Home Preschool Native American Unit

This week we took a took a break from our Five In a Row manual, but we still did a Unit Study-- my mind just works that way. I need things to have some sort of flow!

We did a Native American unit based on the book, "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie dePaola.

I thought this was a great book about never giving up and suggesting that everyone has his/her own gifts and we are to use those for the greater 'body;' the illustrations were beautiful, too-- especially, the illustrations of the sunset.

I found some great websites for additional activities, but my main source of ideas came from Homeschool Share.

Native American Preschool Activities

Social Studies:

Made Wyoming's state flag and found its location on our map.
Looked at many books about Native Americans-- compared how they lived, dressed, etc. to present day.
Took a field trip to a Native American Museum

Checking out a real wigwam!

Wooden goggles Natives wore when it snowed!

Language Arts:

Used our Syllable Drum to count out syllables-- T really caught on quick! Even after finishing his syllable worksheet from Homeschool Creations Thanksgiving Pack, he kept banging away on the drum segmenting different words : )

Number copywork to go along with 10 Little Indians rhyme. For a math tie-in, I had T match the number word to the number of Indian boys. We used the rhyme to count backwards too, which Tknows how to do-- but, when we added words, he had trouble keeping track!

Picture stories (pictograph); I drew a story, using just symbols, and had T tell me what he thought I was saying-- which, his response was, "I don't know" with a chuckle... My drawings weren't that bad! Lol!

It was interesting that when I told him what I was trying to say, he suggested different symbols!

Homeschool Share also provided us with a printable of actual pictographs, so we drew some of those symbols on a paper bag that I had gotten wet, crumpled up, and let dry--- to kind of resemble leather.

T and I made a list of "description" words and animals, and we narrowed it down to one of each to make his Indian name, which is "Red Cat." : ) His two favorite things!

Reading!

Math:

Worked on patterns; T made patterns on a headband with our dot paints and foam stickers. He thought of some very sophisticated patterns all on his own-- so proud!

Feather Estimation activity-- I put a handful of feathers in a plastic bag and had T estimate how many there were. He guessed pretty darn close!

How Many Feathers addition worksheet. I had T roll two dice, add the numbers together, and then draw that many feathers on a headband.

Art:

Made a tepee
Sunset painting with watercolor

Science:

To be honest, we didn't do much. I just read a couple of books on Prairie's!

For fun, we checked out the Native American Museum and T got to see a real wigwam, animal fur, artifacts, canoe, etc... It was a small museum, but full of stuff.

And, the only other fictional read aloud I had for this week was "Knots on a Counting Rope" by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault; I started the book at nap-time and just never finished because the kiddos were crabby, but I am glad I didn't finish because I found a website called, Storyline Online-- it's an online streaming video program that has members of the Screen Actors Guild foundation reading the stories, and "Knots on a Counting Rope" was one of them! After watching the story online, there is no way I will be reading that book! Bonnie Bartlett and William Daniels truly brought the story to life-- amazing! Definitely check it out!

One week is never enough time to do everything (again, that is just how my mind works! I'll have to re-train my brain!)... we'll defintiely revisit Native American studies later!

Links:
Homeschool Share Resources
Additional inspiration from: