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Canku
Ota
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(Many
Paths)
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An
Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
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September
1, 2011 - Volume 9 Number 9
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Favorite
Sites
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collected
by Paul and Vicki
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Welcome
and enjoy "Mathó Waúnšila Thiwáhe"
- the Lakota Berenstain Bears.
The Lakota Berenstain Bears Project is a joint venture of
the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Lakota Language Consortium,
with the goal of bringing the Lakota language to family television
sets across all Lakota-speaking communities in North and South
Dakota, and well beyond.
http://www.lakotabears.com/
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Bunky
Echo-Hawk | proACTIVE ARTist
Bunky Echo-Hawk is a multi-talented artist whose work spans
both media and lifestyle. A graduate of the Institute of American
Indian Arts, he is a ?ne artist, graphic designer, photographer,
writer and a non-pro?t professional. He is also a traditional
singer and dancer.
http://www.bunkyechohawk.com/
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Sinte
Gleska University Mission Statement
Sinte Gleska University provides a model for Indian-controlled
education. It is an institution governed by people rooted
to the reservation and culture, concerned about the future,
and willing to work to see the institution grow. It provides
each Lakota person the opportunity to pursue an education
and does so in a way that is relevant to career and personal
needs. Sinte Gleska University graduates will help determine
the future development and direction of the Tribe and its
institutions. The mission of Sinte Gleska University is to
plan, design, implement and assess post-secondary programs
and other educational resources uniquely appropriate to the
Lakota people in order to facilitate individual development
and tribal autonomy.
http://www.sintegleska.edu/index.html
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Sealaska
Heritage Institute
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is a regional Native nonprofit
organization founded for the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian
people of Southeast Alaska. SHI was established in 1980 by
Sealaska Corp., a for-profit company formed under the Alaska
Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). SHI, formerly Sealaska
Heritage Foundation, administers Sealaska Corp.'s cultural
and educational programs.
http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/
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The
Birchbark House Fund
Sisters Louise Erdrich and Heid Erdrich began The Birchbark
House Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation in 2008 in order
to support the work of indigenous language revitalization
through publication, events, and scholarship. Since 2008 we
have supported authors, illustrators, editors, and interns.
You can contribute to The Birchbark House Fund using the Give
MN link below.
http://www.birchbarkhouse.org/
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French
and Indian War
The war between Great Britain and France that took place in
North America from 1754 to 1763 is usually called The French
and Indian War by Americans. It was a fight for control of
land, and officially ended with the signing of the Treaty
of Paris in 1763 when France gave all land east of the Mississippi
River (except New Orleans) to Britain, Britain returned Cuba
to Spain, and Spain surrendered Florida to Britain.
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North
Carolina Department of Cultural Resources: French and Indian
War Interactive
"Situated in the Piedmont region of North Carolina near
the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Fort Dobbs State
Historic Site provides a window into the tumultuous period of
history known as the French and Indian War (1754-1763) or Seven
Years War." This exhibit tells the story of the French
and Indian War with a series of short videos, a timeline, and
a small photo gallery. The site also includes a few printable
handouts for teachers (although some of the resource links are
broken.)
http://www.ncdcr.gov/interactive/french_indian_war/index.html
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MrNussbaum.com:
French and Indian War
"In North America, fighting began chiefly because both
England and France had claimed the land known as the Ohio River
Vallery in the hopes of expanding their fur trades." Visit
MrNussbaum.com to learn about the causes of the war, and a description
of the war. There are also a variety of related activities,
such as a cloze reading, an online scavenger hunt and an interactive
crossword puzzle. "5 Down: This fort was constructed after
George Washington and his soldiers attacked a French scouting
party at the Battle of Jumonville Glen in Pennsylvania."
http://www.mrnussbaum.com/fiwarint.htm
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Shmoop:
The French & Indian War Summary & Analysis
Shmoop is an online "university" dedicated to making
digital learning fun, and their French and Indian War section
is the most extensive of today's site picks. It is divided into
Summary & Analysis, Timeline, People, Facts, Photos, Best
of the Web (more links!), Citations (a bibliography) and Test
Review. Test Review is a single page with short one-line summaries
of all the key people and events. Shmoop also offers teachers
an inexpensive printable package that includes quizzes and lesson
plans.
http://www.shmoop.com/french-indian-war/summary.html
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Social
Studies for Kids: The French and Indian War
"The French and Indian War, as Americans called it, showed
the American colonists how powerful the English army and navy
could be. It also showed how vulnerable these same troops could
be." This four-page lesson can be navigated by the page
numbers at the bottom of each article, or the "More of
this Feature" links on the right-hand side. It confused
me at first, until I realized that "pages" and "parts"
were the being used interchangeably in the menu system. Also
look on the right-hand menu to find a war timeline and a glossary
of important people, places and things.
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/frenchandindianwar1.htm
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WQED:
The War that Made America
"To reduce the number of Indian dissenters in Pontiac's
War, General Amherst suggested germ warfare -- giving smallpox-infected
blankets to Indians at the siege on Fort Pitt." This
PBS site supports the TV movie of the same name. Best clicks
are the Interactive Timeline, Historical Notes, Biographies
and the Student Resource Pages. The resource pages are background
reports created from primary sources, and include questions
and activities. They are available in both PDF and DOC formats,
and "contain material for both independent and group
work."
http://www.wqed.org/tv/specials/the-war-that-made-america/
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Back-to-School
Poems
The end of summer means that kids will soon be going back
to school. It's a fun, scary, busy time for everyone, especially
small children. Because transitions of all kinds can usually
be made easier with stories, songs and poems, this week's
collection of poetry and sing along songs is dedicated to
going back to school.
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CanTeach:
Songs & Poems
"We've joined together as classmates / as the new year
begins. / A year full of learning / while we become friends."
Back to school poems and personalized piggyback songs await
you at CanTeach. The personalized piggyback songs include your
child's name and are sung to familiar tunes such as B-I-N-G-O
or Frere Jacques. "Where is (name)? / Where is (name)?
/ Here I am, here I am."
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems5.html
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DLTK:
Back to School Poems and Songs
"Kindergarten, here we come! / We know we'll have lots
of fun." Celebrate school's first days with nursery rhymes,
finger plays, lots of sing-along songs, and even poems for parents.
Each of these is also available in a printable format without
ads, and the original songs include an audio clip of the melody.
Many of the poems and songs also include links to related coloring
pages and craft ideas.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/school/songs.htm
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Giggle
Poetry: Funny Poetry for Children
Giggle Poetry features several very funny poets including Bruce
Lansky, Kenn Nesbitt and Eric Ode. This particular page lists
dozens of poem topics, and at least seven of them are school
related. Just scroll down the page to find them all: School
Lunch Poems, Teacher & Principal Poems, School Blues Poems,
Classroom Zoo Poems, Homework Poems, School Activities Poems,
and Classmate Poems. Here's the opening line from "My Doggie
Ate My Homework" by Dave Crawley: "'My doggy ate my
homework. / He chewed it up,' I said. / But when I offered my
excuse / My teacher shook her head."
http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poemcategories.aspx
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Poetry
for Kids: Funny School Poems
Kenn Nesbitt is an ex-computer programmer who is now a full-time
poet. In addition to his funny kids poems and links to his poetry
books, his site includes poetry lessons, word games, and a rhyming
dictionary. This section includes a few of his School Foolery
poems, including "Don't Bring Camels in the Classroom."
"Don't bring camels in the classroom. / Don't bring scorpions
to school. / Don't bring rhinos, rats, or reindeer. / Don't
bring mice or moose or mule."
http://www.poetry4kids.com/cat-School.html
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Robert
Pottle: Funny School Poems
Robert Pottle starting writing children's poems on a cross-country
road trip in 2000, and hasn't stopped since. These school
poems are divided into four topics: Back to School, Funny
School Poems, Funny Teacher Poems and End of School Year.
These opening lines are from "The First Day of Kindergarten."
"Today was it. I went to school. / It was fun and kinda
cool. / We did the hokey-pokey dance. / Peter cried -? he
wet his pants."
http://www.robertpottle.com/poems/funny-school-poems.php
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Hearing
Protection
Loud sounds, such as those at a concert or coming over headphones
plugged into an MP3 player, can damage the inner ear and cause
long-term hearing loss. Learn more about the science of sound,
and how you can protect your hearing at today's site picks.
