Ohio River Flatboats

My daughter made a "Flatboats on the Ohio" game.

Beginning in Pennsylvania, the Ohio River flows towards the west across the southern borders of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois before joining with the mighty Mississippi River. In the early 1800's the river was a major route for westward expansion of the pioneers. Because flatboats were difficult to paddle upstream they were typically built in Pennsylvania and disassembled upon reaching their destination. The wood was then reused for building wagons, housing or other purposes.

Like other journeys undertaken by pioneers, a flatboat journey was ripe with hazards. Attacks by Indians were common, and inexperienced navigators could easily get a flatboat stuck in a fallen tree lying in the river. Sometimes accidents could cause a boat to break apart causing expensive delays.
 
The book Flatboats on the Ohio tells the story of two pioneering families that join together for a journey down the Ohio River in a flatboat.

While learning about American History the series USKids has served as our outline. The series is perfect for elementary students as it is detailed enough to get them interested in history, yet not a bombardment of facts and dates. Each book in the five-book series tells both fiction and non-fiction accounts of American history and provides ideas for projects to accompany the reading. My daughter's Flatboats on the Ohio game idea came from book three in the series USKids: New American Nation.

 The other titles are
USKids: American Indians
USKids: American Colonies
USKids: American Revolution
USKids: Civil War

Creating the game was quite involved as she had to create a map of the Ohio River as well as two sets of game cards. One set involved hazards pioneers may face on their journey and the other set involved progress.

The simple game was easy to play and creating it helped her to remember this time period of history.

For more great educational activities check out these blog hops.