I is for American Indians  (I apologize for missing links.  Will upload later today.)

I template covered in indian corn or ink stamps

ASL I  and Indian and ice cream (this week’s snack)

Number: 9  I love the number ladders Elizabeth and Katherine share at Serendipity!  Lots of ways to make 9. There are 9 planets, 9 choirs of angels, and 9 days in a novena.

Lit:

If you have a round table you can make a poster board cone, set it atop the table and drape a sheet over to make a special story spot this week.  If you are a really enthusiastic mom you will use an old sheet and let them make pictures on it.  ; ) 

The Legend of the Bluebonnets

At least one Iktomi story

Corn is Maize – Aliki

Hiawatha – I love this version by Susan Jeffers.  Then again I like most everything by Susan Jeffers!

Ten Little Rabbits

Tapenum’s Day

NC Wyeth’s Pilgrims (ties us to the holiday)

I is for Inside.  Berenstain Bears explain Inside, Outside, Upside, Down.

And for Important. Margaret Wise Brown of Goodnight Moon fame wrote Another Important Book which highlights the great things about being different ages.

In is also for Inches.  Leo Lionni’s Inch by Inch is the intro. Then print an inch ruler on green cardstock and fold accordian style along the inch marks. This becomes your ‘inchworm’ measure. 

We also made an inch measurement manipulative game using craft sticks. On one make a 5in ruler with a sharpie marker. On five sticks make lines varying from one to five inches long. On five more sticks write the answers in words and numbers (one on each side).  Player measures and matches sticks.

Coloring pages here.

Lots of fun preschool Indians ideas here. In particular we like:

Game: What Feather Is Missing:
Cut Indian feathers from assorted construction paper, or if you can get different colored "real" feathers, use these. Have the kids sit in a circle. Place four or more feathers in the middle of the circle. One of the children will hide his eyes, while another takes a feather away. The other child will try to guess which color is missing, and which child has the feather. Play this game until each child has a chance to guess the missing color.

We will have  Indian corn on the sensory table/station.  They can pick it off, grind it, whatnot.
We will make brown paper bag vests and cereal necklaces (lace "O" cereal onto string or ribbon) and feather headbands with cardstock.  Of course you must face paint.

Lotto: Match cards with Indian pictograph pairs.  I like this type of lotto using unfamiliar images. It requires much more attention to detail.

Saint:  St Isaac Jogues   and/or Isaac from the Bible.  (Asher is finishing a coloring page for St Isaac and a Huron Indian for us – will upload later today)

Songs/fingerplays:

One little, two little, three little Indians
Four little, five little, six little Indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians
Ten little Indian boys.
Ten little, nine little, eight little Indians
Seven little, six little, five little Indians
Four little, three little, two little Indians
One little Indian boy.

Five Little Indians
5 Little Indians running through a door
(raise 5 fingers)
One fell down and then there were 4
(lower 1 finger)
4 Little Indians climbing in a tree
(raise 4 fingers)
One fell down and then there were 3
(lower 1 finger) 3 little Indians stewing a pot of stew
(raise 3 fingers)
One went to play and then there were 2
(lower 1 finger)
2 little Indians playing in the sun
(raise 2 fingers)
One went inside and then there was 1
(lower 1 finger)
One little Indian left all alone.

Poem:

Indian Children

Where we walk to school each day
Indian children used to play
All about our native land,
Where the shops and houses stand.

And the trees were very tall,
And there were no streets at all,
Not a church and not a steeple
Only woods and Indian people.

Only wigwams on the ground,
And at night bears prowling round
What a different place to-day
Where we live and work and play!

Annette Wynne