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hands on history

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

July 3, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Tweens and teens shouldn’t get left out of summertime fun. Today I have 11 summer activities for middle schoolers.  Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

Even if you school year-round, I know you’re wanting something off the beaten path to keep your middle school kids busy.

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

Too, middle school kids have one foot in childhood and one foot in young adulthood. It’s not as easy at times to find meaningful activities to fill up their day.

So, you’ll love the mix of summer activities for middle schoolers which I’ve rounded up below

1. Plan and cook a themed dinner.

The first one is to plan a themed dinner. It can be science based or history based. One year, my middle school son (with my help) made a Moroccan themed dinner. It was his object of interest at the time.

Your child will never even realize he is learning as he investigates customs and cultures of different lands.

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

2. Take a Fun Art History Course.

Next, I hate it when music and art seems to get a back seat to our other regular topics. So, we always love doing any type of art program through the summer.

Check out this one by Art History Kids.

Did someone mention cooking?

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

More Summer Homeschool Learning Activities

In addition, I have a few more ideas if you’re homeschooling multiple ages.

  • 20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial
  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • 25 Summer Homeschool Ideas To Keep The Learning Spark Alive
  • 30+ Summer Activities for Middle School Kids
  • 11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schooler

Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

3. Life skills to the front. Learn to cook.

There are many easy meals a kid can cook, but teach them some fast cooking tips too. Grab this Download: Instant Pot Guidebook.

Or, if you have a beginner cook, check out these fun cooking classes.

4. Learn Music (online).

Let’s face it, there has been a wonderful explosion of online classes and we’re loving it.

And the best classes are those created by other talented homeschool moms who understand our needs. I love all the classes by Music In Our Homeschool. They have such a variety of classes.

World Music For Elementary

Then a few others we like: American Music For Elementary and 20th Century Music Appreciation for High School.

5. Build a Lava Lamp.

Lava lamps are always cool and in style. Your kids will love building a lava lamp. I have my post here Homeschool Geography – DIY Lava Lamp.

Plus, building lava lamps are a great hands-on way to even learn about geography and not just science

6. Do an FBI Unit Study and lapbook and create an AM Radio.

Then, learning how to take fingerprints make for a great twist on science. And tweens and teens are always up for learning about mayhem and secret codes.

You can grab my FBI unit study here, learn about fingerprints here and make a crystal am radio here.

7. Take a course. Intro to Filmmaking.

We’ve been eyeballing these online courses Film Courses 4 Teen. Kids of all ages love to learn about how to make movies and films. This looks like a great beginner’s course to do at home.

Summer Ideas for Middle School

8. Do an Online Book Club.

Then if you have a student who loves reading and you’re looking for more ways to engage him, you’ll love all the literature offered with these online self-paced courses.

Besides your tween and teen loving to read, you can start counting high school credit in middle school.

Why not get a jump on language arts and do it in a fun way? Check out the Middle School Bundle.

9. Learn to Dance (online).

Previously I mentioned the explosion of online classes and YouDance looks like another fun. It looks like the have ballet, hip hop, jazz and even clogging. I can’t wait to try this one.

10. Nurture the budding entrepreneur.

Additionally, we homeschool to nurture the natural strengths of our children. And in the homeschool world we have many budding entrepreneurs. However, they need to learn first healthy habits of how to be a real self-motivator.

It comes naturally when your middle school student loves a subject, but they need to learn how to know what they don’t know.

You’ll love my post Successful Entrepreneur-3 Best Homeschooled Teen Resources. This will help your teen learn some of the great habits of successful entrepreneurs.

11. STEM: Build a Da Vinci Parachute Activity.

And then if you have a STEM student, this is a fun activity for middle school students. You’ll find STEM: Build a Da Vinci Parachute Activity here.

What do you think? Can you find a few more activities here to keep summertime for your middle schooler?

