By Native Americans

Let’s sing together our song “Rise and Shine – Welcome to School Today” by Dr. Jean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyAD2OoFuoY and our greeting song “Hello to all the children of the world”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nYjGy_ZUG8

My favorite Closing Song sung on “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” tune with movement:

Twinkle, twinkle little stars! Time is over and we say goodbye. (Open and close hands)
We had fun with all our friends. Let’s come back and do it again! (Arm moved up and back)
Twinkle, twinkle, little stars! What a wonderful bunch you are! (Blow kisses)

For the writing/reading process, have your child trace or copy (advanced skill) daily his/her name on paper/dry eraser board/ mini blackboard (kindergarten handwriting page) starting at the top of each letter (you could draw 🙂) either in all uppercase letters or just first letter in capital/uppercase and the rest in lowercase. If your child is starting to write on paper, you can write your child’s name with a highlighter and your child can use a crayon to trace it.

I realize that you might have to survey other members of your family for the question of the day so that your child have enough tally marks to count or have your child put more than one tally mark.

What type of shoes do you wear?
SNEAKERS / HIGH HEELS/ MOCASSINS / BOOTS

Make Letter Q Shape:

  1. 2 big curves and 1 little line for capital Q/ 1 little curve and one little line for Lowercase q. Your child use a finger to trace the letter starting at the top, going down, around from left to right and back up (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9NkEIHv190) In order to start learning letters, your child will need a set of big curves, little curves, big lines and little lines in wood. You can purchase them at https://www.lwtears.com or make them your self. Here is a picture: http://cdn.lwtears.com/images/uploads/1_787_large.png)
  2. Wet-Dry-Try on small chalkboard (Handwriting Without Tears) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6p4LUEGbwM
  3. Play dough with small chalkboard (recipe: https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/playdough-recipe/) or you can purchase the Roll-A-Dough Set from Handwriting without Tears https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spjVLDXDixI

A whole week activity:
For the phonetic part, have a big yogurt container with a lid filled with small objects or pictures that start with the letter Q (Quack, quarrelsome, quarter, queen, question, queue, quick, quiet, quill, quilt, quite, quiz, Quincy, quail, quinoa.) You might want to add a picture of an owl, so that your child can say that owl does not start with Q! Here is a book of Q word pictures: https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap1/q.gif Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter Q every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.

Science

On Earth, clean water saves life. Plants, animals and humans all need clean water to survive. Here is a simple science experiment to show how nature cleans water. For this Clean Water Experiment, you need (1) water, (2) dirt, (3) sand, (4) gravel, (5) rubber band, (6) old stocking piece or kitchen cleaning wipe piece, (7) plastic water bottle, (8) plastic cup, and (9) scissors.

Directions:

  1. Mix dirt and water in plastic cup and set aside. Ask your child if one could drink it.
  2. Cut the plastic water bottle in halves.
  3. Tie a piece of stockings or kitchen cleaning wipe with a rubber band around the bottle’s neck tightly.
  4. Put the bottle’s neck inside the other half bottle (turn it over).
  5. Add first a good layer of gravel, then sand in bottle’s neck.
  6. pour the dirty water slowly. What happens? Is the water still very dirty?
  7. Picture https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/150-science-experiments/biology-environmental-science-projects/create-a-water-filter/

Let’s show your child The Great Plains region of the United States where the Cheyennes live. https://csl.noaa.gov/assessments/climate/2017/guide.html

On the tune of “Oh, my Darling Clementine”, we can sing: what’s the weather, what’s the weather, what’s the weather like today? Is it cloudy, is it rainy, is it sunny, is it cold? (You can also change the weather words).
Let your child check the weather and tell you about it. You might want to ask your child to do a weather drawing that you can label. Some activities will be repetitive to create a routine that brings comfort to your child.

Language Arts

More literature by Native American authors and illustrators:

  1. We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLSIj3Oefqk
  2. The Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qskwaZN2XN0

After viewing a book/oral story, encourage your child to tell you what the story was about and brainstorm with your child what is the same or different with your family traditions.

For older schoolchildren:

  1. The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkhVLxroNfw
  2. Tallchief, America’s Prima Bellerina by Maria Tallchief with Rosemary Wells https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gntZsqJgrM&t=1s

Math

For the Mocassin’s Game, you need 4 shoes (for mocassins) and a small rock. The player called the Keeper hides the rock in a shoe. The player called the Finder has to guess in which mocassin/shoe the rock is hidden. A player gets 4 points if he/she guessed right away, 3 points for the second try, 2 points for the third try, and 1 point for the fourth try. Play the game many times and add the points. The winning player has the highest number of points.

November is here! The calendar is a daily activity to do with your child that develop number and pattern recognition. Here is the link to print a calendar to update daily with your child. The set has a weather component, if you like. https://www.themailbox.com/magazines/november-calendar-setbr4-pages/november-calendar-set-2

Daily counting of tally marks and show your child a number card or write the number down to show your child. The numbers of the tallies will be different every day. Extend the concept by comparing numbers: which has more? Which has fewer? Which are the same? How many more (count with fingers)?

Art

For Native American Drum Art Project, you need (1) big metallic coffee can with lid or without, (2) brown construction paper, (3) glue, (4) scissors, (5) paint with brush, (6) markers, (7) decorations (paper shapes, beads, feather, ….)

Directions:

  1. Cut strip of brown construction paper to wrap around big metallic can.
  2. Paint or/and draw design on brown construction paper strip.
  3. Glue any decoration of choice.
  4. Glue brown strip to big metallic can.
  5. Top of drum is bottom of can or, if you have a lid, you can glue a square of paper to the lid and ty it to the can with string. Your child can use hands or a wooden spoon to tap the drum.
  6. Picture https://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/kidscraftsactivitiesblog/2012/01/how-to-make-a-coffee-can-drum/

For Native American Teepee Art Project, you need (1) Teepee template https://www.firstpalette.com/printable/teepee.html or small paper plate, (2) crayons/pencils, (3) scissors, (4) three twigs, (5) glue, and (6) rubber band.

Directions:

  1. Choose template and color it with crayons/pencils, if needed, or cut radius of paper plate and color/draw design.
  2. Attach twigs together loosely at the top as to be able to spread the bottom of twigs to support paper teepee template or plate.
  3. Cut teepee’s door and fold outward.
  4. Glue teepee around twigs.

Small Motor Skills

Q is for Queen Coloring Page https://twistynoodle.com/q-is-for-queen-6-coloring-page/

Cut and Paste Letter q https://twistynoodle.com/cut-and-paste-the-letter-q-coloring-page/

Meaningful Mocassins Craft https://www.themailbox.com/magazines/moccasins-craft/meaningful-moccasins

Uppercase Letter Q https://twistynoodle.com/uppercase-letter-q-2-coloring-page/

Lowercase Letter q https://twistynoodle.com/lowercase-letter-q-coloring-page/

Gross Motor Skills

Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.

For Native American Hoop Dancing, you need hoops. Here is “Today’s Thing: Hoop Dancing” by CBC Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaRHTOb18q8

Social-Emotional Development

You Hold Me Up by Native American Monique Gray Smith and Danielle Daniel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2akze4NSHg talks about love and positivity. After viewing the story, brainstorm with your child how you hold your child up and how your child hold you up.