Theme:The Wild West

Monday:What is it all about?

Craft Circle Activity Other Activities
and table ideas
1. Make clay beads Sensory Station
Circle Time
Place small pieces of clay Cornmeal
between palms of hands and 1. Calendar
roll into a small balls.Push nail Science/Learning
2.Weather
into centers of beads and
wiggle it around to widen the 3. Cowboys and Indians… Food on the Range:
hole. Allow who are they?
beadsto dry completely,making 4. The Wild West around our • Taste test--Popcorn
sure that the holes stay open. room: • Game: Find the Matching
cowboy boot
• Cornmeal Sensory table
Self Hardening Salt Clay
• Teepee music center
1 ½ cups salt 4
• Teacher assisted center for
cups flour 1½
cooking and games
cups water 1 tsp
alum (if clay is not baked) Table Set Up
Mix dry ingredients together Music
in a plastic bowl; then add 1) Free Art
water. When dough 2) Art table w teacher
forms a ball around the spoon 3) Teacher assisted
knead the dough well, adding Learning center
water if it is too crumbly. 4) Farm and Farm animals
If baking, bake at 300 degrees
Dramatic Play
5) Mr. Potatoe Head
for 30 – 40 minutes • House Center Popples
• Tee Pee music area with
2. Horse Cut campfire and Indian drums. Carpet Area
horse heads out for students.
Decorate by adding a yarn • Mega Blocks
mane, eyes and a bridle and • Wooden blocks
rein using twine. • Big tonka trucks

Tape stick to horses head

Talk about what they used to wear in the old west days. Then provide your dramatic play
area with clothes (Chaps, Cowboy Hats, Cowboy boots, Belt Buckles, Handkerchiefs,
Jeans, Bandanas, etc)
 Monday Circle:
This week we are talking about The Wild West.

We will be learning about what it was like a long

time ago when settlers came to this country.
The people who were living here first are called First
Nation People and they are commonly known as
Indians. Many of the people who came to settle in
this country were farmers that were called cowboys.

There homes, transportation and food were all very

different from what we have now.
Make sure to check out our Wild West room. Look
for Cornmeal Sensory table, Teepee music center and
visit the Teacher assisted center for food on the range
and games.
Tuesday: First Nation People
Craft Circle Activity Other Activities
and table ideas
Indian person mask with Sensory Station
Morning Circle
feather headband
1. Calendar Cornmeal
2.Weather
3. All about “First Nation Science/Learning
People”
• Food On the Range:
5. Academic Baked beans on foil
teaching/Review: plates
• Native Symbols
Songs Painting
Mix a few drops of food
colouring with one teaspoon of
milk. Make several colours.
Provide the kids with new
clean paintbruches. Let them
paint native American signs on
a piece of White bread. Toast
on normal setting. Pictures
Lunch Circle: become vibrant in colour after

Play pass the feather toasting.

around with music playing

Whoever has the feather
when the music stops, has
to stand up and give a war Table Toys
cry.
1.
Choose an Indian name
2.

3.

Carpet Areas

*Race your stick horse

around the “barrels”
 All about First Nation People

Totem Pole

Totem poles tell the story of a first nation

family’s tree(pictured in human and animal
form. They show the spirits as people,
mythical beasts, and wildlife treasured by the
tribe. These huge, wooden poles often show
the bald eagle, grizzly bear, moose, beaver,
otter, mountain goat, wolf, whale, porpoise,
seal, sea lion, and salmon.

Discuss how many Native American names are taken from

nature because nature is so important. Talk about what a
tribe is and how your class can be like a tribe. Have each
student give themselves Native American names by combining
a describing word with a word from nature (animal, plant,
weather, landform...) Or send home a note asking parents to
help their child think of an appropriate name to fit their
personality. Try to stick to animals that are native to your
area so Flying Elephant is not a choice. Some examples of
names are Silver Hawk, Mountain Flower, Chattering
Chipmunk, Running Deer. Allow the students to use these
names during various activities. For kindergarten, it's
another opportunity to create a new name chart for alphabet
letter practice and new nametag.
Warnings: The American Indian, like all people, liked to tell tales about
things that had happened in their life. American Indians did not write words
down in books. But they did have a form of writing. They drew pictures on
hides, on rocks and on bone. Some of their pictures were left as warnings to
others.

