American Indian Crafts for Children

The American Indian people share their rich culture with the rest of the world through many art forms. Ceremonial dance, intricate bead work and even something called quill work, which involves weaving porcupine quills into leather, are some of the artistic expressions of American Indian artisans. Take inspiration and make crafts with children at school or home that honor the creativity of the American Indians.
  1. Rainstick

    • Cover an empty cardboard paper towel roll with green construction paper. Tape the paper to secure it to the tube. Make two end covers. Set one end of the tube on a piece of brown construction paper and draw around the circle. Remove the tube and draw a 1-inch-larger circle around the first one. Cut it out. Draw six lines, spaced evenly, from the smaller circle to the larger one, then use scissors to snip the lines. Make one for each end. Lay your cardboard tube back on one of the end covers and fold the snipped paper tabs up around the tube and glue them securely in place. Measure a 20 by 20-inch square of foil and scrunch it to form a stick, then push it down, letting it curve or zig-zag to fit into the cardboard tube. Add 2 tsp. of uncooked rice to the tube. Glue the other end paper to the open end of the tube. Decorate the outside of the rainstick with stickers or markers. When the glue is dry, slowly turn the rainstick from one end to the other to listen to the sound.

    Dreamcatcher

    • Cut a hole from the middle of a white paper dinner plate so you are left with a 2-inch-wide ring. Punch 12 holes, evenly spaced, with a hole puncher--1-inch from the edge of the plate. Cut a 35-inch length of white yarn and pull one end through one of the holes, leaving enough room to tie a knot at the back of the plate. Weave the yarn through the holes--creating a web-like pattern in the plate's center space. Stop weaving before every other new hole and place five or six plastic beads on the yarn. Plastic craft beads are available at department and dollar stores. When each hole has been weaved through with yarn, tie another knot at the back of the last hole. Cut off any excess yarn. Punch one more hole in the center of the plate, 1/2 inch from the bottom edge. Loop a 10-inch piece of yarn through the hole and tie craft feathers--found in craft supply stores--to each end. Staple more feathers around the outer rim of the dreamcatcher.

    Tepee

    • Gather six 9-inch long twigs in a bundle and wrap them tightly, 2 inches from the top, in a rubber band. Fan out the twigs to create a tepee frame. Cut a 15-inch diameter circle from brown construction paper and cut a straight line from one end to the center point of the circle. Decorate the circle with markers or crayons. Wrap the circle around the twigs in an inverted cone shape and tape the ends of the paper together to complete the tepee craft.

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