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Apple:
Sound and Hearing
Learn about the science of sound, and how your ears hear.
"You can hear because your ears convert the vibrations
of a sound wave in the air into signals that your brain interprets
as sound." Apple's advice is to listen responsibly by
thinking about the volume of your iPod and keeping track of
how long you listen to your iPod. There is also an important
link at the top of the page, that answers frequently asked
questions about setting a Volume Limit on your iPod or iPhone.
http://www.apple.com/sound/
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Dangerous
Decibels
Published by the Oregon Health & Science University, Dangerous
Decibels' mission is to reduce "noise-induced hearing
loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ear) through exhibits, education
and research." Can you name the top three things to do
when confronted with extreme noise? Walk away, protect your
ears, or turn it down! Visit the site for more tips, facts,
coloring sheets, a virtual museum exhibit (find it under Exhibitry)
and classroom materials.
http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/
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Exploratorium:
Listen: Making Sense of Sound
Explore all aspects of sound and listening, as you learn about
"the physical nature of sound, the physiology of hearing,
and the capacity to listen attentively." Start with the
Listening Guides ("skilled listeners share their secrets")
for multimedia presentations on listening to nature, listening
to make music, and listening to solve problems. Next, click
on over to the online activities which include online listening
games and printable activity sheets (take a blindfolded walk
or make a membranophone).
http://www.exploratorium.edu/listen/
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It's
a Noisy Planet
Sponsored by the National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD), It's a Noisy Planet is designed
to educate parents of kids ages eight to twelve on the "causes
and prevention of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)."
In addition to the content aimed at parents, there is also
a TweenZone for preteens, where you'll find Facts, Noise in
the News, Videos and Games. "If you force your ears to
deal with too much noise for too long a time, you have a good
chance of losing some of your hearing. The worst thing is
that hearing loss from noise exposure does not get better.
Once you have it, it lasts forever."
http://www.noisyplanet.nidcd.nih.gov/Pages/Default.aspx
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Noise-Induced
Hearing Loss
Another site from the NIDCD, this one is not specifically
written for either kids or parents, but chock full of valuable
facts about NIHL. Visit to get answers to questions such as:
what sounds cause NIHL and what are the symptoms of NIHL?
"When a person is exposed to loud noise over a long period
of time, symptoms of NIHL will increase gradually. Over time,
the sounds a person hears may become distorted or muffled,
and it may be difficult for the person to understand speech."
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/noise.asp
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Preschool
Games
Have you ever seen a four-year old navigate the Web? It's
pretty amazing how fearlessly they click around, finding their
favorite activities, which usually means online games! But
remember, the Internet is a big place, and it is best explored
with mommy or daddy by their side.
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Boowa
& Kwala: 818 Games
These colorful, musical, original games for ages zero (zero?)
to six are divided into twenty-four categories: songs, stories,
hide and seek, print and paint, mazes, shapes, sorting things,
craft activities, etc. I found them enchanting; I'm sure your
preschooler will also. For older kids, there is another part
of the site titled Up to Ten (and, you guessed it, it's for
elementary kids up to age ten.)
http://www.boowakwala.com/kids/boowakwala-navigation-games.html
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Disney
Junior: Games
"Make new forest friends with Bambi!" Many of childhood's
favorite characters can be found in these Disney games, including
Bambi, Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse. The games can be
accessed by character, or by style of game, such as Colors
and Shapes, Dress Up, Music or Memory. In addition to the
interactive games, there are also video episodes, printable
coloring pages and animated, multimedia stories.
http://disney.go.com/disneyjunior/for-grown-ups
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Nick
Jr: Preschool Games
With stars like Dora the Explorer, Diego, Dino Dan, Blue (of
Blue's Clues fame) and the Backyardigans, your preschooler
is sure to love these games, crafts, activities and printable
coloring pages. The game pages are sorted by TV Show, Themes
(Art, Dress Up, Puzzles, Sports, Stories, and so on) and Ages
(from two to six year olds.) A few characters have their own,
separate sites (SpongeBob and Neopets) and you'll find their
links at the very bottom of the page.