Symbol Stories: Indian symbols told a story. For example, a story might be,
"In the year of the plenty food, people had time to talk together." In time, that
became the sign for talking together.

Indian Symbols: Here are some Indian symbols.

Bear Alive Brother Talk Together Campfire

Bad Make Peace Fear Indian Camp

Story #1

These symbols tell a story

Can you figure it out?

My brother and I talked together and made peace at the campfire

Story #2

What story do these symbols tell?

:People were afraid of the bear near the village.

Native American Counting Game

 Cut6 about 4 inch circles …as many as you
want.

On each circle you drow symbols denoting a

number value on one side only. Place the
circle in a basket and have each child toss the
circles in to the air.

You count the symbols on only the circles that

land symbol side up, then have the child pick
the correct corresponding numeral.
 Totem Pole
More Crafts

Make a Totem Pole from a paper towel tube.

Totem poles are made by the Tlingit Indians of the Pacific
Northwest coast of North America. Traditionally, each
Totem Pole tells the story of a Native American family's
ancestral spirits and family history (pictured in human and
animal form). They depict the spirits as people, mythical
beasts, and wildlife treasured by the Tlingit Tribe. These
huge, wooden poles often show the bald eagle, grizzly bear,
moose, beaver, otter, mountain goat, wolf, whale, porpoise,
seal, sea lion, and salmon.
Supplies needed:
• A paper towel tube
• Crayons, tempera paint, or markers
• Brown construction paper (a few sheets)
• Scissors
• Tape, White glue

• 2 popsicle sticks (optional)

You can either use

a template or or
draw your own
totems freehand.
For a template
with rectangles
for four faces (and
a strip for wings),
A template with rectangles click here. Cut A template with rectangles for
for four faces (and a strip for
wings), click here
along the thick four faces and each animal
face outlined (and a strip for
vertical line (and wings), click here
 continue the cut to
the edges of the
paper -- do not cut
off the margins of
the paper). In each
of the small
rectangles, the
student will draw
an animal head.
Use the long strip
on the right for
wings or other
add-ons.
For a template
with rectangles
for four faces and
each animal face
outlined (and a
strip for wings),
click here.
If you are not using a template: Wrap a piece of
construction paper around a paper towel tube to see
what size paper you will need.
Trim the paper to the right height and width (allow
about a half-inch overlap around the tube so you can
glue the edges more easily).
 Divide the paper into 4 or more
horizontal sections.
Have the child draw a different animal
head in each section. Put most of the
facial details in the middle of each
section.
If you're working with a group of
children, you can cut the paper into
sections and have each child draw one
face.

Wrap the heads around the paper towel tube and glue the
seams.

Draw wings or arms for some

or all of the animals. Cut them
out and decorate them.
Glue them to the back of the
Totem Pole.

Optional: Glue 2 popsicle sticks to the base

so that your Totem Pole stands upright. Hot
glue works well for this.
Wednesday:
Craft Circle Activity Other Activities
and table ideas
 Sensory Station
Morning Circle
2. Calendar Panning for Gold

2.Weather Paint a handful of rocks with gold

paint and mix them with sand in the
3. sensory table. Add enough water to
cover the sand, resembling a stream
5. Academic bed. Give children aluminum pie
teaching/Review: plates and allow them to swish the
water/sand mixture in a circular
motion. The heavier "gold nuggets"
will remain in the bottom of the pan.
Song
Science/Learning

Lunch Circle:
Read book club book
Review songs Table Toys

1.

2.

3.

Carpet Areas

Lasso Game
Make a large cow head of
poster board, decorate
and attach to a short
chair. Children can use a
hula hoop over the cow's
head to "lasso" him.
Alternative: Set up a
group of stuffed animals
to be lassoed.
Thursday:
Craft Circle Activity Other Activities
and table ideas
Sensory Station
 Morning Circle
1. Calendar
2.Weather
3. Transportation in the
Wild West
5. Academic
teaching/Review: Science/Learning

Songs

Table Toys
Lunch Circle:
1.
Read book club book
Review songs 2.

3.

Carpet Areas
Snowshoes were used by the Native

Americans mostly in winter. They used them so

that they can walk on top of the snow without

their feet sinking to deep in the snow.

