First, we had the girls make a simple paper bonnet and put it on.
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| This isn't exactly what we made, but it's close. We let the kids decorate them with markers before they did the folding. This one is found at Free Kids Crafts. |
I also gave them a bookmark from one of the patterns found here.
Then we had them choose a limited number of items from the many we had brought, and pack the wagons for the journey. After a "trek" through the halls of the church we settled down on a blanket for story time.
I read them the "journal" of a young girl crossing the plains. Part of each day's event was caused by whether they had the needed items. I made up the story, because I had not found the stories I wanted.
Here is a list of the items they could choose from:
A carry-on size suitcase representing all the food they would need, and another for clothing.
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Candle
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Handkerchief
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Scissors
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China
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Iron
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Scriptures, hymn book
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Clothing
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Jacket
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sewing kit
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Computer Mouse
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Jelly Jar
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Shoes
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Dish soap
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Jewelry
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Shovel
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Dishrags
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Locket
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silverware
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Dressy Scarf
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matches
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Sketch pad
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dutch oven
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Math Book
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Soap
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Extra Fabric
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Mugs
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Toothbrush/paste
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FancyTablecloths
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Notebook
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Towels
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First Aid Kit
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Notecards
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Towels
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Fish food
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Pencils
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Warm Scarf
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Flag
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Pictures
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watch
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food
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Pie plates
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Water
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Fun/easy books
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piece of wood
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Wrench
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Hairbrush
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Pillow
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Yarn
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Hammer
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Porcelain Doll
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Yoga Mat
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Out of those 50 items, they had to choose 20, plus the two suitcases. We had six girls, so I let them each choose 4, giving a little leeway. It was so fun to watch the process of choosing. We gave them a 5-minute time limit, and they hurriedly chose things, put them back, chose again, discussed it, and packed the wagon in that time.
Here is the story: (Don't try to make the dates fit a particular calendar year, okay?)
April 1
Tomorrow we start our big
journey, and Papa said I should write about it as I go along, since there won’t
be much time for school. It’s a good
thing I brought a notebook and some pencils.
(If you didn’t, hurry and get them.)
We are going to Zion. I’m not sure what that means, but I think it
means we will finally be safe. It’s so scary being chased out by mobs. We all worked hard to pack the wagon. It’s hard to get in everything we need. I wanted to bring Clarissa, my beautiful
doll, but there is just no room in the wagon, so Papa said I can only bring her
if I carry her all the way to Zion. I
guess I will leave her behind.
April 15
We were so excited to see
the river today that we ran ahead even though Papa and Mama told us to watch
out for snakes. I caught my dress on a bush and it tore right down the
side. Does Mama have her sewing kit and
some extra fabric?
If Yes: Mama helped me and I sewed up
the side of my dress. It looks kind of funny but Mama says we’ll all be in
patches by the time we get to Zion. Mama is working on a quilt during the times
she has to ride in the wagon.
If No: I had to pack away my dress and
wear my next-best dress. I didn't want to wear it so soon. I wanted to have two nice dresses when we get
to Zion. Now I’ll have only two at all,
one for every day and one for Sunday.
April 21
It’s Sunday. Back home I
thought Sundays were kind of boring sometimes, but I am glad for Sunday now.
I’m so tired I don’t think I can walk another step. We are stopping for the Sabbath. We get to
rest, and sing hymns, and I am so glad!
Do I have my scriptures and a hymn book?
If Yes: I liked listening to Papa read the scriptures today. He read about Lehi’s family traveling in the
wilderness. We are just like them, looking for our Promised Land.
If No: We all gathered as a large
group for church, and then the captain of our wagon train told us we could
relax for family time. We are supposed to be reading our scriptures, but in all
the hurry we forgot ours. I hope we
don’t forget the truth of the gospel by the time we get to Zion.
April 27
I’m glad we got to a river
early today. This one is really muddy along the banks, because it’s been
raining so much, and the wagons got stuck.
I wanted to help push them out, but Papa was afraid I would get hurt, so
I had to sit up on the wagon while the men and women pushed and pulled. Everyone is wet and tired. Do we have towels and soap?
If Yes: We all got to go down to a different spot in the river and take baths.
Usually we would just keep going on, but since tomorrow is the Sabbath, we get
to stop and rest a little early today. The shade of the trees from the river
will be nice for church tomorrow.
If No: We all got to go down to a
different spot in the river and take baths.
Since we don’t have towels and soap, we just get as clean as we can and
then we have to put our clothes on wet. We can’t wrap up in the blankets
because we need them dry to sleep in.
Sally Jones went right in the river in her clothes and then she had to
stay by the fire all evening to get warm. The rest of us got to dance and play.
May 3
Will it ever stop
raining? It seems like we are wet all
the time and our skin is about to peel off!
I had to start walking barefoot because my shoes are giving me blisters,
but I stepped on a sharp rock and cut my foot.
Do we have a first-aid kit?
If Yes: Mama cleaned it off and wrapped it in a clean bandage. I have to wear my shoes and socks until they
wear clear out.
If No: Mama had to tear a piece out of my old dress to wrap up my foot. It’s not as clean as it should be, so we are
praying that it doesn't get infected.
May 14
The grass is so tall that
Papa can’t see us when we walk through it.
