Boot Soup

Posted by Aubrey Lively | 0 comments

My kids don’t know it yet, but they’re about to freeze to death in the Cascade Mountains, and I’m thrilled because this afternoon, they laughed at me for being so insane as to load half my wagon with mule feed. Their exact words were, “No wonder you starved to death in the mountains.”

This deadly experience falls into a category of education theory called Problem-Based Learning, in which students discover facts by working through real-life problems themselves, and this one comes in a book called Easy Simulations Pioneers, a series which boasts several titles in American history, including one on the Revolutionary War. The book is intended to simulate the experience of American pioneers traveling west on the Oregon Trail. Students are supposed to form small groups of four to six, but my husband and I each took two roles and stayed up late, “lesson planning.” We spent over four hours on the trail, and on our third pioneer-life, we finally made it, living happily ever after on a farm in the Oregon territory.

First, each player–*ahem*–student chooses a role, ranging from farmer to doctor to blacksmith. There are six characters with different strengths, skills, and bank accounts. Everyone pools his money, and the first challenge begins: buying and equipping the wagon. The most spirited debate between my husband and me and between the kids and their grandparents was regarding whether to buy mules or oxen. Mules travel twice as fast but require mule feed, which takes up precious cargo space. Oxen are nearly half the price of mules and can be eaten in emergencies, but at half the pace, our kitchen “pioneers” might never make it!

To add dimension to our project, our parents are participating by phone. Granny is a hunter, Grand Dad is the doctor, and Grandma is a farmer. The kids call for consultation, which is interesting, since Granny grew up on a farm, and Grand Dad has had years of experience running his own business. He liked the savings offered by the oxen, but Granny was the only one to say, “Wait a minute. What’s the weather going to be like on this trail?” For the sake of coming winter, she said the mules would be the better choice.

It’s priceless to see grandparents brought into the heart of learning like this, to share their very real knowledge and experiences in ways that connect on both sides, to the child’s immediate experiences in school and to the grandparents’ precious handed-down stories.

Grand Dad said to bring two rifles, because it’s going to take a lot of game to feed seven people. The little one was worried about the economics; the big one—who chose the role of banker because of the heftier bank account and first asked, “How much money do you make on the Oregon Trail?”—very quickly gave up the idea of holding onto any cash at all. When we got to spare wagon parts, he stopped asking why and with a sigh that reminded me of my own grandfather simply said, “How much?”

I printed directions for building a covered wagon.  Then I googled images of all the “wagon supplies,” printed them, laminated them, and used Monopoly money to let the kids buy and fill their wagon. Each item is labeled with its price and weight on the back, but with seven people in their wagon train, price has mattered little to the kids so far. They’ve even got real silverware loaded in because, in the words of my seven-year-old, “What else are we going to use?” She’s not after luxury; just civility!

I also printed a map of the Oregon trail from the state’s website. I blew it up to about 22” by 33”, printed, and pieced it together, so we can track our progress along the way. Besides the math skills (yay!), cooperation, logic, reasoning, geography, and history they’re learning from this simulation, the kids are getting a chance to display what they’ve already learned from the books we’ve been reading about the period. My seven-year-old pointed out that pioneers boiled and ate their leather boots to keep from starving. “Why didn’t you do that, Mama?” Because…that’s not part of the game. Now pay attention!

My nine-year-old wants to know why he can’t take horses instead of mules or oxen. Because…they didn’t do that…horses…need too much grass…I think. No, he says, they did do that. “I read it in Little House on the Prairie.”

Now I find myself thinking, Why did we die in the Cascade Mountains? Sure, we were out of mule feed, but…couldn’t they eat anything else? What happens when your mules go hungry? How long do they last? Could we have made it without the donkeys? I just assumed that was game over (and went back and chose to brave the Columbia River rapids in my next pioneer life).

I do know firsthand, though, why great-great-grandma Neanderthal’s dresser couldn’t make the journey. Between that, the heat, bugs, cholera, hunting, and exhaustion…I think I’ll sit the Oregon Trail out until they invent airplanes!

Aubrey Lively is a homeschooling mother of four, ages 9, 7, 3, and 2. She has a BA in Literature and an MEd in Teaching and is currently surviving seminary with her husband of ten years. Visit Aubrey online at http://aubreylively.blogspot.com.