Check out these other summer fun activities:

  • 30+ Summer Activities for Middle School Kids
  • How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling
  • 7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer
  • Homeschooling Through the Summer with My Highschooler

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Middle School Homeschool Tagged With: hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, middleschool, summerideas, summerschool, teens

11 Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School

April 22, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have gathered 11 easy hands-on Ancient Egypt project ideas for middle school. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

Learning about Ancient Egypt should be both fun and interactive during the middle school ages.

11 Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School

It’s not time to give up the fun at any age of learning.

1. Make Mud Bricks.

Look at this fun Hands-on Ancient Egypt: Israelite Mud Bricks for Kids. With minimal material, most of which you have around the house, your middle school child will love making these mud bricks.

Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School

2. Build a LEGO Math Calculator.

Next, look at this math slant project while studying about Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator is a fun middle school project.

Studying about jewelry from Ancient Egypt doesn’t have to be hard. Look at this Fun Hands-On History: Ancient Egyptian Collar Craft.

3. Create an Ancient Egyptian Collar

One of the most famous forms of jewelry worn by the ancient Egyptians was the Usekh collar. 

Rich Egyptians often wore these broad necklaces on a daily basis and this collar craft is a fun way to understand about Egyptian necklaces.

Then to add a bit of art and drawing, your middle school child will love Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): King Narmer Crown.

4. Mold a painting of the Ancient Egypt Double Crown

After all studying about the double crown and the significance to Ancient Egypt can be hard to understand. This easy hands-on project helps learning facts stick.

Projects for Middle School About Ancient Egypt

5. Play the Snake Game

In addition, I created this fun and Free Ancient Egypt Mehen Printable Board Game (Hands-on History) based on the popular snake game played by the Egyptians.

However, we really loved doing the Project Passport: Ancient Egypt from Home School in the Woods .

Not only did we enjoy many hands-on learning activities, but love learning about Upper and Lower Egypt, the maps and the printable activities. My post Ancient Egypt Homeschool Unit Study – Hands-on and FUN! has numerous activities in Project Passport.

6. Travel Egypt Without Leaving Your Home

11 Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School

Also, add in a few more hands-on fun ideas like this Birdcage Ancient Egypt Go Fish game.

11 Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School

7. Prepare cardboard Egyptian Pillars

And another Ancient Egypt project for middle school is to have your child prepare these beautiful smokin’ hot Egyptian cardboard pillars.

Hands-on Ancient Egypt Middle School Activities

At the end of our unit study co-op our group made these cardboard pillars; your crafty middle school kid will love doing them for a prop or drama your group has.

8. Tie in Ancient Egypt with Astronomy Notebooking Page

Furthermore, some middle school children will love a science tie in with Ancient Egypt like learning about ancient astronomy. Look at my post Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages.

Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

These notebooking pages are subscriber freebies.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to my Exclusive Subscriber’s Only Library which has these notebooking pages in the library.

This is how you get access to these pages quickly.
 1) Sign up on my list to follow me by email.
2) Grab the freebie now.
3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

9. Study Ancient Egypt Alongside Other Ancient Empires.

This next Ancient Egypt project for middle school is to make an in depth study of Ancient Empires. We used Great Empires Activity Study by Home School in the Wood.

Some children need to see the key players or empires of history at one time and need a longer project to retain focus.

Moving too fast studying ancient history and a child may not understand key time periods. It’s important for key history hooks to be made so that all other learning can be tied to history makers.

Great Empires Activity Study by Home School in the Woods covers fourteen empires:

  • Ancient China
  • Ancient Egypt
  • Ancient Greece
  • Ancient Rome
  • Arab-Muslims,
  • English Empire
  • French Empire
  • Mongols
  • Russian Empire
  • Spanish Empire
  • United States and
  • Viking.
  • German Empire
  • Japanese Empire
11 Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School

Another easy activity Hands-On History: The Rosetta Stone and Breaking The Code is really a fun introduction to learning about ancient history.

10. Break the Code of the Rosetta Stone.

If you find that your child doesn’t really know anything about why we know some about ancient history, begin with learning about the Rosetta Stone. Your code breakers will love to learn about breaking the code.

