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Canku Ota
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(Many Paths)
An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
 
 
 
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Favorite Sites
 
 
collected by Paul and Vicki
 
First Nations Films
Since 1998, First Nations Films creates and distributes award-winning television documentary films for, by and about Indigenous people - Sharing Our Stories! Our exclusive programs are distributed to broadcasters, schools, libraries, universities and other individuals and institutions throughout the world.

http://www.firstnationsfilms.com

The Hopi Wellness Center
The mission of the Hopi Wellness Center is to provide quality service to the Hopi people to effectively prevent type 2 diabetes in the community. The following services function to serve our mission:

  • The Hopi Special Diabetes Program,
  • The Hopi Fitness Center
  • Kids Korner
  • The Hopi Veteran’s Memorial Center

http://www.hopi-nsn.gov/tribal-services/department-of-community-health-services/hopi-wellness-center/

About the Chickasaw Cultural Center
The Chickasaw Cultural Center is located at 867 Charles Cooper Memorial Rd, Sulphur and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Information may be obtained by phoning 580-622-7130. Since opening in 2010, more than 300,000 visitors have enjoyed the center, including worldwide travelers. It is the largest single-tribe cultural center in the nation, located on 109 acres and adjacent to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The cultural center features stomp dancing, crafts, cultural demonstrations and a world-class museum with art treasures.

http://chickasawculturalcenter.com
The Sacred Medicine Tree of the Salish
The Medicine Tree is prominent in the traditional stories of creation as passed down by the Salish over time. This is the story of a great medicine man named Coyote who traveled the land destroying evil monsters to prepare the earth for human beings who were yet to come.

http://www.montanacowboyfame.com/151001/212964.html
The Native Nation Rebuilders Program
The Native Nation Rebuilders Program brings together Native leaders so they may be instrumental in moving their nations toward realization of their tribes’ unique goals

https://www.bushfoundation.org/fellowships/native-nation-rebuilders-program
National Snow and Ice Data Center
Advancing Knowledge Of Earth's Frozen Regions
Data management: Our data management professionals and scientists work with data providers and users to create or publish data products, tools, and resources. We work to ensure that past, present, and future science data remain accessible for studying the Earth and its climate.
Scientific research: Scientists at NSIDC specialize in remote sensing of snow and ice, Arctic climate, frozen ground, ice sheets, glaciers, and more. Our researchers use the data products we offer, helping us better serve our research communities.
Experience: NSIDC began in 1976 as an analog archive and information center, the World Data Center for Glaciology. Since then, NSIDC has evolved to manage cryosphere-related data ranging from the smallest text file to terabytes of remote sensing data from NASA’s Earth Observing System satellite program. Read more about NSIDC history.

http://nsidc.org
Geophysical Institute
At the Geophysical Institute the diversity of our research focus is reflected by our disciplinary-based, functional groupings of faculty and research staff. These divisions are: space physics and aeronomy, atmospheric sciences, snow, ice, and permafrost, seismology, volcanology, and tectonics and sedimentation. Along with an ubiquitous, cross-discipline remote sensing group, these research divisions reflect the range and diversity of the active scientific research projects which reach from the center of the sun to the center of the earth and beyond.

http://www.gi.alaska.edu
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation, education, and quality animal care of Alaska's wildlife. AWCC has provided care for hundreds of displaced animals because visitors like you have made critical contributions in the form of admission fees, donations, memberships, and gift shop purchases.

http://www.alaskawildlife.org
The National Bike Challenge
The National Bike Challenge is a nationwide event uniting thousands of current bicyclists—and encouraging countless new riders. In its simplest form it is a logging center for users to record miles ridden and be part of the national community of bicyclists. It is a free and easy way to challenge yourself, colleagues and the greater community to ride more. Users compete on a local, state and national level. The Challenge aims to unite 75,000 riders to pedal 35 million miles from May 1, 2015 until September 30, 2015. The Challenge is a successful partnership between PeopleForBikes and Kimberly-Clark’s Scott Natural Brand.

https://nationalbikechallenge.org
The Iroquois White Corn Project
The Iroquois White Corn Project encompasses history, culture, community, entrepreneurship, collaboration, agriculture, health, and food systems. We are a non-profit, "agri-cultural" business run by Friends of Ganondagan and located at the Ganondagan State Historic Site Farmhouse: 7191 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road), Victor, NY.

http://iroquoiswhitecorn.org
The Seneca Art & Culture Center
The Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan fulfills a 30-year vision of a permanent, year-round interpretive facility at Ganondagan to tell the story of the Seneca and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) contributions to art, culture and society for more than 2,000 years to the present day.

http://www.ganondagan.org/sacc
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Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for the 5th of May) marks the 1862 victory of the Mexican army over French troops at the Battle of Puebla. It has become a popular cultural holiday in the Southwest, even surpassing its importance in Mexico. The first thing one needs to learn about Cinco de Mayo is that it is not a celebration of Mexican independence. Mexican Independence Day (September 16) commemorates the start of the Mexican revolt against Spain in 1810.
DLTK: Mexico Activities for Kids
Look in the introductory paragraphs for a link to learn more about the origins of Cinco de Mayo. The rest of the page includes a variety of Mexican themed activities: recipes, songs, Day of the Dead activities, coloring pages, worksheets, and crafts. My favorite Cinco de Mayo craft is a Mexican Sombrero (hat) made from four sheets of newspaper.

http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/mexico/
History: Cinco de Mayo
"A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Cinco de Mayo traditions include parades, mariachi music performances and street festivals in cities and towns across Mexico and the United States." Visit to learn about Cinco de Mayo through an article, videos, and a photo gallery.

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/cinco-de-mayo
Inside Mexico: Cinco de Mayo
This two-page article explains how Mexico struggled in its early years of independence. After years of economic woes, the "French invaded Mexico, and with the help of the Mexican Conservative party, Louis Napoleon imposed Maximilian of Hapsburg as Mexico's emperor in 1864." The story has many twists and turns, and is an exciting one to read. Be sure to visit Cinco de Mayo Facts, which is listed in yellow at the bottom of the page.

http://www.inside-mexico.com/cinco-de-mayo/
Pinterest: Kids' Cinco de Mayo Activities
Pinterest is a hotbed of craft collections! This board from pinner Deb @ Living Montessori Now showcases 57 Cinco de Mayo crafts and activities from all corners of the Web. Click twice on any of the pretty pictures to view the craft on the original website.

https://www.pinterest.com/debchitwood/kids-cinco-de-mayo-activities/

MEXOnline: History of Cinco de Mayo
MEXOnline is my pick of the day site for Cinco de Mayo history. It is illustrated with a map showing the town of Puebla, a picture of Maximilian (the Archduke of Austria), and the hero of Cinco de Mayo, General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. "The battle at Puebla in 1862 happened at a violent and chaotic time in Mexico's history. Mexico had finally gained independence from Spain in 1821 after a difficult and bloody struggle, and a number of internal political takeovers and wars, including the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Mexican Civil War of 1858, had ruined the national economy."

http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm

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Penguins
What is it about penguins that makes them so adorable and so popular? Is it their dapper tuxedo coloring, their upright stance, or their amusing waddle? Whatever the reason, here’s the best of what the Web has to offer penguin lovers and student researchers.
Discovery: Top 10 Penguin Videos
These short videos (just a few minutes each) showcase Discovery's best penguin offerings. Criminal Penguin (first in the playlist) introduces an Adélie penguin who steals the rocks needed to build his nest from neighboring penguins, who seem oblivious to the crime. After enjoying these ten videos, click on over to Waddle all the Way for four more penguin shorts.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/penguins-waddle-all-the-way/videos/top-10-penguin-videos/
Kidzone: Penguins
This Kidzone gateway page has links to three penguin sections: Activities, Facts, and Photos. Activities include printable worksheets, book recommendations, creating writing sparks, a printable mini-book, questions to answer, and a worksheet for children to summarize what they've learned about Penguins.

http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/penguins/
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Focus on Penguins
"Penguins are appealing animals. We tend to feel a certain kinship with them. Like us, they're social and curious, they walk upright and care for their young. Besides, they look like they're wearing tuxedos." Best click is the live video cam (from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. P.S.T) of the black-footed penguins, hatched in an aquarium in New Orleans but native to South Africa. "Watch our exhibit penguins as they hop up on rocks, dive and swim, much like penguins in the wild."

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animal-guide/birds/african-blackfooted-penguin
PenguinWorld
"PenguinWorld is a site devoted to the species of birds known to us as Penguins and to science as the family Spheniscidae. Here you can find information on all 16 types of penguin, including the Emperor, King and Adélie penguin. You can locate penguins on a map of the world, and if you have a question that is not answered here, you can ask Professor Penguin."

http://www.penguinworld.com

Pete & Barb's Penguin Pages
"Inside this site you will find everything you want to know about penguins. There are around 150 information pages and over 200 photographs. Although most people seem to associate penguins with the cold Antarctic regions, in fact penguins can be found around the coasts of most islands in the southern ocean. The most northerly penguins are found on the Galapagos Islands which straddle the equator." Pete and Barb are fanatical about collecting everything penguin (she even drives a car "decked out with Adélie penguins all round") and their collection of penguin fact and whimsy is first class.

http://www.adelie.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

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News for Students
With so much to absorb and understand, discussing current events with our children will help not only them, but us too. The following news sites are my personal favorites, and will serve as excellent conversation starters.
New York Times Learning Network
With news, opinions, activities and lesson plans for grades K-12, the New York Times Learning Network really does have something for everyone. Best bets are the news summaries, daily news quiz, and printable topical crossword puzzles. Other don't-miss-them clicks are Word of the Day (with sample usage from the newspaper), On this Day (with a snapshot of an historic New York Times front page) and 6 Q's About the News.

