Indians of the Pacific Northwest

  

Cedar 

Dugout 

Canoes

          Native American people is a unit of study for my 5th graders.  The topic of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest Coast is quite interesting for my students.  We discussed location, climate, natural resources, transportation, and crafts.
     To bring the construction and designing  of a cedar dugout canoe to life I used paper and colored pencils.  The construction of a cedar dugout canoe was very interesting o to my students. I found it a student has an object in hand, they learned the information easily.  This is the inspiration for the student work.

 
      For the children to get a hands on feel for the dugout, we made folded paper dugouts. To bring in the concept of Symmetry,  we discussed that both sides of the dugout canoe were the same. While the paper was flat and uncut, the students needed to plan their design and colors to be used. The back side of the paper was also colored brown to indicate the inside of the canoe was wood. finally, the dugout canoe was cut from the paper, folded on the dotted lines, and glued together on the paper tabs found on the pattern.  As you can see they were very cool.

      My students drew illustrations of their concept of a village belonging to the Chinook tribe. Each child could refer back to their book, powerpoint presentation, as well as the illustrations in the room for reference. I tell my students, "A picture is worth a thousand words".  For some children, they need a picture in their head to tell a story or remember information.  ( I was one of those kids, and am still like that today.)  This is why I have my 5th graders do so many hands on related projects.

    Have a great day!

Beti

Doc McStuffins felt finger puppets

     Finger puppets Come Alive!

        The other day I was shopping at JoAnn fabrics and spotted a package of Doc McStuffins buttons.  I just had to pick up two packages. Two of everything is what I need to make gifts for our granddaughters.

        These little buttons would be perfect to use for finger puppets!  When I got home I went to the basket full of felt scraps.  Two pieces of felt about two or three inches by an inch and a half is all that is needed to create a finger puppet.

    A different color felt was used for each puppet to give them their own identity.

    Here is the set of four little friends just waiting to play.

      Doc and her friends were quickly scooped up for some adventures in make believe. 😁

I hope you enjoy this wonderful day that God has given us.

Beti

One Pack of Seeds

Seeds!

        One little pack of seeds can sprout into a beautiful garden.

       Last fall I trimmed some  very overgrown bushes in my yard and cleared the space in between.  This spring the bushes started to sprout new green leaves.  I decided to plant wild flowers in the empty spaces. No big thing.  I sprinkled the seeds onto the dirt and raked them in. For a few days I faithfully watered the seeds until little green leaves started to poke through the earth. 
    
       I spent a few weeks away from home and was afraid that all my baby flowers would be all dried up.  Happily, when I got back my flowers were in bloom. 

   
    The neat thing is that every week some new flower bloomed.  

       These were the latest to bloom.
    

        In the fall, when the flowers die, the flowers will drop their seeds for next spring.  Then I will have a new arrangement of beautiful wild flowers in my garden.  

     So when you see those little packets of seeds in the store, buy one and grow some lovely little flowers.  They will brighten each  day with new blossoms.

     Even though it is the fisrt day of August, fall is coming the school year is just getting started. But plan ahead. Put this one in your planner for the spring.  Grow some with flowers in your classroom.  Could be a great Mother's Day gift from your students.

    Today I linked up with Forever in Fifth Grade  for Show and Tell  Tuesday.

https://foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com/2017/08/show-tell-tuesday-back-to-school-time.html 


    Have a great end of your summer and a successful school year.

Beti

Felt Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs! ROAR!

        While browsing Pinterest I saw some very cute and tiny dinosaurs.  I couldn't resist making some myself!  

          Out came my basket of scrap felt.  I started snipping the different colors of felt until tiny dinosaurs appeared in my hands. I didn't use a pattern to make these. That's why they are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination! With embroidery floss the dinos were given eyes, a mouth, and a bit of flare. The front and back were finally stitched together.  These little guys are actually stuffed with minute scrape of felt and yarn to make them a tiny bit chubby. They each have their own personality and charm. They can be fierce or friendly, whatever the child may choose.

