Annie took a home school class called Native Days Native Ways where she went on a long nature walk and learned about edible and medicinal plants, danced and sang to traditional rhythms while learning about the Plains Indians culture and home life. She even played Indian skill games like the children in the tribe played to hone their spear-throwing skills.
We've read some Indian Legends and learned why the corn husk doll has no face and what a dream catcher is for. We went to a Powwow and we made this beautiful book. Some people call it a lapbook....Annie called it the best memory book ever!
Here is the front of the closed book. (click on images for a larger view)
This is how the book looks when you first open it. She has some pelts (leather and faux rabbit fur) on the left side. A photo that she took of her corn husk dolls, bow and arrow, Indian flute, arrow head, Indian blanket, and the feather she decorated in her class on the middle page. On the right side she dictated the Legend of the Corn Husk Doll and below that is the description of her Native Days, Native Ways class.
Here is a close-up of her photo.
When you flip the middle page up there is a section about the PowWow we went to with a photo of mommy and an Indian. Also a dream catcher with a dictated legend of the dream catcher. Below this is a pocket with drawings, print-outs of the legends we've read, a Prairie Indians sticker book and a paper doll book. These are all tucked inside the pocket that is covered by a lovely water color painting of a Tepee being shaded by a tree during a rain storm with a stream, a rattle snake and Indian blankets.My favorite part of this entire unit study was as we were parking at the Powwow Annie said to us, "Indians are not harmful."
