Grade Two  

Canada has Diverse Communities  Unit Study 

Written By Rachael Freed

  The following resources are included in the physical kit and need to be returned to HCOS: 1. Canada is for Kids CD by Michael Mitchell 2. Discovering Canada by Marlene and Reginald Gutsole 3. Kids Book of Canada by Barbara Greenwood 4. Let’s Call it Canada by Susan Hughes 5. The Old Ways by Susan Chapman 6. Professor Noggin’s Card Game - Canada 7. Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada 8. Parent Guide All unit studies are checked to ensure links are working. You can access the up-to-date guides with live links on our website: www.hcslearningcommons.org under Distance Learning Resources, Unit Study Kits K-9. Or you can log in to L4U and search for the unit study title. The guides can be found in the title record at the bottom of the page, under Resources, and can be downloaded.

HCOS Subscriptions HCOS families have access to a wide variety of wonderful subscriptions which can be used to enhance student learning. Several of these subscriptions are used throughout the unit. Each year, a document containing the usernames and passwords for each subscription is sent to families. If you have not received this document please contact your child’s teacher.

1 RV 8/11/17 CD

 

Goals of the British Columbia Education Plan Our curriculum team is excited to bring you a summarized version of the new BCEd plan core goals (competencies), strategies and content. As we develop the kits we will be personalizing the content to suit your students’ need and interests. Big ideas and concepts will be the focus as well as curricular threads, inquiry learning (discovering how to ask the right questions based on who, how and why things occur, as opposed to what things occur), technology integration, and collaboration. First Peoples content will include the natural history/culture of our province and encourage our God given diversity. The kits are designed to help you gain a greater understanding of the following:

Biblical Worldview: We believe that every child in our school needs to hear the voice of God interwoven into their entire curriculum. Therefore we will be striving to make sure that this goal is an overarching strategy.

2 RV 8/11/17 CD

Communication Competency: Involves imparting and exchanging information, experiences and ideas, to explore the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media.

Thinking Competency: Encompasses the knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development. It is through their competency as thinkers that students take subject-specific concepts (ideas that interest them) and content, (topics that need to be covered to increase knowledge, and transform them into a new understanding to increase knowledge), and transform them into a new understanding. This includes specific thinking skills as well as how students are allowed to learn, make mistakes and grow from failure. Encompassed in this thinking is the ability to feel safe and comfortable so that students can explore their surroundings.

Creative Thinking Competency: Involves the ability to generate new ideas and concepts that have value to the individual or others, and then develop these ideas and concepts from thought to reality. It requires a curiosity and a wondering reflection about God’s creation, with a desire to make something new and different from what they have read, seen or observed.

Critical Thinking Competency: Encompasses a set of abilities that students use to examine their own thinking and that of others, and process information they receive through observation, experience, and various forms of communication.

Social Responsibility: Involves the ability and disposition to consider the interdependence of people with each other and the natural environment; to contribute

3 RV 8/11/17 CD

positively to one’s family, community, society, and the environment; to resolve problems peacefully; to empathize with others and appreciate their perspectives; and to create and maintain healthy relationships.

Personal and Social Competency: Is the set of abilities that relate to students' identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society.

Learning Strategies

In response to the goals set out by the BC Ministry of Education, HCOS has made it a priority to make use of the following learning strategies throughout our unit studies and

courses.

Biblical Worldview: Biblical worldview refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which a Christian individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts with it. Individuals with a biblical worldview believe their primary reason for existence is to love and serve God. A Biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God. When you believe the Bible is true, then you allow it to be the foundation of your life. We believe that every student at HCOS needs to develop a worldview based on their Biblical thinking and beliefs. Inquiry-Based Learning/Mindset: Students with an inquiry mindset have a God-given curiosity; a desire to dream big, constantly challenge themselves, and a desire to research more for increased understanding and clarity. Students who actively inquire will scan their environments, generate good questions, try new approaches, observe and collect evidence, synthesize the information, draw conclusions, and generate new questions from their research.

4 RV 8/11/17 CD

Maker Education: The Maker Education Initiative’s mission is to create more opportunities for all young people to develop confidence, creativity, and interest in science, technology, engineering, math, art, and learning as a whole through making. This may be through STEAM – science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. The “maker mindset” includes learning to use your imagination to make connections, use intuition, persist through difficult circumstances in learning, collaborate with other team members and community, and become disciplined learners. Maker education often involves an interdisciplinary approach, teaching science, math and art together. Here is an example. To learn more go to this page.

