Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Alaska Study: Totem Poles-


Big brother has the opportunity to take a trip to Alaska!
So, of course, we are studying the Last Frontier
 in our family homeschool.

Today we learned about totem poles.
We discussed their meaning and their role
throughout history.
We used these handy printables that
I found on one of my favorite blogs:
You can see their totems and find
the link to download your own printable.


We read the information on the printables- originally from
TeacherVision - and then the boys went
to work coloring their own totems.



We had plenty of time to talk about Alaska's history
and how and why the natives would have used
totems while the boys colored and cut out their art.



We used both sides of the small paper rolls to
hold our totem pictures- a paper towel roll would
do a better job if you have them on hand.

For an "older student" version of this project
my 10 year old designed his own totem pole on plain
paper and then wrote the story on the
back of his drawing. He wasn't interested in
coloring it in or anything- but now, when he sees a
totem in Alaska- he will understand its signifigance and
the role it has played in the history of
Alaska's native people.

(obviously, this project can be adjusted to
fit any Native American study)





3 comments:

Mary Prather said...

this is a great craft... something we could make with things we already have in the house! Thanks!

Thank you also for linking your blog to Three Thinking Mothers... glad you are part of our community!

Jill said...

I love the way they turned out. Great job!

RKO Ideas Galore (by Karen) said...

Hubby just got back from Alaska with his dad and brother!

Q: Mississippi gave Missouri a New Jersey, so what did Delaware?



A: I don't know, Alaska.