I have to stay behind the wagon where grass is knocked down. There’s nothing to see but the wagon and the
grass. I feel like I have walked
forever. We have to watch out for
buffalo chips along the way because there is no firewood anywhere out
here. When we get to our campsite, we
have to knock down the grass and dig out a place for a campfire where it won’t
spread. Do we have a shovel? Matches?
If Yes: It was so lovely having a good
dinner, cooked over a small fire. The grass burns for a fire starter but it
won’t keep it going, so we had to use those horrible buffalo chips.
If No: Dinner was dried food tonight, with a little bit of water.
May 24
Ants got into the flour,
so we had to pick them all out. It took a long time to get enough for dinner. I
hate to think of bugs crawling into our food, but I was hungry. Mama says she will soak some beans for
tomorrow, and add a little bit of salt pork.
Do we have a Dutch Oven?
If yes, we can soak the beans all night and then cook them slowly tomorrow, and
have a good Sunday dinner.
If no, we can still have beans but they will be much harder because they
couldn’t cook as long in a kettle as they would in the Dutch Oven.
Do we have pie plates, silverware, and
cups?
If yes: I carried my plate off to sit under a tree with Sally Jones. It’s so nice to have a friend.
If no: My family all gathers around the pot of beans and shares a spoon,
eating right out of the pot.
June 10
We are in Wyoming now and
there are mountains and brush and rocks to see—and to slow us down—but not as
many rivers. Did we bring more than one water?
If Yes: We’re going to be okay. We see
trees ahead and we can refill our extra barrel there.
If No: We have to ration out our water now.
I am so thirsty but I can’t have a drink for a while. There’s no such thing as a bath out here in
this wild territory. We’re going to be filthy when we get to Zion.
June 24
Some of the oxen are sick.
We all have to get rid of extra things and double up our wagons. Papa said we can keep one extra set of
clothes but everything else has to be dumped out along the trail. My beautiful
dress that I was saving for Zion is gone!
So is Mama’s iron, her china, and anything else we don’t absolutely have
to have. Papa said I can keep my locket
but I will have to wear it all the time.
We are sharing a wagon with the Jones family, and Sally doesn't even
have a locket. Do I have my locket?
If Yes: Put it on Sister _______ (I had them put it on me so it wouldn't get lost)
If No: I lost my locket way back in Nebraska when I was playing tag with Sally
and some of the other children. I wasn't
supposed to be wearing it, but I wanted to show Sally. It got pulled off and I
couldn't find it anywhere. I didn't even tell the grownups because Mama was
crying and Papa was working hard to find firewood.
June 27
Sister Tucker died
today. Do we have a tablecloth?
If Yes: Mama gave her best tablecloth to wrap Sister Tucker in and the men
buried her beside the trail. We sang
Come, Come Ye Saints. It doesn't seem
like a happy day, but Mama says she is with Heavenly Father now.
If No, do we
have the fabric and sewing kit?
If yes: Mama gave the new quilt she is making to wrap Sister Tucker in and the
men buried her beside the trail. We sang
Come, Come Ye Saints. It doesn't seem
like a happy day, but Mama says she is with Heavenly Father now.
If no: The men had to bury Sister Tucker in nothing but her clothes. We sang
Come, Come Ye Saints. It doesn't seem
like a happy day, but Mama says she is with Heavenly Father now.
July 4
It is Independence Day, a
holiday for the United States to celebrate freedom. I don’t even know if we are part of the
United States any more. Do we have a
flag?
If yes: we do have a small flag. Papa
brought it because he said it stands for the freedom we hope to always have. We
put it on the side of the wagon and have a big bonfire to celebrate the day. He
says even if we got driven out, we will have freedom in Zion.
If No: We just go on as usual for this
day.
July 17
We are traveling through
mountains. With all the weight in one wagon, the oxen got tired very quickly going
up the hill. The wagon broke down
because it hit a rock and Papa and Brother Jones had to repair it. Do we have a
hammer?
If Yes: Papa and Brother Jones quickly
repaired the wagon and we moved on.
If No: The whole wagon train had to stop so Papa could find tools and fix the
wagon. Captain Nielson is not happy with
us. We are all anxious to get to Zion. We are so close.
July 24
The Saints in Salt Lake
City are celebrating the day Brigham Young first got to Zion. I wish we were there already!
August 17
We are going downhill
through the mountains today and we can see the city in the distance. It is cold
up here. Do we have extra blankets?
If yes, we all wrap up in blankets and keep walking along.
If no, we stopped early to build a big fire.
It’s just too cold to keep going.
We’re so close and now we have to wait.
August 22
As we keep going down, it
gets warmer. It is hard to keep the oxen from going to fast. Papa needs to
shore up the wagon tongue. Do we have wood?
If yes: Papa doubles up the wood on the wagon tongue.
If no: We have to figure out three more things to toss out of the wagon if we
are going to make it to Salt Lake City.
Papa says the wagon is just too heavy for the oxen. We are all walking except baby Moroni. Eliza is just too little and I have to carry
her part way. She is heavy. Mama is carrying Peter.
August 24
Zion at last! It doesn't look like much of a city, but it
is our own space! We are staying for a
little while with the Singleton family until Papa gets assigned where to
build. It is crowded but I was so glad
to get a bath, a real hot bath in a washtub, with real soap! Tomorrow we will go to church with the
Saints. Oh how happy I am to be here in Zion at last!