First Peoples Content: First Peoples content has been interwoven into every grade in the new BCEd plan. Aboriginal content is for all learners of all ages, and includes a healthy diversity of approaches. From learning about cultural traditions and schooling injustice, creative ways of storytelling, and good stewardship of land and resources, we can gather rich learning from the traditions of the people groups indigenous to BC. As Christians we can draw many similarities from their holistic thinking, and share how our beliefs and traditions might be similar or different.

Big Ideas “Big ideas are statements that are central to one’s understanding in an area of learning.

A big idea is broad and abstract.” (CT) Big ideas represent the overarching theme of each unit. They contain references to the content and key questions students will be

investigating throughout the unit. Big ideas are often cross-curricular in nature. Similar themes can be found in many different subject areas within each grade-level.

Social Studies

Canada is made up of many diverse regions and communities.

5 RV 8/11/17 CD

Curricular Competencies “Competency represents the combined skills, processes, behaviours and habits of mind

that learners use to make sense of the world.” (CT)

Social Studies

○ Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to: ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions

○ Explain why people, events, and places are significant to various individuals and groups (significance)

○ Ask questions, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the content and features of different types of sources (evidence)

○ Sequence objects, images, and events, and explain why some aspects change and others stay the same (continuity and change)

○ Recognize the causes and consequences of events, decisions, and developments (cause and consequence)

○ Explain why people’s beliefs, values, worldviews, experiences, and roles give them different perspectives on people, places, issues, and events (perspective)

○ Make value judgments about events, decisions, and actions, and suggest lessons that can be learned (ethical judgment)

6 RV 8/11/17 CD

Language Arts ● Begin to use sources of information and prior knowledge to make meaning

● Use age-appropriate reading, listening, and viewing behaviours and strategies to make meaning from texts

● Engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers, as appropriate, to develop understanding of self, identity, and community

● Use personal experience and knowledge to connect to text and make meaning ● Recognize the importance of story in personal, family, and community identity ● Create stories and other age-appropriate texts to deepen awareness of self,

family, and community

Content Content refers to the topics that will be investigated throughout the unit. The key

questions serve as a guide as you and your child explore the content. Throughout this unit the key questions will be the starting point for learning.

Social Studies

● Diverse characteristics of communities and cultures in Canada and around the

world, including at least one Canadian First Peoples community and culture

● How people’s needs and wants are met in communities

● Roles and responsibilities of regional governments

7 RV 8/11/17 CD

How to Use This Kit

The Ministry of Education is in the final stages of overhauling curriculum, learning strategies, and learning goals for students in the Province of British Columbia. This kit is designed with those goals in mind. On the next several pages you will discover the content that serves as the “bulk” of this kit. Rather than being divided by day, the unit plan uses the key questions detailed on page 8 to breakdown content, activities, and experiences. Each key question will have books to read, videos to watch, and activities to share with your child. You will not be required to complete all activities listed under each key question, instead, you will be able to choose activities which most appeal to you and your child. Each key question featured in the unit will include recommendations on how many activities to complete in order to fully address the curriculum content and competencies. Finally, each activity will have icons (shown on pages 2 and 3) showing which goals of the BCEd Plan the activity addresses. ***You are encouraged to choose varied activities to ensure all goals are being addressed. In order to fully meet the goals of this kit, it is important to read 8-12 of the recommended books, and watch 12-14 videos. First Peoples content is an integral part of the new BC curriculum, please select 2-3 First Peoples activities to complete.*** Reading and discussing/watching and discussing the books and videos listed in this unit will consistently address the following goals of the BCEd Plan:

It is our hope that our redesigned format will allow for flexibility, individual preference, and student-centered learning. When selecting activities to complete with your child we recommend selecting a variety of activities to ensure that you touch on each BCEd Plan goal throughout the unit. Most activities are designed to address multiple goals.

8 RV 8/11/17 CD

Unit Guide

What does community mean to you?

