The California Gold Rush is an exciting part of the United States history. Read through these fiction and non-fiction books and watch the YouTube videos to learn about the race to get rich, the reality of being a gold prospector, and the reason California became a populated state in a matter of a few years.
A few Quick Facts:
-Brought 300,000 people to the area from the US and Abroad
-Sent California rapidly into Statehood (Compromise of 1850)
-Gold Seekers were called “the 49ers,” based on the year 1849
Activities:
Pan For Gold
Supplies:
- Disposable Pie pans (can usually find packs of foil pans at the dollar store). Alternatively, you can use a sifter if you already have one from sand/water toys.
- Nail and hammer (to poke holes in pan)
- Fools gold, or rocks that are spray-painted gold
- sand or dirt, water, large bin, small pool, or water table
Poke holes in the pans (carefully) using a nail and hammer. Add the “gold” pebbles of various sizes to a large bin/water table, cover the gold with dirt/sand/pebbles mixture. Add enough water to cover the mixture.
The Water will be dirty looking.
Have the kids scoop and sift the dirt in their pans to find the hidden “gold.”
*You could also visit a creek and pan for gold. You will likely find none, so the experience would be more authentic to the real 49ers.
California Museum
Oh California! Lyrics and worksheet
Related Studies:
Books:
By the Great Horned Spoon by Sid Fleischman
This is a great fictional read-aloud book following a young boy and his butler on their journey to find gold and save the boy’s family from financial ruin. It is action packed, imaginative, and illustrates many issues that may arise during this historical quest.
If Your Were A Kid During the California Gold Rush by Josh Gregory
Pedro’s Pan: A Gold Rush Story by Mathew Lasley
Pedro’s Pan is a childrens book inspired by the true story of California Gold Rush Prospector Felix Pedro
Gold Fever by Verla Kay
Gold Fever! Tales of the California Gold Rush by Rosalyn Shanzer
What was the California Gold Rush by Joan Holub
