Pioneers!

We had a great week learning about pioneers!  We learned how they traveled on foot, in covered wagons, on boats, and on horses.  I feel it is important to teach children history and help them appreciate all the things they enjoy today and feel a sense of gratitude for those who have come before us.  They were amazed that the pioneers didn’t have TVs or ipads or anything like that!   

In one of the books we read, there was a picture of some of the items the pioneers would have had in their covered wagons.  We saw dishes, pots, a butter churn, a quilt, a tea pot, a gun, flour, a spare wheel, etc.  We talked about how the pioneers loaded up their belongings and bought what they would need for their journey.  Because there weren’t stores along the way, they made their own food, including butter.  The kids had a blast making their own butter too!  It took lots of teamwork and lots of shaking!

We took turns shaking the jar full of whipping cream and got to see what it looked like part way when it had turned to cream. 

Then, we got to taste it!  It was delicious!  And the children were so excited that they had made it themselves!

 As part of pioneer week, we learned about how the pioneers made quilts and used them to stay warm on their journey.  This “I Spy” quilt was such a bright, colorful, fun way to show the children how people today still use small pieces of fabric to make large quilts.  

We enjoyed playing pioneer games together.  One of those games was “I Spy” which was a great way to practice color recognition, taking turns, teamwork, and having fun together!

 Another pioneer game we played was “Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?”  These kids thought this was such a fun and tricky game!  This would be a great game to play with your family sometime! 

Our 3-day/week class got to make their own quilt.  Instead of sewing our fabric scraps together, we glued them on a colored paper.  Their quilts turned out so colorful and bright!

I love our kitchen and cleaning center.  Many days, the boys are just as interested in it as the girls!  They love to pretend to clean and cook and have picnics too!

Drawing with stencils during centers helps encourage fine motor skills, creativity, and self-confidence.

This week we learned the letters “M”, “N”, and “Q” as well.  We had a terrific week and hope you had a great Pioneer Day weekend!