Resources to Explore: The Old Ways by Susan Chapman What does community mean to you? What makes a community? Simon is part of a community that has both new and old ways? Do you see that in your community? What are some “old ways”? What are some “new ways”? Share these with your teacher. What happened in this book that showed community? What kinds of helping things happen in your community? How did Simon and his grandmother pass the time? How would you pass the time with your grandmother (or an older person you may know)? There are many different types of communities around the world - you may want to explore some through the videos below. How do they compare with Simon’s community?  Videos to Watch and Talk About: Go to the online version of this guide in L4U or on hcslearningcommons.org to access the videos. Communities around the World (Discovery Education) All about Families (Discovery Education) A Community at Work (Discovery Education) Everybody Needs Food (Discovery Education) How Communities are Alike and Different (Discovery Education) How Communities Grow and Change (Discovery Education) Communities around the World, Around the Corner (Learn 360)

9 RV 8/11/17 CD

Argentinean Culture (World of Wonders) (Learn 360) Amazing Sidney (World of Wonders) (Learn 360) Village Life: Cambodia (World of Wonders) (Learn 360) Wonderful Cappadocia: Turkey (World of Wonders) (Learn 360) Along the Mekong (Vietnam) (World of Wonders) (Learn 360) Getting Active in Japan (World of Wonders) (Learn 360) Around the World: Global Wonders (Learn 360) Sweet Sounds of Mexico: Mexico (World of Wonders) (Learn 360) Mexico: Global Wonders (Learn 360) Activities (Select 2-4 activities):

KidBlog: Read The Bay School Blogger by Nan Walker from the HCS Overdrive E-Library together. Talk about blogging, what is a blog? Who writes blogs? What sort of information do you share on a blog? After reading the book together, visit Kidblog to create a free learning blog for your child. Kidblog allows students to publish writing, post pictures of completed projects, and share information with family, friends, and teachers in a protected environment. Using Kidblog can be a wonderful means of creating a digital portfolio that your child can use throughout their grade-school years. Initially, your child will need assistance with learning how to use the site and share information. In time, your child will be able to post their work on Kidblog without assistance. Throughout the unit, many activities your child completes can be recorded on their blog as a record of learning.

10 RV 8/11/17 CD

What Does Community Mean to Me? Video Activity: For this activity your child will be conducting interviews to discover what community means to themselves and others. For this project you will need a camera or video camera (or a cellphone that can take videos). Make a list of people your child would like to ask the question “What does community mean to you?” Try to select a variety of people of different ages. Once your child has recorded their footage, be certain to have them answer the question in the video as well. What does the Bible say about community? How should people in a community treat one another? Use iMovie or Windows Movie Maker to edit the video. Encourage your child to do as much of the work as they can themselves. Share the video on your child’s KidBlog, or with family and friends via other means.

Geocaching Activity: Try geocaching as a family and explore the terrain of your local community! Geocaching is a wonderful way to explore your local community, and get fresh air and exercise at the same time. Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a GPS or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world. To learn more about geocaching, and get started, visit the British Columbia Geocaching Association webpage or the Geocaching.com. Document your geocaching adventures on your child’s Kidblog. OR, if you can’t go Geocaching, have fun exploring with Map Treasure Hunt.

A Story About Community: Use Storybird to create a storybook about community and why community is important.

Who is My Neighbour? Activity: Read the Parable of the Good Samaritan from your favourite version of the Bible. Discuss the story with your child. What is Jesus telling us?

11 RV 8/11/17 CD

How are we to treat other people? Who is our neighbour? How do the decisions we make affect other people?

My Family History: Watch Hand in Hand: Just Like Me and Different Too from Discovery Education. This video looks at different families and cultures. Discuss your family’s background. Where does your family come from? How long have they lived in Canada? Do you have any special traditions? Any special foods you eat? When did your family move to the community where you live? Why did they decide to come here? Share about your family on KidBlog.

Crow and Little Bear (First Peoples): Listen to the story of Crow and Little Bear, a traditional Coast Salish story. After you have read the story, use the following discussion questions from Aboriginal Affairs:

● Would Little Bear have been able to make it home on his own? Why did he need Crow's help?

● What did Little Bear and Crow learn from each other?

● How did Little Bear and Crow benefit from each other's teachings?

● How did Little Bear feel when he first slipped off the rocks? How did Crow respond? Do you think this was a good way to respond?

● What did you learn from this story?

● How do we learn from others in our community? Download and colour this beautiful picture from the story of Crow and Little Bear (click

in the lower right-hand corner of the picture to download the image in the largest size format).

12 RV 8/11/17 CD

My Community is Special Because: Use Storybird or physical materials to create a book entitled “My Community is Special Because..” Encourage your child to come up with a list of 5-10 reasons why their community is special. Consider taking pictures around your community to use in the book.

