Pioneer Trunk
Materials:
· Colored construction paper, scissors, colored markers or pencils, glue sticks
On the journey west, pioneers didn’t ride in their covered wagons (except for old people and babies). Instead, the wagons were used for storage. It was vitally important that the pioneers pack the proper amount of items to ensure a safe trip. Packing too little food and supplies could lead to starvation or being unprepared to start a new life when the journey ended; packing too much could overburden and even kill the animals pulling the wagon. Such a loss of transportation power could slow or stop the journey.
· Research about the journey the pioneers took in their quest for a new life. There are many books on this subject available in the library. Some very good titles are Daily Life in a Covered Wagon by Paul Erickson (Puffin Books, 1994), If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon by Ellen Levine (Scholastic, 1992), and Wagon Wheel Kitchens by Jacqueline Williams (University Press of Kansas, 1993).
· Research different items that pioneers took with them on their journey—the types and amount of food they brought, the clothing they wore or packed, materials needed to keep the wagon in good condition, keepsakes and furniture, and supplies needed to start a new life at the end of their trip. For instance, in Wagon Wheel Kitchens, Jacqueline Williams writes that the suggested amount of food for each adult in the group included 200 pounds of flour, 30 pounds of pilot bread, 75 pounds of bacon, 10 pounds of rice, 5 pounds of coffee, 2 pounds of tea, 25 pounds of sugar, bushel of dried beans, 1 bushel of dried fruit, 2 pounds of baking soda, 10 pounds of salt, bushel of cornmeal, bushel of corn (parched and ground), and 1 small keg of vinegar.
· You will design a trunk with three “compartments” that contain items (and descriptions of the items) that the pioneers might have taken with them.
CREATING THE TRUNK
· You need one large and three small sheets of construction paper. Fold the three smaller sheets in half horizontally. These sheets represent the three compartments of the trunk or wagon.
· Each compartment should focus on a different category of supplies needed for the journey—food, clothing, tools to fix the wagon, keepsakes, furniture, or materials to start a new life.
· Draw and cut out different items related to each of the categories of supplies they’ve chosen to represent in their trunks. (For example, if the compartment focuses on tools needed to fix the wagon, you might draw a spare wheel, a spare axle, a bucket of grease, and a bucket of tar.) These items should be glued around the inside of the folded piece of construction paper.
· Next to each item, write a description of the item and explain why each it is needed. Repeat these steps each compartment. When you have finished there will be three compartments.
· Glue the bottom of one compartment to the top side of the next, until the three pages are joined and turn like the pages in a book. (use glue sticks instead of regular glue so that the paper doesn’t buckle.)
· Fold the large sheet of construction paper over the three compartments, cut it to fit, and then glue it to bind them, creating a cover for the trunk. Brown construction paper works well because it looks more like an old leather trunk.
· Finally, decorate the cover so they look like old trunks, complete with straps, rivets, and lock. Add your name and a title, such as “Things to Pack for the Journey West.”
Materials:
· Colored construction paper, scissors, colored markers or pencils, glue sticks
On the journey west, pioneers didn’t ride in their covered wagons (except for old people and babies). Instead, the wagons were used for storage. It was vitally important that the pioneers pack the proper amount of items to ensure a safe trip. Packing too little food and supplies could lead to starvation or being unprepared to start a new life when the journey ended; packing too much could overburden and even kill the animals pulling the wagon. Such a loss of transportation power could slow or stop the journey.
· Research about the journey the pioneers took in their quest for a new life. There are many books on this subject available in the library. Some very good titles are Daily Life in a Covered Wagon by Paul Erickson (Puffin Books, 1994), If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon by Ellen Levine (Scholastic, 1992), and Wagon Wheel Kitchens by Jacqueline Williams (University Press of Kansas, 1993).
· Research different items that pioneers took with them on their journey—the types and amount of food they brought, the clothing they wore or packed, materials needed to keep the wagon in good condition, keepsakes and furniture, and supplies needed to start a new life at the end of their trip. For instance, in Wagon Wheel Kitchens, Jacqueline Williams writes that the suggested amount of food for each adult in the group included 200 pounds of flour, 30 pounds of pilot bread, 75 pounds of bacon, 10 pounds of rice, 5 pounds of coffee, 2 pounds of tea, 25 pounds of sugar, bushel of dried beans, 1 bushel of dried fruit, 2 pounds of baking soda, 10 pounds of salt, bushel of cornmeal, bushel of corn (parched and ground), and 1 small keg of vinegar.
· You will design a trunk with three “compartments” that contain items (and descriptions of the items) that the pioneers might have taken with them.
CREATING THE TRUNK
· You need one large and three small sheets of construction paper. Fold the three smaller sheets in half horizontally. These sheets represent the three compartments of the trunk or wagon.
· Each compartment should focus on a different category of supplies needed for the journey—food, clothing, tools to fix the wagon, keepsakes, furniture, or materials to start a new life.
· Draw and cut out different items related to each of the categories of supplies they’ve chosen to represent in their trunks. (For example, if the compartment focuses on tools needed to fix the wagon, you might draw a spare wheel, a spare axle, a bucket of grease, and a bucket of tar.) These items should be glued around the inside of the folded piece of construction paper.
· Next to each item, write a description of the item and explain why each it is needed. Repeat these steps each compartment. When you have finished there will be three compartments.
· Glue the bottom of one compartment to the top side of the next, until the three pages are joined and turn like the pages in a book. (use glue sticks instead of regular glue so that the paper doesn’t buckle.)
· Fold the large sheet of construction paper over the three compartments, cut it to fit, and then glue it to bind them, creating a cover for the trunk. Brown construction paper works well because it looks more like an old leather trunk.
· Finally, decorate the cover so they look like old trunks, complete with straps, rivets, and lock. Add your name and a title, such as “Things to Pack for the Journey West.”