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Fun Homeschool US Westward Expansion Lapbook and Hands-on Unit Study Ideas

April 14, 2023 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a huge 97 page free US Westward Expansion lapbook. Also, I have a page Westward Ho with more ideas. Grab more ideas on my lapbook ideas page and on my best homeschool unit studies page.

You’ll want to study about westward expansion a few times to get in more subtopics of American history.

In addition, you may want to narrow down your focus to specific years or topics.

Fun Homeschool US Westward Expansion Lapbook and Hands-on Unit Study Ideas

However, for our first time studying about the expansion of the United States, we covered quite a few years and topics.

For example, I chose to cover the period of 1803 to 1890.

Additionally, making a list of topics to cover will help too.

Westward Expansion Unit Study Ideas

Besides, you want to create a foundation for your children to understand why people wanted to head west.

Free Minibooks About Westward Ho

For instance, look at this list of free minibooks I created for a westward expansion unit study,

Westward Ho Trifold Timeline Book
1860 Pony Express Pop Up Book
Animals of the West with Pocket for Older Kids
Baby Animals of the West with Pocket for Younger Kids
Flora of the West for Older Kids
Flora of the West for Younger Kids
Buffalo Bill Frontiersman Tiny Book and pocket
Daniel Boone Frontiersman Tiny Book and pocket
James Fenimore Cooper _ Author Tiny Book and pocket
Sacagawea matchbook
Artists Study and Images George Caleb Bingham and Albert Bierstadt
49ers Goldrush minibook
1836 Remember the Alamo minibook, mini crossword, and Texian and Tejano images
Manifest Destiny Pros versus Cons
Barrel of Words Vocabulary
Flip book to learn about supplies on the Oregon Trail.
Prairie Schooner Top Flap,
Landmarks along the Trail, Devil’s Gate, Independence Rock & Chimney Rock,
Prairie Schooner Bottom Flap,
Disease on the Trail: Cholera
Picture for front/back of lapbook/notebook page.
Dividers for Lewis & Clark Expedition and one for Westward Expansion.
Pecos Bill older child
Pecos Bill younger child
Tall Tale Pecos Bill Writing Prompt
Transportation Layered Book
1869 Transcontinental Railroad
Printable Board Game Oregon Trail
2 Westward Ho Coloring Pages

As you can see from geography to language arts, I have many ideas for you.

Additionally, you’ll love reading some of these living books below.

Books about the Oregon Trail

10 Westward Expansion Resources

Add in a few books and resources to bring the study of the Oregon Trail to life during the United States expansion of the west.

Your Life as a Pioneer on the Oregon Trail (The Way It Was)

Your Life as a Pioneer on The Oregon Trail, has some funny illustrations and great information for this unit study.

Little House on the Prairie Series 7 Books Collection

Of course ALL the Little House Books are some of the best about pioneer life.

The Ingalls are the most famous pioneers and westward moving families.

Westward Expansion (A True Book: Westward Expansion)

A True Book: Westward Expansion takes readers on an amazing journey to a fascinating time in U.S. history when the country was experiencing dynamic change and expanding westward.

The Oregon Trail 4-Book Paperback Box Set Plus Poster Map

In this boxed set, choose your own trail and complete the journey to Oregon City with all four paperbacks in this exciting series! It's 1850 and your first goal is to get your family, covered wagon full of supplies, and oxen to Chimney Rock on time.

The Oregon Trail: Journey to Willamette Valley Boardgame

It's a race to Willamette Valley as you join the wagon train and seek your fortune in the West!

Apples to Oregon:

Apples, ho! When Papa decides to pull up roots and move from Iowa to Oregon, he can’t bear to leave his precious apple trees behind. Or his peaches, plums, grapes, cherries, and pears. Oh, and he takes his family along too.

Locomotive

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America’s brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to
ocean

The California Gold Rush and the '49ers

Try your luck, and search for your fortune in California! Follow the joy and heartbreak of the '49ers during the California Gold Rush.

Daily Life in a Covered Wagon

In 1853, the Larkin family loaded up their wagons and headed west in search of a new life. But how did they do it? What did they eat? How did they survive sickness, and attacks from cattle thieves? Drawing on diaries and letters, and illustrated with photographs of actual object from the past, Daily Life in a Covered Wagon explored what life was really like on the wagon trail.

Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails

Illustrations and simple rhyming text follow Mother, Father, and Baby John as they make the difficult journey by wagon to a new home across the Rocky Mountains in the fertile Sacramento Valley of California. By the creators of Gold Fever.

And if you’re doing a unit study, you want to include hands-on learning.

Finally, add some hands-on activities.

Hands-on US Westward Expansion Ideas

Moreover, there are many hands-on ideas you’ll want to include in this unit study.

No Sew Pioneer Rag Doll For Kids Westward Expansion Activity
7 Educational Movies for Kids About Westward Expansion
10 Westward Expansion Hands-on History Activities
Free Westward Ho History Cards
Make an edible Louisiana Purchase Map, yum.

Too, are you looking to cover other areas of American History?

Look at these other lapbooks.

More History Lapbooks

How to Get the Free HUGE 102 Page Westward Expansion Lapbook

Now, how to grab the free lapbook. This is a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to my subscribers library and this freebie.

Just follow the steps below.

1) Sign up on my list.
2) Grab the freebie now!
3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Little House on The Prairie Unit Study and Fun Punched Tin Lantern

March 23, 2023 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

You’ll love this Little House on the Prairie Unit Study and fun punched tin lantern. Also, grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies page.

If you are anything like me, you grew up watching or reading about Laura Ingalls and her family’s adventures traveling westward from their first home in the little house in the big woods of Wisconsin.

I spent many hours imagining I was Laura with my trusty guard dog Jack, running along the banks of Plum creek, going into town, and feuding with Nellie Olsen.

Little House on The Prairie Unit Study and Fun Punched Tin Lantern

If you too are eager to begin a Little House on the Prairie Unit Study with your kids, I have tons of great ideas to get you started.

Whether you settle in the prairie for a week or submerge yourself in all things Ingalls for a month or more you will find plenty here to keep you busy.

5 Little House on the Prairie Facts You May Not Have Known

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s first book wasn’t published until 1932, 65 years after she was born.
Laura was only 4’ 11” tall when she was fully grown, not particularly short for women of that time period, but it explains why Pa called her his” little half pint of cider half drunk up”.
Laura’s first attempt at book writing about her life experiences was called Pioneer Girl, and it was initially rejected by publishers. Her daughter Rose suggested her mother rewrite it for the children. Clearly, it worked.
Her longtime Missouri home, Rocky Ridge Farm, was turned into a museum.
Laura’s father Charles was part of the Delano family. You might recognize the name – Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Laura was the fifth cousin once removed to FDR and a third cousin once removed to Ulysses S. Grant.

Pioneer Crafts and Activities

Then, add these books for beautiful literature.

Little House on the Prairie Unit Study Resources

Add some of these fun resources to ignite a love for learning about the Little House on the Prairie.

The Little House (9 Volumes Set)

The nine books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura’s real childhood as an American pioneer, and are cherished by readers of all generations. They offer a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier, and tell the heartwarming, unforgettable story of a loving family.

Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Readers around the world know and love Laura, the little girl born in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and raised in covered wagons and on wide open prairies. Now Little House fans can learn more about the remarkable story of the pioneer girl who would one day immortalize her adventures in the beloved Little House books in this, the first picture book biography book of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

A Little Prairie House (Little House Picture Book)

With the My First Little House picture book series, the youngest readers can share in the joy of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books in these illustrated adaptations of the beloved series!

Laura, Pa, Ma, Mary, and baby Carrie have traveled from the Big Woods to the prairie in their covered wagon, driving through tall grass until they found just the right spot for their new home. With the help of their kind neighbor, Mr. Edwards, Pa builds a snug little house for the family in the middle of the wide-open prairie.

Farmer Boy (Little House, 2)

The second book in the treasured Little House series, Farmer Boy is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved story of how her husband, Almanzo, grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house where Laura lived. This edition features the classic black-and-white artwork from Garth Williams.

The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America’s frontier history and as heartwarming, unforgettable stories. The Little House series has captivated millions of readers with its depiction of life on the American frontier.

