Have students put their ideas on construction paper cut to the size of typical bumper stickers. After the exercise, display the bumper stickers around the room. Build a pioneer fort in the corner of your classroom. This can be an enclosed area with a crawl-through entry and enough space to hold a few students. Place books on history inside the fort along with other materials for browsing, and try to create the feeling that the fort is a special place.
Students can go there before class or when their work is done.