Heading West: life with the pioneers: 21 activities

143 Pages·2009·177.553 MB·English

by  McCarthy, Pat

History/Activity Ages 9 & uP
hat was it like to be a pioneer?
W Much like today, children
attended school and had daily chores, parents worked hard to pro-
vide for their families, and communities gathered for church and
social events. But pioneers also faced isolation, harsh weather, disease, and H
e
even plagues of grasshoppers. a
d
i
Yet pioneer life was not all hardship. Settlers were able to build lives and n
g
communities and experience a freedom brought on by new possibilities.
W
Heading West traces the vivid saga of pioneer men, women, and children to e
s
tell a rich and detailed story with dozens of firsthand accounts from journals t
and autobiographies. Heading West
Readers will also find more than 20 activities to help them better under-
stand their pioneering ancestors. They will:
N churn butter N track animals
N create a homestead diorama N Play Blindman’s Bluff
N Dip candles N And much more
M Life
c
c with the
a
r
PaT McCaRThY is the author of more than 10 children’s books, including th
y Pioneers
Daniel Boone: Frontier Legend, and has written for Cricket, Children’s Digest,
and other publications.
21
Activities
Distributed by
Independent Publishers Group
www.ipgbook.com
Pat Mccarthy
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
hG HEADING WEST gH

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Life with the Pioneers
hG 21 ACTIVITIES gH
Pat McCarthy
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McCarthy, Pat, 1940–
Heading West : life with the pioneers ; 21 activities / Pat McCarthy.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-55652-809-5
1. Frontier and pioneer life—West (U.S.)—Juvenile literature. 2. West (U.S.)—History—19th century—Juvenile
literature. 3. Pioneers—West (U.S.)—History—19th century—Juvenile literature. 4. Handicraft —Juvenile literature.
5. Cookery—Juvenile literature. 6. Games—Juvenile literature. I. Title.
F596.M378 2009
978'.02—dc22
2009015851
Cover design: Joan Sommers Design
Cover photographs: center image © Hofmeester; surrounding images from Library of Congress,
clockwise from top, LC-USZ62-131119, LC-USZ62-101262, LC-USZ62-133214, LC-DIG-nclc-00098
Interior design: Sarah Olson
Illustrations: Laura D’Argo
Maps: Chris Erichsen
© 2009 by Pat McCarthy
All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978-1-55652-809-5
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
To all my wonderful friends in the Focus Photo Club of Dayton, Ohio.
Th ey are helpful and supportive of all my writing and photography eff orts.

m M
contents
Acknowledgments • ix
Time Line • x
Introduction: Itchy Feet and Moving West • xiii
1 Exploring the West • 1 5 Pioneer Men • 69
Make a Tepee 13 Tracking Animals 75
Native Americans in Your State 18 Make Maple Snow Candy 76
2 The Trip West • 19 6 Pioneer Women • 83
Be a Modern-Day Pioneer 23 Churn Your Own Butter 89
On the Trails of the Pioneers 33 Dip Candles 92
A Journal on Your Trip West 35 An Old-Fashioned Taff y Pull 95
3 Pioneer Homes • 41 7 Pioneer Children • 97
Build a Log Cabin 47 Blindman’s Bluff 107
Log Cabin Diorama 51 Letter to a Friend Back Home 107
Apple Butter 53 Clothespin Doll 108
Cornbread 54 Moonwinder 110
4 Community Life • 57 8 The End of the Pioneer Era • 111
Advertise Free Land in the West 62
Who Am I? 62
Resources • 117
Community Poster 67
Index • 119

m M
Acknowledgments
want to thank Darke County Parks and its director, Roger Van introducing me to Chicago Review Press, and Mary Kay Carson and
I
Frank, and Garst Museum in Greenville, Ohio, and its director, Tom Uhlman for advice on doing the book. And last but not least,
Penny Perry, for allowing me to photograph artifacts on their thanks to Jerome Pohlen, my editor, who patiently answered all my
premises. Thanks to Margery Pepiot and Karen Burkett for posing questions and was supportive throughout the process of putting
for me in pioneer dress. Thanks, too, to Laura James for allowing together this book.
me to use one of her photos. I also thank Brandon Marie Miller for
ix