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Canku Ota
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(Many Paths)
An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
 
 
 
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Favorite Web Sites
 
 
collected by Paul and Vicki
 
Running Strong
Running Strong's mission is to help American Indian people meet their immediate survival needs – food, water, and shelter – while implementing and supporting programs designed to create opportunities for self-sufficiency and self-esteem.

http://indianyouth.org
The Decolonial Atlas
The Decolonial Atlas, started in 2014, is an attempt to bring together maps which, in some way, challenge our relationships with the land, people, and state. It is based on the premise that there is no such thing as "truth" in cartography. Only interpretation. The orientation of a map, its projection, the presence of political borders, which features are included or excluded, and the language used to label a map are all subject to the map-maker's agenda. Because most maps in use today serve to reinforce colonial understandings of the Earth, we are consciously creating maps which help us to re-imagine the world – to decolonize.

https://decolonialatlas.wordpress.com
Welch Dakota Papers
The Welch Dakota Papers contains over 4000 pages of Welch's personal writing record, photographs, historic letters and documents, and newspaper clippings. The bulk of this material was gathered after his adoption in 1913 up until his death in 1945.

http://www.welchdakotapapers.com/welch-dakota-papers/
Welcome to the Owl Research Institute - Charlo, Montana
For more than 25 years, the Owl Research Institute (ORI) has been dedicated to scientific research of owls — their ecology, natural history, and habitat relationships. Because owls are chronically under-researched and poorly understood, we strive to provide high-quality, long-term studies of owls, and use our findings to promote conservation.

http://owlinstitute.org
Osprey Nest Cam 2016: Season Four
Hello bird fans and nest cam enthusiasts! Josie and Elbert are back again in Orange Beach, Alabama for a fourth season of our Osprey Nest Cam. This year, along with a change in the camera angle, we have a new feature: sound! Over the past three years we've had hurricane winds, an unfortunate (and hilarious) bird poop "white-out" of the camera, and of course three successfully raised broods. Who knows what will happen this year? Keep your eyes on the camera as this wonderfully wild family drama unfolds again.

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/areas/gulfofmexico/explore/osprey-cam-live-feed.xml?src=e.gp
Sliver of a Full Moon
Sliver of a Full Moon is a portrayal of resistance and celebration. It is the story of a movement that restored the authority of Indian tribes over non-Indian abusers to protect women on tribal lands. Although thousands contributed to this victory, Sliver of a Full Moon follows the story of five Native women who took a stand and two Native men, including Congressman Tom Cole, who stood with them to win this victory. But this "victory" doesn't include our sisters in Alaska.

http://www.sliverofafullmoon.org
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Forms of Poetry
Poetic form refers to rules followed by different types of poems. The rules may describe the rhythm of the poem, the length of a poem, its rhyming scheme, the use of alliteration, or the poem's shape on a page. Don't know your cento from your cinquain? The following web picks explain poetry terms, form, and technique.
Infoplease.com: Glossary of Poetry Terms
From "accent" to "verse," Infoplease defines nearly a hundred poetry terms and forms. At the bottom of the glossary, you'll find a link to more Poetry Month features. There you'll find an eclectic assortment of poetry features, including Notable Poets, Quizzes, Poetry Collections organized by poet, and lists of Poetry Awards and Poet Laureates. Don't miss the Meter, Rhyme Scheme and Forms of Poetry Quiz.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0903237.html
Kathi Mitchell: Types of Poems for Kids
Kathi Mitchell, a language arts teacher from New Hampshire, shares a list of nineteen poetic forms for elementary students. Each form includes a fun sample, and many include links to more examples. In addition to the usual forms, such as limericks and haiku, Mitchell describes Monster Poems ("Describe an imaginary monster. Try to have a theme ...") and Third Eye Poems ("The Third Eye poem tells about things that might go unnoticed and are improbable or impossible to see with regular eyesight. The Third Eye knows what is really happening.")

http://www.kathimitchell.com/poemtypes.html
PBS Kids: Arthur: What's a Poem?
For your youngest poets, Fern's Poetry Nook introduces six poetry styles: narrative, limerick, haiku, free verse, lyric, and cinquain. "Cinquain were developed in the early 1900s by an American poet to resemble Haiku. Cinquains follow a formula. It's kind of confusing, so follow me here: The first line is one word giving the title. It has 2 syllables. The second line has 2 words that describe the title. It has 4 syllables. The third line has 3 words that express an action. It has 6 syllables. The fourth line has 2 words that express a feeling. It has 8 syllables. The fifth line is 1 word. It has 2 or 3 syllables."

