Got That Thanksgiving Feeling. . .

We have been busy bees in the kindergarten making all kinds of wonderful stuff.  Here are a few of the things in process.  I will post finished work tomorrow!  I have been having too much fun, forgetting to take photos! There are about five projects undocumented!

Sometimes it is nice just to enjoy the moment and not worry too much about documenting!   The holiday projects seem to take me away and into the joy of it all!  The holidays are important markers in our yearly round.  (I do find it irritating that stores begin "stocking shelves" so dag early!!  There is a time for every season as they say.)

I am a firm believer in celebrating the holidays in a full-five-senses-kind-of-way.  I can't imagine what my childhood memories would be like without these rich memories.  Kindergarten is a opportunity for wonderful memories!

I purchased these great little cardboard teepees from Oriental Trading.  They are adorable when put together.

I had the children make designs with oil pastels and then watercolor the whole thing in a mixture of red and yellow watercolor with a splash of blue.  Made a nice "hide" color!

I use an old sheet to build our teepee.  I was even given a teepee that I gave to the teacher next to me.  I prefer the sheet because the children can decorate it!  (I wash the sheet and most the markers wash right out!)

It is such a dear teepee with their sweet drawings. . .

I took our Native American headbands to a new level this year with watercolor paper, cut painted paper and dyed pasta.  I just had to go artsy. 

The children made patterns out of the pasta. Cool beans. Uh, I mean cool pasta. 

Happy Monday everyone!

Sally

Native American Inspired Shakers

 Making shakers out of small sticks and tree limbs is a great project for Autumn. 

What you will need:  Sticks (the best kind have a "Y" shape), yarn, glue, feathers, wire, and buttons.

Step One: Tie on the yarn with a knot for beginning the wrapping process for the children.

Step Two:  To add feathers, simply lay the feather flat and continue to wrap.  (Lay the feather the opposite direction of the wrapping motion.)

Step Three:  Continue to wrap the stick and add feathers as desired.

Student adds feather to her stick.

Another child's stick in progress.

Step Four:  Wrap the wire around one side of the "Y."

Step Five:  Add a variety of buttons.

Step Six:  Wrap the other end of the wire on the other side of the stick's  "Y."

Step Seven:  To secure any final yarn ends, dab a bit of glue on it.

Student stands to wrap her stick.

Each student's work will reflect their capacity for the task. 

 

Pinch Pots at Philbrook

Today my class had the delight of a field trip to Philbrook Art Museum.  We viewed Native American art and pottery and then went to a studio where we created Model Magic pinch pots.  This is such a simple way to introduce making a pinch pot if you do not have access to a kiln and real clay!  I loved it! 

 

 

We viewed Native American pottery.

 

Back in the museum studio, each child was given white Model Magic.  I like to buy it at Michael's with a 40% off coupon. 

 

Step One: Roll the clay into a ball.

 

 

Step Two:  Put a hole in the middle of the ball and pinch it out.

 

Step Three: Pinch until a pot emerges! Let it dry.

Step Four:  Decorate with markers.

Optional Step Five:  Adult can spray a clear coat on pots.

Designing Leather Outfits

 This is a fun way to use leather and fabric scraps.  It helps to build critical fine motor skills and a child's capacity to make decisions about design, size, portion, and function of the leather/fabric scraps they select. 

Step One:  Put out a selection of scraps for the children to choose from.

Step Two:  Let the children cut the scraps into clothing pieces.  I encouraged them to design an outfit for Two Feathers - a character from a story we have been engaged in.  Some of the leather was difficult to cut and took extra effort.  This is very beneficial to building hand strength and motor control!  Don't help!  Let them work!

  IMPORTANT!  Do not provide patterns or tracers.  Allow the process of design to emerge.  This is such a critical process of learning and creativity.

Step Three:  Glue the leather clothing piece to paper.  Using crayon, add the head, arms, and legs.

Creating A Native American Structure

This week my class built their own Native American home.  It was super easy.  What I love about this process is the ownership the children take in the process.  Here's what we did:

 

I used a queen size flat sheet and water based markers.  I put out papers with Native American picture writing examples.  And let the class loose!

The children adored creating their little "stories" with pictures.  Yesterday, one boy went delightfully to the tepee and pointed out which parts he drew.  There is a special warmth to this tepee with those hand drawn images.

To construct the tepee, I used five long sticks (I have also used bamboo poles from Pier I Imports) and wrapped them together with rope.   I draped the sheet around the sticks and secured with safety pins at the top and at the bottom at the two front sticks.  

I put nature items inside the structure and hung a Native American shield I found in Colorado.   Young children love the enclosure of a tent.  I can still remember as a child building my own structures to play in.

When you are done just wash the sheet and the water-based markings will disappear!

Native American Unit in Switzerland

In 2005, I received a Fund for Teachers fellowship to travel to Europe to see early childhood classrooms.  I had the delight of spending a few days in a kindergarten in Winterthur, Switzerland.  They were studying the Native Americans.  Here are a few of their class projects.  The teacher had cut out border strips into squares and rectangles for the children to create a Native American pattern.

They were creating necklaces from different colored and shaped wooden beads and feathers.  The students were so excited by their work!

Each child made an Native American headdress using real leather strips and feathers.  If you look closely you can see that the patterns are created with cut pieces of leather.  The children cut their own leather shapes. Those self-cut shapes make the headdresses so endearing!

Finally, this kindergarten classroom had a woodworking area.  The students were creating talking sticks by sawing the dowel rod, sanding it and then wrapping it with yarn.

I will be posting more ideas discovered during my travels on Fridays!

The Trading Post!

The Trading Post is open!

Every November I open a trading post in my classroom.  I found a great character at a thrift store in Dillon, Colorado who I call Trader Joe.  He comes to my classroom with a box of nature treasures.

Everyday until Thanksgiving break, Trader Joe opens his Trading Post in the classroom.  The children can bring nature items to trade such as leaves, nuts, pods, shells, rocks, pebbles, wood, pinecones and feathers.

Student waiting to trade her leaf at the Trading Post.

I introduce the trading post for several reasons.  First, it is a dynamic way to have the children observe the signs of autumn.  Autumn brings an abundance of nature treasures to "ground" level!  You do not have to go far to find something for the trading post.

Second, it brings a respect and appreciation for these gifts.  Nothing is quite as magical - like the velvety pod a child brought to school yesterday.  A curious girl asked me, "Why is it so soft and covered in velvet?"  We pondered for a moment.  She held it tight, "I think it is because it is so special." 

Finally, it opens the door to my next science unit that integrates math as we look at collections.