Indian PowWow

Last week at school, Gracie studied Indians (or Native Americans if you want to be PC, but I'll just be sticking with Indians for convenience and ease). She learned an amazing amount in a week of study (and for only three hours a day, including recess, snack and chapel time)! JM, Clara and I got to go to her classroom on Friday for the PowWow. It was tons of fun!

JM & Clara had the best time just playing in two of the kindergarten "centers." I almost didn't know Clara was there during the two hours - she was content playing and entertaining herself! JM kept checking in with me, looking at what the "big" kids were doing and eating the occasional bead (yes, bead, but it was teeny, tiny - he was just too quick for me to get it out of his mouth!).

I snapped the picture below shortly after we got to the classroom.


JM was *so* pleased to get to play in the room. Every day we walk Gracie in, he is sure he needs to get done & play, and he was thrilled to finally get the chance. And boy did he play hard. We left the school around noon, drove the seven minutes home and he was sacked out when we got home & didn't blink an eye when I carried him into his room (I don't ever remember that happening!)

I thought I was just going to watch my two youngest and get to see what the PowWow was all about, but it was all hands on deck. I worked with another Mom at the rainstick making station, and some other Moms were able to help me keep an eye on John Michael (the bead incident happened when he wandered over to check on me!)

Here's the other Mom putting a name on a rainstick and Gracie in the background working on her teepee. They decorated them with some of the Indian pictures they had learned that week.

I love the Indian name Gracie chose - "Little Heart" it is just right for her!

She loved her wampum (she said she figured each "bead" was $10, so she had $100) and her headdress. Notice what she is wearing? We got use that Indian dress that I made again & get a little more use out of it!

They also got to watch their teacher make stick bread (fried dough, basically) and then eat it and some venison jerky. Of course Gracie loved both. In fact, the whole class couldn't get enough, especially of the jerky!

The PowWow ended with what I would call a "song," but Gracie kept telling me, "No! It was the way they spoke." So who knows, but it was very cute & impressive that they all knew the "words" and did accompanying motions.



I am constantly amazed at how much her teacher can pack into a day for them. In the 2 hours we were there, I learned a few things, too. Did you know that in tribes that used teepees, Indian babies were strapped to boards and then those boards were hung on a rope high in the teepee to keep them safe from animals at night?

Finally, a sweet picture of our "Little Heart:"