This week we’re moving into what is now North Dakota. President Jefferson tasked Lewis with recording information about the plants he found, but also with collecting samples. Lewis collected more than 150 plant specimens/samples on their journey. Though they weren’t the first to discover these plants, they were the first to document them for science.
Reading
Read this piece about plants and animals the expedition documented on the Montana Kids website or read about it in a Lewis & Clark book.
Print Week Six Activities here
Expedition Exploration & Writing
- Collect plant specimens from your garden or yard. Make your own plant press or press them in a book.
- Take a trip to a botanical garden or arboretum near you. Bring your Lewis & Clark journal. Write down and sketch your favorites. How many are new to you?
My son decided to make his own plant press for this week’s activity. You can find the directions we used on our Lewis & Clark Pinterest board. He enjoyed making the press and pressing the flowers and leaves we cut from our garden plants, but he loved snipping the specimens…a little too much. I’m lucky there are any flowers left in my garden! We’re still letting them dry for a few more days before we open up our homemade plant press to see how our specimens turn out.
I hope you and your children have as much fun as we did doing this week’s activities. See you on the trail!
Leave a Reply