http://www.nickjr.com/games/index.jhtml
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Sesame
Street: Games
Who is your favorite Sesame Street character? Whether it's
Big Bird, Elmo, Oscar, Ernie or Grover, you'll never have
to choose just one, with games for so many beloved characters
here at SesameStreet.org. Games are also organized by subject
(science, numbers, disabilities, cultural appreciation) and
themes (animals, food, weather, and family). Interactive coloring
pages are listed under "ART" in the horizontal menu
near the top of the page.
http://www.sesamestreet.org/games
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Sheppard
Software: Preschool Games
No famous television characters here, but a wonderful collection
of interactive, educational games just for preschoolers and
kindergarten kids. Subjects include animals, colors, numbers,
letters and shapes. "Shapes are all around us. Here are
some items that are shaped like Circles, Squares and Triangles."
At the bottom of the page (in the left-hand corner) are links
to interactive painting games, memory games and online jigsaw
puzzles.
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/preschool/preschool.htm
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Friendship
Crafts
Friendship crafts are art projects that can be made with friends,
as a gift for a friend, or as part of a preschool theme on
the value of friendships. Read on to learn about friendship
bracelets, Amish friendship bread, friendship wreaths and
more.
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DLTK:
Friendship Crafts
Bracelets, necklaces, wreaths and pins are among the friendship
crafts explained at DLTK. My favorite, however, is the "Today
I Made a New Friend" worksheet. It comes in a variety of
flavors (boy, girl, at school, at church, at Brownies, etc.)
and is available in colors and black-and-white. "This is
a great worksheet to use on the first day with a new group of
kids to help break the ice. It also works well to fill time
at the beginning or end of the day."
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/friendship/
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Everything
Preschool: Friendship Arts and Crafts
These friendship crafts are specifically for preschoolers and
kindergarten students, so there are no complicated weaving patterns,
just fun with paper, glue, paint and yarn. Crafts include a
construction paper friendship quilt, friendship paper dolls,
a cardboard friendship tree, life size cutouts (My Friend as
Me) and a handprint frame. Submit your own preschool craft ideas
using the form at the bottom of the page.
http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/friendship/art.htm
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Friendship
Bracelets
Friendship Bracelets is published by Stefan from Sweden, who
has been making bracelets since middle school. Visit his site
for lots of friendship bracelet patterns, tutorials, and a pattern
generator. "Originally, these colorful bands were invented
by Indians in Central and South America. According to tradition,
you tie a bracelet onto the wrist of a friend who may wish for
something at that moment. The bracelet should be worn until
it is totally worn-out and falls off by itself, at which moment
the wish is supposed to come true."
http://friendship-bracelets.net/
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Friendship
Bread Kitchen: What is Amish Friendship Bread?
"Amish Friendship Bread operates on a similar principle
as a chain letter ? pass it on ? but with no threats or negative
repercussions if you choose not to. At the end of the ten days,
you divide it into four portions, bake with one, and give the
other three away. If you've received a starter from someone,
there's a little bit of flour and love from their kitchen, as
well as all the other kitchens before it." Learn the lore
and the recipe at the site by writer Darien Gee, author of the
novel "Friendship Bread."
http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/amish-friendship-bread
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Knot
Cool
Bethany made her first friendship bracelet at age seven, and
now publishes Knot Cool to share her favorite craft with the
world. "These handmade crafts are super easy to make
and super fun to wear. Friendship bracelets are great projects
for people of all ages." Her designs and tutorials are
organized by difficulty, with separate sections for Beginner,
Intermediate, and Advanced.
http://www.knotcool.com/
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STAR
Students And Teachers Against Racism
announces their new website that offers insight into the Native
American perspective to teachers and educators.
http://www.racismagainstindians.org/
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Changing
Winds Advocacy Center
Through presentations, classroom sessions, curriculum, fund
raising, charitable works, and multi-media efforts, we seek
to raise public awareness of the stereotyping, discrimination,
racism and other unique situations facing Native Americans.
http://changingwinds.org/
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