http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/poetry/what.html
Poetry4Kids.com
Poet Kenn Nesbitt offers dozens of "How to Write" guides to poetic forms. Forms covered include free verse, tongue twister, funny list, clerihew, haiku, playing with your food, and tanka. "Tanka, which means 'short song,' has been an important literary form in Japanese culture for nearly a thousand years. The original Japanese form of tanka had only one line of poetry containing 31 speech sounds – what we would call syllables. However, most tanka poems that are written in English today are broken into five poetic lines with a certain number of syllables in each line."

http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/poetry-writing-lessons/

Shadow Poetry: Types of Poetry
Shadow Poetry is a writers' support site whose goal is to help poets improve their writing skills and increase their knowledge of poetry forms. This section of their site defines fifty types of poetry, and illustrates them with sample poems from their members. In addition to the traditional forms (such as ballad and sonnet), they also list twenty-eight forms invented by their members. Perhaps these new poetic forms will inspire you to try your hand at creating a new form of poetry!

http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/types.html

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Wizard of Oz
Frank L. Baum (1856 – 1910) wrote fourteen children's books and a handful of short stories about the mythical land of Oz, but it was his first,"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", that became an American classic and one of the most popular movies in film history, "The Wizard of Oz"
Archive.org: Wizard of Oz
Because "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was published more than one-hundred years ago, it is no longer covered by copyright in the U.S., and you can download it for free. Available formats include black and white PDF (includes the beautiful illustrations by W.W. Denslow), Kindle, full text, and ePub. Click on Baum's linked name to find more of the author's work.

https://archive.org/details/wonderfulwizardo00baumiala
Library of Congress: The Wizard of Oz: An American Fairytale
"Since its publication in September 1900, L. Frank Baum's 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' has become America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale." This virtual exhibit from the Library of Congress is divided into three sections: To Please a Child, To See the Wizard, To Own the Wizard. Although the site may not interest young children, us older ones will surely find something delightful. Visit to view original covers for many of Baum's children's books, Wizard of Oz advertising posters, and W. W. Denslow's original black-and-white book illustrations.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/oz/
Pinterest: Wizard of Oz Classroom
Pinner Malinda Gray Wilson has collected 245 pins for elementary-ages. Links include crafts, printable worksheets, classroom decorations, certificates, behavior charts, and more. To reach the bookmarked sites, double click on any of the pinned images. You can also add the pins to your board by using the red Pin It button that appears when you hover your mouse over an image.

https://www.pinterest.com/malindawilson/wizard-of-oz-classroom/
The Wizard of Oz: Official Movie Site
Use the navigation arrows on the left and right side of your screen (or the menu ribbon at the top) to view video clips, photographs, read actor bios, and to download social media skins (such as Facebook covers or Twitter profiles.) Click on Fun Stuff to reveal printable games and a coloring page. "Judy Garland as Dorothy. Born Frances Gumm, Judy Garland was raised in entertainment, performing in vaudeville with her two sisters in Minnesota. After her family moved to California, Garland changed her name and eventually signed with MGM."

http://thewizardofoz.warnerbros.com

Wonderful Wizard of Oz Site
This Wizard of Oz fan site by Eric Gjovaag is a cornucopia of frequently asked questions and resource lists. Although navigation is cumbersome, there is lots to discover here, so just grin and bear it. One way to get around, is simply to scroll down the very long front page until something catches your eye. Another is to use the horizontal menu about one screen down from the top of the page. Here's one question that's answered in The Movie: Trivia and Miscellany. "What is wrong with the Scarecrow's math? Doesn't he know the Pythagorean Theorem?"

http://thewizardofoz.info

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Earth Day is April 22
Earth Day
Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated annually on April 22. Although ideally everyday should be Earth Day, the annual holiday presents the perfect opportunity to learn more about earth science, ecology, and the environment.
DLTK: Earth Day Crafts
DLTK has a nice collection of Earth Day crafts and activities, starting with an article that explains the origins of Earth Day. "Earth Day began on April 22, 1970 and has been an important day ever since. It's a day to reflect on our planet, our environment and what we can do to help keep them healthy." The site includes coloring pages, puzzles, poems, songs, printables, worksheets and (of course) crafts.

