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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
 
BusyTeacher.org
BusyTeacher.org provides over 17,000 free printable materials for ESL/EFL teachers, including worksheets, detailed lesson plans and in-depth articles.

http://busyteacher.org
Smart Growth America
Smart Growth America is the only national organization dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalitions to bring smart growth practices to more communities nationwide. From providing more sidewalks to ensuring more homes are built near public transportation or that productive farms remain a part of our communities, smart growth helps make sure people across the nation can live in great neighborhoods.

http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org

About the Osage Nation Museum
The premiere destination to experience Osage history, art, and culture. Visit the Osage Nation Museum (ONM) in historic Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Our continuously changing exhibits convey the story of the Osage people throughout history and celebrate Osage culture today. Highlights include an extensive photograph collection, historical artifacts, and traditional and contemporary art. Founded in 1938, the ONM is the oldest tribally owned museum in the United States. Admission and parking is free.
http://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/museum

Mesa Media, Inc.
Mesa Media, Inc.'s mission is to revitalize the Hopi language, which encompasses the philosophy of land stewardship maintained by Hopi people for centuries. In 2004, fluent Hopi speakers Anita Poleahla and Ferrell Secakuku founded Mesa Media, Inc. because they believe that all Hopi people deserve the opportunity to understand the richness of the Hopi language and its teachings.

http://www.mesamedia.org/Mesa_Media.html
Chahta Anumpa Aiikhvna - School of Choctaw Language
The Choctaw Nation Language Community classes are taught free of charge. We invite anyone who wants to learn the Choctaw Language. This is a great opportunity to learn the language of our ancestors who walked the "Trail of Tears." An authorized web site of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

http://www.choctawschool.com
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Kid-Friendly Christmas Cookies
I do not bake. When my kids were younger they had a hard time accepting this and continually tried to get me to make cookies. Eventually, they figured out that they could do it themselves! For all the bakers at your house (whatever their ages), here are some kid-friendly cookie recipes. Have a safe and happy holiday season!
Betty Crocker: Christmas Cookies to Make with Kids
"From red and green chocolate chip cookies to sugar cookie cut-outs, these are the easy Christmas cookies we look forward to making every year." There are only ten recipes here, but I like this collection because you can see the cookies on this one page, without having to scroll through a slideshow. Visit to check out Easy Reindeer Cookies, Christmas Candy Cane Cookies, and the Snow-Capped Christmas Tree Cookies.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/menus-holidays-parties/mhplibrary/holidays/christmas-cookies-to-make-with-kids
Kids Activities Blog: 75 Cookie Recipes We Adore
This is a giant collection of 75 cookie recipes. How many years will it take you to try them all? "One of our family's Christmas traditions is making a big platter of cookies and handing out small plates filled with goodies to our neighbors. The kids LOVE it and even though it is several weeks away they are already planning on the types of cookies they want to make."

http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/63665/christmas-cookies-intro
Mrs. Claus' Kitchen
Mrs. Claus' twenty-five recipes are divided into three categories: Elf Bedtime Snacks, Santa's Favorites, and Reindeer Cravings. All her recipes are easy and full of kid-appeal. For example, did you know reindeer love wormy apples? You can make them by spreading peanut butter on apple slices, and topping with yummy, gummy worms. Most of these recipes don't even require baking! When you're ready to leave the kitchen, there's lots to explore in the rest of Santa's Village.

http://www.claus.com/kitchen/htmlkitchen.php
My Recipes: Christmas Cookies for Kids
My Recipes includes several unique recipes, such as Wreath Cookies made from shredded wheat cereal, and Christmas Cookie Puzzles made by punching shapes into 4" dough squares that are still hot from the oven. "Choose cutters with simple shapes; they're easier to handle and less likely to break. If you want to make small puzzles, cut dough into 4-inch squares, and use a single cookie cutter to punch out the center of each square while still hot from the oven."

