Wrap a cardboard paper towel tube in brown construction paper and secure the paper to the tube with tape. Glue each paper-wrapped tube to a 4-by-4-inch square of heavy corrugated cardboard. Apply a thick ring of craft glue to the center of the cardboard base and hold the cardboard tube on the glue for one to two minutes. Let the glue dry for 24 hours. Glue three 1/4-inch strips of black construction paper onto the pole to separate it into four equal sections. Give the children glue and an assortment of craft foam shapes, wiggle eyes, and craft feathers (available where teaching and art supplies are sold). Use the craft items to create human or animal representations on each section of the cardboard tube totem poles.
Collect four empty wooden spools for each totem pole craft. If you do not have a free source of empty spools, you can buy them in the craft section of department or art supply stores. Stack the four spools to create the pole. Place the largest spool at the bottom and stack the rest on top of it according to size. Glue the spools together with wood glue. Allow the craft to dry for 24 to 48 hours. Let the children draw human and animal faces and add decorative designs on each spool with markers.
Gather four or five metal coffee cans of the same size for each totem pole art activity. Cover your work surface with newspaper and give children liquid tempera paint and brushes. Instruct them to paint all of the can, except for the bottom and the lid. Give them the choice to use a different color for each can or to paint them all the same. After the paint is dry, tape the cans together by tightly winding strips of black duct tape--available at hardware and home improvement stores--around the line where the top of one can meets the bottom of the other. Let the children paint each section of their coffee can totem pole as a different representation of a person or animal.