The Middle Kids have moved on to a new unit of study – Westward Expansion. We will be learning all about the lives of people who ventured west of the Mississippi River in the 1800’s. Our study begins with a close look at The Louisiana Purchase. This was a deal made between President Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte. For a mere $15,000,000 Jefferson purchased the land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains – essentially doubling the size of the United States at the time. It is still known as one of the best real estate deals in history! Jefferson hired Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead an expedition into this unknown territory, in hopes of finding a Northwest passage to the Pacific, establishing relationships with the native tribes, and record as many new plants, animals, and natural features as they could along the way.
To record all of the cool information we are learning, the Middle Kids have created journals that we are calling “Field Guides of Discovery.” We made them from “doe skin” and tea stained paper so that they look quite authentic. Then we sewed all the pages together with string. They are now ready to be filled with information, starting with a list of supplies that Lewis and Clark took on their epic journey.
