First recognized in 1976, African American History Month celebrates the vital role African Americans have played in American history. The month often has a theme; in 2012 it was “Black Women in American Culture and History.” Other recent themes include “African Americans and the Civil War” in 2011, “The History of Black Economic Empowerment” in 2010, “The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas” in 2009, and “Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism” in 2008.
For our 3rd and 4th American Girl Club meetings (opps, got a little behind in the blog!) We covered Indian Games & Pastimes, and Indian Dress. Week 3 - We made Cornhusk Dolls and learned String games. The girls voted this their favorite club! (bummer, I didn't even teach this one... I wanted to be the "favorite"!) The corn husk dolls were such a hit, that my kiddos proceded to make an entire "tribe" of corn husk indians with the leftovers. But, one warning - our dog thought this was her "favorite" activity as well, and has been happily "scalping" all the corn husk dolls she can get her paws on! We also learned String games. Cat's cradle, the teacup, all those oldie-but-goodies. I think that the Moms may have had just as much fun as our girls. The MCA (masculine club of awesomeness) continued their book discussions and are being challenged to "Do Hard Things". Plus - the weather was beautiful, so there was a bunch of football going on. Week 4 - Indian Dress So, this week we talked about Indian clothing (elk teeth and porcupine quill decorations = indian "bling"). We also, made Indian Headbands with our own personal touches. And, we taught the girls how to braid hair. Everyone left looking very "authentic". I was a little self-conscious to have to stop for gas with indian braids in my red hair - and an indian headband on... but, I love pay-at-the-pump, don't you?! The MCA got lost in the woods, but we managed to round up most of them. The boys are finding this adventure as much (maybe even more) fun than our girls! Now, I'm looking for more ideas for them to pursue. What an amazing group of families!! This is my little "bluebird" showing us some Indian sign language (just in case you were wondering -what are they doing there?!)
A look at American Ballet Theatre Sponsorship Program, including dancer photos and interviews.
Making a shadow puppet theater is an inexpensive family activity that will build memories. Here's a guide to creating your own with your child.
When planning a candy-themed birthday party, you can organize a variety of “sweet” games for the guests to play. Games keep everyone involved in the party, while giving them a chance to earn candy prizes and favors to take home as mementos of the party. All you need are a few supplies and several bags of candy to ...
Many African-American parents try to extend black history lessons beyond February. One family has turned an experimental photo shoot into an effort to bring this history to life for their daughter.
A record of our homeschooling journey with plenty of ideas and unit studies.
Whether your little one is a new reader or into their own chapter books, starting your own book club for kids is easy with these tips and tricks!
My young writer's group met at the library recently. After we had shared our work and talked about satirical writing, I planned a final project of kind bombing. I showed the kids this video and asked them what they thought of it. They all thought it was awesome and I proposed that we did something similar right then. We wrote good wishes and thoughts on paper and hid them in books in the children's department. Simple, positive, and a great way to get kids to love writing. They responded to this project enthusiastically, coming back to make more messages several times. Each kid decided what section to "bomb" which was fun. Chapter books, insect books and sports books were hit the hardest. The secretive nature and sneaking around for good seemed to inspire them as they talked about what people would think when they opened a book and a sweet note fell out. The idea of creating a little something and leaving it and your trace in the world is powerful for kids (and adults). What seems simple and almost like a prank, actually connects kids to the public sphere and gives them a sense of agency within it. They can actively shape their environment. If you like this sort of out-there fun, click over and follow me on Facebook. And be sure to check out my new Holiday Lab!
Mellody Hobson's trailblazing accomplishments over the past few months have given women all over the world a new level of confidence. It's no surprise that Morningstar, a leading independent investment research firm asked Hobson to deliver the luncheon keynote at the 2018 Morningstar Investment Conference.
Sacagawea was an interesting native girl of America who was the only woman among men on the expedition of exploring the Western part of America. Reading + tasks. - ESL worksheets
Little Girl’s Assignment: Build a longhouse or wigwam, using as many natural resources as possible. She was determined not to use anything other than natural resources. If it was up to her, …
Here’s a list of Cub Scout activities that you can use for den meetings, pack meetings, and pretty much any other Cub Scout get together.
