Fieldtrip
At the end of our first week of unit lessons, we went on a field trip to This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake. We had never been there before and it was so fun! It’s kind of like Nauvoo, in that there are a lot of pioneer buildings/ cabins, etc. that have been relocated there.
This pioneer unit has made me fall in love with the 1800’s and it was really fun to spend the day in an atmosphere that is all about the pioneers.
Campout
When I was brainstorming ideas for this pioneer unit at the beginning of the summer, I knew that I wanted to do a pioneer themed campout. So that’s what we did the weekend before pioneer day.
We have some great friends who joined us and helped to make it a lot of fun!
We dressed up (after the sun started to go down and it wasn’t as hot), made bread in the Dutch oven, shook cream into butter, listened to pioneer music, did burlap sack races, danced, lit a real oil lantern, and pulled the covered wagon up some mountainous terrain.
We lucked out and got a campsite with a gorgeous view of the mountains. This was so much fun and I hope it becomes a yearly tradition to celebrate Pioneer Day.
For quick reference, here are the links:
Beginning thoughts and preparing for the unit
You’re braver than I am. But how fun for your family. I won’t even go on the stake treks they have every other year. I would never have made those thousand miles when they walked that. Although I’m sure grateful to my ancestors that all walked to Salt Lake Valley. I couldn’t have done it. 🙁
Haha! I am sure that being a real pioneer would be quite the challenge. But it sure was fun pretending to be one. 🙂 And I am really grateful for their sacrifices.