Rosetta Stone Making a Code

As well including your young kids can be tough. So, if you want to include your younger kids or if your middle school child loves to still color, you’ll love this set of Ancient color pages to go along with your studies.

20 Ancient Civilization History Coloring Pages at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus. You'll love adding these to your unit studies or notebooking.

We have used various museum quality history coloring books through the years that have made a big difference in how my boys understood history in the early years.

I think clip art should be as real as possible and based on real events in history.

Learning Ancient History Through Coloring

Instead of me adding titles on pages or naming the coloring pages, this allows you to use the clip art/coloring pages any way you want to.

Whether it is a cover page, notebooking page, journal page or just to enrich a topic, you have the flexibility.

Here is what the 20 page download contains. I put a few key words to explain each picture on the page. This way you can use the coloring pages as title pages too on your lapbooks.

Page 3: Ancient Egypt Court,
Page 4: Ancient Egypt Spinning,
Page 5: Ancient Egypt Life of the Royals,
Page 6: Ancient Egypt Battles,
Page 7: Ancient Egypt The Nile,
Page 8: Life Along the River – The Nile,
Page 9: Metal Workers & Crafts of Ancient Egypt,
Page 10: Egyptian Hieroglyphics,
Page 11: Egyptian Queen Cleopatra,

Page 12: Aztecs Floating Gardens
Page 13: Aztecs,
Page 14: Aztec Life,
Page 15: Mayans,
Page 16: Ancient Greece Wedding,
Page 17: Ancient Greek Galley,
Page 18: Ancient Greece Crafts,
Page 19: Ancient Greece Bank,
Page 20: Athens,
Page 21: Spartan Warrior and
Page 22: The Vikings.

Grab your fun copy below!

  • 00. Ancient Civilization History 20 Coloring Pages

    00. Ancient Civilization History 20 Coloring Pages

    $3.50
    Add to cart

Finally, you know my love for hands-on tools like lapbooks. No, they’re not just for younger children.

Middle school children really benefit from them as well. And the best part is that the lapbook can be as crafty or not as your child wants it to be.

11. Craft a Pharaohs and Queens Ancient Egypt lapbook.

And I really make it easy here for you because I have this free Famous Pharaohs and Queens of Egypt lapbook.

11 Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School

What do you think? Are you ready to tackle these 11 Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School?

11 Easy Hands-On Ancient Egypt Projects for Middle School

And be sure you visit these middle school activities:

  • Free Ancient Egypt Mehen Printable Board Game (Hands-on History)
  • Hands-on Ancient Egypt: Israelite Mud Bricks for Kids
  • Fun Hands-On History: Ancient Egyptian Collar Craft
  • Ancient Egyptian Mathematics: Build a LEGO Math Calculator
  • Ancient Egypt Civilization (Hands-on History): King Narmer Crown

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Ancient Civilizations, Hands-On Activities, History Resources Tagged With: ancient, ancient civilizations, ancient egypt, ancientegypt, egypt, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, history, homeschoolhistory, lapbook, middle school, middleschool

7 Super Fun History Games to Bring the Past to Life

November 3, 2021 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have 7 super fun history games. Do your kiddos groan and moan about history?  You’ll love the other history games I have too.

What is it about history that can make it so boring? 

Because, really, history is so full of interesting facts and stories.

Let’s make history fun and exciting!  Let’s make it (dare I say it?!) your child’s favorite subject! 

7 Super Fun History Games to Bring the Past to Life

It’s a favorite subject around our house and I firmly believe that is because we use so many games in our history lessons!

Fun History Games


I’m going to be sharing 7 super fun history games that you can use in your homeschool to bring the past to life!  Let’s get started!

1) Made for Trade

Time Period: Colonial America

Ages: 7+

Players: 2 to 4
Game Length: 5 to 30 minutes (depending on which version you play)

We have been studying US history this year and Made for Trade has been so fun! 

