Pioneer Day

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post this before Pioneer day, but I'm posting it anyway just in case anyone wants to adapt it for another use.

Since so many people were in and out of town in July (including me!) and we had to prepare a song for Pioneer day, I decided to spend July just focusing on pioneer songs and activities. Our Primary program is not until November so I will have time to teach them the song for July later. So the last Sunday in July I just wanted to finish out the month with one last pioneer-focused activity.

I found a clipart picture of a campfire, printed out 4 copies, and glued one to each side of a box. Then I found several short stories about pioneer children and wrote them on pieces of construction paper. I also wrote a few pioneer songs and other fun wiggly songs on pieces of construction paper. I made a small covered wagon with oxen (found the pattern in an old Friend magazine). When the kids came in, I had set up the chairs in a circle with the "campfire" in the middle. I put the pieces of paper with the songs and stories face down in a line with the wagon at the beginning of the "trail."

I started by telling the kids that at the end of a long day of walking, the pioneers would sit around a campfire and tell stories, sing songs, read scriptures, and pray together. (They were all LOVING sitting in a circle!) I had them pass a beanbag around the circle while the pianist played Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked and when she stopped, the child who had the beanbag came up and moved the wagon to the first piece of paper. Then we would read the story (I brought simple props to go along with each story) or sing the song. The idea was that they would help the wagon move along the trail to the Salt Lake Valley.