Oct 03 2008
Go native! Reading about and eating with the North American Indians
Nathan’s class is learning about the Native Americans and has to do a report on their favorite American Indian tribe. Nathan liked the North Eastern tribes, so we chose to study the Iroquois, a group of six tribes located in New York State, Ontario, Canada, and Wisconsin.
Research and books
The Internet is full of junk when it comes to Native American topics. Since the Wikipedia section on the Iroquois is locked for “vandalism,” I questioned the information there. Luckily, our local library has a healthy selection of books on Native American culture just for children. We checked out:
- The Iroquois (Native American Histories)
by Charlotte Wilcox for children ages nine to 12. Nathan’s currently reading this during his 15-minutes mandatory reading homework time. And he’s using a feather as a book mark, go figure.
- The Iroquois And Their History (We the People)
by Genevieve St. Lawrence. Another book for kids who are reading at a third to sixth grade level.
The report assignment
As part of their project they have to do an oral report and artwork or a craft of some kind. My husband had the brilliant idea that Nathan make some Native American food to serve his class. I liked this idea because it was relatively inexpensive and I didn’t have to store a diorama after the project was over. I thought that Nathan’s classmates would enjoy eating Native American food, too.
I checked out another children’s book, Native North American Foods and Recipes
- Foods of the Americas: Native Recipes and Traditions
by Fernando and Marlene Divina and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. This book is in traditional cookbook format with chapters broken up into appetizers, soups, meats, birds, game, breads, desserts and beverages.
- Spirit of the Harvest: North American Indian Cooking
by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs. This cookbook is divided into geographic regions, so we found this more helpful for the project. Nathan and I decided to make maple syrup candy and Algonquian Maple Popcorn Balls. Yes, the Algonquians are not part of the Iroquois Confederacy. However, all Northeastern Indians had access to corn and maple syrup, so I think we can fudge it. I’m sure all native Northeastern peoples did some sort of popcorn and maple dish.
, for children ages nine to 12, was created by the 
. What an amazing young man! 
for children ages four to eight. We hear so much rhetoric about freedom in political speeches. Here’s an example of someone who fought for his and his family’s freedom. Robert Smalls was a slave steamboat wheelman who became one of the Civil War’s greatest heroes. After his daring escape to freedom (I’m not going to spoil the story for you here. You’ll have to read it) Robert helped convince President Lincoln to left African-Americans enlist in the Union Army. 
, this book is the form of an anonymous journal that takes readers through a chronological journey through important moments in American History. This is a gorgeous book and your whole family will enjoy paging through it and discovering hidden gems including lift-the-flap postcards, removable song lyrics, and even a foldout replica of the Declaration of Independence.
Yesterday, Disney released 
a special limited edition DVD collection of the ABC three-minute animated shorts we used to watch on Saturday mornings back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
by Syl Sobel for ages nine to 12. Young readers will learn: Who can run for president? Who can vote? What is the Electoral College? What is a third-party candidate? What if something happens to the president? Some of the unusual facts they’ll discover include: Which Republican president had a Democrat for his vice president? How many candidates have won the popular vote but lost the election? You may learn some things, too.
by Linda Granfield for ages nine to 12. Granfield breaks down information about the American electoral process into manageable chunks. Subjects range from qualifications for voting, the troubled history of voting rights, the Electoral College, campaign finance, and election fraud. Granfield delights devotes the chapter “Animal Farm” to animal metaphors, including the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant, and “Pass the ‘Lection Cake, Please!” to foods associated with various presidents.
by Catherine Stier for ages four to eight, Six children take turns explaining the election process as if they were running for president. They discuss their decision to run, campaigning, primaries and conventions, debating, being interviewed, meeting the public, voting, and being sworn in on Inauguration Day.
by Kelly Dipucchio for ages four to eight. Grace discovers that no women have ever been president, and decides she’ll be president one day. A teacher at her school decides to stage a school-wide election for president to teach the kids about the electoral process.
by Catherine Stier. This book provides an introduction to the responsibilities of the present for children ages four to eight. 
by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin. The book has been updated for the 2008 election:
. The movie examines the time Ali spent in Miami after he returned from the 1960 Rome Olympics. It was a crucial time of transformation for him, not only from an amateur boxer to a pro, but his personal journey from being Cassius Clay into the legendary Muhammad Ali.
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. If Nathan was older, I would have had him watch watch it with me to understand more about Jewish immigrants and how they contributed to American society. I only caught the first marvelous episode, so I was happy to receive a review copy from Click-Comm.com of the newly released DVD so I could watch the episodes I missed. The description:
