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Social studies activity

Idaho's Story: Pioneers, Potatoes & the Nez Perce Nation

Idaho grows MORE potatoes than any other state in America — one out of every three french fries you have EVER eaten probably came from Idaho! Let's dig up pretend potatoes and find out why Idaho's soil is so special.

Hands OnAbout 25 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

Idaho grows MORE potatoes than any other state in America — one out of every three french fries you have EVER eaten probably came from Idaho! Let's dig up pretend potatoes and find out why Idaho's soil is so special.

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Hold up a real potato (or show a picture). Ask: 'Where do you think this grew? Under the ground or on a tree?'
  2. Crumple brown paper or use playdough to make 5 pretend potatoes. Hide them under a towel or in a bowl of dry rice.
  3. Let your child 'dig' them out one by one and count: 'One potato, two potato...'
  4. Say: 'Idaho has special dark soil from old volcanoes — it's like nature's best garden dirt! That's why potatoes LOVE growing there.'
  5. Ask: 'What foods do we eat that have potatoes in them?' Make a list together.

Learning objectives

  • Wonder at how geography — volcanic soil — determines what a place is famous for
  • Notice that food comes from specific places with specific conditions
  • Ask: why does soil matter for growing food?

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Long before Idaho was a state, the Nez Perce people lived there — and they were the ones who helped the Lewis and Clark expedition survive when the explorers were nearly starving in the mountains. Without the Nez Perce, Lewis and Clark never would have made it. Draw the moment when two very different worlds met in the Idaho wilderness.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Find Idaho on a US map together. Trace the Snake River with your finger — the Nez Perce fished here.
  2. Talk about Lewis and Clark: 'They were sent by President Jefferson to explore the West. They got lost and nearly starved in the mountains of Idaho. Then something amazing happened — they met the Nez Perce.'
  3. Draw a scene: on one side, exhausted explorers with empty packs. On the other side, a Nez Perce village by a river full of fish.
  4. Draw an arrow showing the Nez Perce offering food and horses to the explorers.
  5. Write or dictate: 'The Nez Perce helped Lewis and Clark by _____. Without them, the expedition would have _____.'

Learning objectives

  • Know that the Nez Perce were Idaho's first peoples and helped the Lewis and Clark expedition survive
  • Begin to compare what each group needed from the encounter
  • Retell the story of the meeting from both perspectives

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

In 1877, the U.S. Army told the Nez Perce they had 30 days to leave their homeland in Idaho and move to a tiny reservation. Chief Joseph refused — so 800 people, including women, children, and elders, began one of the most extraordinary journeys in American history: a 1,400-mile fighting retreat across four states. They outmaneuvered the U.S. Army for THREE MONTHS and came within 40 miles of the Canadian border before surrendering. Map their route and analyze why they nearly made it.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Draw a large simple map showing Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada. Add the Canadian border at the top.
  2. Trace the Nez Perce route with a pencil: starting from the Wallowa Valley in Oregon/Idaho, through the Bitterroot Mountains, across Montana toward Canada.
  3. Mark three places where battles happened. Write next to each: how many soldiers vs. how many Nez Perce people were in the group. (The Nez Perce were always outnumbered.)
  4. Mark the final surrender spot: the Bear Paw Mountains, 40 miles from Canada. Write: 'They came THIS CLOSE to freedom.'
  5. Write a diary entry as a Nez Perce child on the journey: 'Day 87. We have been walking for months. Tonight I can see...'
  6. Ask yourself: what made this retreat so remarkable? Write one sentence with your answer.

Learning objectives

  • Trace the Nez Perce retreat route across four states on a map
  • Analyze why 800 civilians — including children and elders — were able to outmaneuver a professional army for three months
  • Write from a historical perspective using evidence-based narrative

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Chief Joseph's surrender speech, delivered on October 5, 1877, in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana, is one of the most powerful statements in American history. He was 40 miles from Canada. His people were exhausted from months of trekking through mountain snow with no food or shelter. He said: 'I will fight no more forever.' But was surrender really his only option? And what actually happened to the Nez Perce after they surrendered — were the Army's promises kept?

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Read Chief Joseph's full surrender speech. It is short — about 150 words. Write down the three most powerful lines and explain why each is powerful.
  2. Research what the U.S. Army promised the Nez Perce at surrender (return to Idaho) versus what actually happened (exile to Kansas and Oklahoma, far from their homeland and everything they knew). Write a paragraph comparing the promise to the reality.
  3. Research the terrain: Why did the Nez Perce choose their particular escape route? What geographic advantages were they using? Find Bear Paw Mountains on a map — mark exactly how far they were from Canada.
  4. The dilemma: Chief Joseph had three choices — (a) surrender, (b) continue to Canada with severely weakened people, or (c) split up. Evaluate each: what were the real risks? What would YOU have chosen?
  5. Write a 5-7 sentence analytical paragraph: was the Nez Perce War of 1877 a military defeat or something more complicated? Use specific evidence.
  6. Connection: How does the Nez Perce story connect to the broader pattern of U.S. government treaty-breaking with Native nations? Name one other example.
  7. Idaho grows about one-third of all US potatoes, and a farmer today earns roughly $8 for a 100-pound bag (estimate). If your farm produces 400 bags per acre on 20 acres, what is your yearly revenue? Subtract $30,000 in seed, fuel, and irrigation costs, then decide: buy a second field or invest in a potato-sorting machine?
  8. Idaho silver miners in the 1880s Coeur d'Alene district used hand drills and black powder to break ore. Design a simple ore cart on paper, label the wheels, axle, and bin, and calculate how many 50-pound loads it takes to move one ton. Draw one safety upgrade you'd add.

Learning objectives

  • Analyze Chief Joseph's surrender speech as a primary source and identify its rhetorical power
  • Compare government promises to the Nez Perce at surrender with what actually happened
  • Evaluate Chief Joseph's strategic options at the Bear Paw Mountains and weigh real trade-offs
  • Write an analytical paragraph arguing a nuanced historical interpretation with evidence
  • Connect the Nez Perce story to a broader pattern of U.S.-Native relations

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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