While Laura Ingalls grows up on the prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the fair comes to town.

Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—and he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

The Little House Cookbook

With this cookbook, you can learn how to make classic frontier dishes like corn dodgers, mincemeat pie, cracklings, and pulled molasses candy. The book also includes excerpts from the Little House books, fascinating and thoroughly researched historical context, and details about the cooking methods that pioneers like Ma Ingalls used, as well as illustrations by beloved artist Garth Williams.

Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, based on her own childhood and later life, are still beloved classics almost a century after she began writing them. Now young readers will see just how similar Laura's true-life story was to her books. Born in 1867 in the "Big Woods" in Wisconsin, Laura experienced both the hardship and the adventure of living on the frontier. Her life and times are captured in engaging text and 80 black-and-white illustrations.

Laura Ingalls Dress Up

Three Piece Set: Kid girls colonial dress, attached apron and bonnet.

Little House Coloring Book: Coloring Book for Adults and Kids

A beautifully designed coloring book featuring classic artwork by Garth Williams and quotes from all nine original Little House books. Perfect for at-home creative time—return to the world of Little House with your kids...or enjoy on your own!

Join Laura Ingalls, her Ma and Pa, and her sisters, Mary, Carrie, and Grace, on their travels across the frontier as you color in your favorite pioneer characters and scenes and revisit this beloved series.

This 96-page coloring book offers hours of relaxing, stress-reducing pleasure.

Also, it’s fun learning about Laura’s life through the pages of her books, but here are some facts too.

About Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, mostly known for the Little House on the Prairie series of children’s books, published between 1932 and 1943, which were based on her childhood in a settler and pioneer family.

Moreover, she was born in Pepin, Wisconsin in the “little house in the big woods” in 1867.

She lived through huge changes in America. Her family moved several times traveling by covered wagon.

Little House books

The eight original Little House books are:

Little House in the Big Woods (1932)
Farmer Boy (1933) – about Almanzo Wilder growing up in New York
Little House on the Prairie (1935)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)
By the Shores of Silver Lake (1939)
The Long Winter (1940)
Little Town on the Prairie (1941)
These Happy Golden Years (1943)

Moreover, there are many topics and words for your child to learn about pioneer life in America.

I’ve listed some below.

Vocabulary Words

Although it’s important to understand the words used, I wanted my kids to love learning about the expansion in American history; And to see history unfold through the eyes of a child.

However, I’ve listed some below to add another language arts element.

wandered
massacre
scorched
huddled
brindle
papoose

trotted
beholden
staggering
rummaged
yonder
molasses

Next, look at these hands on fun ideas.

15 Little House on the Prairie Unit Study Hands-on Ideas

Play the Oregon Trail Online Game to give your child an idea of the route and the hardships those moving westward faced.

Make a Fun No Sew Pioneer Rag Doll just like little girls like Laura played with during those times.

It makes a lovely handicraft activity as well as a sweet keepsake of your study.

Create Fun Pioneer Peg Dolls to represent each of the characters in the book.

Try your hand at Pioneer Living and Cloth Dyeing using the same things that the pioneers would have to color fabric.

Make Maple Snow Candy and enjoy a taste of those days.

In addition, history overlaps quite a bit and though the original is tied to Daniel Boone you can recreate this Edible Log Cabin as an art project and a yummy snack.

Learn how to make soap.

Create a Native American cradleboard or papoose.

And make buttermilk biscuits.

If you really want to get a taste of pioneer history, Make Butter and Hardtack to sample.

Do a Hands-on Fun Shrunken Head Apple Craft.

Grab these fun 10 Westward Expansion History Fun Coloring Pages

0. Westward Expansion History Fun 10 Coloring Pages
$1.75 Add to cart

Enjoy a picnic outdoors with a lunch pail- wrap sandwiches and other items in waxed or brown paper, tie it up with a string, and carry it out in a tin bucket. Spread out a colorful piece of fabric or a quilt to enjoy your supper.

Learn the information on the Free Westward Ho History Cards

Do your lessons on small personal blackboards just like the girls did at home or in their little one-room schoolhouse.

Look at pictures of a pioneer house then and compare them to how we live today.