This is a board game, shop cards, character pawns, dice, and shillings. 

This history game comes with 3 versions to play! The first game is a version of Spoons called Shillings where players try to get five cards from the same shop (blacksmith, potter, silversmith, etc.). 

I was really happy to find instructions for this game because my 5 year old could play this with no help and the kids are becoming familiar with items that were sold in different shops during Colonial America.

The 2nd and 3rd versions of the game are very similar. 

In the first version players work their way around the village buying or trading items from the village shops trying to acquire any 4 objects from the shops. 

Players also have to pay taxes and get paid as they move around the spaces. 

The 3rd version, players are also trying to acquire cards, but this time they are specific items on an inventory card for their character. 

This version also adds in event cards such as a smallpox outbreak that has kids learning even more about American History. 

Made for Trade is a great game to introduce your children to US History!

History Games for Elementary Students

2) Guess in 10: States of America and Countries of the World

Time Period: N/A

Ages: All Ages

Players: 2 to 6

Game Length: 5 minutes to as long as you want!

This game isn’t really history, but more geography.

I included it in my list because it is perfect for families with a wide age range, and besides, we all need to know states and countries! 

Ask up to 10 questions to guess the state of America or country on the game card! There are 50 game cards and 6 clue cards in each game. 

This would be fun for traveling or at the dinner table for some fun dinner time trivia! 

There are other sets, too, like landmarks, animals, underwater, foods around the world, dinosaurs, and more!

3)  Brain Box World History

Time Period: All of History

Ages: All Ages

Players: 1 or more players

Game Length: 5 minutes or as long as you want! 

Brain Box World History is a memory game and a history game in one!

Players look at the front of a card for 10 seconds. 

Then, they flip over the card and roll the die. Another player reads the question corresponding to the number on the die. 

If you get it correct, you get to keep the card; if you get the answer wrong, the card goes back in the box. The player with the most cards after 10 minutes (or some agreed upon time) wins! 

There is also a one player game version where a single player can try to get as many cards as he or she can in 10 minutes. 

This is a great way to introduce different events in history!

4) Timeline: Historical Events.

Time Period: All of history

Ages: 8 and up

Players: 2 to 6

Game Length: About 15 minutes

What is it about?

There are so many of the Timeline games and they can all be mixed together for some real fun!

The basic idea of the game is simple – start with a random card and then arrange other historical events either before or after it depending on when they happened in history.

These games are quick, fun, and a great way to learn when events happened.

This is also a great game for introducing lots of events and seeing which ones your children would like to dive deeper into. Other decks include Inventions, more Historical Events, and British history.

The cards come in a tin, like the Spot It, which makes it easy to store or take with you on the go!

Note: If you are looking for a game like this for older children, be sure to check out Chronology. Ages 14+

5)  Professor Noggin: History of the United States

Time Period: US History (various times)

Ages: 7+

Players: 2 to 8

Game Length: About 15 to 30 minutes

Professor Noggin is a trivia type game where players try to collect cards by answering questions correctly. 

There are easy and hard questions on each card. 

When we play, my girls answer the easy questions and I answer the hard questions.  It makes for a pretty even playing field, so fun for everyone! 

On your turn you roll the die and another player reads the corresponding question to you. 

If you get it right you get to keep the card; if you get the history question wrong the card goes back in the pile. 

The questions will be either trivia, true/false, or multiple choice format. 

The first player to collect 10 cards win! There are several versions of Professor Noggin, so you can get whatever topic you are needing: US History, Art History, Medieval Times, Science, Geography, and more!

History Games for Middle and High School Students

6)  The Grizzled

Time Period: World War I

Ages: 14+

Players: 2 to 5

Game Length: About 30 minutes

There are so many games and movies about WWII, but in this game players are immersed in the trenches of WWI.

This is a fully cooperative game (think Pandemic) where players work together to stay alive until Armistice. Each round will face the hardships of war such as blizzards, gas attacks, and trauma.

Soldiers must use strategy and luck to stay alive together!