http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/earth/
EcoKids
EcoKids is Canada's environmental youth education program, and even though site membership is restricted to Canadian youth groups, there's oodles of material for non-members. My favorite section is Play and Learn, with activities, slide shows, quizzes, games and PDF printables in topics such as the environment, science, nature, wildlife and energy. For example, did you know that every year thousands of frogs get squashed crossing roads to reach seasonal habitats? You can help by finding frog habitats that span busy roads and educating local drivers about the issue.

https://ecokids.ca
EPA: Earth Day
Watch Earth Day videos, learn about its history, peruse community service ideas, play games, test yourself with quizzes, and download printable booklets including coloring books, and guides to climate change, waste, and recycling. The EPA also provides lesson plans for teachers and homework resources for students.

https://www.epa.gov/earthday
NASA: Earth Science
"Can scientists predict the global impacts of increased levels of pollutants in the atmosphere? Will the planet warm because increased levels of greenhouse gases, produced by the burning of fossil fuels, trap heat and prevent it from being radiated back into space? Will the polar ice caps melt, causing massive coastal flooding? Have humans initiated wholesale climatic change?" NASA studies the earth, not just outer space, and has created this earth science site for kids and their teachers and filled it to the brim with information, lesson plans and games.

http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/

Time for Kids: Earth Day
"Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and enough plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times. In 2012, the U.S. produced 32 million tons of plastic. Only 9% was recovered for recycling. It takes about 450 years for plastic beverage bottles to break down in a landfill." Visit to learn about Earth Day by numbers, get ten tips to help stop global warming, and to download printables for grades K.

http://www.timeforkids.com/minisite/environment

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First Aid
First aid is the initial care given to an injury, and in some cases can save lives. Today's site picks are a roundup of sites that teach and review first aid practices, with a special emphasis on making the lessons fun for kids and teens.
American Red Cross: Anatomy of a First Aid Kit
Although this section of the Red Cross site is not specifically written for kids or teens, gathering all the needed supplies for a first aid kit makes an excellent family or scout project. "Include any personal items such as medications and emergency phone numbers or other items your health-care provider may suggest. Check the kit regularly. Make sure the flashlight batteries work. Check expiration dates and replace any used or out-of-date contents."

http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/get-kit/anatomy
First Aid Quiz
"The First Aid Quiz web site was created to provide a fun way to brush up on your first aid knowledge." Created by volunteer paramedic Stewart Watkiss, it includes three interactive quizzes ("What position should someone with an abdominal wound be placed in?"), four crossword puzzles (both interactive and printable), three word search puzzles, and two hangman games.

http://www.firstaidquiz.com/index.php
Inquiry.net: First Aid Games
Sir Robert Baden-Powell (1857 - 1941) was a lieutenant general in the British Army and a founder of the Scout Movement. These outdoor first aid games are from his 1921 "Scouting Games" book. You will probably need to modify these games based on the age and knowledge of your group. And although the original text refers to boys (do I really need to say this?) these games can be played by both boys and girls!

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/games/b-p/first_aid.htm
Scouting Web: Kids' First Aid Book
This three-page printable coloring book provides basic first aid instruction for elementary-age kids. "Should your friend or a brother or sister, feel nauseous or complain of a belly pain, don't give that person anything to eat or drink. Put an ice pack on the area that hurts and call an adult."

http://www.epilogsys.com/scoutingweb/Documents/Kids%20First%20Aid%20Book.pdf

University of Washington: Learn CPR
Although not intended to replace an actual CPR training class, this guide lists dozens of online tools to help you learn or refresh CPR skills, including printable pocket guides ("Call. Pump. Blow.") The newest kids on the block are the two mobile CPR training apps, one for the iPhone and other for the Android. Additional tools include video demonstrations, CPR FAQ, CPR Fun Facts, and a CPR Quiz. "If CPR is started within 4 minutes of collapse and defibrillation provided within 10 minutes a person has a 40% chance of survival."

http://depts.washington.edu/learncpr/

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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 - 2016 of Vicki Williams Barry and Paul Barry.
 
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