In addition, look at some more unit studies and topics which go along with this theme.

More American History Unit Studies

Next, these unit study ideas either happened at the same time Laura lived or before her birth so your child understands this period in American history.

Too, not only does Laura describe terrifying events about wolves, but there would have been plenty of wildlife to learn about.

More Best Homeschool Unit Studies

Wildlife on the Prairie

Look at this list of wildlife to learn about.

Coyotes
Bison
Wolves
White tail Deer and grab my Deer Unit Study Ideas.
Black Bear and grab my ideas here Black Bear Unit Study and Fun Edible Bear Poop.
Beavers and grab my ideas here Build a Fun Beaver Dam.

Moreover, look at my Lewis and Clark Unit Study which has more information about the flora and fauna along the route.

Finally, look at this next hands-on idea to add your fun Little House on the Prairie Unit Study.

How to Make a Punched Tin Lantern

Supplies needed:

A clean empty vegetable can
Hammer
Nails of a few different sizes
Small hand towel
Dry erase marker
Wire
Needle nose pliers
Battery-operated candle or small glass votive

Directions:

First, check to be sure that there are no sharp spots on the lantern where the top was removed.

Trim them off by going over the edges with a can opener again or with a metal file.

Also, if there is any remaining adhesive, you can remove it by running a hot blow dryer over the spot and pulling it off while it is still warm.

Fill the tin can with water and freeze until completely solid.

Draw out your design on one side with a fine-tipped marker like a sharpie.

Carefully tape a nail through the lines of your design with the hammer and continue all over the design placing holes around ¼” or less apart.

You can also use a Phillips head screwdriver or an awl if you have one for something with a handle.

Flip and repeat your designs on the other sides the same way wherever you would like it.

Punch a hole through on either side near the top for the handle.

Take a strand of jewelry wire and double it for added thickness.

Run it through one hole and twist the ends around the wire with needle nose pliers tucking in the sharp ends.

Next, run the wire as high as you would like the handle to be upwards and then down to the other side. Push it through and twist the wires again to close.

Allow the ice to melt but you can speed this process up by running hot water in and over the lantern or placing it outside in the sun.

Dry the lantern and add a candle to the inside. What do you think, ready to start your own unit study?

Rocky Mountains Oregon Trail Fun Large Diorama Craft for Kids

January 26, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Trekking through the Rocky Mountains Oregon Trail was an arduous journey. Too, I have more ideas and activities on my Westward Ho Unit Study and Lapbook.

The Rocky Mountain National Park was established in Colorado on January 26th, 1915.

In honor of this amazing National Park, I thought we would take a virtual trip by creating a miniature section of the Rocky Mountains with a diorama.

And to be more specific, we’re creating it as it might have looked along the Rocky Mountains Oregon Trail section.

Rocky Mountains Oregon Trail Fun Large Diorama Craft for Kids

How exciting and scary a time it must have been.

The Rocky Mountains are distinctive and easily identifiable just by their silhouette but are unique depending on where you are along the western mountain chain.

We were inspired by this amazing drawing of the Cherokee Pass through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It is by Daniel Jenks from 1859.

And we created this fun and large diorama with just a few different simple items.

But first look at these facts about the Rocky Mountains.

Rocky Mountain Facts

The Rocky Mountains stretch through more than 3000 miles and over 6 states which are New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.
Rocky Mountain is one of the nation’s highest national parks.
There are many indigenous people living in the Rocky Mountains like Bannock, Sioux, Blackfoot, Cow People, Apache, Kutenai, and more.
There is a super volcano in the Rocky Mountains called Yellowstone Caldera. It’s located in the Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
The Rocky Mountain National Park is open all year.
In 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition became the first scientific reconnaissance of the Rocky Mountains; they gathered a lot of important information as well as specimens.
There are over 250 different bird species which live in the Rocky Mountain National Park.
The Rocky Mountains are rich with natural resources like gold, silver, copper, tungsten, zinc, molybdenum, and lead.
The Rockies have over 100 separate ranges.
Bighorn sheep are the symbol of Rocky Mountain National Park and there are over 400 residing in the park.

Westward Expansion Resources

Also, add some of these fun books.