Alaska

Perhaps my favorite piece of our learning about Alaska was learning about native rights advocate Elizabeth Peratrovich who managed to successfully lobby for civil rights legislation for Native Alaskans while Alaska was still a territory. As a fun bonus, she was the subject of a Google Doodle a little while later and the kids were super excited to see that. 

Books:

• The Blizzard’s Robe by Robert Sabuda
• Raven: A trickster tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott
• Storm Run: The Story of the First Woman to Win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race by Libby Riddles
• Alaska by Shelley Gill
• L is for Last Frontier: An Alaska Alphabet
• Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich by Annie Boochever

• This book is advanced for young kids but it has some interesting info and some pics so it is still be worth checking out at as resource.

• The Inuit by Kevin Cunningham (Scholastic Book)
• Whale Snow by Debby Dahl Edwardson
• Akiak by Robert J. Blake
• How the Raven Got His Crooked Nose by Atwater et al
• How Raven Stole the Sun (Tales of the People) by Maria Williams

Art Project:

Northern Lights

Our Alaska art project was inspired by the Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis. We watched a video that both showed the lights and explained the science and we also read about it. Then we made our art. A google search led me to this project https://thecraftyclassroom.com/crafts/arctic-art-projects-for-kids/northern-lights-igloo-art-project/. It has an explanation for how to do the project and a template for the igloo shape. We also used a polar bear template from another project on the same site but applied it to this one. In overview: we printed the template on card stock and taped it onto 9x12 art paper, then the kids cut up, layered and "painted" (with a wet paint brush) art tissue paper which bleeds color when wet. Once it's dry you remove the tissue paper and template to reveal the white foreground and colored background. You can then add details to the foreground as desired. Visit the original site for all the detailed instructions including step-by-step pictures. The kids the *loved* this project and are eager to experiment with the medium again.

Alabama

Alabama was the first state in our 50 states project (alphabetical order). I'm not going to list every single resource we collected here, but figured I'd at least share the books we read, and our art project. 

I will note that we spent time on MLK and John Lewis in Alabama, although we could equally have talked about them in Georgia, but AL was the heart of their civil rights movement work (and where John Lewis grew up). We may circle back though, when we get to Georgia.

Books:

• Y is for Yellowhammer: An Alabama Alphabet

• Exploring the States: Alabama

• Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis by Jabari Asim

• Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport

• The Quilts of Gee’s Bend

• Belle, the Last Mule at Gee’s Bend: A Civil Rights Story by Alexander Ramsey Calvin and Bettye Stroud

• Ultimate Field Trip 5: Blasting Off to Space Academy

Art project:

Alabama quilts project

After reading The Last Mule at Gee's Bend, and perusing the photos of actual quilts in The Quilts of Gee's Bend, plus viewing a short video about the quilts online, we were ready to make our own collage version. If you don't know about the Gee's Bend quilts, I definitely encourage you to learn more. They are beautiful and come with a lot of history from the African American women who make them, and have passed down their quilting tradition while supporting their families and community. After coming up with the idea of doing Gee's Bend inspired quilts via collage I did some searching and found a couple of bloggers who have done this before, so we looked and their ideas as well:

• https://artprojectsforkids.org/gees-bend-quilt-collage/
• http://elfersartroom.blogspot.com/2013/04/1st-grade-gees-bend-quilt-collages.html

How we did it: I cut 5 sheets of 8/12 x 11 card stock into four equal rectangles so that we had a pile of 4 each in 5 different colors. The kids each selected 4 pieces to be their quilt squares. The remaining pieces they cut up free form and pasted on their squares in the design of their choosing. Then we pasted all 4 quilt pieces on a piece of black 9x12 construction paper for backing.

50 States Project

Well, it's been a minute. When this blog was created I was young, single, and living on the east coast. Now I'm middle aged (?!!), married, with kids, and living back in CA...in the middle of a pandemic. So I'm not sure the blog's descriptor is really accurate, plus I haven't used it in years, but I've been encouraged to start again, and in particular to document a particular project we've embarked on. So here goes...

A few months back, together with a friend the kids and I embarked on a 50 states supplemental social studies project. The goal is this: 50 states, in alphabetical order, at a pace of one state every 2 weeks, so that in two years, when the kids start CA history we will have already learned about every state. We are learning about US and history and culture and so much more as this project gives us a chance to think about the stories we tell, as well as which ones are less known or discussed. We're trying to learn about indigenous groups in the states we study, as well as learning about various people and places from that state. We learn about nature in the state as well. For each state we check out a slew of books from the local public library (which thankfully re-opened for curbside pick up over the summer), and also look at photos and videos online, and we try to do some kind of hands on project as well. The kids are super excited about that part and decided early on it should include art for each state so that they can hold a "museum" for their grandparents and aunt at the end of all this.

In case you're interested in embarking on a similar journey here are some general resources and ideas we've been using:

• National Geographic Kids has a website with overview info for each state: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/
• We bought the book The 50 States by Gabrielle Balkan and read about each state in turn when we get to it.
• We read the relevant book for each state from the Discover America State-by-State Alphabet Series, either from our library or they are available on Epic (a kids reading app).
• Exploring the States book series (also available on Epic).
• We got a scratch off map of the United States to track our progress.
• We also got state coloring books.
• We listen to the song "The United States" from Wee Sing America - which is how I learned all the states when I was a kid. It's available on iTunes.
• At the end of our study, we pick two people to represent the state for our own National Statuary Hall (like in the US capitol). At the end of our whole project we will look at how our picks compare to the (much more white, much more male, much less diverse) real one in DC.

We're already on Florida, so this blog has some catching up to do look. Look here soon for more info on the states we've already done.

To be continued...