Visit Wyoming with the Kids

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Get the wheels turning before a trip! Reading and talking about your destination helps the kids lay down a layer of knowledge they can build upon during your actual visit.

The underlying scaffolding of learning before the trip gives everything they learn while traveling a place to ‘stick’. Like with building blocks, kids can build upon earlier experiences. Having prior experiences gives meaning to your adventure and keeps kids from wondering, “Why should I care about seeing this?”.

Kids that care about what they are seeing enjoy the trip more and complain less! Woohoo! Win-win.

Wyoming is a beautiful and wide open space to explore with your family.

How to Get the Kids Ready for a Wyoming Trip.

Wyoming Visit – Watch for Moose

Moose are BIG! Taller than a grown man and they can weigh as much as a car. Do not get too close. They can run really fast!

Make your own moose – handprints are antlers and a footprint is the face! Thanks, Mrs. Karen’s Preschool for the cute idea and photo.

Read kids’ books about Wyoming – Moose

If you Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff This fun book with predictable prose is loved by kids! Silly and lighthearted elementary school-aged kids love this book and the others in the series. Written for kids aged 4-8 years. Lexile Measure: AD590L. Length: 32 pages.

Digging a Hole to Heaven: Coal Miner Boys by S. D. Nelson Of all the alphabet books, these that use a letter other than the first letter in the word are my favorite. They are fun and get the kids thinking outside the box. Even though this book is written for kids aged 4 – 8 years old I would use it all the way up to kids in the 11 – 12 age range. They love being creative making their own versions, too. Length: 32 pages. Lexile Measure: 130.

Digging a Hole to Heaven: Coal Miner Boys by S. D. Nelson Moose are REALLY big and can weigh up to 1800 pounds. They are the largest member of the deer family. This book has fantastic photos of this really majestic animal. The kids will love seeing the photos as they hope to see one during their trip to Wyoming. Don’t feel like you have to read this entire book but do enjoy the photos. Written for kids in upper elementary school, but easily read aloud to anyone else. Great photos for all ages. Length: 160 pages.

Have moose sandwiches. Thank you, Lushhome for the yummy and cute idea! Everyone knows food is extra tasty when it is in a cute shape. 

Wyoming Visit – First in Women’s Rights

Wyoming was the state where a woman voted for the very first time. I was a little surprised at this fact thinking this monumental moment had come in a more populous northern state.

First woman to vote

Louisa Ann Swain, who was 69 at the time, was the very first woman to vote in the United States. She voted in 1870, on her way to purchase yeast for the day’s baking.

Make this fun booklet and learn how women got the vote.

Read kids’ books about Wyoming – Women and the Right to Vote

Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote, 21 activities for kids by Kerrie Logan Hoolihan Excellent resource for giving kids an appreciation for women getting the vote. These kids have grown up in a time when women have equal rights so they don’t fully understand the fight to get here. Written for kids aged 9 and up. Best read aloud for all but the strongest 9-year-old readers. Length: 144 pages. Lexile Measure: 1020L.

First female governor:

Nellie Ross was the very first female governor in the United States from 1925-1927.

The highest percentage of women in the House of Representatives

Wyoming has had the highest percentage of women in the House of Representatives since 1989.

Conversation starter: Why is Wyoming such a progressive state for females?

Wyoming Visit – Visit the 1st Dude Ranch 

The Eaton family has operated Eaton’s Ranch since 1879. This is where the term ‘dude’ originated! A dude ranch is a working ranch that welcomes visitors to help watch and help out.

Watch the movie City Slickers, about city boys who go to a dude ranch for a vacation.

 

Do your young travelers like a good mystery? The Double Diamond Dude Ranch series has plenty!

Digging a Hole to Heaven: Coal Miner Boys by S. D. Nelson Drew really wants a dog but his dad says, “No way!” So Drew and his friend, Chris, set out to convince Drew’s dad, but…..there is always a but, isn’t there? a mystery must be solved first! Written for kids aged upper elementary school. Length: 94 pages.

Wyoming is home to the 2nd largest wild horse population in the United States.

There are about 6,000 wild horses in Wyoming. The most famouse group of wild horses is call the Pryor Mountain herd and they travel between Wyoming and Montana.

These horses are descendants of the Spanish horses brought to the US in the 1500s.

You can see wild horses most easily in these three spots:

Pryor Moutains near Lovell

Rock Springs

Wild Horse Sanctuary on the Wind River Indian Reservation

Digging a Hole to Heaven: Coal Miner Boys by S. D. Nelson Lots of questions, answers and fantastic photos will make this a book the kids will love.  Written for upper elementary school aged kids ages 8 – 11, but the younger will enjoy the photos. Length: 64 pages.

Horse Coloring and Activity Book for Kids: Mazes, Coloring, Dot to Dot, Word Search and More. by Blue Wave Press These books are fantastic for travel and come in two sets – one for kids aged 4-8 and one for kids aged 8-12. Give these to the kids before, during, or after your trip to keep them learning and engaged. You CAN put a stop to the whining! Length: 124 pages.