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/?_r=0
Scholastic: News for Your Classroom
Well-designed and well-written, News for Your Classroom is a must-see site for news hungry elementary and middle-school students. Scholastic combines original reporting with coverage written by kids (Kid Reporter's Notebook) and short videos. Some of the articles are only for print subscribers, but there is plenty of free content for the rest of us.

http://magazines.scholastic.com
Smithsonian: Tween/Teen Tribune
With a focus on science and technology, Smithsonian's Tween/Teen Tribune has editions for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Each news article closes with a grade-appropriate question. "Critical thinking challenge: Name three advantages of the 3-D printed hand over conventional prosthetics." Most of the site is unfettered access, but for self-scoring quizzes, lesson plans, and access for students to post comments, teachers can register for free.

http://tweentribune.com
Student News Daily
With an emphasis on politics and world affairs, Student News Daily explains conservative and liberal viewpoints, discusses media bias, and provides a glossary of media vocabulary (from "article" to "story"). Each article concludes with seven questions. Answers are available via their free email newsletter. Regular features include: Tuesday World Events, Wednesday Example of Media Bias, Thursday's Editorial, and Friday's New Quiz and Editorial Cartoon.

http://www.studentnewsdaily.com

Time for Kids
Time for Kids covers the tough issues such as the war on terrorism, along with sports, fun features and challenging games. Time for Kids can be navigated from the front page, the pop-up scrolling news headlines, or through the grade-sorted archive of the three English and two Spanish editions. Best bet games for learning include Famous Face Offs (match the news-makers' names with their head shots) and Trivia Time Machine (finish famous headlines from the twentieth century.)

http://www.timeforkids.com

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Financial Literacy
Although there is more to learn about money than how to count coins and bills, the subject is largely ignored in most middle- and high-schools. But somewhere between giving them an allowance, and waving goodbye as they move out of the house, kids need an introduction to financial literacy, including learning about earning, budgeting, saving and investing.
Money as You Grow
"Twenty things kids need to know to live financially smart lives." Starting with 3-5 year olds, each milestone is grouped by age up to 18 and over. For preschoolers, the first milestone is "1) You need money to buy things." For high-schoolers, the last milestone is "20) When investing consider the risks and the annual expenses." Each item has pop-up activities to help your child reach the milestone.

http://moneyasyougrow.org
Money Instructor
Money Instructor features lessons about money skills, earning, saving, investing, and starting a business. Each section includes printable and interactive worksheets, and lesson plans for teachers. "If you have a budget and stick to it, you will be less likely to blow your money during random daily spending. A budget can help you reach a financial goal because it controls how much you spend and how much you save. Budgets can help eliminate many money surprises because you've planned ahead and know what to expect each month."

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/lessonplan.asp
MyMoney.gov
The My Money Five are five building blocks for managing your money: earn, save and invest, protect, spend, and borrow. "Sometimes it's necessary to borrow for major purchases like an education, a car, a house, or maybe even to meet unexpected expenses. Your ability to get a loan generally depends on your credit history, and that depends largely on your track record at repaying what you've borrowed in the past and paying your bills on time."

http://www.mymoney.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Practical Money Skills for Life
Although the only section specifically created for kids is Games (they're great, by the way) there is plenty here for high-school students who are ready for the information on Credit & Debit, and Saving & Spending. Teachers will also find lesson plans for PreK and up (including college-level material).

http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/index.php

The Mint
Whether you're a kid, teen, recent graduate, parent, or teacher, The Mint has a portal for you. For kids, The Mint covers earning, saving, spending and giving. For teens, it adds owing, tracking, investing and safeguarding. "You skid on wet pavement and wreck your bike. You leave your backpack on the bus, and no one turns it in. These events are called 'losses.' You no longer have a backpack or a bike. Who replaces these items? What if your parents say that you must replace the lost backpack because you were careless?"

http://www.themint.org

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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/
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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Canku Ota is a free Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.
 
 
 
Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000 - 2015 of Vicki Williams Barry and Paul Barry.
 
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