Background: Fanny Crosby, the namesake for American Heritage Girls Pathfinder Level, was born almost 200 years ago on March 24, 1820. Due to doctor's error, she became blind when she was still just a baby; only 6 weeks old. But Fanny persevered. What does it mean to persevere? She never gave up. She kept going, kept trying, and stayed on task even when things were hard and she felt like giving up. She believed that she could do "all things though Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). She was content despite her circumstances and praised God for her blessings. Fanny loved to write hymns, and she was very good at it. Throughout her life she wrote more than 8,000 hymns; some of which we still sing in church today. Game: Freeze Dance Before continuing with the lesson, play freeze dance to get all of those wiggles out. Use some of Fanny's popular hymns like "Blessed Assurance", "To God be the Glory", and/or "All the Way my Savior Leads Me". Discussion: If you were blind, what challenges would you face? How could you overcome them? What are you other senses and how could you use them if you could not use your sense of sight? Would it be easy? Reading is one challenge the blind need to overcome. Between the years of 1821 and 1837, Louis Braille, a blind French youth developed a system of raised bumps that represented letters and symbols so reading could be accomplished with the sense of touch. However, it was not until 1868 when a group of British men now known as The Royal National Institute for the Blind took up the cause of bringing braille to the world. Activity: Print out a handout of the Braille Alphabet. Decode this worksheet: (Answer: Did you persevere? Never give up!) I love the teamwork the girls used to solve this! Discuss: Do you think it would take a lot of hard work and perseverance to learn Braille? What would be the reward for persevering? Have each student tell of a time they had to persevere. Activity: Prepare name strips with a Braille template representing the child's name. Have them glue gemstones to form their names in Braille. With eyes closed have them run their fingers over the name tape. Discuss how it feel. Have them pass around and try feeling each other's names. If you put three names in front of them, with eyes closed, can they feel out their name? Game: Play "Fanny Crosby", similar to "Marco Polo" but on land. One child is chosen as "it" and blindfolded. For the safety of everyone, do not allow running and make sure the space is clear of hazards. Whoever is "it" yells "Fanny" and the rest of the children respond "Crosby". By listening, the "it" person will try to move towards the other children, with the goal of tagging them. When tagged, that person then becomes "it".
"Kaya" redirects here. For the doll, see Kaya'aton'my (doll). Kaya'aton'my is the eighth Historical Character, representing early Native America. Kaya was released in 2002 and was part of the BeForever collection. Kaya (pronounced /'kaɪ.ə/ KY-yah)[5] is a Native American/Indigenous girl of the Nimíipuu, or Nez Perce tribe. Her stories are set prior to permanent settlement of the area by white European-Americans. The stories are post-European-American contact, as evidenced by the fact the tribe c
These unique ceremony programs will inspire you to stray from tradition.
Our library has a collection of American Girl Dolls and a multicultural collection with artifacts from all over the world. Both circulating collections are very popular. We decided to create a program linking the artifacts to the historical American Girl dolls based on the characters’ causes, the beliefs they stood for, and what their corresponding books are about. We created four stations featuring dolls by a theme or cause and paired them with artifacts.
Welcome to week 4 of our ten week American Girl History Units. Once again, Susan Mathis has joined us to share a look at New Orleans in 1853. With this particular book series, we are privileged to be introduced to not ONE, but TWO American Girls. If you missed the introduction of our series and would like to learn how you can weave American Girl books into your own history studies, be sure to check out the helpful tips Susan shared in Week One. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) Written by Susan Mathis. Unlike most American Girl books that cover a period of a year or two, the books about Cecile and Marie-Grace focus almost entirely on a single place and event, the Yellow Fever of 1853 in New Orleans. Therefore, if you have to skip one segment, this one would be it. On the other hand, if you do want to take several weeks on their stories, that's alright, too, because Kirsten and Addy will give you a chance to cover the era in more detail. Week 1 Find New Orleans on the map. Notice how it is right on the coast of Louisiana. Discuss what it might be like to live in such a hot city so close to the water. Also, whereas Cecile was born there, Marie-Grace moved to New Orleans just before the stories begin. Find 1853 on the Timeline, as well as 1843, the year Marie-Grace and Cecile were born. Check out the internet to find other events happening in America at about that time. The most significant event for these two girls was the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1853. Choose a project to work on while you’re studying Marie-Grace and Cecile. Consider learning to bake some of the desserts that are mentioned in the book or raising money for needy children. Week 2 Introduce your daughter to other famous Americas of that era. Locate their homes on the map, and their lives and important contributions on the timeline. Look together for information about the causes of Yellow Fever and how people who contracted it were cared for. Week 3 Because there were so many French speaking people in New Orleans at this time, there are many French words in the book series. Make flash cards for them and learn to pronounce them correctly. Visit a bakery and enjoy one of the New Orleans treats mentioned in the book. More American Girl History Units to Explore Kaya Felicity Josefina Grace & Cecile Kirsten Addy Samantha Rebecca Kit Molly Julie ___________________________________________ Susan Mathis is the homeschooling mom of three children and a large number of American Dolls. She also joins her husband's blog, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Holiness.
Correspondence from a legendary figure in computing history.
american girl kirsten pottery set, american girl dishes, american girl kirsten kitchen
Raye Montague is credited with revolutionizing the design process for naval ships and submarines.
Nez Perce National Historic Trail - Maps & Publications
Teenagers have a lot of great insight on life. iMOM’s Conversation Starters for Teens will help you get a great conversation going with your teen.
A family friendly travel, tech, product review and giveaway blog
The Girl Who Thinks Shes a Bird and her brother Monkey Boy hosted an “End of the School Year” party this past weekend. To be honest, I was a little worried at first when we decided on a four hour party… Four hours seemed like an awfully loooong time to have a house full of Read More >>