World War I can be glossed over in a lot of history studies, with so much emphasis put on WWII.

7 Super Fun History Games to Bring the Past to Life

With The Grizzled, players can learn what it was like to try to survive during the miserable trench warfare of The Great War.

Reviewers state that it is simple and straightforward to learn, but the replay value is quite good!

One reviewer stated that he and his wife are at about 50% win rate, so that makes for exciting play! This would be a great game to play with older middle school or high school students.

7)   1775 Rebellion The American Revolution | Board Game

Freedom is currently not available. But the 1775 Rebellion the American Revolution is another favorite.

  • 1775 is an area control game that is great for head-to-head or up to 4-player team play.
  • 1775 Rebellion is the second title in the Birth of America series after 1812 – The Invasion of Canada.

Time Period: Slavery and Civil War

Ages: 13 and up 

Players: 1 to 4 players

Game Length: 60 to 90 minutes

Freedom is a cooperative game where players try to raise funds, free slaves, and end slavery in America.

As they play, players learn about historical figures, political agendas, and important events that occurred between 1800 and 1865.

This game won the 2013 Best Game Quest Awards for Best Coop Game and was nominated for 2014 Origins Award Best Historical Game! 

Freedom would be a great interactive way to cover the time period leading up to the Civil War. Also, look at the huge Civil War lapbook unit study here.

History Games Bring the Past to Life

These games are just the tip of the iceberg, let me tell you!  If you are struggling to get your kiddos to get interested in history, try one (or more!) of these games and see them get hooked! 

I hope you’ve found some useful resources to add to history in your homeschool this year!

Happy learning!

Look at these other fun history learning resources here:

  • 22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages (editable) For a Fun History Study
  • History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
  • 35 Simple But Powerful American History Homeschool Resources K to 12
  • Daniel Boone – North American Explorer Unit Study and Free Lapbook
  • Amazing Hands-on History Activities for 14 Ancient Empires (free notebook cover too)

Leave a CommentFiled Under: History Resources Tagged With: games, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, history, history resources, historyspine, homeschoolhistory, middleschool

22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages (editable) For a Fun History Study

February 10, 2021 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

These 22 famous Texans notebooking pages can be added to a unit study about Texas. You could use the Texans notebooking pages for a famous people study too.

I’ve created 11 Texans notebooking pages which have 2 Texans on each page so your child can notebook about 22 famous Texans.

In addition, I’ve created two sets of notebooking pages. The first set is editable and the second set has lines for handwriting. You decide best how to use them with your kids.

Some kids need more practice handwriting, other kids need to type. Again, it’s the same set with two different options. You get both options in the one download.

22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages

22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages For a Fun History Study (Editable)

Look at these 22 famous Texans on each page and in addition where possible, I have a link or two to help you kick off your unit study with a heap of Texan-ness.

One. Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett, Tall Tales, and History

157 page .pdf about Davy Crockett

Two. James Bowie

Bowie, James (1796–1836)

Bowie, JAMES, military officer, Alamo Defender, Hero 

Three. Branch Tanner Archer

Archer, Branch Tanner (1790–1856)

Branch Tanner Archer

Four. David G. Burnet

Sons of DeWitt Colony, Texas

Five. Edward Burleson

Burleson, Edward  (1793  – 1851 Dec 26 )

Six. Elisabet Ney

Elisabet Ney Museum

Ney, Elisabet (1833–1907)

Seven. Francisco Vazquez de Coronado

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

Vázquez de Coronado, Francisco (1510–1554)

Eight. Gail Borden, Jr.

Borden, Gail, Jr. (1801–1874)

About Gail Borden

Famous Texans

Here in Texas, our homeschool state law states the curriculum must include the five basic subjects of reading, spelling, grammar, mathematics and good citizenship.

Good citizenship is similar to civics so you can include these notebooking pages toward your goal of covering Texas history.

Nine. Jane Long

Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long was called the “Mother of Texas.” 