http://www.myrecipes.com/kids/play-with-your-food/christmas-cookies-for-kids

NorthPole.com: Mrs. Claus' Cookbook
At the NorthPole.com, Mrs. Claus has been very busy collecting and sorting holiday recipes from all of her friends, so her cookbook has hundreds of recipes. Focusing on sweets (with four out of six categories) her collection includes Creamy Chocolate Truffles (which actually look pretty easy), Two Minute Microwave Fudge and Microwave Peanut Brittle. Each recipe can be emailed to a friend; and the link to send Mrs. Claus your own recipe is on the cookbook start page.

http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/

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Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday (alternatively spelled Chanukah or Chanuka) that means “dedication” in Hebrew. It is an eight-day celebration commemorating the Jewish victory over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews celebrate by lighting a hanukkiah (sometimes called a menorah), playing dreidel, and eating latkes and other fried food.
Activity Village: Hanukkah
"Over 2000 years ago, in 165 BC, the Jews in Judea rebelled against their Syrian ruler, Antiochus, because he insisted that all Jewish people must worship Greek Gods. After three hard years of fighting, the Jews defeated Antiochus and, to celebrate, they restored the Temple of Jerusalem – which had been taken over by the Syrians – and rededicated it to their God." Visit for printable Hanukkah coloring pages, crafts, holiday writing paper, and printable puzzles.

https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/hanukkah
My Jewish Learning: Hanukkah
Need help lighting the hanukkiah? There's a silly Todd and God video that's sure to help. "Don't forget, Todd, always light from left to right!" There's also ideas for family celebrations, a few history lessons, dreidel rules, and recipes. "On Hanukkah is it customary to eat foods that are either fried in oil, or made with cheese. The fried foods custom recalls the miracle of Hanukkah, which centered around oil (one cruse lasting for eight days)."

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hanukkah/
PBS Kids: Arthur: Hanukkah
The endearing characters of the Arthur book series explain Hanukkah in this five-slide short story. "Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights. The Frenskys like to display the Hanukkah candles in the front window so that other people can see them. Francine says that it's nice to feel like she is a part of something big."

http://pbskids.org/arthur/holiday/scrapbook/hanukkah.html
Reform Judaism: Hanukkah
"Today, the holiday reminds Jews to rededicate themselves to stand against forces that would destroy Judaism and to keep alive the flame of Jewish religion, culture, and peoplehood so that it may be passed on to the next generation." Lots of great Hanukkah resources here, including a virtual hanukkiah, a history of the holiday, dreidel lessons, craft projects, videos, and recipes.

http://www.reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/hanukkah

Shalom Sesame: Chanukah
These fun preschool videos from Shalom Sesame are my Hanukkah picks of the week. My favorites are Chanukah with Veronica Monica, Extreme Makeover (the Hanukkah story of the Temple restoration) and Number of the Day: Shmoneh. "There are shmoneh (eight) nights of Chanukah. Sit down with your kids before the holiday begins and think of something special you can do on each of the eight nights, such as eating, celebrating with friends and family, singing songs, reading books, and opening gifts."

http://m.shalomsesame.org/#chanukah

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Diagramming Sentences
Sentence diagramming (also known as Reed-Kellogg diagramming) was a popular classroom grammar technique for nearly a century. It lost favor about thirty years ago, but several Surfnetkids readers recently suggested sentence diagramming as a topic. I hope this means grammar is making a comeback!
1AiWay: Sentence Diagrammer App
"Learning diagrams may look boring at first glance," explains the developer of this cool online app, but he suggests it worth the effort to "learn the magic." To start, simply type a sentence to diagram and press enter. Mouse over the words in the resulting diagram to view their part of speech. If the sentence can be parsed multiple ways, you'll see a small grey arrow in the upper right-hand corner; click it to see the alternative diagram.

http://1aiway.com/nlp4net/services/enparser/
Dr. Wheeler's Website: Diagramming Sentences
"The two main components are a long horizontal line and a bisecting vertical line. The horizontal line holds up the subject, the verb, and certain objects and complements. The bisecting vertical line separates the subject from the predicate." Although the web design is a bit dated, the content is great, includes lots of examples, and is easy to navigate.