Horse Games & Puzzles: 102 Brainteasers, Word Games, Jokes, Riddles, Picture Puzzlers and Logic test for Horse Loving Kids by Cindy A. Littlefield So much fun for the kids in one book! All about horses which you can see on your trip to Wyoming. Get the kids involved with a book like this one. Written for kids aged 8 – 12 years. Length: 144 pages.

Make craft horses and think about riding them!

This Horse starts with the ‘h’ sound and is perfect for the youngest dudes in your travel party! Thanks, Miss Maren’s Monkeys for the cute idea.

Older traveling Wyoming ‘dudes’ will enjoy this cool horse activity from Craftiments.

Wyoming Visit – Home to the Oldest County Library in the country

To be honest, there is more than one library that claims to be the oldest COUNTY library in the country but his one has clearly been around a very, very long time.

The Laramie Country library was established in 1886 when Wyoming was just a territory. It claims to be the oldest continually operating county library system in the United States. Considering how ‘throw away’ and ‘out with the old in with the new’ our society has become…this is pretty impressive.

Read about animals having fun in the library!

Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman Written in a sing song-y rhyme makes it fun to read aloud. Written for the younger elementary set but don’t miss the opportunity to read it to your older kids, too. This book is just plain fun. Length: 32 pages. Lexile measure: AD 560L

The Secret Life of Library Books by Anne J. Brown What if the library books could talk? What would they say? This funny book is all about what the books do during summer vacation. Clever idea. Written for elementary school aged kids. Length: 41 pages.

Wyoming Visit – First National Monument

Devils Tower

President Roosevelt created the very first national monument with Devil’s Tower in 1906.

Geologists disagree on how this unique tower was formed. Clearly, erosion has worked its magic here which has left many vertical cracks. Mountain climbers love these types of cracks and registered climbers can enjoy a climbing adventure on Devil’s Tower year round – except June.

The Devil’s Tower is sacred to many Native American Indian tribes and June is when they hold their ceremonies. It is not illegal to climb during this time, but the park requests that climbers voluntarily climb at other times.

The Devils Tower is also a part of pop culture after having been featured in the  1977 Steven Spielberg movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Devils Tower: Scariest Places on Earth by Roman Harasymiw Is Devil’s tour a dark and scary place? Kids will love the creepy information about this strange rock in Wyoming. Written for kids in upper elementary school. Length: 24 pages. Lexile Measure: 910.

The Mystery at Devils Tower :Real Kids Real Places by Carole Marsh There are so many cool and interesting bits of informatino about this unusual rock fomration. The kids will just love reading all about them. If you only choose one book about Devils Tower, it needs to be this one. Written for kids ages 8 – 11. Length: 160 pages. Lexile Measure: 660L.

Wyoming Visit – First National Forest

President Harrison in 1891, made Shoshone Forest the very first national forest. This 2.4 million acre area has a varied terrain. It is a glorious place to visit, but be prepared as conditions can change and cell phone coverage is spotty!

Wyoming Visit – Coal

The largest producer of coal in the United States is the state of Wyoming. Even though that is the case, most books about coal are about West Virginia. Why is that? So…these books talk about coal mines and coal but are often set in West Virginia. Keep that in mind when you read with the kids.

Why is coal important? 

More than 90% of coal is used to make electricity – something we all agree we can not live without.

Oil, Gas, and Coal (Energy for Today) by Tea Benduhn Great intro book into fossil fuels and their importance in our everyday life. Length: 24 pages. Lexile Measure: 750L. Written for kids aged 7 -1 0 years.

Digging a Hole to Heaven: Coal Miner Boys by S. D. Nelson This book is again set in West Virginia, but it is a great book to read when discussing coal. This book is about young boys who were forced to work in the coal mines. It addresses the danger of mining when the tunnel collapses and traps the main character’s brother. Written for kids in grades 4-6 and makes a great rread-aloudfor kids a little younger, too. Length: 64 pages.

Digging a Hole to Heaven: Coal Miner Boys by S. D. Nelson So, how do they get all the coal out of the ground? This book is a great way for kids and adults alike to learn how this important fossil fuel is brought up out of the ground. Written for kids aged 7 – 10 years and will work as a read aloud discussion piece for younger. Length: 32 pages. Lexile Measure: 880.

How much electricity does coal make?

More than 1/2 of all the electricity we use in the US every day is made from coal.

Another creepy and interesting use for coal? We use it in tar shampoos that get rid of lice and dandruff!

Digging a Hole to Heaven: Coal Miner Boys by S. D. Nelson One use for coal that all kids know about it that it goes in the stockings of naughty boys and girls at Christmas time. Enjoy this cute Christmas book about the man who delivers coal to Santa for the naughty list kids. What happens when Santa stops using coal? Written for kids in grades kindergartent – 2nd but easily a fun book for all of elementary school. Length: 32 pages. Lexile Measure: AD670L

The Educational Tourist helps families make travel memories. Watch the video on visiting Wyoming!

Happy Travels in wide open spaces,

Natalie, The Educational Tourist