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History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

January 30, 2021 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Studying the history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and Chisholm Trail is a fun and fascinating one. Cowboys, cattle drives and the Chisholm Trail all embody the spirit of a Texan.

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Free Unit Study

Being born and raised in Texas, I grew up going to rodeos, knowing about cattle drives, and watching wide open spaces of grazing cattle as the norm.

As a native Texan too, my husband grew up with ranching and rodeoing in his life and family. He comes from a family of cowboys. I couldn’t wait to do a unit study focused on the history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and the Chisholm Trail.

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

With fond memories, I recall the first time I heard the poem Cattle by Berta Hart Nance (1883-1958).

Other states were carved or born,
Texas grew from hide and horn.

Other states are long and wide,
Texas is a shaggy hide.

Dripping blood and crumpled hair;
Some fat giant flung it there,

Laid the head where valleys drain,
Stretched its rump along the plain.

Other soil is full of stones,
Texans plow up cattle-bones.

Herds are buried on the trail,
Underneath the powdered shale;

Herds that stiffened like the snow,
Where the icy northers go.

Other states have built their halls,
Humming tunes along the walls,

Texans watched the mortar stirred
While they kept the lowing herd.

Stamped on Texan wall and roof
Gleams the sharp and crescent hoof.

High above the hum and stir
Jingle bridle rein and spur.

Other states were carved or born,
Texas grew from hide and horn.

A lot of Texans view their state differently from how other states grew. After the American Civil War, it was cattle which helped to make Texas grow. Also, ranching was a big part of Texas growth.

This study is about the grit, hardiness, and stubbornness early Texans embodied and how they passed it down to our generation.

So in this history of the Texas cowboy, cattle drives, and Chisholm Trail, I’ve rounded up some helpful resources to teach your kids about Texas.

Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

I aimed at resources for elementary ages to about middle school, but as with all my resources you decide which ages to use them for.

The American Civil War {1861-1865} had almost destroyed the United States, but by 1867 the United States found peace again.

Long-horned cattle, which were introduced in part by the Spanish roamed freely upon the plains.

Ranchers noticed that the longhorn turned out to be particularly well adapted to the harsh and arid conditions in the West.

So thousands of head of cattle were rounded up from pastures in southern and central Texas and herded hundreds of miles north to Kansas.

Cattle drives were a celebrated event of this time period.

Between fascination with the American legend of a cowboy and a transitional time period in American history this brief, but captivating moment in history attracts learners of any age.

Too, with the invention of refrigerated railroad cars in the 1870’s it also made it possible to ship fresh beef anywhere in the country.

I used the Texas Chisholm Trail by the Texas Historical Commission to use as a guide for this lapbook. It’s a free wonderful educator’s guide, but of course you can use any resource you have.

First, there were at least four cattle drives during the 19th century. They were the The Chisholm Trail, The Goodnight-Loving Trail, The Western Trail and The Shawnee Trail.

The Chisholm Trail has at least 7 names: Abilene Trail, the Cattle Trail, the Eastern Trail, the Great Texas Cattle Trail, the Kansas Trail, McCoy’s Trail and the Texas Chisholm Trail.

Lesson Plans History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail

Beef basics. Fun lesson plan about beef products and terms to understand about cattle
Make a Brand for Yourself the Cowboy Way
Coloring page – longhorn
Make Your Cattle Brand
The Old Chisolm Trail – Lots of interesting background information and pictures to explain the Chisolm Trail

Texas Frontier Timeline
Texas Cowboys and Myths 5 page pdf download
Hit the Trail – 10 page pdf about cattle trails
Ranching Heritage – 10 page pdf with fun trail cards and background information
Measure the width of longhorns. 4 page pdf. You’ll love the math lesson

Texas Cattle Trails. Great site for history

Build a Calf and pictures for different breeds
The Cattle Drive and Westward Expansion
Cowboys:Vaquero – 6 page pdf about cowboys, cattle trails and glossary
Longhorn Cattle – Wonderful background information about the ancestors of Texas longhorns
Cowboy Word Search

Learn about the King Ranch, one of the oldest ranches in Texas
Longhorns of the Big Bend 63 page pdf wonderful and interesting information about Texas and the cattle industry and history of the longhorn
The Lone Star State 3 page pdf fun reading about Texas facts
What Does a Cowboy Do? Lesson with fun printables about cowboys

The Old Chisolm Trail Cowboy Song YouTube
Chisholm Trail cattle drive YouTube. In this episode Rick pushes Texas longhorns up the Chisholm Trail to the Ellsworth railhead.

