egg carton
- Watercolor paint
- Scissors
- School glue
Usually, when creating something from an egg carton we use the “cup” portion.
This time we are going to cut out the taller piece that separates each cup.
First, cut out as much of their height as you can.
Make long skinny cuts, creating point tips all the way around, almost to the solid end but not quite.
Repeat with a second one, you can make this one slightly shorter.
Set your cut pieces upside down and gently press to spread out the petals.
Glue one inside the other.
Watercolor the “petals” a bright pink, leaving a bit of the center unwashed.
To create the stamen, you will need to trim off another piece of the egg carton and cut long skinny strips not quite all the way through.
Bend the tips down to make.
Paint the tips orange and leave the rest.
Glue inside the flower.
Allow the glue and paint time to dry.
