As we approach the end of winter, the close of another school year is not far ahead.  California’s 5th grade students have studied the United State’s early years and the colonization of America.  Any ideas for an assembly or activities to tie it all together?Lewis Events, based in Southern California, offers on- site school field trips and assemblies that bring the colonial era to life for students.  Assemblies can be provided throughout California and beyond.  Delivering the excitement to the campus saves money, eliminates transportation time, provides a safer activity and allows the school more flexibilty in the experience. The  program is designed to meet the needs of specific schools, depending on the amount of students, time frame and budget.  Most schools choose to host both the presentation as well as the student hands-on activities, where students rotate as small groups from one project station to another.

The assembly is presented by talent dressed in period wardrobe and touches on points such as the mindset of the colonists, daily life on the frontier, noteable individuals, westward expansion, Lewis and Clark expedition and includes students in the presentation.The student’s hands-on experiences include activities such as:  virtual cow milking, butter churning, candle dipping, frontier survival skills, weaving, ink quill writing, colonial games and toys, Johnny cakes, relay races and a host of others.Usually by the end of the rotations, the students have had a great time with the activities and are ready for a good rest.  Some schools choose to finish the experience by serving a colonial style lunch for all the hungry colonists.  Menu suggestions might include, chicken, biscuits, baked beans and corn served in a pie tin.What better way to finish off the 5th grade year than by allowing the students the exciting and unique opportunity to live as a colonist even if it’s just for a day.

You can contact Lewis Events by phone at 626-536-8091 or by email at info@LewisEvents.com to see how the program can work for you on your campus.  Contact can also be made through this website.  We look forward to assisting you in creating the most exciting and memorable Colonial history day ever!  Contact us today, even if it’s just to gather ideas for you to put on your own exciting event.

The school year is flying past.  And if it hasn’t already been done, it’s time to decide what to do this year for the 4th grade’s grand finale.  A year of California history and the gold rush deserve  a big finish.

Questions . . .

So, do we load the students on buses and take them off campus for a few hours of activities?  Is it worth the cost for the location and the transportation?    Is the travel time worth the hours spent on the bus?  Are we locked into a location’s program? Will be be sharing the space with other schools?

or . . . .

Do we host an on-campus event?  Is it economical, safer and more productive from a time saving standpoint?  Does it gives the students more time for activities and learning? 

Bringing the experience to the campus as an on-campus field trip is becoming the popular choice for many districts and schools.  The activity can be planned, organized and carried out by the staff and parents, but it takes a fair amount of effort.  Or it can be brought to the school by an outside source.  This option is more economical than taking the students off-campus, and easier than doing it yourself.  On-campus programs are designed to be flexible to meet the specific needs of the particular school and offer a host of other advantages.

Lewis Events, offers a 4th grade California History program that focuses on the Gold Rush era.  The program generally begins with an assembly that covers topics such as: Merchants versus prospector’s success, types of mining and tools, western trick roping performance, brief historical overview, student participation, props and all presenters in historical wardrobe.  Assemblies can be held indoors or outdoors.

In addition to the assembly, students also have the opportunity to rotate among a variety of exciting hands-on activities. These experiences may include:  Gold panning, virtual calf roping, ink quill writing, rope making, frontier photo scene,  trick roping, old time games, square and social dancing and leather crafting, all in a setting accented with unique western decor.  Lewis Events works with educators to determine the  rotation choices, schedule and appropriate number of activities for the amount of students.

Occasionally, schools choose to add to the program utilizing their own resources. Schools have put on frontier style lunches serving fried chicken, biscuits, baked beans, corn on the cob and cobbler all served on a tin plate.  One school awarded points based on how many rotations each student visited.  The points were cashed in for prizes of varying value at a general store.  

Give us a call or email us at Lewis Events and we’d be happy to talk to you about your assembly and activity ideas.  Whether you bring us to campus for a program or just need some ideas to do it yourself we’d love to hear from you.  Call us at 626-536-8091 or email us at “info@LewisEvents.com”.  You can also contact us through this website.

Happy trails!