Native Americans also used canoes for many

different reasons. Some ways that the canoes

were used are for hunting, fishing, trading and

traveling.
Friday:
Craft Circle Activity Other
Activities and
table ideas
Sensory Station
Morning Circle
3. Calendar
2.Weather
3.
5. Academic teaching/Review:

Science/Learning
Songs

2. Tee Pee
Lunch Circle:
Items you will need: Table Toys
Read book club book
Construction Paper (any color)
Scissors Review songs 1.
Tape
2 to 3 Straws
Take a piece of construction paper, 2.
any color, and wrap it into a cone
shape and tape. Trim around the 3.
base so the cone will stand flat. Next
cut a flap in your teepee by making
Carpet Areas
two cuts vertically about 2 inches
long about 2 inches apart, then fold
the teepee flat up. Stick drinking
straws through the top if you want to
have more support for your tepee.
That's all there is to it! Decorate
your tepee with some great Native
American designs, pre-cut designs
and shapes.
* You can cut your teepee shape
ahead of time decorate it with/
Native American designs and then
assemble it.*
 First Nation People’s Homes

Tipi, Tepee, Teepee

No matter how you spell it, the tipi remains a wonderful invention.

A tipi (tepee, teepee) is a Plains Indian home. It is made of buffalo hide

fastened around long wooden poles, designed in a cone shape. The poles were
about 15 feet long. Good poles were hard to find. They took a lot of work to
make. Some Plains people traded for poles. A typical trade would be one horse
for five poles.

A tipi used a hide flap as a doorway. Weather permitting, the entrance faced
east, towards the rising sun. If the weather was miserable or a storm was
brewing, the people positioned the flap opening in whatever way would best
serve the comfort of the occupants.

Sometimes, the people arranged their tipis in a circle, with all the opening flaps
facing the center open space created by the circle of tipis. If the entrance flap
was open, it was an invitation to enter. If the flap was closed, you needed to
announce yourself and wait for an invitation to enter a tipi, even if you lived
there.

Tipis were comfortable homes. They were warm in the winter and cool in the
summer. Some were quite large. They could hold 30 or 40 people comfortably.
 Songs of the Week

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Lets go riding added 8-
18-98 Original Author
Unknown
Sung to: "Are you sleeping?"
Lets go riding, lets go riding,
Saddle up. Saddle up.
Everybody ready? Everybody
ready?
Giddyap! Giddyap!
s I’m a Little Indian I’m A Little Cowpoke Variation of “She’ll Home on the
I’m a little Indian on the (I’m a Little Teapot) be Comin Round the Range
go, I’m a little cowpoke (point Mountain
Here is my arrow, here is to self)
Oh, a cowpoke sings a riding I've been riding
my bow, Here is my hat (point to song. YAH-HOO! on the Range
When I go a hunting, hear hat)
Oh a cowpoke sings a riding (Tune: "I've been
me shout Here are my spurs (point to song, YAH-HOO!
Bears and Buffalo better heels)
working on the
When a cowpoke goes a
watch out! And here are my chaps (pat railroad")
ridin
ong, YAH-HOO! legs) When a cowpoke goes a
ridin I've been riding on
As soon as I get up Oh, a cowpoke sings a riding the range,
(stretch, pretend to wake All the livelong day.
up) I've been riding on
I work all day (pretend to the range,
lasso a cow) Herding dogies on
I get on my horse (pretend
their way.
to get on a horse)
Can't you hear the
And ride away (pretend to
gallop on a horse)
cowboys shouting,
"Yippity-oh-ky-yay!"
Can't you hear the
cowboys shouting,
"Dogies, move this
way

Food On the Range

Trail Mix added 6-27-98 Original Author Unknown

Make trail mix in class. The kids decorated their "saddle bags" (brown lunch bags)
Then let the children choose what they would like to put into their trail mix.
Put out treats like:
mini pretzels
mini marshmallows
raisins
little toasted breads
choc. chips
chex cereal
Then take your bags outside for a cowboy picnic!!

Cactus candies added 8-18-98 Original Author Unknown

Make cream cheese dough-- mix 3 oz softened cream cheese with 3 cups sifted confectioners sugar. stir in 3 drops almond
extract and a few drops of green food coloring. Place a spoonful of cream cheese dough on a square of wax paper and have the
child shape it into a mound to represent a cactus. Have the child break thin pretzels into short pieces and insert them in the candy.
Chill until time to serve.