Mayor for a Day Activity: Read the story Mayor for a Day from the HCS Overdrive E-Library (note: the story clearly takes place in the United States, but the application is still there for Canadians). Discuss what happens in the store? What choices does Davy make when he is mayor? What happens? Why are rules important? What rule can you think of in your community? Allow your child to be “mayor” of your home for an hour. Encourage them to take the lead and direct activities (within reason). After the hour is up talk about what happened. Why did they make the choices they made? What might happen if they were mayor of your home all the time? Why do families have certain rules? Why do communities have certain rules? What would happen if a community didn’t have any rules? What rules do you think are most important? What are God’s rules for us? Now consider, who in your community makes decisions? Do you have a mayor? What is his or her name? Do they make decisions by themselves, or do they have help?

What are the characteristics of Canada’s many diverse regions and communities?

Resources to Explore: 1. Canada is for Kids by Michael Mitchell Enjoy this great CD with many Canadian Folk Songs. Here is a link to the song sheet for this CD - each song has a small write up about where it comes from. You may want to do some more research on that time in Canadian history or the place that the song came from. You may want to write your own song about Canada.

13 RV 8/11/17 CD

2. Discovering Canada by Marlene and Reginald Gutsole This book has lots of information about all aspects of Canada including each province. How many provinces does Canada have? How many territories? What is the difference between Provinces and Territories? (here is a short article) Which province do you want to learn more about?  3. Kids Book of Canada by Barbara Greenwood This is another great book to learn about the geography and culture of Canada. You may want to map the provinces similar to this book with pictures relevant to each province. You can use this resource for the outlines of the province. What are some of the things that interested you in each of the provinces?   4. Let’s Call it Canada by Susan Hughes This is such a fun way to learn about Canadian geography, history and culture. What names did you find interesting? Why? If you could rename your town or city what would the name be? Why? You may want to choose a province or territory and map out the interesting names suggested for that province or territory. You can find Canadian maps here.  5. Scholastic Children’s Atlas of Canada  Using an atlas is a great way to learn more about Canada. Each Province page has information on industry and resources or wildlife. You may want to read on a variety of provinces - what kinds of industry did you notice in different provinces? What kind of wildlife? Could you find your home in this atlas? If not could you point it out to your teacher on the map? Again, you may want to draw or find clip art of the animals in provinces that you are interested in. Here are outline maps for you. There are many “Did You Know” boxes throughout this book. You may want to make your own “Did You Know” book based on what you learn this atlas. You could include pictures or drawings of facts you learned.  6. Professor Noggins Canada Game  Videos to Watch and Talk About: Diversity Elementary: Culture and Ethnicity (Discovery Education) Diversity Elementary: Families (Discovery Education) Children Discuss Totem Poles as Cultural Artifacts (Discovery Education)

14 RV 8/11/17 CD

Artifacts: Chief Waka’s Totem Pole (Discovery Education) The Geography of Canada (Discovery Education) First Nations (Learn 360) This is Emily Yeung Touring Quebec City (Learn 360) Sheena Azak of Canada: Children of Other Lands (Learn 360) Living in Ethiopia and North Canada: Little Human Planet (Learn 360) Activities (Select 8-12 varied activities):

Culture Comparison: Create a free Teachers-Pay-Teachers site and download this wonderful packet which provides a variety of graphic organizers to help your child compare their culture to the culture of a child in a book. Consider using one of the World of Wonders videos suggested in this unit for comparison purposes.

Children in Other Communities Activity: Watch Communities Around the World, Around the Corner (From World Vision) (Learn 360). Talk about the children in the video. Encourage your child to ask any questions they have. Ask your child whether they know of any other countries. Which of those countries are they particularly interested in? Access World Book Kids, use the search bar to find an article about the country your child has chosen. You may enjoy using Google Maps to find the distance between your home and the country your child has selected. Read the article together, then locate the country on a map. Finally, use Storybird to help your child write and illustrate a storybook about a child who lives in a different community, in a different country, and what their life is like. Share your storybook using KidBlog.

15 RV 8/11/17 CD

Community Comparison Activity: If you sponsor a child through World Vision, Foster Parent’s Plan, or another organization. Assist your child in writing a letter to your sponsored child. Encourage them to share details about the community in which you live and your child’s favourite activities. Ask your sponsored child to share what their community is like, and the activities they enjoy participating in. Consider enclosing a picture of your child engaged in one of their favourite activities. Pray daily for your sponsored child.

