January 24th Gold was discovered in California 1848 by John Sutter and John Marshall. While building a sawmill they noticed flakes of gold in the water. The Gold Rush began as people traveled by foot, horseback and boat in search of fortune !

In this brief rhyming story set during the gold rush, Jasper leaves his family and farm to pursue his dream of finding gold.

A fictionalized account of William Howell, a young prospector who braved the arduous journey from Boston to the Yukon Territory in search of gold in the Klondike River valley.

Some other books about the Gold Rush:

Chang's Paper Pony by E. Coerr

By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleishman

Fool's Gold by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Gold ! The Klondike Adventure by Delta Ray

The Great American Gold Rush by Rhoda Blunberg

Snowshoe Thompson by Nancy Smiler Levinson

Craft !

 

Make Paper Mache gold nuggets !

You will need : small paper bags, newspaper (sheets and strips), yellow and orange paint, paint brushes and a glue solution.

Stuff bags with crumpled newspaper and wrap with strips dipped in glue solution to form a nugget. Allow to dry and paint the nuggets yellow and orange.

* Perhaps the children could use the nuggets as props to perform a play : )