Lewis & Clark Games

Create a maze game using events from the Lewis and Clark expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition from 1804 to 1806 was a turning point for the United States. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark charted western territories and helped Americans comprehend the enormousness of the continent on which they were building a nation. Games give children a sense of the journey, instill historical information and motivate them to learn because they're having fun.

Blaze a Trail

Any number of things happened to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, from losing supplies to hiring Sacagawea and her husband as interpreters and guides. Write several of the events, both good and bad, on index cards and hide them around the room, on the playground or in a park. The object is to have the children follow the journey of Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean by following the clues. A clue might read, "What female helped Lewis and Clark on their journey?" Provide two or three answers. Only one leads to the next viable clue. The others lead to dead ends. After a child sees a clue, that child must return it or hand it to the next child and move on until all end up at the last clue. Using similar clues, you can also design a board game with illustrations from the expedition. Dice move children along. and cards provide the clues.

Create a Maze

On paper, design a maze with obstacles and information about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Create your design with boxes and other items in the room. Add notes and arrows to lead the children through the maze. Include obstacles like "Lost your way, must go back to start" and "Sudden storm keeps you stranded in the mountains; don't move for two minutes." Divide children into teams and go through the maze two at a time. See which team reaches the Pacific first.

Puzzles and Codes

Divide children into even-numbered groups. Ask them to read about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Have each group create a secret coded message, along with the key to the code so it can be broken. The secret message must be in reference to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. One message might be "Reached Pacific Coast." With a simple letter substitution code of shifting the letters to the next one down the alphabet, children create their code: A=B, B=C and Z=A. The secret message would read in code: SFBDFE QBDJGJD DPBTU. Each group should create its own code. Groups switch messages and see who can first decipher the messages. Print illustrations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition on cardstock. Provide each child with an illustration and ask them to cut it into six to 12 pieces. Have the children switch illustration puzzles. At your "Go!" have them see who can put together the puzzles first.

Map It

Divide children into groups. Give each group a list of things that happened on the expedition and a map of that era. Have groups research their events and locate them on their maps. Ask them to indicate when on the journey they happened and the trail followed. The first group to correctly complete the tasks wins. On a contemporary map, ask children to locate where events happened to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

References

• "The New American Desk Encyclopedia"; Concord Reference Books; 1989
• PBS.org: Mapmaking
• The National Geographic: Go West Across America with Lewis and Clark