Read a Native American story involving animals. Retell the story so that the children know the setting, plot and the characters. Use large light-brown tab boards and cut a squiggly edge. Divide children into small groups. Ask children to draw little cross and marks on the brown paper to make it look like a buffalo skin. Give each child a small square piece of white paper, approximately 2 by 2 inches. Let children draw symbols for some of the animals in the story. Glue the symbols onto the "buffalo skin." Older children can retell the story.
A totem animal is with you for life and it acts as a guardian spirit. Make a totem pole using a paper towel tube. Paint the tube brown and let it dry. Let children select four animals and make drawings of the animals' faces, approximately 2 by 5 inches. Use crayons and markers in bright colors. Cut out the animals and glue them on black paper. Fasten the animal faces onto the tube by using glue. Make some wings out of tab board or craft foam and glue them onto the back of the totem. Two Popsicle sticks can be glued to the base to ensure that the totem is stable.
Footprints were important for tracking animals and Native Americans believed tracks were the spiritual shadows of a physical self. Let children make a memory game by painting footprints on white tag board. Cut the tag board into square pieces, approximately 3 inches. Print out a couple of footprints and let the children copy the footprints by using black markers. Select footprints that are suitable for the children's age; use raven, turtle and duck for the youngest children. Select all the cards and let children find the matching pair.
Scientific innovations made by Native Americans can be used to promote scientific thinking skills. Corn was used in many different ways. Let children examine a corn with husk and unpopped corn kernels. Talk about different things that you can make out of corn, such as popcorn and weaving the husk to make baskets. Let children draw an invention that uses corn. Prompt children to think of different textures. Talk about how they can change textures by using chemicals substance such as water.