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A Day in the Life

 

A Day in the Life


 California Standard 5.6.6 Demonstrate knowledge of the significance of land policies developed under the Continental Congress (e.g., sale of western lands, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787) and those policies' impact on American Indians' land. 

In the 1800s, people moved farther and farther west. Pioneer life was hard work for young people. There was little free time to play. Most young people worked long hours in the fields tending crops. After they fed the farm animals, they picked nuts and berries for the family to eat. Boys hunted for food with their fathers. They also helped to build barns and houses. Girls helped their mothers cook, clean, and make clothing.

 

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Laura Ingalls Wilder

As a small child, Laura Ingalls Wilder's family moved west in a covered wagon. Years later, Wilder wrote about growing up on the frontier in the Little House books. Read about some of her adventures. Click on the stars in the map to learn more about frontier life . How was Wilder's life different from yours? In what ways was growing up in the 1800s like growing up today?

 
 

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The Wagon Train

Groups of families banded together to travel west. Each family packed all its belongings in a covered wagon. A group of wagons traveling together was called a wagon train. From a distance, the wagons looked like a train as they traveled in a straight line across the prairie. At night, the wagons made a circle around the campfire. Young people played in this protected circle. Find out more about life on a wagon train. How does it compare to your life?

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Pioneer Music

Pioneer families made their own entertainment. On the trail, they gathered around the campfire to sing songs and dance. Many pioneer songs are still sung today. How many of these songs do you know?

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Games and Toys

Pioneer children played tag, hopscotch, and hide-and-seek. Marbles, jacks, and hoop rolling were also popular. They made toys from wood scraps, dried apples, and bits of fabric. Learn how children in the 1800s made dolls from cornhusks.