Join us as we start our westward expansion for kids American history unit as we learn about Lewis and Clark for kids. In this lesson you will find free printable animal tracks activity, lewis and Clark worksheets, DIY Moccasin activity, and so much more! So saddle up and join us as we journey back in time to 1783.

Lewis and Clark for Kids

Next up in our study of American history for kids we are learning about the Westward Expansion. We are taking a 3 week birds eye view of 1783 to 1898 (ending when Hawaii joined the United States). Our unit is filled with great books, activities, drawing & writing our own book, and of course a free printable.

Start by scrolling to the bottom of the post, under the terms of use, and click on the text link that says >> Download <<. The pdf file will open in a new window for you to save the freebie and print the template.

Lewis and Clark Books for Kids:

We read these great books to learn about Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea. As Lewis & Clark were keeping journals to learn about and report back to President Thomas Jefferson about what they saw we read several books on being nature detectives.

Salt Dough Map – History Project

We made a Salt Dough Map we will be painting next week & marking the Oregon Trail route.

Lewis and Clark Nature Study

We talked about how our nature study journals were very much like what Lewis & Clark would have kept. Although we have much better resources now!

We matched these native American animals with their tracks. (This fun activity is just one of the free Westward Expansion Worksheets included in the FREE printable download at the bottom of the post)

DIY Moccasins Craft

This DIY Moccasins craft is super fun to make and not super difficult either. This had to be one of our favorite activities we’ve done so far. Lewis & Clark wore out their boots pretty quickly into their long trip west as they explored the recently purchased Louisiana Territory. So they traded some local Native Americans they met on their journey and these moccasins lasted them the rest of the trip.

Here are the finished pair of moccasins. Not only are they super cute and a fun way to remember our Lewis & Clark expedition, but they are also SUPER soft & comfortable too!

Free Westward Expansion Worksheets

These FREE Westward Expansion printable will touch on the major points from this unit. It includes 10 sheets on different areas of the unit in both Pre/K and 1st+ lined paper –

US Elevation Map
Oregon Trail Map
and Animal Track cards.

We are making our own illustrations using Draw Write Now #5 and writing what we learned under the image. Most of our activities came from Westward Ho! An Activity Guide to the Wild West.

Westward Expansion - FUN hands on history unit for kids with lesson plans, educational activities, FREE worksheets and more for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students studying gold rush, oregon, trail, wild west, railroad, louisiana purchase #westwardexpansion #historyforkids #homeschool

There is so much more to the wild west than just cowboys, Indians, covered wagons, and dust bowls. See the rest of our westward expansion activities with everything you need to make history come alive for your elementary age kids! See the rest of our unit here:

Lewis and clark for kids – Start out the way with wild west did with the journey of Louis and Clark after the Lousiana Purchase in 1803.
Oregon Train for Kids – learn about the dangerous Oregon Trail and make a salt dough map, covered wagon model, and learn how hard life was for settlers traveling west.
Pony Express for Kids plus the gold rush and first transcontinental rail road are just a few of the fun topics explores in this final week of our wild west for kids unit!
Free Wild West Worksheets – over 70 pages of math and liteacy skills for kids 2-7 years old with a fun cowboy theme! Perfect to do alongside this history lesson and to keep younger siblings engaged at the same time
Oregon Trail Skip Counting Game allows children to practice skip counting with a fun themed activity
Dig in to history with this engaging, Wild West History Sensory Bin ideas
Geography is Fun with a Salt Dough Map – learn about US geography and features as you mark the path the westward travelers took

History Lessons for Kids

Check out one of or MANY engaging, Free history lessons for kids

Explore American History for kids including lots of fun, hands on activities and free printables
Dive into Mesopotamia History to learn about Gilgamesh
4 week lesson about Early Explorers for Kids
Learn about castles, knights, and more in this exciting Middle Ages for Kids
Make a teepee, dig for arrowheads, color our printable books and more in this Native Americans for Kids lessons
The Colonial America for Kids lesson takes kids on a journey back to the first permanent settlement in America – Jamestown. Students will learn about colonial life with lots of hands on projects like eating Gruel, making a Wattle & Daub house, and creating a tin lantern will make the settlement come alive.
We will make westward expansion for kids come alive for kids as they learn facts about the time period from about 1783-1898. In addition to learning about the Oregon trail, pony express, gold rush, transcontinental railroad, students will also learn to match animal trails, map the united states, and learn about North American animals too.
Civil War for Kids – students will learn about slavery, famous Americans from the Civil War, famous battles, and how our nation stayed together. Lesson includes printable worksheets, mapping activities, printable civil war board game and more!

Looking for more resources and free worksheets to teach students about geography for kids? You will love these coloring sheets, printable maps, books, activities and games:

Free Printable Maps including world map, continents, and country maps with and without labeling
16 Countries for Kids Printables
Learn about the countries for kids with these free resources
Help kids understand where do I live with this clever printable activity
Super cute, Free printable India for Kids Book to color, read, and learn!
China for Kids Printable Book helps kids learn about this large, populous country famous for the great wall of china, Terra Cotta Warriors, and the Forbidden city
Join us for a fiesta as we learn about Mexico for Kids including delicious food, Mayan temples and more!
Explore Venezuela for Kids with the beautiful Angel Falls and delicious Arepas in this printable mini book
Learn about the fascinating country of South Africa for kids and its fascinating wildlife.
You can find all our country coloring pages coloring pages or jump right to Spain Coloring Pages, China Coloring Pages, Italy Coloring Pages, Chile Coloring Pages, and Costa Rica Coloring Pages
Children around the World Worksheets
Country Coloring Book – explore 36 countries with country coloring pages

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