KristineinKS Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 We've got 2 weeks before we're going on a mini-vacation to explore many stops along the Santa Fe Trail, so I am looking for some ideas on how to give my kids an overview of the trail (or life on the trails - we'll hit a couple of Oregon Trail stops as well), Westward expansion & anything else that should be covered. We've been studying ancient civilizations this year, so this is a departure from our normal schedule & I really have no idea how to approach this. My boys have had some US History in public school, but my daughter really hasn't & I'd like them to have some understanding of what they're seeing on the trip. Is 2 weeks too much to spend on this topic? Are there other things I should cover? I've thought about also including something about the railroads because we'll be visiting many "ghost towns" along the way - many of these towns were created by the railroads but already nearly abandoned by the 1910s when the railroads ceased to be as important. Any book/movie/audio recommendations would be appreciated - I'm kind of clueless as to how I should approach this & keep it simple enough for two weeks! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 A read-aloud might help. We just read Bound for Oregon (with MFW EX1850) and it really helped visualize the trip West. Maybe there's a good read-aloud specific to the Santa Fe trail? Also, we once had a field trip to the downtown branch of the Wells Fargo Bank (in Mpls.). They gave a great presentation on westward expansion. It was surprisingly hands-on, and the docent really made the kids "feel" the experience of going west in a stagecoach & other popular options such as going on foot. Maybe other Wells Fargo main branches have this feature? Oh, and another field trip we took was to James J. Hill's house, & there was a lot there about railroads. Maybe you have another railroad mogel in your town? Or even a railroad museum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 We've got 2 weeks before we're going on a mini-vacation to explore many stops along the Santa Fe Trail, so I am looking for some ideas on how to give my kids an overview of the trail. Any book/movie/audio recommendations would be appreciated I can't help too much because we're not there yet but this Holling book is WONDERFUL and the trail is the Santa Fe Trail. Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Trail-Holling-C/dp/039554534X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237751476&sr=8-1 Your trip sounds like a lot of fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 The Tree in the the Trail book is great. Here are a couple more - If You traveled West in A covered Wagon by Ellen Levine Daily Life in A Covered Wagon by Paul Erickson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 And I almost forgot - The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr. It is a funny chapter book about a boy walking a 1000 turkeys from Missouri to Denver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristineinKS Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 Thanks guys, I will check these out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I don't know that this will really apply, but you mentioned RRs. . . Coolies by Yin and Chris Soentpiet is a good one for Asians working on the RR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iammommy Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristineinKS Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks Christine, I'll check that out too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 A read-aloud might help. We just read Bound for Oregon (with MFW EX1850) and it really helped visualize the trip West. Maybe there's a good read-aloud specific to the Santa Fe trail? I just noticed in the book we're currently reading (also from this series) that there IS one about the Santa Fe trail. I haven't read it, but I've been very happy with the quality of this series. They are based on true stories. By the way, my son doesn't know they're called Daughters of the Faith :lol: Ransom's Mark Daughters of the Faith #4 By Lawton Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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