November is Native American Heritage Month

In 1990, President Bush named November Native American Heritage Month. It has continued yearly as an opportunity to celebrate the culture and contributions of the first Americans. This year, I am homeschooling my first-grader and we started our history/social studies with the Age of Exploration. We moved on to learn about the Native Americans who inhabited the country prior to European discovery. So, while we could have waited until November to do our studies, our timeline allowed us to learn about this amazing group of people a little early.

My great grandmother was full Native American, but my grandfather could never remember which tribe we are related to. Regardless, it's so interesting to learn about the differences from tribe to tribe. I have several books here at home that we use as reading material, but I found a great workbook on Education.com to help us add another element to our learning. The Native American Culture for Kids workbook is 35 pages and features a number of tribes including Comanche, Hopi, Lakota, and Mohawk, and features several explanations of tribal symbols and craft activities. So far we've made a feather headdress and a shield, and they also have a dreamcatcher. You can opt to print out a full set of 17 tribes without the additional crafts if you prefer. Each page includes a brief introduction to the tribe, a reading comprehension activity and another activity such as a word search or decoding game. The workbook is listed for 3rd grade, but I use this with my advanced first-grader and we haven't had any trouble.

Here is our headdress activity:

We also printed out a list of Native American symbols and we used those to decorate our paper plate tipis (teepee, tepee). We got the tipi idea from a pinterest page, but it included straws and rolling the paper plate, and the directions were not processing for me for some reason. So we cut the bottom off of our paper plates, rolled them into a cone and stapled them when we got them to the perfect spot. we gently folded open the bottom corners to look like the doorway flaps of the tipis. Oh, but before we did the rolling of the plates, I had the kids use the symbols to decorate them. I don't know what it is about symbols, but my son loves them, and this activity (and the headdress and shield) really worked for him. He got into it and put in the time and effort, and I think he has memorized at least 25 symbols. It's amazing. Here's how we made the tipi...

Tipi Steps:

Cut off small bottom portion of paper plate.

Decorate plate with native american symbols.

Decorate on both side if you wish.

Roll paper plate into a cone and staple.

 

Have fun celebrating Native American Heritage month. There are so many educational opportunities that can be incorporated into your curriculum, from growing crops to grinding corn, to creating replicas of common Native American items. For more information on Native American Heritage Month visit http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/about/.

Independent Exploration Activities

I try to do a lot of science experiments and inquiry-based activities with my kids, but it's nice when I can find something for them to do on their own, freeing me up to take care of chores or dinner, while they continue to learn and engage. I've had my eye on a few Lakeshore products, but help off on purchasing them until last week. I needed a few different styles of magnets, a magnifying glass, and a specimen viewer for some of the science experiments we want to do so I headed to Lakeshore to see if they had what I needed.

I browsed the science section and discovered that I could get one hand lens for $10, a box of 10 or 12 magnets (all the same style) for $15, and I didn't even bother to look for a specimen viewer. So I turned to those products I'd been debating and realized they were the perfect fit. The Can Do! Science Kits are $19.99 each, and I had a buy one get one 50% off coupon, so it was looking like a good deal. Then I read the contents. The magnet kit has a horseshoe magnet, a set of ball magnets, a bar magnet, ring magnets, and more. The magnification kit has a hand lens, a specimen viewer, and 5 specimens. Both sets include activity cards and suggestions for further exploration. Combined, these two sets had exactly what I was looking for and so much more for a sweet $30 plus change.

My science buffs wanted to open them in the car but I made them wait. When we got home though, we tore into those cans and they were occupied for at least an hour. I loved that my son, who's 6, demonstrated how the magnets worked to my 3-year-old daughter, and then showed her how to examine the specimens in the magnification set. Then they procedded to wander the house looking for things that were magnetic, and things they could magnify. It was so much fun watching them put their scientist hats on without me guiding them.