       They all are between 2 and 3 inches in length.  The perfect size to fit into an Altoid tin for safe keeping.  A small scrap of green felt is fit into the bottom of the tin for grass to sleep on and a piece for some green felt vegetation for these dinosaurs to munch on. Can you hear the munching and chewing?  Which dinosaur would make the loudest roar?

Brontosaurus ?

Stegosaurus ?

T-Rex maybe?

       Wouldn't  these dinosaurs be great to take on a long car or airplane excursion?  They take up minimal amount to space  in your carry on bag. So much creative play, in so little space, for so little cost. 

   
     Please drop me a note if you have a minute to spare. I'd love to hear from you.

Beti

Unicorn Rice Bag

 
UNICORN in the clouds!

     
       Have you ever used a rice bag?  When my daughter had her first child I made her a rice bag out of a terry cloth wash cloth.  It was a very simple project, no sewing machine needed.  I folded the wash cloth in half and then hand stitched around the edge, twice. I wanted to make sure that the rice would not find a way to get out. When I made this one , I used my sewing machine .

        As you can see, I found a blue piece of fabric with white billowy  clouds that I thought would make a peaceful background for my unicorn.  I first cut the head shape from white felt and embroidered the sleepy eye with black floss. Then I used pink for the nose and mouth.

      Pieces of felt were cut for the 🌈 rainbow colored mane and hand stitched to the white head. The ear and unicorn's  horn were machine stitched to the head and cloud ☁ fabric to make sure all the pieces were securely sewn.

          The final step was to fold the material so there would be an overlap to form a small pillow case.

     The rice bag can be heated in The microwave for about a minute.  Nice and warm to cuddle with at night or naptime. Cozy and warm would be perfect when it is cold or when the air conditioner is making it a little cool during the summer.

         I do hope you have as much fun making this little rice bag for someone that is near and dear to your heart.

Beti

People Search

People Search
            
     At the beginning of the year, usually the first week of school, I like to have my 5th graders have a People Search.  Each student is given a handout.  They need to find classmates to fill each category. They need to find a different person  for each answer.  

Find someone .......
   Who as a baby in their family?
   Who has traveled to New York?
   Who has has a birthday in the same month as your birthday?
   Who has gone camping?
   Who has gone to another school?
   Who rides the bus?
   Who has traveled out of the United States?
   Who is an only child?
   Who is the oldest child in the family?

Have some fun and make up some of your own questions.
       The tricky part for the children is that this activity is a                             SILENT ACTIVITY!  
     The kids soon realize that they need to communicate with each other without talking. Many groans and moans are heard in the room, but soon they are moving around the rooms silently finding needed information.  They are also making some new friends in the process. This is a great ice breaker for the new students in school. 

     We have three 5th grade homerooms.  My teaching partners and I take our 90 some kiddos to the air conditioned cafeteria because it can be very hot the first week of September in Michigan. 

     We give the students about 15 or 20 minutes to mingle and talk. The children are encouraged to ask both boys and girls for their answers. After the kids are finished, I might say,  " Everyone who walks to school, or everyone who has traveled outside of the country,  come stand here" .  Everyone can see what they have in common with others.
    
Today I linked up with The Whimsical Teacher for Tried and True. Check out all the great ideas.
www.thewhimsicalteacher.com 
     I hope you will be able to use this activity in your room.   

 I have also linked up with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It.

www.4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com
                                         
     Have a great year!
Beti

Tepees

Miniature Tepees

     My 5th graders have been working on a unit of study concerning Native Americans in several different locations of the United States and North America.  The Plains Indians was a favorite of the girls in my class.  Several of my girls decided to construct a miniature tepee or two while out on the playground during recess.  They were very excited to tell me all about the structure that they built.   After lunch, I took my homeroom back out on the playground to see for ourselves.

     
    The tepees were set up along the exterior of the fence of our play structure.  If you didn't know they were there, you would just walk on by.  

     After a few days, more miniature tepees were constructed.   The girls knew that the early American people made their homes from the resources that were available.  That is exactly what my students had done. 

    We had a tepee in our classroom.  Three students are able to sit in the tepee at one time. 

 
      This would be a great at home project this summer.  Take the kids in a nature walk to find small sticks and branches. You could begin by making small towers like my girls made.  You could even move up to a child size tepee!  Have a wonderful time creating and building! 

