We love our school, in large part because of how invested all of the staff are in finding creative ways for the kids to learn. The 4th graders have been learning about The Oregon Trail over the last several weeks, and their unit culminated this week with a trip on The Oregon Trail for all 4 of the 4th grade classes. We went on a walking journey through West Salem, and all along the trail there were 12 different stations simulating points along the real Oregon Trail. At each station the kids had to perform an activity, deal with a difficulty, or complete a challenge. In our little group we had a snake bite, a broken leg, a pioneer child that wandered off and a broken axle just to name a few, as well as a rest stop where the kids were given "hard tack" and one where they got to sing and dance. The kids earned or lost points based on how they chose to handle the different situations, whether they worked as a team, and sometimes based on a roll of the dice that determined their fate. They also earned points by dressing like a pioneer and packing a pioneer themed lunch.
The effort and involvement that went in to this project was amazing! From the work on the kids part beforehand creating pioneer "identities", decorating their wagons and deciding what provisions to purchase for the trip, to all of the parent and staff involvement developing the idea and volunteering along The Trail, I was amazed and so grateful that my boy got to experience something like this.
My Pioneer - AKA Pat Richards, a bachelor blacksmith
The wagon - courtesy of pool noodles and bedsheets
My little band of pioneers!
These kids were so great, worked hard together and totally got into the spirit of the adventure.
Headed up the last hill into "Oregon City".
Jake and his bestie Evan.
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