The People of the Pueblo

We've wrapped up our second block on Native Americans, and the children say that this has been their favorite subject of the year.  While many folks recommend combining blocks for multiple grades, I didn't plan things that way.  I figured we would all learn together, for the most part, and there would be review and new things for everyone.  Willow can't keep herself away from the Four Friends plays we've been doing, and Roan really loves the stories Willow gets to hear.



These have been, thankfully, pretty simple blocks so far.  We've used a series of books from the library, along with some Native American stories from our own collection.  We spend about a week on a particular group, with a couple days on their ways of life and then their stories.  We studied many of the homes earlier in the school year in our house-building block.  As far as crafts and cooking, we've done a few things here and there as time and resources permitted. 

Generally, we've heard creation stories, along with other significant legends.  "The Hero Twins and the Swallower of Clouds" was one that Willow enjoyed.  It was a story of how rain, mist, fog, and snow returned to the earth after the giant was slain.  Those are spider webs over the giant's eyes, if you were wondering! 

Willow has a great knack for seeing shooting stars, so "Why There are Shooting Stars" was a good one for her to hear.  I've also shared my own memories of my trip to the desert Southwest with the children, what it was like to climb down into Mesa Verde and what Monument Valley was like.  It has been a whole family experience, which is one of the many joys of homeschooling.