       Enjoy your summer!

    Great job girls! 

    Please leave a comment.  I would love to hear from you.

Beti  

Felt Tool Kit

  Tool Kit 

for my 

Granddaughter 

             When my granddaughter saw her Dada in the garage working on a project, she had to pick up tools and do some work too.  Everyone knows how helpful a two and a half year old can be!

            As a grandmother, I like to make play things from felt.  

 New Idea!! 

          A felt tool kit.  First, I headed to the store to buy some plastic tools.  The tools were measured to fit into the tool kit nicely. Not too big, not too small.  It had to be the right size from a preschooler to fit a hammer, screwdriver, and wrench.  I had too make sure there was room for a few extras.  You never know what a little one might place in her tool kit.

            I decided to use some green felt that I had in my sewing room. The tool kit measures 8 inches long, about 2 1/2 inches wide, and about 6 inches tall.
it has been reinforced with stiff felt pieces on the inside, stitched to the outer felt fabric. My sewing is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it will hopefully be played with for many hours. That is the important thing.

        As you can see, I just had to dress it up with a flower on the outside.  I figured that she might want to used the tool kit for something other than tools. A stuffed animal, blocks, play food, books, or little people to name a few, could be carried in this little satchel. Children usually find multiple uses for their toys.  Anyway, a little flower with a button in the middle can't hurt anything.

          Creative dramatic play is wonderful for preschoolers.  Dolls, play food in the kitchen, building blocks, a workbench, just to name a few can enhance a child's life. They need to copy what there parent's are doing. I am so glad my father and mother let me work along side of them when I was a youngster.  Now I am very capable and confident with tools around the house as well as cooking in the kitchen. 

          I'm glad you stopped by to read my blog.  Leave a comment if you have the time. I'd love to hear from you! Enjoy your day!

Beti

1400's Ships

      1400's  Ships

 

       I needed to introduce my new unit on European explorers.   Student illustrations of these sailing ships  seemed like a good idea.   I printed up a worksheet with the following instructions.
   
Draw and color an illustration of a sailing ship used in the 1400's when sailors crossed the ocean. 

      I love how hard my 5th graders worked on their illustrations of these wonderful ships. By having the students draw their own illustration instead of just coloring a picture, they are able grasp the image of caravel, a small highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 1500's by the Portuguese.  This will be a great springboard in learning about such explorers as Columbus, Hudson, Cortes, Ponce de Leon, Cartier, and John Cabot.

    My kids always enjoy learning about European explorers and the stories of their lives.  I bring out all the explorer books from the school library and the classroom library.  

    Please leave a comment if you get a spare moment.  I love reading your emails.
   Today I linked up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the November linky.

www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com
Beti
    

Baby Doll Clothes

Baby Doll Clothes

          When your granddaughter says her baby doll needs some clothes and asked for the clothes for her birthday, how's can you refuse.  So I had to get started working on some dresses.  If course I went straight to Pinterest for more ideas.  There are always more ideas than any one mortal person could use in a lifetime. 

         I was looking for patterns that could be easily replicated and modified if needed.   A cute romper pattern was found with a 1 inch grid so it could be easily drawn to scale.  A one piece pattern couldn't get  much easier! 
You can see just below the neckline there is a horizontal line and a curved going to the armpit. This is the cutting line for the sleeveless romper.  On the side seam the lower seam line is slightly curved to make the pants a little bit puffy. These slight changes to the pattern make each outfit more interesting for the child during play.
 

          
 That pattern was easily modified to make a sleeveless romper with small straps and Velcro closures on the back.  A little ruffle at the neckline dresses it up a bit.

             This is a Strawberry Shortcake doll for the 80's that my daughter had years ago.  She is a good size for trying the pattern and finished clothing. I want to make sure that the clothes can be easily out on and taken off without a lot of fuss.

      This is another version of the sleeveless romper. The pattern was adjusted to make the neckline edge is narrower and two tucks were added under the bow. The back seam is open with a Velcro closure at the top for ease of dressing the doll for a young child.

•         Here are a few different outfits that would fit the 14 inch Strawberry Shortcake doll or a 10 inch baby doll.

       Beti