Storytelling and handcrafts connect kindergartners with native America

Two students using popsicle sticks to build a teepeeNothing captures the imagination of a child like a good story with a child hero.   

As part of their English Language Arts studies, students in Mrs. Tutko’s kindergarten class have been learning about Native American history through storytelling.

Winona, a Native American child of the Great Plains, was part of a family and tribe whose lives followed the movement of buffalo herds. Winona would help her mother set up and pack-up their tepee when they were on the move. One day she misplaced her beloved doll, handmade by her mother— event every kindergartner can relate to. 

Student smiles at the camera while showing her teepee project

Using popsicle sticks and stiff felt, students built mini tepees and  referenced the story’s motifs in their designs, including animals, the open skies of the Plains, and Winona’s doll.