{"id":1133,"date":"2025-07-27T03:46:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T03:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discover.hubpages.com\/education\/California-Gold-Rush-Lesson"},"modified":"2025-07-27T03:46:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T03:46:30","slug":"california-gold-rush-pony-express-hands-on-lesson-plan-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/?p=1133","title":{"rendered":"California Gold Rush &amp; Pony Express Hands-on Lesson Plan for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><time datetime=\"2025-07-26T23:46:30-04:00\" title=\"Jul 26, 2025\">Jul 26, 2025<\/time><br \/><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"California Gold Rush &amp; Pony Express Lesson for Kids\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/2b69eb4974d7669d55beb288989ebbdf.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>California Gold Rush &amp; Pony Express Lesson for Kids<\/p>\n<p>This is the 21st lesson in a series of 27 hands-on lessons covering U.S. American History through 1865. This lesson focuses on the California Gold Rush &amp; the Pony Express. I used this plan while teaching a 45 minute history class for children in Kindergarten, 1st, &amp; 2nd grades. Each lesson includes a biography report, history notebook page, history song, our favorite children&#8217;s books, YouTube video, a history joke, &amp; a variety of hands-on activities to make each lesson engaging &amp; memorable. Use these fun lessons with your classroom, homeschool, after-school program, or co-op!<\/p>\n<h2>Student Biography Presentation: Levi Strauss<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Student biography presentation on Levi Strauss\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/8ffc8ea0b9ce761d8dda93c939a22327.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Student biography presentation on Levi Strauss<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Student biography presentation on Levi Strauss<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Review &amp; Presidents Song<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Review: Name the 3 branches of government our Founding Fathers described in the Constitution. (legislative, executive, judicial) Lewis &amp; Clark and Sacajawea explored what territory? (Louisiana Purchase) Who had made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803? (Thomas Jefferson) During the War of 1812, James Madison declared war on which country? (England) What did the Monroe Doctrine say? (Europe must stay out of America) What was the Trail of Tears? (President Andrew Jackson forced the Cherokee to leave their homes &amp; move West) What trail did many pioneers take to travel out West? (Oregon Trail) Which 2 groups were fighting during the Battle of the Alamo? (Mexicans &amp; Texans) Why was the Battle of the Alamo important? (It inspired others to fight harder for Texas Independence from Mexico)<\/li>\n<ul>\n<li>Now let&#8217;s go through all the Presidents. Sing through the entire song 2 times while either showing the video or flipping through pictures of the Presidents. (Be sure to add in &#8220;Donald Trump&#8221; at the end.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Screen to show the below video or a book showing Presidents or point to their pictures on a President place mat<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>California Gold Rush<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Have each child locate Oregon, Texas, &amp; California on a map of the United States.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>You will need per child:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>map of the United States with state outlines<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Summarize the main events of the California while flipping through the pages of <em>Gold Fever!: Tales from the California Gold Rush<\/em> by Rosalyn Schanzer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You will need:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Gold Fever!: Tales from the California Gold Rush<\/em> by Rosalyn Schanzer or other book on the California Gold Rush<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Panning for Gold<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt='Panning for \"gold\"' src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/fcf28226e53ed68cc2366ccb578e92b7.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Panning for &#8220;gold&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt='Panning for gold colored rocks in a \"claim\" (dishpan)' src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/5a21e9ae68b0ffabc66a1bcc7953d83a.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Panning for gold colored rocks in a &#8220;claim&#8221; (dishpan)<\/p>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt='Showing off \"gold\" (rocks and pebbles spray-painted gold)' src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/ac62308c972030cb8a9e39c1cf8f72ed.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Showing off &#8220;gold&#8221; (rocks and pebbles spray-painted gold)<\/p>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt='Showing off their \"gold\" (gold colored glass beads)' src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/db9aed4c01dbf03d784ce2dda71ed71a.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Showing off their &#8220;gold&#8221; (gold colored glass beads)<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Pan for &#8220;gold&#8221; outside<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prep:<\/strong> Ahead of time I placed multiple plastic dishpans outside. I tossed in some &#8220;gold&#8221; (rocks spray-painted gold or amber colored glass beads), scooped in some dirt (to hide the &#8220;gold&#8221;), and filled them with water. I had a metal pie pan for each child or group.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>The children got to take turns at the &#8220;claim&#8221; (plastic dish pan) &amp; use their gold pan for getting a big scoop from &#8220;the bottom of the river.&#8221;<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>They could then swirl around the water or just pick out any pieces they found. I made sure everyone was able to get at few pieces.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Afterward we washed off our hands &amp; the &#8220;gold.&#8221; I let them keep their &#8220;gold.&#8221;<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>plastic dishpan or tub<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>sand or dirt<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>&#8220;gold nuggets&#8221; (pebbles &amp; rocks spray-painted gold or amber-colored glass beads found in the fake floral department at Walmart)<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>metal pie-plates (or use large disposable soup bowls)<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>water source<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>plastic baggies for children to hold their gold<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>towels<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Levi Strauss jeans<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Levi Strauss jeans\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/d3ccffc02f00349b90d85e05ba4db244.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Levi Strauss jeans<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Before everyone sits down, have all the children line up in a straight line facing the person in front of them. Tell them to raise their hand if the person in front of them is wearing jeans. Then tell them to keep their hand raised if the person in front of them in wearing Levi jeans. [If no one is wearing a pair of Levis, show a pair you brought &amp; point out what is on the tag.]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>Tell them to imagine if they had to do gold panning like that every single day&#8230;next to an actual river. They&#8217;d get pretty dirty wouldn&#8217;t they? Their clothing would wear out pretty quickly, wouldn&#8217;t it?<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>That&#8217;s how an entrepreneur, Levi Strauss, came up with the great idea of creating pants that would last longer. He helped create jeans because of the gold rush. Some people struck it rich from finding gold. Levi Strauss stuck it rich by selling jeans to them. They were blue to hide stains and they added copper rivets so the pockets wouldn&#8217;t rip as easily. His business is still in existence today.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>You can thank the California Gold Rush &amp; Levi Strauss for your comfortable jeans!<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a pair of Levis (jeans or jean shorts)<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Gold Rush Notebook Page<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"California Gold Rush Coloring Page from https:\/\/www.thoughtco .com\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/86f2870d0da4bb0c8dd6812483a907b2.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>California Gold Rush Coloring Page from https:\/\/www.thoughtco .com<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Allow children to color some of the Gold Rush Coloring Page. As they color, be sure to point out &amp; briefly the various types of methods for finding gold: panning, slue, &amp; pick ax. Also point out that even though the coloring page has a woman, very few women were out on the gold mining field.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>You will need per child:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/california-printables-1833906?utm_source=pinterest&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons_nip\">Gold Rush Coloring Page<\/a> (the one pictured above), punched with 3 hole punch<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Student supplies: crayons<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Gold vs. Fool&#8217;s Gold<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gold vs. pyrite (fool's gold)\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/b8e1cc0021b47f71e779f2b2915a4e71.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gold vs. pyrite (fool&#8217;s gold)<\/p>\n<p>9. <em>(Optional &#8211; if you have pyrite\/fool&#8217;s gold)<\/em> As children continue to color, quickly discuss the differences between gold and pyrite, also called fool&#8217;s gold.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Everything that looked like gold wasn&#8217;t gold. Many times minors would find iron pyrite and think it was gold. They were so disappointed when they realized it wasn&#8217;t gold, so they referred to it as &#8220;fool&#8217;s gold.&#8221;<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>[Pass around samples of gold &amp; pyrite if you have them.]<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Can anyone see some differences? 1. Pyrite has sharper edges, &amp; gold has smoother edges. 2. Pyrite is harder &amp; can scratch copper (what pennies used to be made from). Gold is softer; copper will scratch it. (They had to be careful with this test as they didn&#8217;t want to scratch up a nice gold nugget.) 3. When you scratch both on a piece of porcelain (a streak test), pyrite will leave a greenish-black powder. Gold will leave yellow gold powder. 4. Gold sparkles &amp; shines. Pyrite only sparkles &amp; shines if you hold it in the light a certain way.<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>samples of gold and pyrite (You can get a vial of gold flakes from amazon .com or ebay you can just use your wedding ring.)<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Pony Express<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>As the children continue to color, tell them that the men who headed out to California to find gold wanted to stay in contact with their families, many of whom were living thousands of miles away.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>They did not have phones, emails, or text messaging back them. How do you think they communicated with each other? [Let some children guess.]<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>They had to write letters. Someone had to deliver those letters.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>For 1 1\/2 years those letters were delivered by the Pony Express.