Reliving the Underground Railroad
Your Black History Month plans wouldn't be complete without a lesson on the Underground Railroad. For your preschoolers who may not fully connect with the concept - afterall, as its name might suggest, it is neither underground nor a physical set of tracks - Tricia over at Adventures in Mommydom suggests a more hands-on approach.
Can you imagine how terrifying it would have been to set out on the journey to freedom? While they were leaving behind a terrible situation, they were still leaving behind everything they had ever known - risking their lives, setting out on a journey that had no set route, and putting an immense amount of trust in their partners in the Underground Railroad to help to keep them safe. Not to mention, the anxiety they must have had about forging a new life.
Tricia suggests helping your students understand the gravity of the slaves' situation by having them relive it. Selecting a location that her kiddos were familiar with {but had never had to find their way to on their own}, Tricia provided her students with verbal directions and a map, then divided them into two groups and set them loose, encouraging them to work together to find their way to the selected meeting location. {Each group was supervised, of course!}
To read about how her students did and the lessons that they learned along the way, be sure to visit Adventures in Mommydom! While it may be a bit more challenging to set up this activity at school, we think it would offer a valuable lesson and a great way to connect with history!
Related Blog Posts
View More9 Fun Winter Sensory Activities!
Sensory play is a fun component of the preschool classroom and we found some fun activities from ...
Read MoreSight Word Sundaes: Fun Literacy Activities for...
Looking for a fun way to review sight words this summer? Try having your kinders construct sight ...
Read More40 Christmas Word Wall Words
This set of 40 Christmas word wall words is perfect to use in your literacy center, as a matching...
Read MoreFall Leaf Counting Activity for Kids Numbers 1-10!
We have taken our previous post and re-vamped it into a free, printable activity! This activity...
Read MoreEarth Day Experiment - Can You Undo Water Pollu...
Photo Source: gironlife.blogspot.com Visual demonstrations and hands on experiments offer fanta...
Read More30 Winter Word Wall Words
This set of 30 winter word wall words is perfect to use in your literacy center, as a matching ga...
Read MoreSt. Patrick's Day Poetry & Anchor Chart Fun!
Centered around such mischievous and whimsical characters, St. Patrick's Day offers a lovely oppo...
Read MoreLOTS of Fun with M&Ms!
What preschooler doesn't like M&Ms?! Use this to your advantage with these super fun activiti...
Read MorePrintable Easter Measuring Activity
This fun, festive printable is a great way to provide your kiddos with a little non-standard meas...
Read MoreB is for... - Literacy Center Craftivity
{Your kiddos will have an easier time learning their letters and making phonetic connections when...
Read MoreA is for... - Literacy Center Craftivity
Your kiddos will have an easier time learning their letters and making phonetic connections when ...
Read MoreFox in Socks
Fox in Socks is so much fun and, if you decide to add this book of tongue tanglers into your cele...
Read MoreGreen Eggs and Ham
Can Sam-I-Am convince you and your kiddos that green eggs and ham is a delicious meal that can be...
Read MoreCrocodile Snap! Alphabet Game for Kids
Photo Source: Growing Kinders Add excitement to letter practice with this super cute Crocodile ...
Read MoreThe Mitten by Jan Brett
Photo Source: janbrett.com What would winter be without warm, cozy mittens? In her distinct sty...
Read More"I Am Unique!" Back-To-School Activity
Photo Source: www.gettingmessywithmsjessi.com If you're planning an "All About Me" unit to kick...
Read MoreCelebrating Dr. Seuss
Photo Source: whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com Celebrate Reading Across America with the whimsi...
Read More"What's the Weather?" Printable Matching Worksheet
Help your preschoolers and kindergartners learn about the different kinds of weather with this ...
Read More5 Fun Counting Activities for Spring!
Looking to update your math centers for spring? Here are 5 fun counting activities you might cons...
Read MoreThe Foot Book
The Foot Book is a Seuss classic and a great book to include in your Read Across America/Seuss bi...
Read More"I Like Me" Mirrors
Photo Source: aplacecalledkindergarten.blogspot.com This activity from Mrs. Bell at A Place Cal...
Read MoreFall Science - Investigating Pumpkins
Photo Source: thegoodlife-lindsay.blogspot.com A fabulous science exploration for the fall seas...
Read MoreFun with Cloud Jars!
Photo Source: teachpreschool.org We've seen these 'cloud jars' all over Pinterest and around th...
Read MoreLearning About Hot & Cold
Photo Source: FileFolderFun.com We found this simple science lesson at I Can Teach My Child! - ...
Read MoreBugs, Bugs, Bugs!
As a time of renewal and new life, along with the flowers and budding trees, spring is also a gre...
Read MoreOne Fish, Two Fish! - Dr. Seuss Printable Count...
A great addition to your math center plans for Read Across America, this printable exercise will...
Read MoreThanksgiving Math Center - Pumpkin Pie Counting
Photo Source: mamabeefromthehive.blogspot.com In honor of Thanksgiving, we thought this pie cou...
Read MoreLadybug Math Center
Photo Source: teaching-montessori.blogspot.com Photo Source: teaching-montessori.blogspot.com ...
Read More13 Sensational Spring Sensory Bins!
We just love sensory bins! They create a fabulous opportunity for exploring and learning through ...
Read MoreClassroom Games - Walking the Line & Pom Pom Ra...
Photo Source: handsonaswegrow.com Here's another cute end-of-the-year activity from Jamie over ...
Read More5 Sequencing/Retelling Activities for "The Mitten"
Your winter lesson plans just wouldn't be complete without Jan Brett's classic children's tale, "...
Read More30 Spring Word Wall Words
This set of 30 spring themed word wall words is perfect to use in your literacy center, as a matc...
Read MoreButterfly Life Cycle...In Noodles!
Photo Source: www.somewhatsimple.com Usually we reserve talk of life cycles and butterflies for...
Read MoreSelf-Portraits & All About Me Bookets
Photo Source: firstgraderatlast.blogspot.com Check out this super cute back-to-school activity ...
Read More4 Community Helper Early Childhood Activities!
Add to your community helper unit with these wonderful early childhood ideas featured by Jessi ov...
Read MoreThe Hungry Caterpillar Sequencing Activity
Photo Source: Creating & Teaching We are huge Eric Carle fans and love this fun sequencing ...
Read MoreCompleting a Leaf Report
Photo Source: littlegiraffes.com We found this adorable fall leaf report at Little Giraffes, a ...
Read MoreFirst Day of School Letter Activity
Since you'll likely be spending the first days of preschool getting your new preschoolers acquai...
Read MoreBlubber Glove - Winter Animals Science Experiment
Photo Source: www.mrsjumpsclass.com Here's a cute science experiment to do with your preschoole...
Read MoreMonster Alphabet Game
Photo Source: www.littlefamilyfun.com We just can't get over how cute this monster alphabet gam...
Read More