It's one thing to learn about how American Indians crafted baskets that they used to carry many things, including water, but it's quite another to try weaving them yourself.
That's what the third-graders at Tovashal Elementary School in Murrieta discovered Friday during its Native American Craft Day. Students in six third-grade classes spent the morning rotating to different lessons in weaving, totem-pole making and sand art.
Teachers and parent volunteers in each class showed the students how to thread strips of colored paper through a piece of brown paper to create a tightly woven piece. It wasn't exactly basket-making, but students had fun as they learned about the hand-crafted items the American Indians mastered.
"It's cool. You can have fun with your friends," said student Kobe Morrow, as he wove his strips of paper.
The craft day was part of a greater lesson for the third-grade students, who for the last several weeks have been learning about American Indian tribes through a variety of school projects. Each student chose a different tribe to learn about, and they wrote reports and created dioramas as part of the lesson.
"They picked their own tribe and no one does the same thing," said teacher Mark Glendinning.
"I did the Comanche. They lived in teepees and ate buffalo," student Maxwell Allen said. "They were good hunters."
Hailee Bornmann focused on the Ute Indians, who live primarily in Colorado and Utah.
"They ate a lot of stuff, buffalo, elk, rabbits and a lot more," Hailee said.
Students used cardboard paper towel rolls, crayons and feathers to design a totem pole.
"You are designing a totem pole to tell a story," Glendinning told the students.
Students also looked over handouts of an American Indian picture dictionary and animal totems.
"I think it's kind of interesting, the symbols they used," student Conrad Murphy said.
For the sand art craft, students used glue and colored sand to design and create on a paper plate. Parent volunteers helped the students with the sand.
Among the volunteers was Caren Harvey, whose son, Landon, is in Glendinning's class.
"That was really fun. It's a great way for the students to be able to experience hands-on designing like an American Indian and crafting like the tribes," Harvey said at the end of the day.