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>[Have the children put away their crayons &amp; put their coloring sheets in their history notebooks.]<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Read <em>Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express<\/em> (I Can Read Level 3) by Eleanor Coerr.<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express<\/em> (I Can Read Level 3) by Eleanor Coerr or other book on the Pony Express<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Pony Express Relay Race &amp; Review<\/h2>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Pony Express Relay Race\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/75ea33966544989e2069dd304b46145d.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Pony Express Relay Race<\/p>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"california-gold-rush-lesson\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/33fb770795547e778e8d75185498d886.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go outside to do a Pony Express Relay Race.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>Space out the children so that they are about 20 feet from each other (or longer if you have older children). These spots will be the changeover stations where a fresh \u201crider\u201d will be to receive the &#8220;mochila&#8221; mailbag and take it on the next leg of the journey.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Give the first person the mochila (a purse with envelopes of mail inside) and have them &#8220;ride&#8221; a stick horse or do a horse gallop it the next person, who will continue on with the mochila to the next person, and so on.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>After each person has delivered the mochila, they should wait at their &#8220;station&#8221; to rest because they will eventually be delivering the mail coming from California to St. Louis.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>If you have a large group of children, you can divide the children into 2 or more teams and have them race. They will go opposite directions (east to west and west to east) because the Pony Express had riders going both directions.<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>purse to act as the mochila<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>envelopes or junk mail to add to the mochila<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>stick horses, sticks, &amp; brooms (optional &#8211; kids can just horse trot if you don&#8217;t have these)<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Go back inside to review. In 1948, what did they discover in California? (gold) Lots of men headed West to find gold. What do we call this? (California Gold Rush) What is one way they looked for gold? (panning, slue, pick ax) Who created jeans for the gold miners? (Levi Strauss) What is one way mail was delivered between the gold miners and their families living in the East? (Pony Express) Tell me something you learned about the Pony Express.<\/li>\n<ul>\n<li>Assign next week&#8217;s biography report on Eli Whitney.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ol>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>A Book to Read Each Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Striking It Rich: Ready-To-Read Level 3: The Story Of The California Gold Rush by Stephen Krensky\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/02922512eaa651a183c170a13c7bb133.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Levi Strauss and Blue Jeans (Inventions and Discovery) by Nathan Olson\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/d109377abc153d3ad0a3069ef5f1632b.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"John Sutter and the California Gold Rush (Graphic History) by Matt Doeden\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTc2MjYwODg4NTIwMTA3MTgx\/california-gold-rush-lesson.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gold! Gold from the American River!: January 24, 1848: The Day the Gold Rush Began (Actual Times) by Don Brown\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTc2MjYwODg4NTE5OTc2MTA5\/california-gold-rush-lesson.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Off Like the Wind!: The First Ride of the Pony Express by Michael P. Spradlin\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTc2MjYwODg4NTIwMTcyNzE3\/california-gold-rush-lesson.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"They're Off! : The Story of the Pony Express by Cheryl Harness\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTc2MjYwODg4NTIwMjM4MjUz\/california-gold-rush-lesson.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pony Express Rider!: A Dusty, Thankless Job You'd Rather Not Do by Tom Ratliff\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTc2MjYwODg4NTE5Nzc5NTAx\/california-gold-rush-lesson.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Striking It Rich: Ready-To-Read Level 3: The Story Of The California Gold Rush by Stephen Krensky<\/p>\n<p>1 \/ 7<\/p>\n<p>We read through a huge stack of books. In addition to the 2 books used in this lesson, these were our top 7 favorites:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0689808046\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">Striking It Rich: The Story Of The California Gold Rush<\/a>(Ready-To-Read Level 3) by Stephen Krensky<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0736896465\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">Levi Strauss and Blue Jeans <\/a>(Inventions and Discovery) by Nathan Olson<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0736862072\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">John Sutter and the California Gold Rush<\/a> (Graphic History) by Matt Doeden<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1596432233\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">Gold! Gold from the American River!: January 24, 1848: The Day the Gold Rush Began <\/a>(Actual Times) by Don Brown<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0802796524\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">Off Like the Wind!: The First Ride of the Pony Express<\/a> by Michael P. Spradlin<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0689851219\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">They&#8217;re Off! : The Story of the Pony Express<\/a> by Cheryl Harness<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0531209474\/?tag=hubacct7155-20\">You Wouldn&#8217;t Want to Be a Pony Express Rider!: A Dusty, Thankless Job You&#8217;d Rather Not Do <\/a>by Tom Ratliff<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>America the Story of Us: Gold Rush (History Channel)<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Joke: Even though they tried, men were not always able to find gold in California. Where can YOU always find gold?