Marty Robbins Sings ‘Whoopee Ti Yi Yo.‘ YouTube
The Chisholm Trail YouTube. Created for the elementary classroom. This is a basic overview of what the Chisholm trail was, how it was used and the reasons behind the cattle drive.

Texas Size Vocabulary Words

Cattle Kingdom – An industry based on cattle ranching that arose on the open range from Texas to Canada during the 1800s.
Texas Rangers – Law enforcement to keep the law in frontier Texas.
Tejanos – A person of Mexican heritage, but considers Texas home.
King Ranch – Ranch in South Texas that is one of the most important cattle operations in the state.
brands – identification marks on livestock made with burning irons

barbed wire – a wire used in fencing that is made with points, or barbs, placed at intervals to prevent livestock from crossing the fence
vaqueros – from vaca (cow) cowboy
wrangler – one who herds or cares for livestock on the range
XIT Ranch – Ranch established by the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company which was funded by investors from Chicago and Great Britain.
Longhorn – a hybrid breed of cattle that descended from Spanish and English stock; the main breed used in Texas ranching

Field Trip Ideas for History of Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives and Chisholm Trail

You’ll love this page Off the Beaten Path: Drive Up the Chisholm Trail’s Less-Traveled Routes to give you ideas of where to go here in Texas.
Landmark Inn – 1850s store
Fort Griffin – Fort from 1867 to 1881
The Alamo – Well known of course and still a fun place to visit
However, another longtime favorite of ours is the Buckhorn Saloon Museum and The Texas Ranger Museum in San Antonio. If you want to learn about cowboy country, you have to visit this one.

We love visiting the Barrington Plantation which is the last home of Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas. They have a fun program for homeschoolers which includes hand-on activity.
The Star of the Republic Museum is on the same property as the Barrington Farm.
Varner Hogg Plantation. Yes, it’s true Gov. James Hogg named his daughter Ima Hogg.

Hands-on Ideas For a Texas Unit Study

Next, you’ll love a few ideas for some hands-on fun to study about Texas.

Make some easy Texas chili.
Eat cactus.
Easy fun watercolor sunset
Love the smushed coke can cowboy and cowgirls and cowboy glyph
Study this piece of art, Outlier by Frederic Remington.By the time of the painting most Native Americans had been forced onto reservations. What is the mood of the painting?

Then download my lapbook below.
Build the Alamo.
Make an Armadillo
Fun tissue bluebonnet craft
Make a tornado in a bottle
If a kid has never seen barbed wire which basically ended the open ranges of Texas, make some fun and fake barbed wire here.
Candle making with kids

Field Trip to Washington on the Brazos, Star of the Republic Museum, Barrington Farms and Buckhorn Museum/Texas Ranger Museum
(don’t miss any of these places)

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail — Star of the Republic Museum

History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail 1 — Star of the Republic Museum

PURCHASE THE LAPBOOK BELOW:

Dynamic History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail Lapbook for Multiple Ages
$2.50 Add to cart

Look at these other fun ideas:

Hugs and love ya,

How to Make a Kid’s Fun and Easy Bird Nest Activity

September 21, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Easy Bird Nest Activity

Nature lovers will adore this project how to make a kid’s fun and easy bird nest activity!

Hands-on, free, and so educational that it will become a favorite in your nature studies.

Birds are fascinating from how they fly, what they eat, how they lay eggs, to how they build amazing nests to rest and raise their young in.

How to Make a Kid's Fun and Easy Bird Nest Activity

A great way to learn about how birds build sturdy safe nests is to try and do it yourself!

Try to create a nest that is safe and warm for an egg and you gain a new appreciation for the amazing job these feathered creatures put together without the use of hands and those oh so helpful thumbs!

Build Your Own Bird Nest

Talk about what birds use a nest for, you may want to grab a couple of the books mentioned below.

Birds use nests as a safe place to lay and hatch their eggs.

Head outdoors and show your child how to gather up all the things a bird might use to create their nest.

If you can find one in your yard it will give you some clues as to what is used to put one together.

Need a little help? Look for dry twigs, green twigs and vines, bits of fluff from plants and animal fur, moss, and long leaves.

I added some bits of string to our pile since birds will use whatever they can find to construct their homes including animal fur, fabric, and other items left behind by humans.

Bring all your items in and place them in a pile so your child can see what there is to work with.

Make a circle with some of the green bendable twigs and tie it off, if you need to use some of that string to secure it.

Add items to the inside to fill it in and build up to create that cup shape of a common bird nest.

Braiding, twisting, tucking, and wrapping helps make your nest more solid and secure. Is your nest ready to hold an egg?

