Covered Wagon

Create a covered wagon from the pioneer days!

Skill Level: Moderate

Time Needed: 1 hour

Age(s): 8 to 12

Appropriate For: Thanksgiving

Supplies Needed:

Project Rating:

Measure and cut out pieces of brown construction paper to fit to the sides of the empty shoe box. Cover the entire shoe box with brown construction paper.
Glue the construction paper to the shoe box. Let the glue dry completely.
Attach a sheet of white construction paper to the shoe box for the wagon's cover. Let the glue dry completely.
Cut out four identical circles from a sheet of cardboard. These will be the wagon's wheels.
Glue black yarn onto the wheels to create spokes. Let the glue dry completely.
Glue the wheels to the sides of the shoe box. Let the glue dry completely.
Display your pioneer covered wagon!

Teaching Tips:

Discuss pioneer days with your students. Ask students to describe how life was different in the 1800's. Have students help you create a chart that lists all of the differences and similarities.
Talk with students about the western expansion of the United States and how this was critical to the pioneer period. Have students explain why so many people were moving west during this time. Have students identify important pioneer locations, such as California, the Cumberland Gap, and the Oregon Trail, on a classroom map.
Have students pick a notorious figure from pioneer history, such as Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, or Davey Crocket. Have students write a biography of this person's life from a first-person point of view. Then, have students read their first-person accounts to the rest of the class.