https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/diagram_gram00.html
German Latin English: 500 Sentence Diagrams
Eugene R. Moutoux's website is a treasure trove of diagramming goodness. Yes, it does include samples of sentence diagramming in German and Latin, but there is lots of English too! Start with the Basics (in two parts) then move on to goodies that include samples from literature and history. Have fun diagramming the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, or really long opening sentences from half-a dozen classic novels. "There once lived, in a sequestered part of the country of Devonshire, one Mr. Godfrey Nickleby: a worthy gentleman, who, taking it into his head rather late in life that he must get married, and not being young enough or rich enough to aspire to the hand of a lady of fortune, had wedded an old flame out of mere attachment, who in her turn had taken him for the same reason." -- Nicholas Nickleby, by Charles Dickens.

http://www.german-latin-english.com/diagrams.htm
Guide to Grammar and Writing: Diagramming Sentences
There are four terrific sentence-diagramming tutorials here, but finding them is a challenge. Here's some help. For a Powerpoint introduction to sentence diagramming, click the blue graphic in the middle of the yellow box, near the middle of the page. For a more in-depth tutorial (fifty pages long!) use the round blue Enter button, a half screen further down the page. Curious about how to diagram the Pledge of Allegiance or the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution? Look for those links below the Summaries subhead near the bottom of the page.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams/diagrams.htm

K12 Reader: Diagramming Sentences Worksheets
"A sentence diagram is a way to graphically represent the structure of a sentence, showing how words in a sentence function and relate to each other. The printable practice worksheets below provide supplemental help in learning the basic concepts of sentence diagramming." These 31 worksheets for 3rd through 5th grade are in PDF, and can be easily printed, saved, or shared.

http://www.k12reader.com/subject/grammar/sentence-structure/diagramming-sentences/

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Snow
Today’s collection of snow sites include both a scientific and artistic exploration of the subject. For example, if you’ve ever wondered how to preserve snowflakes on microscope slides, or how to make sparkle snow paint, you’ll find your answers (and more) in the following websites. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
All About Snow
"Is it ever too cold to snow? How big can snowflakes get? Why is snow white?" Everything you ever wanted to know about snow (but didn't know who to ask) is answered here by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, affiliated with the University of Colorado. This educational site also includes a Snow Glossary (from "ablation" to "vapor pressure"), a Snow Fact Sheet and a feature on the history of snow removal. The first known snow plow was pulled by horses through the "snow-clogged streets" of Milwaukee in 1862.

https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/snow
Snow Crystals
"This site is all about snow crystals and snowflakes -- what they are, where they come from, and just how these remarkably complex and beautiful structures are created, quite literally, out of thin air." Best place to start on this site created by Caltech Professor Kenneth G. Libbrecht is the Snowflake Primer, where you'll learn the answer to questions such as "Is it really true that no two snow crystals are alike?" and "Why do snow crystals form in such complex symmetrical shapes?" Look for it under Snowflake Science in the Site Index near the bottom of the front page.

http://snowcrystals.com
Jill Britton's Kids Snow Page
"A falling snowflake may take up to two hours to reach the ground, and even the heaviest snowflake falls at only one mile per hour." Educator Jill Britton divides her elementary and middle-school snow site into seven sections including Snow Science, Snow Activities, Snow Art (cutting six-sided snowflakes), Snow Literature (such as the traditional fairy tale The Snow Queen), and Snow Food. And to make all easy to use offline, the entire site is also available as a PDF download.

http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/snow/snow.html
Make a Flake
Wow! Don't miss this virtual snowflake designer. Start by perusing the gallery of saved snowflakes, and then try your hand at making your own. The trick is to click (not drag) your scissors from point to point. You'll know your scissors are snipping when the indicator changes from red to green. When your masterpiece is complete, you can download it, print it, email it to a friend, or go back to the gallery and look for it there.

http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com

Paper Snowflakes
Paper Snowflakes offers paper fold-and-cut snowflake templates for dozens of craft, science, and math activities. The simplest ones are perfect for preschoolers, the more advanced ones are good for all ages. In addition to the snowflake patterns, highlights include Historical Snowflake Studies (a history of snowflake exploration), a Brief Science Guide to Snow Crystals and Snowflakes, and links to a dozen external interactive snowflake makers.

http://www.papersnowflakes.com/papersnowflakes

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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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