Education :: Exploring The Wild West With The Kids

There’s something about the Wild West that strikes everyone’s interest. For some it’s the cowboys and Indians, for others it’s the gold rush, or the lore of treacherous travels through uncharted wilderness. This summer, we embarked on a mini-exploration of the Wild West and it was fun to see which parts intrigued my kids the most.

I’m in the Los Angeles area so we kicked off our adventure with a visit to the Autry National Center. The museum is fantastic. While some of it is structured like a traditional museum – stay behind the ropes, don’t touch the artwork, and keep your voices low- there were several opportunities for the kids. Gold panning is available outside, and you can keep your two favorite nuggets. Inside, several carts were set up, one with animal pelts, another with toys from the gold rush era. My kids took a liking to the old-fashioned toys. And on certain days they offer kids activities like crafts and scavenger hunts.

After our visit to the museum we checked out some books at the library. Here are a few you might like to read with your kids:

Wild West by Stuart Murray (DK Eyewitness Books): This encyclopedia-style book is full of pictures and facts about the old west. Get a quick glimpse into everything from the struggles settling the west, daily life, trappers and mountainmen, railroads, Indian wars, and farming.

Why the West Was Wild by Wayne Swanson: Find out why the west was so wild. You’ll learn about discovering new territory, finding gold, and settling boomtowns all during a time of lawlessness. Come face to face with hunters, outlaws, cavalrymen, vigilantes, Indians, and unexplored wild wilderness.

How to Get Rich on the Oregon Trail by William Reed: The “allegedly true adventures” of William Reed documents the journey of Reed and his family as they travel from Springfield, Illinois to Portland, Oregon. His account includes their challenges, jobs they did along the way, stops at trading posts, and survival tips.

The Gold Rush by Bobbie Kalman: Everything you need to know about striking gold, prospectors’ voyages, panning and mining for gold, the tools they used, what life was like in the mines, and the costs and dangers of the gold rush.

Boomtown by Sonia Levitin: This picture book is one of our favorites. Follow Amanda as she and her family settle into their new home in California. Amanda bakes pies and discovers it is an opportunity to help her family earn money. As her business grows, she meets newcomers and encourages them to settle in and use their skills and tools to establish their own businesses.

You Wouldn’t Want to Be an American Pioneer! By Jacqueline Morley: This picture book is delightfully illustrated and focuses on the downside of things. Humorous explanations include potential buffalo stampedes, unknown territory, and dangers of travelling alone, storms, illness, dangerous river crossings and more.

For more interactive Wild West fun and education you can look for museums, historic sites, and annual celebrations that focus on pioneers and the gold rush. A simple Google search of “Old West Days” and “Wild West Celebrations” returned a list of events all over the country. And when I searched “pioneer museums” I got a fantastic list of places that look amazing! Are you local to Los Angeles? Check out Old West Day at the Rand Desert Museum. Or pay a visit to Placerita Canyon Nature Center and the historic Oak of the Golden Dream to see the original site where gold was discovered in 1842.

What is one of your favorite time periods in American History?