"Journey of a Pioneer" by Patricia J. Murphy This book follows a young girls diary across the Oregon Trail. This is an Easy Reader book, and is wonderful for beginners. |
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| Pioneer Quill Pen |
- Feather
- Ink
- Paper
- Scissors
- If you don't have pen
ink, consider using
water with food
coloring, or even
watered down finger
paints.
- Why did families travel the Oregon Trail?
- Was it hard to leave other family members
and relatives behind? - How did the pioneers keep in contact with
their loved ones? - Talk with children about the different books
of the bible that were written as personal
letters or letters to new churches.
| Step 1 Choosing a feather: You'll need a large feather, one that has a hollow center so that you can draw the ink up into the middle. |
| Step 2 Cut the end off of the feather at a slant. You'll want to end up with a pointy tip (sort of like a calligraphy pen) |
| Step 3 Then cut a small vertical slit up into the tip of the pen (again, like a calligraphy pen). This will help the feather draw up and hold the ink for writing. |
| Step 4 Dip the end of your quill pen into the ink well. (You can use any kind of watered down finger paint, watercolors, or food coloring in water. We had some ink left over from a Japanese art class I took in college. |
| Step 5 After you dip the feather in the ink, it should hold enough to draw with. You'll have to re-dip every couple of marks. |
| All Done Encourage children to pretend they're on the Oregon Trail, and write a letter back home to a loved one. Smaller children can make Trail Maps, have them draw the in all the paths, then wrinkle up the sheet to make it look old. |