Canada Lapbook: Build the Canada Lapbook from Homeschool Share. Add this colourful map of Canada as a page in your lapbook.

Salt Dough Maps: Follow the instructions here to create a 3D salt dough map of your country. The children in the blog post use other countries, but the instructions will enable you to create Canada as well.

Canadian Landscape Diorama: Throughout this unit you will be learning about different places in Canada. Canada is a diverse country with a vast array of landscapes, terrain, and people. Watch The Geography of Canada from Discovery Education. Take note of what you see. Which places has your child visited? Which places would your child like to visit? Why? For this project, your child is going to create a diorama showing a scene from a Canadian province of their choosing. Use World Book Kids and or Explora to learn more about your province. What does it look like? What do the people in that province do for work? Is the province famous for any reason? Does the province have any special symbols? Turn safe search on and use Google images to find pictures of the province your child has selected. Use a cardboard box and various household and craft items to construct your diorama. Encourage your child to do as much of the work on their own as they can. Write a mini-report about your province using a graphic

16 RV 8/11/17 CD

organizer from Enchanted Learning to go alongside your diorama. Share your report and photos of your diorama on KidBlog.

Landscapes Around the World Diorama: Throughout this unit you will be comparing Canada to different countries around the world. Does your child have another country in which they are particularly interested? Use a map to locate that country. Discuss what you know about it. Ask your child what they think it looks like. For this project, your child is going to create a diorama showing a scene from a country of their choosing. Use World Book Kids and or Explora to learn more about your country. What does it look like? What do the people in that country do for work? Is the country famous for any reason? Does the country have any special symbols? Turn safe search on and use Google images to find pictures of the province your child has selected. Use a cardboard box and various household and craft items to construct your diorama. Encourage your child to do as much of the work on their own as they can. Write a mini-report about your country using a graphic organizer from Enchanted Learning to go alongside your diorama. Share your report and photos of your diorama on KidBlog.

Country Comparison Project: Does your child have another country in which they are particularly interested? Use a map to locate that country. Discuss what you know about it. Ask your child what they think it looks like. Now, what do they know about Canada. For this project you will be using World Book Kids and Explora to create a presentation comparing and contrasting Canada with another country. Begin by brainstorming a list of questions that your child has about Canada and the other country they have chosen. These questions will be the basis for comparison (I recommend coming up with no more than ten questions at this age). Conduct research to answer your questions. Share the answers to your questions in a format that appeals to you and your child (video, KidBlog post with pictures, poster board presentation, PowerPoint etc.). Pray regularly for the people of Canada, and the people living in the country your child selected.

17 RV 8/11/17 CD

Technology Time: Take a look at Canada on Mapmaker Interactive. Mapmaker Interactive is a wonderful tool from National Geographic with a variety of interesting features. Use the drop down menu at the top of the map screen to select Canada; you can then narrow your search down by individual province. The sliding scale allows you to zoom in and out. The far right button on the toolbar allows you to change the type of map you are looking at (street view, satellite image etc.) Explore different types of maps with your child. Encourage your child to make observations about the terrain they see. If your child is new to the idea of maps, this site provides a fabulous introduction!

Totem Poles (First Peoples): Make a totem pole in the style of B.C.’s Aboriginal peoples from No Time for Flashcards. For this project you will need colourful construction paper, plain white paper, paper towel roll, glue, scissors, a marker, a hole punch, colourful markers.

Polar Bear Art: Create beautiful polar bear art! For this art project you will need watercolor paper, blue and purple tempera disks, paint brush, gesso or white liquid tempera, stencils (see template 1 and template 2), plastic cling wrap, salt, plastic cup, Kleenex, fine sharpie.

Maple Syrup Cookies: Canada is famous for her maple syrup! Make Maple Syrup Cookies. Ingredients: 1 cup butter softened (or microwaved to soften right before you make them), 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed, 1 egg, 1 cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 cups of flour Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. 2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg, syrup and

vanilla. Mix until well blended. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir

18 RV 8/11/17 CD

into mixture until well blended. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool on wire rack

Ted Harrison Style Art Project: Read about Ted Harrison, an artist famous for his colourful images of life in the Yukon. Create a painting in the style of Ted Harrison. For this project you will need watercolor paper or heavy weight sketch paper, watercolor, tempera, or acrylic paints, black paper, glue, scissors, reference photos (images of Ted Harrison's work online), oil pastels or wax crayons.