If you're looking to add something to your science repertoire, I highly recommend the Can Do! Science Kits. These are not affiliate links, just me sharing my opinion. Have fun!

Big Bear Family Adventure

Oh the Great Outdoors! I was born in Illinois and my early years were spent running barefooted through a giant field, stepping on bees, digging holes, climbing trees, and learning to ride a bike on a gravel road. Then we relocated to California. We found a cute house in Long Beach and the front yard had the perfect climbing tree. I remember sitting most evenings on the perfect bench-branch near the top of the tree, looking out over the rooftops of my new city and staring at the neon McDonnell-Douglas sign at the Long Beach airport. It was different. But at least I had that tree. Then we moved to an apartment, and I became a city kid. Nothing to climb but the brick wall out back.

Now, as a parent and a condo resident, I long to give my children the great experiences that only come from being outside. So I seek out nature centers, hiking trails, and any other natural setting that allows them to have natural play.

Recently our condo kicked us out for fumigation and instead of holing up in the Best Western down the street, we turned it into an adventure and headed to Big Bear. Early October is off-season there and we found a great hotel called the Marina Resort. The ground floor rooms have an excellent view of the lake and it's on a private beach. Open your door and the kids can explore the beachfront at their leisure with a small private play area. And yes, they have a pool and jacuzzi that we enjoyed.

Our private beach at the Marina Resort Hotel.

Our first adventure outside of the hotel was the Woodland Trail, a 1.5 mile interpretive loop that has 16 numbered signposts. Grab the pamphlet at the beginning of the trail and you'll learn about the trees, bugs, and wildlife that inhabit the area. My kids are 3 and 6, and they made the whole trip without complaint.

Hiking the Champion Lodgepole Pine Trail.

The next day we visited the Big Bear Alpine Zoo. I love this place because most of the animals you find here are rescues. From bald eagles to timberwolves, you'll find all things relevant to the forest. Of course there are plenty of bears and one of their newest exhibits houses two snow leopards! My son loved the kit fox, my daughter loved the porcupine, but I could have watched those wolves all day.

The timberwolves-this pack was born here and the fence is
electric because they can chew through the fence.

Our final adventure was the Champion Lodgepole Pine Trail. This one is harder to get to, requiring 5-7 miles of driving on narrow and bumpy dirt roads. But if you have a vehicle that can handle the terrain, the short hike is rewarding. The 110-foot tall Champion Lodgepole pine is a sight to be seen. We walked out to the meadow to get a good look at it was pretty magnificent. The tree was almost cylindrical compared to its younger triangular neighbors. We could have traveled a short distance farther to a nearby lake, but we weren't sure of the distance or the difficulty so we headed back. In all, the Champion Lodgepole Pine Trail is only about 30 to 40 minutes round trip and you can get a pamphlet at the Big Bear Discovery Center that explains each of the 14 numbered signposts along the trail. We didn't have a pamphlet but we noticed that a few of the numbered signposts were missing from this trail, even though it is apparrently regularly traveled by scouts and other groups.

 

Can you find the Champion Lodgepole Pine?

Note: If you go hiking in remote areas, be on the lookout for wildlife, especially snakes and mountain lions. Before you go, stop into the Discovery Center to learn useful tips on how to handle the situation if you are confronted. Always use caution! Also, pack accordingly. Bring jackets as the temperature drops quickly and pack snacks and water.  

 

We were in Big Bear from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday morning, and the Big Bear Discovery Center is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, so we were bummed that we didn't get to spend much time there. But we stopped on our way out of town. One of the docents told us to check out the play area out back and we fell in love instantly. There were so many fun areas to explore from making music to building with branches and blocks to climbing a rope web.

The play area is a certified Nature Explore playground. This educational and adventurous area is amazing, especially with the backdrop of the Big Bear forest. We would have loved to stay all day, but unfortuantely we had to cut our visit a little short. There are other certified Nature Explore Playgrounds across the country. Visit the website and see if there is one near you.