Jane Long (1798-1880)

Ten. John C. Hayes

Hays, John Coffee (1817–1883)

John Coffee Hays

Eleven. John Henry Brown

Brown, John Henry (1820–1895)

John Henry Brown family papers, 1691-1951

Twelve. Lorenzo de Zavala

Zavala, Lorenzo de (1788–1836)

Lorenzo de Zavala (1789-1836)

Thirteen. Mirabeau Lamar

Lamar, Mirabeau Buonaparte (1798–1859)

Giants of Texas History

Fourteen: Robert Cavalier, Sieur de Lasalle

The Explorers

La Salle, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de (1643–1687)

Texas History Unit Study

Fifteen: Sam Houston

6 page pdf Teacher Guide

Study in Leadership

Sixteen: Stephen F. Austin

Colonization of Texas:

Stephen F. Austin 1793 – 1836

Seventeen: Thomas Green

Green, Thomas (1814–1864)

Green, Thomas  (1814 Jun 8 – 1864 Apr 12 )

Eighteen: William P. Hardeman

Hardeman, William Polk (1816–1898)

William P. Hardeman “Old Gotch” (1816-1898)

Nineteen: Sterling C. Robertson

Robertson, Sterling Clack (1785–1842)

Twenty: Susanna Dickinson

Dickinson, Susanna Wilkerson (ca. 1814–1883)

Alamo widow and survivor

Twenty-one: Anson Jones

Jones, Anson (1798–1858)

Jones, Anson  (1798 Jan 20  –  1858)

Twenty-two: James S. Hogg

Governors of Texas

James S. Hogg (1851-1906)

Grab the Notebooking Pages below.

  • Notebooking Pages (editable) 11 pages and 22 Famous Texans

    Notebooking Pages (editable) 11 pages and 22 Famous Texans

    $1.75
    Add to cart

22 Famous Texans Notebooking Pages For a Fun History Study (Editable)

You’ll love these other resources for studying about Texas:

  • History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
  • Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School)
  • How to Build the Alamo: Day 5 Hands-on Learning (Free Texas Unit Study)
  • Free Copywork Cattle A Texas Poem For a Fun Unit Study
  • 35 Simple But Powerful American History Homeschool Resources K to 12

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: History Resources, Middle School Homeschool, Notebooking Pages Tagged With: american history, hands on history, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, modern history, notebooking, texasunit

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

January 30, 2021 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Studying the history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and Chisholm Trail is a fun and fascinating one. Cowboys, cattle drives and the Chisholm Trail all embody the spirit of a Texan.

Being born and raised in Texas, I grew up going to rodeos, knowing about cattle drives, and watching wide open spaces of grazing cattle as the norm.

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Free Unit Study

As a native Texan too, my husband grew up with ranching and rodeoing in his life and family.

He comes from a family of cowboys.

I couldn’t wait to do a unit study focused on the history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and the Chisholm Trail.

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

With fond memories, I recall the first time I heard the poem Cattle by Berta Hart Nance (1883-1958).

Other states were carved or born,
Texas grew from hide and horn.

Other states are long and wide,
Texas is a shaggy hide.

Dripping blood and crumpled hair;
Some fat giant flung it there,

Laid the head where valleys drain,
Stretched its rump along the plain.

Other soil is full of stones,
Texans plow up cattle-bones.

Herds are buried on the trail,
Underneath the powdered shale;

Herds that stiffened like the snow,
Where the icy northers go.

Other states have built their halls,
Humming tunes along the walls,

Texans watched the mortar stirred
While they kept the lowing herd.

Stamped on Texan wall and roof
Gleams the sharp and crescent hoof.

High above the hum and stir
Jingle bridle rein and spur.

Other states were carved or born,
Texas grew from hide and horn.

A lot of Texans view their state differently from how other states grew. After the American Civil War, it was cattle which helped to make Texas grow.

Also, ranching was a big part of Texas growth.

This study is about the grit, hardiness, and stubbornness early Texans embodied and how they passed it down to our generation.

So in this history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and Chisholm Trail, I’ve rounded up some helpful resources to teach your kids about Texas.

Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

I aimed at resources for elementary ages to about middle school, but as with all my resources you decide which ages to use them for.

The American Civil War {1861-1865} had almost destroyed the United States, but by 1867 the United States found peace again.

Long-horned cattle, which were introduced in part by the Spanish roamed freely upon the plains.

Ranchers noticed that the longhorn turned out to be particularly well adapted to the harsh and arid conditions in the West. 

So thousands of head of cattle were rounded up from pastures in southern and central Texas and herded hundreds of miles north to Kansas.

Cattle drives were a celebrated event of this time period.

Between fascination with the American legend of a cowboy and a transitional time period in American history this brief, but captivating moment in history attracts learners of any age.

Too, with the invention of refrigerated railroad cars in the 1870’s it also made it possible to ship fresh beef anywhere in the country.

I used the Texas Chisholm Trail by the Texas Historical Commission to use as a guide for this lapbook. It’s a free wonderful educator’s guide, but of course you can use any resource you have.

First, there were at least four cattle drives during the 19th century. They were the The Chisholm Trail, The Goodnight-Loving Trail, The Western Trail and The Shawnee Trail.

The Chisholm Trail has at least 7 names: Abilene Trail, the Cattle Trail, the Eastern Trail, the Great Texas Cattle Trail, the Kansas Trail, McCoy’s Trail and the Texas Chisholm Trail.

Lesson Plans History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

  • Beef basics. Fun lesson plan about beef products and terms to understand about cattle
  • Make a Brand for Yourself the Cowboy Way
  • Coloring page – longhorn
  • Make Your Cattle Brand
  • The Old Chisolm Trail – Lots of interesting background information and pictures to explain the Chisolm Trail
  • Texas Frontier Timeline
  • Texas Cowboys and Myths 5 page pdf download
  • Hit the Trail – 10 page pdf about cattle trails
  • Ranching Heritage – 10 page pdf with fun trail cards and background information
  • Measure the width of longhorns. 4 page pdf. You’ll love the math lesson
  • Texas Cattle Trails. Great site for history
  • The Old Chisolm Trail Cowboy Song YouTube
  • Build a Calf and pictures for different breeds
  • The Cattle Drive and Westward Expansion
  • Cowboys:Vaquero – 16 page pdf about cowboys, cattle trails and glossary
  • Longhorn Cattle – Wonderful background information about the ancestors of Texas longhorns
  • Learn about the King Ranch, one of the oldest ranches in Texas
  • Longhorns of the Big Bend 63 page pdf wonderful and interesting information about Texas and the cattle industry and history of the longhorn
  • The Lone Star State 3 page pdf fun reading about Texas facts
  • Chisholm Trail cattle drive YouTube. In this episode Rick pushes Texas longhorns up the Chisholm Trail to the Ellsworth railhead
  • Marty Robbins Sings ‘Whoopee Ti Yi Yo.‘ YouTube
  • The Chisholm Trail YouTube. Created for the elementary classroom. This is a basic overview of what the Chisholm trail was, how it was used and the reasons behind the cattle drive.

MORE TEXAS & COWBOY ACTIVITIES

  • Why Were Trail Cattle Branded & How To Make A Branding Iron Craft

Texas Size Vocabulary Words

  • Cattle Kingdom – An industry based on cattle ranching that arose on the open range from Texas to Canada during the 1800s.
  • Texas Rangers – Law enforcement to keep the law in frontier Texas.
  • Tejanos – A person of Mexican heritage, but considers Texas home.
  • King Ranch – Ranch in South Texas that is one of the most important cattle operations in the state.
  • brands – identification marks on livestock made with burning irons
  • barbed wire – a wire used in fencing that is made with points, or barbs, placed at intervals to prevent livestock from crossing the fence
  • vaqueros – from vaca (cow) cowboy
  • wrangler – one who herds or cares for livestock on the range
  • XIT Ranch – Ranch established by the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company which was funded by investors from Chicago and Great Britain.
  • Longhorn – a hybrid breed of cattle that descended from Spanish and English stock; the main breed used in Texas ranching

