Stake Your Claim: The Ultimate Homesteading Challenge Experience

Step Into the Race for Land, Survival, and Success

What would you risk for a piece of land… and a future?

Stake Your Claim is an immersive, high-energy, hands-on historical challenge that drops participants into the real-life decisions, risks, and struggles faced by homesteaders during the American frontier era.

This is not a sit-and-watch program.

This is a race for survival.

Participants must work together, think fast, and overcome unpredictable challenges as they compete to build, protect, and secure their very own homestead claim.

Perfect for:

  • Schools (K–12)
  • Homeschool groups
  • Museums & living history sites
  • Historical societies
  • Festivals & community events

🔥 What Is Stake Your Claim?

This interactive program transforms history into a fast-paced team challenge, where participants experience the realities of homesteading through action.

Each group becomes a “homestead family,” racing against others to:

  • Claim land
  • Gather resources
  • Survive natural disasters
  • Make critical life-or-death decisions

Every round brings a new challenge pulled from real frontier struggles—no two programs are ever the same.

🎯 What Participants Will Experience

Participants rotate through a series of immersive challenge stations, such as:

  • 🌾 Land Claim Rush – Secure your claim before someone else does
  • 🌬️ Prairie Storm Survival – Battle wind, chaos, and limited visibility
  • 🪵 Shelter Build Challenge – Construct protection with limited resources
  • 💧 Water & Supply Run – Balance speed with strategy
  • ⚖️ Decision Cards – Face real homesteader dilemmas that can help… or hurt

Each challenge is rooted in real historical conditions, teaching participants how difficult—and uncertain—homestead life truly was.

🧠 Educational Impact (Disguised as Fun!)

While participants are fully engaged in the excitement, they are also learning:

  • The realities of the Homestead Act
  • Daily life and survival on the frontier
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking
  • Teamwork and communication
  • Cause-and-effect decision making
  • The emotional and physical challenges of early settlers

This program aligns beautifully with:

  • Social Studies curriculum
  • U.S. History standards
  • Experiential and project-based learning

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Designed for ALL Ages & Group Types

One of the strongest features of Stake Your Claim is its flexibility.

✔ Elementary students – simplified challenges, high movement, high fun
✔ Middle & High School – deeper strategy, tougher decisions, real consequences
✔ Families & festivals – fast-paced, competitive, exciting for all ages
✔ Museums – educational programming that draws crowds and keeps them engaged

Challenges are customized in real time to match your audience.

⚡ Why Audiences LOVE This Program

  • It turns history into a living, breathing experience
  • It gets participants moving, thinking, and competing
  • It creates laughter, tension, and unforgettable moments
  • It connects modern audiences to real human stories of survival

This is the kind of program people talk about long after it’s over.

🎭 Presented by Indian Creek Historical Fashions

Led by historical storyteller Rayma Volkmer, this program blends:

  • Authentic historical knowledge
  • High-energy audience engagement
  • Immersive storytelling
  • Hands-on participation

“History is not meant to sit quietly behind glass.”
This program proves it.

📍 Perfect for Your Next Event

Whether you’re planning:

  • A school enrichment day
  • A homeschool field experience
  • A museum event
  • A history festival

Stake Your Claim delivers an unforgettable combination of education, excitement, and interaction.

📣 Call to Action

Ready to bring history to life for your audience?

👉 Book Stake Your Claim today
👉 Custom programs available for your group size and age range
👉 Travel available throughout Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and beyond