Awesome American History Returns! 1858-1870

We actually started two weeks ago, but did I remember to take pictures during the first class? No, I did not.

But I can tell you about it!  That class was 1858-1863 and covered Abe Lincoln, the Civil War, and Abolition.  We did a fun Underground Railroad activity in which the kids were escaping slaves (or conductors/guides) and the adults were slave catchers.  They all made it safely to Canada!

We also had a nice art activity with quilt squares.  Quilts were sewn by slaves (from scrap fabric) and often had symbolic references to freedom and escape advice.


Our snack was gingerbread men, a popular treat at that time.


These two weeks covered 120-140 in The American Story by Jennifer Armstrong.

The second class was 1867-1870, Cattle, Railroads, and John Henry.

We did a neat "Cowboy Moon" art project with coffee filters and liquid water colors.

They dropped colors onto the filters, then we dried them with a hair dryer and glued them to construction paper with silhouettes.

This was a quick and easy project with beautiful results, and I'm already thinking of how it could be adapted to other projects (Halloween Moon?).

Our active activity was roping.  I learned how to make a lariat here, and the kids practiced roping water bottles.

The key here is to success with a wide age range is to start right next to the bottle so you can see how it works, then gradually move back.


I wouldn't say we got good at it, but, by the end, some of the kids weren't bad at it.  And everyone had fun!

Our snack was Cowboy Cookies.