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 >> _____ <<. The pdf file will open in a new window for you to save the freebie and print the template.
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 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.
- 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 Trail 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
- Westward Expansion Flip Book
- 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 too
- Westward Expansion for Kids Book to read, color, and learn!
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!
- Learn about US States for Kids – state coloring pages, president coloring pages, state report forms, states and capital printables, and so much more!
- Pennant History Posters to see US History At-a-Glance
- Learn about the Roaring 1920s for Kids – Printable Book to Read, Color, and Learn
- Rosa Parks for Kids Printable Reader to Color and Learn
- Martin Luther King Jr for Kids Printable Reader to Color and Learn
- Titanic for Kids Reader to Color and Learn
- Learn about the Roaring 1920s for Kids – Printable Book to Read, Color, and Learn
- 1930s for Kids – Printable Book about the Golden age of Hollywood, Great Depression for Kids and more to read, color, and learn
- Life in the 1940s America for Kids Reader
- Anne Frank for Kids Printable Reader to read, color, and learn about this Jewish girl who lived behind the wall in Holland during World War 2
- 1950s for Kids Reader to Color, Learn and read about what life was like in America in 1950
- Life in the 1960s for Kids Printable book to read, color and learn about life in the 1960s
- Learn about platform shoes, disco, the beginning of Star Wars and more with this 1970s for kids Reader
- 1980s for kids Reader to read, color, and learn!
- 1990s for Kids Printable Reader filled with information about fashion, technology, Presidents, and more!
- Learn about life for early 2000s Kids with these american history printables to read, color, and learn!
- Review what you’ve leanred with these American History Worksheets (Notebooking)
United States Lesson for Kids
Help children learn about the great country of the United States with these free printables and resources:
- Free Presidents of the United States for Kids
- Cute, Free Printable State Coloring Pages
- Printable USA Presidents Coloring Pages
- Voting for Kids – How Americans elect a new president
- Free Presidents Worksheets – Learn about all the American presidents
- US States I Spy Worksheets
- Help kids understand where do I live with this clever printable activity
- Learn about American symbols with these Patriotic American Symbols for Kids
- United States I Spy Worksheets
- How much do you know about USA for Kids? Color the flag, look at a map, discover famous landmarks like the statue of liberty,and more!
- American Symbols Worksheets
- Fireworks Patriotic Craft
- 50 States Worksheets
Westward Expansion Worksheets
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