How The West Is Fun

"How the West is Fun" is a series of children's television programs on the history and culture of the West. Featuring middle-school-aged hosts, fast-paced production techniques, zany skits, and spoof commercials, the program is designed around kids' sharpest skill at this age - their sense of humor. Young students often have trouble relating to the past and How the West is Fun helps them make the connection.

Episodes:

Gold Rush (No. 104)

Four Montana middle school students learn what it must have been like to be a gold prospector in the 1860s. As they pan for gold they learn about gold's chemical and physical properties. (First Aired Sunday, April 25, 1999)

American Indian Culture (No. 103)

Four Montana middle school students meet members of the Blackfeet and Bitterroot Salish tribes and hear about American Indian culture and values. The students ride horses, tan hides and learn at least a little of a language previously unfamiliar to them. (First Aired Sunday, April 18, 1999)

Artists of the West (No. 102)

Four Montana middle school students learn what influences artists, and paint and draw and work in clay with Montana artists Monte Dolack, Larry Pirnie and Beth Lo. (First Aired Sunday, April 11, 1999)

Explorers (No. 101)

Four Montana middle school students discover what it was like (it was tough!) to be an explorer. As their activities take them around the state, they learn about Native American explorers, Lewis and Clark and others. (First Aired Sunday, April 04, 1999)