Golden day at Valley View

Fourth grade students at Valley View Elementary School celebrated Gold Rush Day earlier this month, reenacting a day in the life of an early California miner/settler.

The activities included journaling for several days beforehand, as if the student were a miner or settler, heading toward California’s Gold Rush.

Students arrived the day of the event in Gold Rush attire. They dressed as a miner (jeans, flannel shirt, and an old hat), prepared beef stew in the auditorium, and even worked in “mining camps” rotating through simulated experiences and games related to the Gold Rush.

These included panning for gold and making souvenir gold pouches and a Merchant Game whereby students will bought and sold supplies to each other as merchants and miners try to survive.

After a hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausages, the students tried square dancing and ended the day with typical campfire activities.

— Robin Goldsworthy