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Arkansas's Story: Ozark Mountains, Rivers & Little Rock

Deep in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, there are caves so dark that the fish inside them have NO eyes — they lost their eyes over thousands of years because they never needed them! Let's draw an Ozark mountain scene full of amazing creatures.

Hands OnAbout 25 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

Deep in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, there are caves so dark that the fish inside them have NO eyes — they lost their eyes over thousands of years because they never needed them! Let's draw an Ozark mountain scene full of amazing creatures.

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Say: 'Arkansas has beautiful green mountains called the Ozarks. In the caves under those mountains, there are tiny fish that live in total darkness — and over thousands of years, they stopped growing eyes because they never needed to see! Isn't that wild?'
  2. Draw rolling green hills at the top of the paper and a winding blue river at the bottom.
  3. Draw two animals: a black bear on the mountain, and a white-tailed deer near the river.
  4. Somewhere on the picture, draw a dark cave opening — and inside, draw a tiny fish with no eyes!
  5. Ask: 'If you lived in the dark forever, which of YOUR senses do you think would get stronger?'

Learning objectives

  • Identify the Ozark Mountains and a river as Arkansas landmarks
  • Wonder at the idea that animals change over time to fit where they live

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

In 1957, nine Black students tried to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Angry mobs blocked them. So President Eisenhower called in the 101st Airborne Division — the same paratroopers who had jumped into Normandy on D-Day to fight the Nazis — to walk nine teenagers to class. Let's learn the Little Rock Nine's story and make a courage badge.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Tell the story: 'Nine students — ages 14 to 16 — were supposed to start at a new school. But the governor of Arkansas called in soldiers to KEEP them out! So President Eisenhower sent in 1,000 US Army soldiers to protect them. Soldiers walking kids to class. That's how hard it was just to go to school.'
  2. Draw 9 figures walking toward a school building. Above them, draw helicopters and soldiers alongside them.
  3. Cut a shield from cardboard and decorate it as a 'Courage Badge' — write the name of one of the Little Rock Nine on it. (Names: Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, Carlotta Walls.)
  4. Ask: 'Can you imagine needing soldiers to protect you just to walk into school? What would that feel like?'
  5. Say together: 'Their courage helped change the law for everyone.'

Learning objectives

  • Identify the Little Rock Nine by name and understand what they faced
  • Understand that the US Army was called in to enforce a Supreme Court ruling about school integration
  • Connect the idea of courage to specific, named historical people — not just unnamed heroes

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

Arkansas became a state in 1836, and its history runs deep: the Caddo and Osage peoples, the Civil War, and then 1957 — when nine high school students became the most protected teenagers in America, escorted to class by the same soldiers who stormed Normandy on D-Day. Today you'll explore these chapters through a story web and zoom in on the Little Rock Crisis.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Draw a circle in the center of paper labeled 'Arkansas History.' Draw three lines out to three eras: 1) Native Peoples, 2) Civil War Era (Arkansas was a Confederate state), 3) Little Rock Crisis 1957.
  2. Under each bubble write 2 specific facts. For Little Rock, include this one: '1,000 soldiers from the 101st Airborne — veterans who parachuted into France on D-Day — escorted 9 students to class at Central High School.'
  3. Draw a small symbol for each era: a Caddo clay pot, a Confederate cannon, and a school doorway with 9 stick figures.
  4. Write a sentence completing this thought: 'It took soldiers to enforce a Supreme Court ruling about school because...'
  5. Write a second sentence: 'The most surprising thing I learned about Arkansas is...'

Learning objectives

  • Identify three distinct historical eras that shaped Arkansas with specific facts
  • Explain the Little Rock Crisis including the role of the 101st Airborne
  • Analyze why a court ruling alone wasn't enough to integrate a school
  • Connect two historical events across time: D-Day soldiers and the Civil Rights Movement

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Here is a dilemma that divided America in 1957: The Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that segregated schools were unconstitutional. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus refused to comply and called in the National Guard to block Black students from entering Central High. President Eisenhower — who privately didn't support school integration — had to decide: let a governor defy the Supreme Court, or send in the US Army to enforce it. What would YOU have done? Research this constitutional crisis and write an analysis.

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Research Brown v. Board of Education (1954): What did the Supreme Court rule and why? What was the reaction in Southern states?
  2. Research Governor Faubus's actions: What was his stated reason for calling in the National Guard? Was he following state law? Federal law?
  3. Research Eisenhower's decision: What were his private views on integration? Why did he ultimately act? What did he say publicly vs. what he believed privately?
  4. Write Perspective 1 (one paragraph): You are one of the Little Rock Nine on the first day — what are you thinking and feeling as you approach the school?
  5. Write Perspective 2 (one paragraph): You are Eisenhower, the night before you decide to send in troops. What are the arguments on each side that you are weighing?
  6. Write a conclusion paragraph: What does this crisis reveal about the difference between passing a law and actually enforcing it?
  7. Sam Walton started Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas in 1962 with one store. His idea: buy in huge quantities, sell cheaper than anyone else. Pick one item (say, a $5 toy). If Walmart sells it for $4 but buys 1 million of them for $3 each, calculate profit. Why does buying in bulk lower the price?
  8. Arkansas is the top rice-growing state. Rice farmers flood fields using leveled land and pump systems. Draw a rice field from the side, label the levees (dirt walls) and water pump. Then calculate: if a pump moves 1,000 gallons per minute and the field needs 500,000 gallons, how many hours to flood it?

Learning objectives

  • Explain Brown v. Board of Education and the chain of events leading to the Little Rock Crisis
  • Analyze Eisenhower's decision from both political and moral perspectives
  • Write two first-person historical paragraphs demonstrating perspective-taking
  • Understand the gap between law on paper and law in practice

Safety and evidence note

Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.

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