The Oregon Trail

Ti's class this year is studying the history of the US. Part of that is talking about the pioneers and their movements west along the Oregon Trail. They acted it out at school using the farm next door. There are two 2nd grade classes and each class was divided into families of 5 and 6. There was a mom and dad and children. In Ti's case, he opted to be the mule. He was supposed to be the 16 year old son- I don't know where it went awry. Anyway, he pulled the wagon and did his part as the mule. They then set out different posts, forts and hazards along the way much like the old computer game. I volunteered to help out and be a pioneer and man one of the stations. It was so fun and the kids LOVED it. The farm also took them on a horse drawn wagon ride. The wagon was over 100 years old. At the completion of their journey around the farm and the different stations, they ended in Oregon City with corn bread and apple cider.





I included the chickens because I was laughing so hard at all the mothers who were scared to death of them. They kept saying, "I have never been this close to a real one! Why would anyone want to eat that?" I also wanted to show that it was a real farm and they purposely let the chickens out to add to the feel of the farm. It is so neat to have them (the farm) next door and they are so willing to help the school out.