Field Trip Ideas for History of Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives and Chisholm Trail

  • You’ll love this page Off the Beaten Path: Drive Up the Chisholm Trail’s Less-Traveled Routes to give you ideas of where to go here in Texas.
  • Landmark Inn – 1850s store
  • Fort Griffin – Fort from 1867 to 1881
  • The Alamo – Well known of course and still a fun place to visit
  • However, another longtime favorite of ours is the Buckhorn Saloon Museum and The Texas Ranger Museum in San Antonio. If you want to learn about cowboy country, you have to visit this one.
  • We love visiting the Barrington Plantation which is the last home of Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas. They have a fun program for homeschoolers which includes hand-on activity.
  • The Star of the Republic Museum is on the same property as the Barrington Farm.
  • Varner Hogg Plantation. Yes, it’s true Gov. James Hogg named his daughter Ima Hogg.
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Free Unit Study
  • Cattle Kids: A Year on the Western Range
  • Trails Plowed Under: Stories of the Old West

Hands-on Ideas For a Texas Unit Study

Next, you’ll love a few ideas for some hands-on fun to study about Texas.

  • Make some easy Texas chili.
  • Eat cactus.
  • Easy fun watercolor sunset
  • Study this piece of art, Outlier by Frederic Remington.By the time of the painting most Native Americans had been forced onto reservations. What is the mood of the painting?
  • How to Get Rich on a Texas Cattle Drive: In Which I Tell the Honest Truth About Rampaging Rustlers, Stampeding Steers and Other Fateful Hazards on the Wild Chisolm Trail
  • Explore Texas: The BIGGEST Coloring Book of the Lone Star Stat
  • Then download my lapbook below.
  • Build the Alamo.
  • Make an Armadillo
  • Fun tissue bluebonnet craft
  • If a kid has never seen barbed wire which basically ended the open ranges of Texas, make some fun and fake barbed wire here.
  • Candle making with kids
  • Texas Activity Book (Color and Learn)
  • Armadillo Rodeo
  • Pancho Bandito and the Amarillo Armadillo
  • Alamo Tree (The History Tree)

HOW TO GET THE LAPBOOK

You can download it now!

TOU

Important: READ THIS FIRST.
Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

• All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store. A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar.

.• Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.

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Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (take out the space and substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

  • Dynamic History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    Dynamic History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Lapbook for Multiple Ages

    $4.00
    Add to cart

Field Trip to Washington on the Brazos, Star of the Republic Museum, Barrington Farms and Buckhorn Museum/Texas Ranger Museum
(don’t miss any of these places)

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail 1
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
Star of the Republic Museum
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
Buckhorn Museum
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
Barrington Farms Anson Jones Home Republic of Texas
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
Learn about brands
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
Barrington Farm
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
Texas Rangers
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
Chuck Wagon at Buckhorn Museum
History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
Chuck Wagon at Buckhorn Museum San Antonio, Tx

Look at these other fun ideas:

  • Texas Native American History Quick Unit Study (Middle School)
  • How to Build the Alamo: Day 5 Hands-on Learning (Free Texas Unit Study)
  • Free Copywork Cattle A Texas Poem For a Fun Unit Study
  • 35 Simple But Powerful American History Homeschool Resources K to 12
  • Plains Indians. Unit Study & Lapbook
  • Exploring Edible Cactus: Day 4 Hands-on Learning (The Desert)

Hugs and love ya,

4 CommentsFiled Under: Geography, Geography Based, Hands-On Activities, History Based, History Resources, Lapbook, Lapbooks, Middle School Homeschool, My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas} Tagged With: american history, geography, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history, history resources, historyspine, homeschoolgeography, homeschoolhistory, lapbook, modern history, Texas, texasunit

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