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>In the dictionary!<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for all of my American History Lessons?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>(Links to my middle school level<\/p>\n<p>American History lessons can be found at https:\/\/hubpages.com\/education\/ColonialismWeeks3-8 .)<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>AMERICAN HISTORY FOR EARLY ELEMENTARY:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-Indians-and-Columbus\">Native Americans &amp; Columbus Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Jamestown-Lesson-for-Kids\">Jamestown Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Pilgrims-Lesson-for-Kids\">Pilgrims Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/13-Colonies-Lesson\">Thirteen Colonies Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/French-and-Indian-War-Lesson\">French and Indian War Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-Colonial-Period\">Colonial Period &amp; Revolution Rumblings Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Boston-Massacre-and-Boston-Tea-Party\">Boston Massacre &amp; Boston Tea Party Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Declaration-of-Independence-Lesson\">First Shots &amp; Declaration of Independence Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-War-for-Independence-Battles\">American War for Independence Battles Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Valley-Forge-Lesson\">Valley Forge &amp; Battle of Yorktown Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-War-for-Independence-Review\">American Literature Lesson &amp; American War for Independence Review<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Colonial-Christmas-Party-for-Kids\">Colonial Christmas Party<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Constitution-Lesson\">Constitution Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Branches-of-Government\">Three Branches of Government Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/President-George-Washington-Lesson\">President George Washington Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Jefferson-and-Louisiana-Purchase-Lesson\">Louisiana Purchase Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/War-of-1812-Lesson\">War of 1812 Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Monroe-Doctrine-Lesson-for-Kids\">Monroe Doctrine Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Andrew-Jackson-and-Indian-Removal-Act-Lesson\">Trail of Tears Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Oregon-Trail-and-Alamo-Lesson\">Oregon Trail &amp; Battle of Alamo Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/California-Gold-Rush-Lesson\">California Gold Rush &amp; Pony Express Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-Industrial-Revolution-Lesson\">American Industrial Revolution Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Underground-Railroad-Lesson\">Underground Railroad Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Abolitionists-and-Suffragists-Lesson\">Abolitionists &amp; Women Suffragists Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Civil-War-Lesson\">Civil War: The Confederate States &amp; Abraham Lincoln Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Civil-War-Battles-Lesson\">Civil War Battles Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/US-History-End-of-Year-Party\">Civil War Party &amp; End of Year Review Game<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS LESSONS<\/strong> (if you have room for a few extra classes):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/reconstruction-lesson-plan-for-children\">Reconstruction Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/wild-west-lesson-plan\">Wild West Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/immigrants-lesson-plan\">Immigrants Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/tycoons-and-theodore-roosevelt-lesson\">Tycoons &amp; Theodore Roosevelt Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/world-war-i-lesson\">World War I Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/roaring-twenties-lesson\">Roaring Twenties Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/great-depression-and-new-deal-lesson\">Great Depression and the 1930s Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/world-war-ii-lesson\">World War II Lesson<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>ALL MY LESSONS:<\/strong><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/fun-hands-on-unit-studies\">Fun, Free Hands-on Unit Studies (My Lessons in All Subjects)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a9 2018 Shannon<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Comments<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Shannon (author)<\/strong> from Florida on August 09, 2018:<\/p>\n<p>Thank you so much!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Liz Westwood<\/strong> from UK on August 09, 2018:<\/p>\n<p>This is another interesting lesson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jul 26, 2025 California Gold Rush &amp; Pony Express Lesson for Kids This is the 21st lesson in a series of 27 hands-on lessons covering U.S. American History through 1865. This lesson focuses on the California Gold Rush &amp; the Pony Express. I used this plan while teaching a 45 minute history class for children [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1133\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}