Grab an egg from the fridge and let your child test out their nest.

Birds and Bird Nest Vocabulary

Use these words to create spelling and vocabulary words for your child whatever age or level of learning they are at.

Make flashcards, use them as story starters, have them drawer the definition

Nest
Beak
Raptor
Wingspan
Feather
Incubate
Nestling
Fledgling
Aviary
Hatchling
Rookery
Crest
Crown
Hatch
Parliament
Tarsus

More Bird Activities For Unit Studies

Keep on expanding upon this activity by turning it into a full study with books, games, and some fun activities, I have lots of ideas for you below!

Keep a watch on your backyard and make a Bird Color Bar Graph to keep track of what types of birds visit each day.
Make your own bird from a styrofoam ball and craft feathers to learn the anatomy of a bird.
Put together this free Bird Journal.
Make a bird feeder and/or a birdbath to attract more winged friends to your yard.
Make a Bird Nesting Bag to help local birds with extra supplies to put together their next.
Build a bird house to attract whatever kind of birds you would like. Check out pinterest for house plans for songbirds, woodpeckers, owls, and more.
Draw a Birds Nest in Chalk Pastel with this Youtube tutorial from You Are an Artist
Watch this Bald Eagle Cam in Washington, DC.
For young children pour a think layer of birdseed in a shallow pan and let them practice writing their letters with a finger.
Investigate the different types of bird nests- Burrow, cavity, platform, cup, ground, scrape, mound, pendant and sphere. Identify at least one bird for each type of nest.

Games about Birds

Look at these games about birds.

Books about Birds

A Nest is Noisy

You’ll love these other nature loving and bird activities:

Hugs and love ya,

Beware of Ocean Pollution: Fun Science Activity for Kids

September 9, 2020 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Have you ever wondered about the effects of ocean pollution and other waterways?

Beware of Ocean Pollution

It’s important that we bring it to our children’s attention now so they can make responsible choices and be part of the clean up solution!

The best way to do this of course is through a fun hands-on activity that lets them see first hand how easily water is polluted, how difficult it is to clean it up and to make it like it was before.

Beware of Ocean Pollution: Fun Science Activity for Kids. It’s important that we bring it to our children's attention now so they can make responsible choices and be part of the clean up solution! The best way to do this of course is through a fun hands-on activity that lets them see first hand how easily water is polluted. You’ll love this easy hands-on science! CLICK HERE to go there! #oceanpollution #handsonscienceforkids #homeschoolscience #oceanpollutionactivity

This project can be done with things around the house; you may just need to grab a couple items from Dollar Tree or somewhere else.

First, gather all your materials before you bring in the kids. Kids lose interest quickly if they spend a long time waiting at the table for you to find everything.

Better yet if you have an older kid who knows everything right now (wink) get him or her to do the gathering of supplies.

Next, here is the list of supplies for the hands-on ocean pollution science activity.

A large shallow container
Blue food coloring (optional)
sea shells
clean sand (optional)

water
plastic sea creatures
feathers

Teaching Kids About Ocean Pollution

Then, here is the list for the pollution items and the list for cleaning items.

cooking oil
food crumbs
pieces of plastic bag

dish soap
toothbrush
sponge
cotton balls
paper towels
coffee filters
cotton swabs
tongs
small nets

coffee grounds
straws
soil

Water Pollution Exploration

Start by adding items to your container that belong, explaining to your child that these are the items that naturally occur in an ocean and are part of its ecosystem.

Fill your container with several inches of water.

If you like add a few drops of blue food coloring to your water and mix in.

Place sea creatures, seashells, and sand if you are using them.

Next, talk about what happens when we visit the beach or travel on the water.

As you talk about oil the spills from ships, trash that is tossed aside instead of being safely placed in trash containers let your child add each of the pollution items you have provided.

Stir it all up together. What has happened?

The once nearly clear and pristine water is now discolored.
Creatures are covered in oil and dirt.
The water no longer looks appealing at all to play in does it?
Turtles, dolphins, sharks, and other animals get plastic wrap around them.
Sea animals choke on items that don’t belong in the ocean and die or are suffering from the effects.

What can we do to clean up the ocean?

Ocean Pollution Clean Up Activity

You can pick up bigger items if they are floating on top with a net or tongs, but what about items that sink to the bottom of our deep oceans?

Demonstrate how to use cotton balls to absorb some of the oil on the surface of the water.

Toss in a few feathers to demonstrate what happens to water birds when they pick up oil and other undesirable things from polluted water.

Use Dawn dish soap, a toothbrush, and other items to try and remove the oil and debris from the feathers.

