DIY Homeschooler

Kit Carson was a frontiersman, explorer, and guide who became a key figure in the United States’ Westward Expansion.

Read the current chapter online: “Kit Carson and the Bears”

Suggestions

• Map the following (you’ll find mapping resources below):
  • Kentucky (where Kit Carson was born)
  • Boone’s Lick, Missouri (where Kit Carson grew up)
  • New Mexico (where Kit Carson set up his hunting and trapping base)
• Make a list of the characteristics of Kit Carson that the author gives to show that he was a “trailblazer” — one of those men who “discover new regions.”  (See resources below for a fun way to do this.)
• How did those men who lived in newly discovered lands get meat for supper?  Why?
• Learn more about elk.
• Make an elk notebook page.
• The bears that “wanted some meat for supper, too” were grizzly bears.  Learn more about grizzly bears.
• Make a grizzly bear notebook page.
• Tell the story of Kit Carson and the bears.

Further Investigation

Kit Carson: American Explorer
Simple biography for younger students at EnchantedLearning.com.

Kit Carson
Biography from PBS.

Timeline of Kit Carson’s Life
From Kit Carson Home & Museum.

Activities

Kentucky Map/Quiz Printout
At EnchantedLearning.com.

Missouri Map/Quiz Printout
At EnchantedLearning.com.

New Mexico Map/Quiz Printout
At EnchantedLearning.com.

Interactive Map Maker {Free}
Make your own maps.

Trading Card Creator
Interactive at ReadWriteThink.org that can be used as fun way to make a list of the characteristics of Kit Carson mentioned by the author as suggested above.

Books

Christopher Carson, Familiarly Known as Kit Carson by John S. C. Abbott
Public domain biography.  Recounts the grizzly bear tale beginning on pg. 117.

Kit Carson Days by Edwin L. Sabin
Public domain biography from an often-recommended author.

The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson: From Facts Narrated by Himself
Authorized biography in the public domain.  Includes interestingly embellished account of the grizzly bear event beginning on the bottom of pg. 81.

Unit Studies & Lesson Plans

The Oregon Trail: A Unit Study
Our own unit study covering the life and times of those who blazed the trail.

Westward Expansion
More unit studies covering the move west.

Printables & Notebooking Pages

United States Map
EduPlace.com map for locating Kentucky, Missouri, and New Mexico.

Missouri State Map
Map for locating Boone’sLick.

Drawing & Writing Notebooking Paper {Free Download}
For creating elk and grizzly bear notebooking pages.

Animal Facts Sheet
Free printable from HomeschoolNotebooking.com for another option.

Kit Carson Notebooking Pages
Simple pages for copywork, narrations, or wrapping up.

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Enjoy the complete series: