What made America’s early pioneers want to pull up stakes and embark on a perilous journey into the unknown West? Whatever the reasons, these settlers were hopeful and willing to take great risks to journey by wagon train across the prairie.

Every spring the fifth graders at Olney Elementary simulate this pioneer experience when they participate in Westward Ho! After studying about different transportation systems used to explore and expand the American western frontier, students transform childhood wagons into miniature prairie schooners, shop for supplies, research and prepare recipes, dress up as settlers, and hike from school across the surrounding countryside. Their destination is the Smith Center, an outdoor education facility, where they prepare a meal and share in an evening activity such as square dancing.

The purpose of this field trip is to help the students understand and appreciate the planning which was necessary plus the hardships, hazards, and challenges which were encountered by the pioneers on their journeys west. This 6-mile trek requires the students to work together cooperatively and to problem-solve as they build wagons and then pull them, loaded with supplies, across fields, streams, and hills. What an exciting and memorable experience for students, parents, and teachers.