Dawn has a program for cleaning up animals that have been injured due to oil spills. You can read a bit more about it here at Dawn Helping Saving Wildlife for Over 40 Years.

Be Ocean Explorers

Examine clean ocean water, polluted ocean water, and “cleaned” up water.

Grab 3 clear glasses and place water and food coloring in one.

Take some of your polluted water and place in the second.

Finally, after you have cleaned up your water some, put a coffee filter over the third glass and run your cleaned up polluted water over the coffee filter.

Compare the difference in water color and quality.

Even the water that has been cleaned up is still not left unchanged, it is cloudy, dark, and still contains trace amounts of debris.

This makes a big impact on my kids as it allowed them to understand how big an impact peoples actions can have on our water sources.

Look at some pollution vocabulary and spelling words to use for an ocean or water unit study.

Pathogens
Waste water
Pollution
Biodegradable
Hazardous

Pollutant
Habitat
Conservation
Ecosystem

If you are looking for read aloud or independent reading books for your child that go along with the theme you need not look any further than your bookcase or library and grab something anything that has an ocean theme like Island of the Blue Dolphins, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Treasure Island, or Swiss Family Robinson!

Continue with your study using some great books to look through or use as living text books.

Earth Science Activity for Kids

This hands-on activity can easily lead into learning about all the fascinating creatures who live in the sea.

Lastly, teaching kids to learn how to care for our earth by not polluting the oceans empowers kids to be part of the solution and no the problem.

You’ll love these other resources to keep expanding how to care for the ocean and enjoy the beauty it provides:

Hugs and love ya,

How to Make an Easy Nature Paint Brush With Kids

August 22, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Creating your own diy nature brushes from items on your next nature walk is a fun way to bring science outdoors. Turn all sorts of leaves and flowers into beautiful rustic paintings.

If you are digging deep into a nature-based unit study or you just want a unique nature-based unit study add-on to do with your child, look no further.

These fun and simple diy nature brushes are an inexpensive and creative way to get your kids into the great outdoors exploring, creating, and coming up with unique new ways to use natural objects.

DIY NATURE PAINT BRUSH FOR KIDS

Toddlers on up to middle schoolers will enjoy gathering their own materials on their next nature walk or from your own backyard, creating paintbrushes, and then painting their unique masterpiece with their DIY tools.

This activity is perfect to go along a general nature study, a tree unit study, or an art unit study.

Look how to make easy nature paint brushes with kids.

You will need:

Craft sticks (or sturdy sticks)
Small rubber bands
Collected leaves, flowers, ferns, grasses, etc…

Creating your own diy nature brushes from items on your next nature walk is a fun way to bring science outdoors. Turn all sorts of leaves and flowers into beautiful rustic paintings. Look how to make easy nature paint brushes with kids. CLICK HERE!
#diynaturebrushes #homeschoolnature #natureforkids #nature #scienceforkids #handsonnature #handsonart

Begin by taking your little nature explorer outdoors to collect leaves, long grasses, flowers and their stems, ferns, and any other material you think will make good “brushes”.

It’s fun to experiment with the different textures and shapes so be sure you gather a large variety of different items.

Next bring them in and straighten them up into little bundles, varying the size here and there.

Place one end of the bundle on the end of your craft stick and wrap a small rubber band around the end until it is tight and secure.

The easiest way to do this is to wrap it around the opposite end and then roll it upwards over your brush.

DIY NATURAL PAINT BRUSH ACTIVITY

Use scissors to trim the ends of your leaves and grasses shorter. They are more like actual paintbrush bristles. Also, this makes a great fine motor activity for preschoolers. Of course, don’t use the same scissors we used. Just saying’.

Next, challenge your child to paint a nature picture on a canvas or large piece of paper.

We practiced on a scrap piece of paper to see what texture and coverage each brush gave.

Encourage them to experiment with different size brushes and see what types of textures you can make from the various brushes you have made, solid strokes, wispy strokes, tapping the canvas, etc..

We went with a simple tree this time, but are eager to try more advanced art with them soon.

You can use acrylic craft paint or try watercolors for a lighter look.

Wash out your brushes when done or toss them into the compost bin and make more.

HANDS-ON NATURE STUDY

Why should you do nature studies with your child?

6 Reasons Why You Should Do Nature Studies With Your Kids

Nature studies are the base for all science studies and creates a personal connection which helps your child later with more advanced studies;
Spending time outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine is calming and relaxing for you and your child. It is also a great way to get exercise and get the wiggles out;
Nature study encourages your child to develop the skill of investigation;
It is a great activity for the entire family and even the youngest member can appreciate and enjoy what nature has to offer;
It gives your child a respect for the earth and their place in it; and
Kids develop a greater understanding of the impact we all have on the earth.

Nature brushes are a great way to use natural materials to make art supplies and make science fun, but there are ways to expand this hands-on craft.

5 Ways to Expand On Nature Anatomy

Before making the paint brushes you can

use the items you have collected to identify which plant it comes from;
press flowers and leaves with this diy flower press;
make rubbings using the flat side of crayons;
sketch your findings in your nature journal; and
check out this list of nature inspired novels to use as read alouds.

In addition, use the app Inaturalist to help you identify what you find.

LIVING NATURE BOOKS

Don’t stop here, investigate further with some great nature books to turn this activity into a full unit study.

Use Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman.

Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids by Kim Andrews.

Exploring Nature Journal for Kids Observe and Record the Outdoors by Kim Andrews.

Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids by Gail Gibbons.

Exploring nature with your kids can cover so many subjects when you use a unit study approach.

Teaching about the outdoors is a natural way to learn which kids love. Not only can you include many different subjects, but adding a hands-on craft or two, makes learning stick.

You’ll love all the fanstastic ideas I have here for you to round out making these diy nature paint brushes with your kids.

Look at this list below:

What nature craft activities do you like doing with your kids?

Hugs and love ya,

Labeling Parts of a Honey Bee LEGO Fun Activity For Kids

June 30, 2020 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your kids will love labeling the parts of a honey bee lego activity.

Bees are fascinating little creatures from how they create their honeycombs to maximize space, to how they know to fan the hive to keep it cool.

Bees are used in so many ways than just the delicious honey they produce.

We use beeswax in cosmetics, candles, as a coating, and bee venom is used as a holistic treatment.

Labeling the Parts of a Honey Bee

Because they are so very important to our world as pollinators I think it is important to educate our children about them from the beginning.

If you’ve been homeschooling awhile you know that hands-on activities really drive home information in a fun way that really makes it stick, often better than any worksheet could.

Since most kids love LEGO, I thought that an activity using them would be a hit with the kids and turn an ordinary and possibly boring homeschool lesson into something unique and fun.

Turns out I was right- The kids loved doing this project and I hope you and yours will too!

Grab a big bucket of LEGOS and a handful of bee books and let’s get started.

You will need:

A LEGO baseplate.

LEGO Classic Green Baseplate 2304 Supplement for Building, Playing, and Displaying LEGO Creations, 10cm x 10cm, Large Building Base Accessory for Kids and Adults (1 Piece)

Assorted LEGO bricks

LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toys for Creative Play; Kids Creative Kit (484 Pieces)

Cardstock paper
A book or printout of parts of a bee
Pen or marker

Hands-on Activity for Honey Bee

Directions for honey bee LEGO:

You can make this as simple or as involved a LEGO build as you like depending on the age and ability of the child.

Using the larger Duplo blocks to create a simple bee and let your child point out the various parts of a bee as you call them out is another idea.

Provide your child with a book or printout on the parts of a bee to use as a model and a variety of LEGO to build their bee model.

Give them a large variety of LEGO bricks to build with, I love this starter box for kids just beginning a LEGO collection.

I keep a box for each kid separate from all the other LEGO in the house just for school projects like this.

LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 Building Toys for Creative Play; Kids Creative Kit (484 Pieces)

Have them start with creating a head, thorax, and abdomen using yellow and black bricks.

Add wings using white bricks.

For older children you can differentiate forewing and hindwing if you like.

Use long single row black bricks to create 3 sets of legs.

Finally add eyes and antennae.

Cut small strips of cardstock and add the names of whichever bee parts you would like your child to identify.

Give them the strips and let them locate each part on their LEGO bee, with so much interaction while building and then labeling they are sure to retain much of the information they get from this build.

Here are some additional bee activities to try

Create a honey bee lapbook.
Create the life cycle of a bee using LEGO again.
Pick up some local honey and try it right out of the jar as well as in a recipe or two.
Make a honeycomb by cutting down toilet paper tubes and bending each ring into a hexagon, glue each together to create any size you like.
Paint a watercolor bee or beehive.
Thumb through one of the books listed below and learn some more bee information-make flashcards.
Plant flowers in your yard to help support the bees, very important pollinators.
Make a mason bee house to put up outdoors.
Preschoolers can work on fine motor skills by transferring “pollen” (yellow pom poms) from one flower (colorful bowl) to another with tongs.
Research all the products we get from bees.
Give your child a bee themed writing prompt for handwriting, creative writing, and grammar practice such as “ What if there were no bees?” or “ The day I turned into a bee…”.