Inukshuk Art Project (First Peoples): Paint an Inukshuk like the one found on Nunavut’s Provincial Flag. Supplies: watercolor paints and paintbrushes, thick white paper, white & black, or grey poster/acrylic paint, sponges cut into rectangles/squares, clothespin (optional), paper plate, rubber shelf-liner (optional), black marker.

Nanaimo Bars: Make a Canadian favourite, Nanaimo Bars!

Local First Peoples: Help your child discover the First Peoples Group that lives close by.

Northern Lights Igloo Project (First Peoples): Read The Old Ways by Susan Chapman from the HCOS Overdrive e-library. Create a beautiful northern lights painting using an igloo template, bleeding tissue paper, watercolour crayons, watercolour paper, a paintbrush and water. Instructions from The Crafty Classroom can be found here.

19 RV 8/11/17 CD

Dreamcatcher Project (First Peoples): Read All the Stars in the Sky by CJ Taylor in the HCOS Overdrive e-library. Are any of the legends and stories similar to others that you know? What do you know about how the earth and the universe were created? Read Genesis 1-2 together after you have finished reading the stories and legends in the book. Take a look at this dream catcher made by a child. Do you think objects like this provide protection from bad dreams? Read Psalm 91:1. As Jesus followers, where does our protection come from? Have you ever asked Jesus to protect you from bad dreams, or comfort you after having a bad dream? What happened? If you feel comfortable, try making a dream catcher yourself.

Do-It-Yourself Hockey Table: Read the absolutely delightful ‘The Hockey Sweater’ by Roch Carrier in the HCOS Overdrive e-library. Then, have fun creating your own DIY tabletop hockey rink. For this project you will need 1 aluminum foil container, water, 1 piece of white printer paper large enough to fit in your container, 2 pipe cleaners, 2 wooden tablespoons, 1 black button, thin red tape, 2 blue circle stickers (one small, one medium--or construction paper cut with tape affixed to the back), scissors.

French Songs: Canada has two official languages, English and French. Have fun learning a song or two in French.

Me on the Map Book: Explore your place in the wider world by creating a Me on the Map book. For this project you will need construction paper, scissors, a binder ring, pencils, markers, and crayons.

20 RV 8/11/17 CD

Technology Time: Download the Barefoot World Atlas app.

Where in the World is Your Food From? Activity: Try this wonderful activity from Kid World Citizen to discover where your food comes from! For this activity you will need a pencil and a sheet of paper (preferably with a clipboard) OR a cellphone with a camera and memory space. Visit your local grocery store and spend some time exploring the produce department, allow your child to choose different fruits and vegetables. Most grocery stores note on a tag, or on a sticker on the produce itself, where the item is from. How many different places in the world does your food come from? Once you get home, locate the different countries using a map. If you wish to expand on this activity spend time going through items in your pantry and seeing where they were packaged or manufactured.

Landform Poster: Try this wonderful activity from Kid World Citizen to create a poster showing many different types of landforms. For this project you will need different types of paper. For example, corrugated cardboard, foils, sandpaper, velvety paper, glitter paper (for snow or water features), scrapbooking paper (paper with grass, pine forest, and clouds), and other earth-toned sheets. “Starting at the top or the bottom, begin to cut 1-2″ strips of the different papers. We laid them all out first, and only glued them on once we knew how it would look and where the different landforms would go. Consider the layers as you look over the list: where would you find a cave? And island? A glacier? How could a canyon be formed? Which landforms are taller and should be in the background?” After you have cut out and arranged all of your landforms, begin gluing them down onto a large sheet of paper. Suggested landforms include: island, volcano, mountain, desert, valley, plateau, bay, ocean, peninsula, river, glacier, plain, lake, waterfall, delta, forest, coast, marsh, prairie, and cave. How many of these different landforms can be found in Canada? If you are unsure about any of these landforms use World Book Kid or Explora

21 RV 8/11/17 CD

to learn fun facts and find an image or two. Read the Genesis 1-2 and talk about how we can see God’s hand in creation!

