Kindergarten
Bear Claw Necklace
George Catlin (1796 - 1872) was an American painter, author and traveler who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. He began traveling in Native American territory in 1830 and visited over 50 tribes in six years. He wanted to paint the pictures of the Native Americans because he knew that their traditional way of life was disappearing. Catlin often lived with different tribes for a period of time to understand them better and to be able to spend more time sketching them. By the time he was done, he had over 600 paintings. When he came back east, he used his art plus the artifacts he collected from his travels, along with stories of his experiences to teach other people about the Native Americans tribes. His pictures are wonderful documents of the colorful details of Native American dress, accessories and customs.
What details do you notice when you look at the picture of "White Cloud?"
What details do you notice when you look at the picture of "White Cloud?"
bear_claw_template.pdf | |
File Size: | 1247 kb |
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bear_claw_medallion.pdf | |
File Size: | 7 kb |
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The Project
Prep – 45 min.
Print - George Catlan, The White Cloud
Materials
Glue bottles (in the classroom)
Yarn for necklace, 1 piece of 18 inches long per student
Tape end of yarn (easier to string beads)
Copy bear claw shapes on Duplo machine in office onto brown construction paper (4 bear claws per student, copy in Kinder drawer)
Sunflower seeds
Wooden beads (4 per student)
Hole punches
Lesson
Print - George Catlan, The White Cloud
Materials
Glue bottles (in the classroom)
Yarn for necklace, 1 piece of 18 inches long per student
Tape end of yarn (easier to string beads)
Copy bear claw shapes on Duplo machine in office onto brown construction paper (4 bear claws per student, copy in Kinder drawer)
Sunflower seeds
Wooden beads (4 per student)
Hole punches
Lesson
- Show
print of native American Indians with bear claw necklace. Talk about Necklace: What do you see? Why were bear claws important to the
tribe: If you had a bear claw necklace
with lots of claws what does that mean? A few?
(Bear claws meant they were good hunters and could provide for their
tribe, the more claws the better hunter, etc.)
- Model
art lesson for students as you explain it: cut out medallion and write name on
back, glue on sunflower seeds to dry.
- Show
students how to cut out bear claws, following the lines. Have parent volunteer’s hole punch bear claws
and medallion for students once they are cut out.
- Take
pieces and show students how to string necklace starting with bear claw, bead,
bear claw, bead, medallion, bead, bear claw, bead, bear claw (this way the
medallion lands in the middle).
- Talk
to students about an AB pattern of bear claw and bead (this is a kinder skill
that they learn at the beginning of the year).
- Pass
out medallions and and have students cut them out, write name on back, and glue
on sunflower seeds.
- Pass
out bear claws and have students cut them out.
Parent volunteers can now go around and hole punch bear claws and
medallions.
- Pass
out yarn for each student.
- Start
stringing in order: bear claw, bead, bear claw, medallion, bead, bear claw,
bead, and bear claw.
- Check
for name on back of medallion.
- Tie
on student or tie so they can put on after it is dry (whatever teacher wants to
do with necklace).
- Clean
up supplies and put away in Picture Person Art room.