American hIstory activities | There's Just One Mommy

How to Make a Corn Husk Doll

OneMommy — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 16:37:14 +0000

Hands-on activities really help to bring history lessons to life.

During our study of early America, we have enjoyed several Colonial America crafts and Native American crafts for kids.

One of our favorites was learning how to make corn husk dolls.

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Fall is the perfect time of year for making a corn husk doll with the kids, whether it’s for a hands-on learning activity or as a fun kids fall craft.

If you search online you will be amazed by some of the beautiful corn husk dolls people have created. This version is super simple and perfect for kids.

If you are studying early American history, you may also want to check out how to make homemade quills and create your own tin can lanterns.

Corn Husk Dolls

Materials Needed:

Corn Husks
Twine
Paper Towels
Scrap Fabric (Optional)
Permanent Markers or Acrylic Paint (Optional)

For each doll you will need 5 corn husks, a couple more if you want to make a fuller skirt for a girl doll.

We got our corn husks from the corn we picked this year in our garden. You can also purchase corn husks specifically for crafting at a local craft store or find them online.

How to Make a Corn Husk Doll

Start by soaking the corn husks in a bowl of water for 10 minutes to soften them.

Once the corn husks are softened, use paper towels to blot the excess water from your corn husks.

Stack 4 corn husks on top of each other, with the pointy ends at the top.

Tie a small piece of twine around the bundle, 1 inch from the top.

Now take the loose ends of the corn husks and flip them inside out around the tied end, so that 2 corn husks go on each side. (See the middle picture below.) This will form the head of your corn leaf doll.

Use a bit of twine to tie the folded corn husks right below the bundled up portion to form the head.

Take your 5th corn husk and trim off both ends. Roll it tightly lengthwise and tie a small piece of twin at each end to hold it closed and form the dolls hands.

Open up the layered corn husks and slide this rolled up corn husk between them so there are 2 corn husks on top and 2 on bottom. This will become the doll’s arms.

Tie a piece of twine tightly right under the doll’s arms.

If you want a girl doll, at this point you can be done. Or, for a fuller skirt, trim the ends of 2 more corn husks and tie them around the doll’s waist.

For a boy doll, separate the skirts into 2 equal sections and use twine to tie at the knees and ankles.

Corn Husk Dolls History

Native Americans made sure no part of the corn plant went to waste. Once the corn was picked and eaten, the husks could be braided to form rope and twine. They could also be used to fill pillows and matresses.

These simple dolls made with corn husks were also made by the early Americans.

During Colonial America times the dolls would usually be left plain.

This is especially true when Native Americans made these dolls from corn husks.

There are a number of legends explaining why the dolls would be left without a face. You may want to read the Legend of the No Face Doll with your child.

My kids chose to use permanent markers to give their dolls faces and glued corn silk on as hair. If desired, your child could create a face with markers or paint as well.

They also fashioned some clothes out of felt scraps, tying it around the dolls with a bit of twine.

Whether or not your child decorates their doll, learning how to make corn husk dolls is a fun Colonial America craft for kids that helps make history come alive.

More Early America Activities to Try:

Build a Model of a Wigwam
Make Invisible Ink (Like Spies from the Revolutionary War)

More fun Kids Fall Crafts:

Originally published Sept. 15, 2017.

The post How to Make a Corn Husk Doll first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

How to Make a Model of a Wigwam from Paper

OneMommy — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 15:55:41 +0000

We have been working on American history as we learn about the 50 states.

We spent several weeks talking about Jamestown and then we studied the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony. Along the way we’ve had fun with several Native American crafts for kids.

This simple wigwam craft is one that is perfect if you’re studying early American history.

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This wigwam model would be a fun addition to a Native American unit study. Research how to make a wigwam with your child or students, and then create your own mini version.

If you are studying Native Americans and early settlers, you may also want to try making your own corn husk dolls.

You could also use this wigwam project as a Thanksgiving craft for kids. Add a few figures and they’ll have hours of fun playing with their creation.

Wigwam Craft

Materials Needed:

Thin Cardboard (We used cereal boxes.)
Brown Construction Paper
Liquid Craft Glue
Paintbrush
Stapler
Shallow Dish

Start by getting your materials ready.

Instead of using a wooden frame, like a real wigwam, this miniature version uses thin cardboard.

Cut 3 cardboard strips that are 1 x 11 inches (2.5 cm x 28 cm). Cut another strip that is 1 x 16 inches (2.5 x 41 cm). (We actually stapled 2 smaller strips together to make ours because our box wasn’t big enough.)

Form the longest cardboard strip into a circle and staple together. This will be the wigwam’s base.

Next, staple the 3 shorter strips to the cardboard circle to form a dome. (As shown in picture below.)

In place of the birchbark or woven mats that would be used you will be using brown construction paper.

Have your child rip the brown construction paper into 1 inch thick strips and then tear the strips to form 1 inch “squares.” They don’t have to be perfect, just approximately the same size.

How to Make a Wigwam out of Paper

Pour glue into a shallow dish and use the paintbrush to glue the construction paper pieces to the cardboard strips.

Allow pieces of paper to overhang the cardboard strips. Once the cardboard pieces are covered, allow your project to dry some before continuing.

Once it has dried, it is time to fill in those spaces between the cardboard supports.

Glue the construction paper “bark” so it overlaps and begins to fill in those spaces. You may need to let it dry some as you work, depending on how much glue your child uses. Continue the process until the whole thing is covered in brown paper.

