Read and discuss the story with the class. Identify unique characteristics about Tanya's family. Ask each child to complete a project demonstrating the unique characteristics of his or her own family. A student may choose to write a short essay describing the family member relationships, the family culture, or retell an old family story.
Consider a hands-on project by asking each student to bring an item which demonstrates the uniqueness of his or her family. Some items may include a favorite recipe, a photo of the family or even a special toy. Encourage inexpensive examples and avoid placing family heirlooms in the collection.
Tanya's mother and grandmother make a reuseable product from old family clothing. Read the story and discuss the recycling aspect. For example, Grandma recycles worn clothing used as cloth to make the quilt. Talk about how recycling old clothes helps the environment and the family economy. Recycle clothing too tattered for reuse by making a quilt, purse, or book bag. This reduces the amount of natural resources required to make new fabric. Ask the class to identify additional objects to reuse or recycle and determine the environmental impact of not recycling the items versus recycling.
Read and discuss the book with the class. Specifically discuss how the women could determine the quilt size. Talk about the dimensions of different bed sizes: twin, full, queen, and king. Ask each student to perform math calculations such as the area of the bed, perimeter of the mattress, or perimeter of the pillow.
Make mini quilts from paper for hands-on learners. Refer to Tanya's quilt and discuss the shapes used to create the quilt. Tell the students to cut and color paper in various designs to construct a 7- by 9-inch mini quilt. Draw a rectangle on a separate piece of paper and have the children glue their quilt pieces into place.
Tanya's family bonds through the experience of quilt making. The elders share family history with Tanya throughout the process. Ask each student to determine one of his or her grandparent's birth years. Then assign a grade appropriate research project to discover an interesting event occurring the same year. Each student will present a short essay to the class about their research and findings.