Crayola Province Colouring Pages: Learn about each Canadian province through these fun colouring pages from Crayola (the website may try to redirect you to the Canadian site...say no). Each sheet features the provincial flag, the shape of the province, the provincial flower, and the provincial flower. Complete each sheet and add it to a binder or to your Canada lapbook. British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Multicultural Mobile: Canada is a diverse country. Canadians come from many different backgrounds. Follow the instructions from Crayola to create a multicultural mobile. For this project you will need cardboard, a cup or bottle, coloured pencils, a hole punch, paper clips, paper towels, pointed scissor tips, recycled material, string, tempera paint, and washable markers. Access to World Book Kids will also be useful. The instructions use Toronto as an example, but all of Canada is home to diversity. You can learn about the cultural makeup of Canada here.

Inuit Games (First Peoples): Gather a group of friends and learn to play some Inuit games. These games were gathered by a group of grade six students from Iqaluit.

The Importance of Drums to First Peoples: Read the following story with your child adapted by Free the Children from the Ojibwe legend “How the Drums Came Back to the Ojibwe People.” “Long ago and yet not so long ago, the Ojibwe people were at war. Warrior societies flourished, and around the village campfires the talk was always about war. But the costs of war were high. Many of the village’s men died, and the women and children

22 RV 8/11/17 CD

mourned, even though most of the people forgot what they were fighting for. One young girl decided she was tired of losing the men she loved and tired of war. She took her wish to put an end to the wars to the elders of the village, but they were not kind to her. They believed that as a child nothing she could do would change the warrior ways of the village men. Unable to accept their opinion, the young girl decided to go to a nearby lake to reflect and look for answers. On the eve of the next full moon she set out on her journey with only a blanket and a few provisions. For days she waited, but nothing happened. No visitors or visions came to her. It was not until the next full moon many days later that the answer came to this patient child. While the girl lay on her blanket looking up at the Grandmother moon, she saw seven grandfathers coming toward her with the Grandmother moon. The grandfathers sat with the girl through the night giving her all their teachings as the Grandmother moon showed her how to stretch rawhide and lace it, showing her how to create a drum. The Grandmother moon told the girl that the men of the village were so busy with war that they had forgotten how to connect with their hearts but that the drum would help them. The next day the girl returned to her village wiser than when she had left, carrying the drum she had made with the Grandmother moon. At the warriors lodge she presented the drum to the men who accepted the gift. The warriors began to use the drum and their voices. Just as the Grandmother moon had predicted, the warriors began to connect with their hearts and soon thoughts of war left their minds. With the sound of the drum, the warriors put down their guns and danced. Peace had entered their hearts.” After you have finished reading the story together discuss the following questions:

● What are some different kinds of drums? ● Have you ever played the drums? Do you know someone who plays the drums? ● When do we use drums? ● Why do you think different First Nations communities use drums?

Discuss with your child that First Nations communities often use drums for social occasions, personal enjoyment or focus, healing, and for ceremonial reasons. Watch a video showing First Nations drumming. Use a large coffee can with a plastic lid, paint, construction paper, glue, and decorative objects to create your own drum.

Canadian Exploration Suitcase: Create a suitcase to bring along on our investigative journey across Canada. Follow the instructions from Crayola. Your child can choose what they would

23 RV 8/11/17 CD

like to decorate their suitcase with (possibilities: Canadian flags, Canadian symbols, drawings of Canadian landscapes, First Peoples art, coin rubbings etc. See here for more ideas). For this project you will need a shoe box, crayons, glue, markers, paper, scissors, ribbon, and anything you would like to decorate your suitcase with.

Create a Dogsled: In parts of Canada’s North people still sometimes travel using dogsleds! Research dogsledding using World Book Kids and/or Explora. What did you discover? What would you still like to know? Then, use modeling clay and the instructions here from Crayola to create a dogsledder.

A Postcard From: Read some of the Flat Stanley Stories from the HCS Overdrive e-library. Then, design a postcard for two or three different Canadian provinces. Have your child select the provinces for which they would like to design postcards. For this activity you will need white cardstock, markers, crayons, or pencil crayons. Use World Book Kids and/or Explora to find images and information about the provinces your child selects. What do they look like? What are they famous for? Why should people come and visit these provinces? Encourage them to think about what they would like to show on their postcard before they begin drawing. If you would like, write a message on the back of your postcards, put them in envelopes and mail them to friends or family! As another fun project, make your own Flat Stanley and mail him to a friend or family member, ask them to explore their community with him and take photographs to send back to you! You may also want to explore your own community with Flat Stanley and post about it on your KidBlog.

Bibliography

First Nations Drumming. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2016, from http://cdn.weday.com/files/2015/01/WST-E9-Elementary_The-Arts.pdf

24 RV 8/11/17 CD