Allow it to dry.

To make the paper feel more like bark (and to make the structure stronger), use the paintbrush and cover the entire outside of the wigwam with one more layer of glue. This is the perfect time to patch any remaining holes with a few more squares of paper.

Then allow the whole thing to dry overnight.

Once it is dry, it is time to cut your door and a smoke hole at the top.

Use the tip of your scissors to slowly and carefully poke a hole at the top. You can wiggle them and turn your scissor blades to make the hole round. (This step is best done by a parent.)

We originally created our wigwams to go with our Jamestown unit. The kids discovered our Playmobil Native Americans were just the right size. They spent hours reenacting what we had learned about.

This wigwam craft would also be a great Thanksgiving craft. It pairs nicely with learning about the Mayflower and the Plymouth Colony. Young kids may also like these Mayflower crafts.

Native American Crafts for Kids

OneMommy — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 20:05:03 +0000

Crafts are a fun way to help make history come alive for kids.

During our study of American history, we’ve had fun with lots of crafts, including a few Mayflower crafts when the kids were little and we discussed the first settlers.

When it comes to teaching kids about the early history of America, it is impossible to do it without mentioning the people who were living here long before the settlers came. The month of November is especially popular for teachers and parents to search for Native American Crafts for Kids.

Before going any further, I want to stress that these are crafts for children. That being said, crafts are a wonderful tool to help children become more familiar with other cultures and be excited to learn about them.

While it may be tempting to choose a few crafts at random and use them at Thanksgiving time or as a general craft, this does a disservice to both the kids and the cultures being represented.

Different Native American tribes had different cultures, and it is important for children to understand this. For one, not all of them lived in teepees. (A stereotype so often depicted when early grades do Thanksgiving crafts.)

Before crafting, take time to discuss the similarities and differences between tribes, and choose activities that best represent the group you are studying.

Native Americans for Kids & Teachers is a website that is written in simple language that is easy for even the youngest learners to understand. It does a nice job of giving a brief overview of many of the different cultures of the people native to the Americas. Kids can discover the types of homes that were used, some of the traditions, and get a glimpse of how life was different for each group.

You may also want to check out this list of Native American Books for Kids. While many children’s books seem to stereotype different cultures, the books in this selection help depict a portion of their rich history and show some of their many contributions to American history.

Native American Crafts for Kids

Model of a Wigwam — Wigwams (or birchbark houses) were used by several groups of Native Americans, including the Wampanoag tribesmen that were part of the First Thanksgiving. This miniature version would be fun to make after discussing the process used to build these homes.

Corn Husk Dolls — These simple dolls were made by a number of tribes. They even showed settlers how to make the dolls, and not waste any part of the corn plant.

Rainstick — Kids will love decorating and using their rainstick to make music while exploring the various sounds created by the different materials placed inside the tubes.

Paper Plate Dream Catcher — Traditionally grandparents from the Ojibwa (Chippewa) would weave dream catchers to hang over a sleeping baby. For older children you can find instructions for weaving these out of grapevines, in a more traditional manner. This paper plate version is simplified.

Beaded Indian Corn — These adorable ears of corn are easy to put together and would make a nice Thanksgiving craft. Not only are they cute, but they are colorful and very inexpensive to make.

Woven Basket — Woven baskets were used by most Native Americans and were made with natural materials they found near where they lived. Creating a woven basket takes a lot of patience and skill. Using a paper plate as a base makes creating this colorful and simplified version of a woven basket easy enough for kids to do on their own.

Faux Leather Mini Teepee — This simple craft would be an excellent way to start discussing how different tribes lived in different homes and had different cultures.

Craft Stick Bow and Arrows — Tweens will have fun making their very own miniature bow that can actually shoot! With a few simple arrows made with Q-Tips, they’ll be able to shoot mini targets and test out their accuracy.

Pueblo Pottery — Start by looking at pictures of some of the beautiful pottery the Pueblo are known for. Then give children the opportunity to try making their own small bowls.

Native American Crafts for Preschoolers

Crafts that deal with fancy headdresses, like making headbands with feathers to wear or “handprint Indians” where you turn the fingers into a feather headband, can be considered culturally insensitive.

In many tribes the feathers on a headdress were sacred. They were worn by warriors and chiefs, and were a sign of bravery and honor.

Skip crafts that have kids dressing up or leave them to think that all Native people wore feathers.

The folowing are a few preschooler Native American crafts that will still get young kids excited to learn about American Indians.

Lego Stamped Indian Corn — Corn originated in the Americas. Native Americans taught early settlers how to plant and grow the crop, making this colorful craft a fun one for little ones studying the first Thanksgiving. Toddlers and preschoolers will have fun with this unusual painting technique.

Paper Plate Teepee — Many of the Plains People used teepees (or tipis) as they were able to take them down and move with them. While building a life-size teepee may be impossible to do with your child, it is fun to research how they were built. Afterwards, young learners can turn a paper plate into a quick and easy teepee. The craft may even inspire them to want to learn more.

Cardboard Tube Canoe — With a bit of tape and imagination, toddlers and preschoolers can turn a simple cardboard tube into a mini canoe. Then you can talk about the work that was involved in making a real canoe.

Cherokee Rattle — Music and chanting are central to many Cherokee ceremonies. Preschoolers will have fun creating their very own instrument with materials you already have at home.