Does anyone have any suggestion for pioneer day crafts and games?

Question

Am teaching a week of Pioneer school this summer and am looking for suggestions for pioneer crafts and games. Anybody got any ideas? Thanks.

Answer 1

We had this thing called rendezvous days and they did hatchet throwing, and made rock candy, had a muzzle loader shoot, those kinds of things.

Oh, you are teaching... make rock candy.  If I recall you take a mason jar and fill it with sugar water, and add strings.  The sugar will crystalize and crawl up the strings.  The guns and hatchet thing probably are out...

Answer 2

Oregon Trail was pretty cool when I was young.

I think everyone should play Oregon trail, it is quite addictive.

Answer 3

Here is a web site for our little pioneer schoolhouse. All children in gr3 visit it and get to dress up and spend a day living like school children from a by-gone era. There is also a link marked fun and games. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Put posterboard over red wagons and have covered wagon races.

Answer 5

Here are some things we did in school:

-each student makes a covered wagon (finished size is about the size of a shoe box)

-the teachers put copper colored bb's in the ditch and we "mined" for gold

-pick a day for everyone to dress up in theme

-have everyone bring in a feather to use as a "quill"

This is what I remember doing in school. The entire school participated and the week was called "Pioneer Days." It was really fun.

Here are some sites I found with ideas:

http://www.pioneerfarmmuseum.org/Non-Fra...

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/groundt...

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/pioneer...

http://www.dltk-kids.com/pioneer/index.h...

Hope this gets you started. Good luck. :)

Answer 6

Have you ever done spool knitting?  Boys as well as girls would like this. But to be a true to history boys and girls would not do the same things. Girls did handi-work alot of the time for enjoyment. Boys did fun stuff, like arm wrestle, knife throwing and rock skipping on water.  Watercolors were very popular for girls but boys could do that too. Make fans from card-stock cut in designed strips,  punch small holes to run a thin ribbon thru to keep them together, and secure the bottom with one of those brass fasteners. (they spread apart once they are in place). Paper braiding or weaving was popular, you can make baskets. If you need more info on these crafts email me. I have alot of parlor games also. I am a civil war living historian and have alot of info.

Good luck

Sherry PA

Answer 7

See the resource below for some great suggestions!

Answer 8

i had pioneer day in 4th grade. we made bread and it was delicious. also, the whole day we had to dress like pioneers and use chalkboard slates. the teacher even dressed like a pioneer teacher and he wore those plastic rotten teeth that go over your real teeth.