As we begin the month of November, we also begin Native American Heritage Month—an opportunity to deepen our shared understanding and awareness of the history, present and future of Native Peoples in our country. And, in doing so, we celebrate the many treasures Native Peoples provide to our world. We also can continue building towards real, productive community that can acknowledge history and build a more just future.
This activity is also part of our free November activity calendar. Need a copy? Visit tinkergarten.com/calendar to get yours!
The Guide
Build a foundation of knowing and respecting Native Peoples.
Start by teaching children real stories and truths about Native and Indigenous peoples, both from the past and the present. The more our children can be curious and aware about people for their strengths and rich history, the more they will push back on stereotypes and absorb the real history in a way that makes them compelled to act.
Seek out events.
Look for events celebrating Native communities at National Parks, local greenspaces and more. We recommend setting aside some time to better understand the Complex History of National Parks and greenspaces, too.
Show kids examples of JOY and Native American identity!
Netflix’s new show Spirit Rangers created by Karissa Valenica and an all-Native writing team
Warrior Kids Podcast hosted by Dr. Pam Palmeter, an Indigenous educator from Canada
Read great children's books.
Read books that help children come to know about Native Peoples and prepare them to push back against stereotypes. For starters, check out this list of 18 beautiful picture books by Native authors about Native protagonists assembled by Tinkergarten teammates, Erika McLemore (Creek-Seminole) and Cholena Smith-Boyd (Shinnecock Indian Nation).
As you select more books on your own, consult a reputable resource like this Embrace Race article by Dr. Debbie Reese, a researcher focused on representation of Native Americans in children’s literature. Through her expert advice, my family has learned how to pick books that are about specific tribes or Native peoples, avoiding the kind of generalizations that lead to stereotypes.
Learn about the People(s) who live or lived on the land in your area.
Use an app like native-land.ca to find out which people live/lived and which languages are/were spoken on the land on which you live.
Then, learn more about those People(s). Search for “native people from {city, state or region}” or “indigenous people from {city, state or region}. Then, look for historically accurate accounts of how those people thrived, being aware of the limitations of the perspective of whomever has created them.
If you have local historical societies, ask for information about those Native people(s) and encourage them to invest even more in developing resources to help the community understand the People(s) who live and lived where you now live.
Share what you are learning with others to inspire them, too!
Map your outdoor space.
Create a map of your yard, local park or favorite outdoor space, including identifying the Native People or Peoples who lived and now live in the area as part of your map. Download a template to help you get started in this Map Your Outdoor Space DIY activity.
Incorporate Native history into your outdoor adventures.
As you are walking in a forest or along a river in your area, share something you’ve learned about the Native people who live/lived and what makes/made them special as a group or society. You’ll find more tips in teammate Erika McLemore’s helpful article on the topic.
Georges Erasmus, an Aboriginal leader from Canada, is quoted as saying, “Where common memory is lacking, where people do not share in the same past, there can be no real community. Where community is to be formed, common memory must be created.”
There are more than 550 federally recognized indigenous Nations in the United States today with their own governments, economies, rights and responsibilities, and yet most children grow up not knowing much about these nations. Further, we all live, walk and play on land that is the ancestral home to one or more Native Peoples whose wisdom, way of living and relationship with the land is part of the place where we live and has so much to offer to us today.
We know that we can start early to help children understand and build a more full and accurate history of our country by helping them to know more about Native peoples—either as a mirror of their own Native identity or as a window into the history, present and future of their Native community members.
Curiosity means the ability and habit to apply a sense of wonder and a desire to learn more. Curious people try new things, ask questions, search for answers, relish new information, and make connections, all while actively experiencing and making sense of the world. To us, curiosity is a child’s ticket to engaging fully in learning and, ultimately, in life.
Why does it matter?
As a parent, this skill is, perhaps, the easiest to grasp and has the clearest connection to a young children’s learning. We all want my children to wonder, explore and drive their own learning and, better yet, to experience the world fully. Most teachers would agree that the curious children so often seem more attentive, involved and naturally get the most out of time in school. Even the research suggests that being curious is a driver of higher performance throughout one's life, as much if not more than IQ or test scores.
Naturalist
Category:
Thinking Skills
What is a Naturalist?
The oldest and simplest definition, “student of plants and animals,” dates back to 1600. The term has evolved over time, it's importance changing as the values of dominant culture have changed. 400 years after that old definition, Howard Gardner, the paradigm-shifting education theorist, added “naturalist” to his list of “multiple intelligences.” Gardner challenged the notion that intelligence is a single entity that results from a single capability. Instead, he recognizes eight types of intelligence, all of which enable individuals to think, solve problems or to create things of value. To Gardner, the Naturalist intelligence enables human beings to recognize, categorize and draw upon certain features of the environment.
A true naturalist has not simply Googled and learned the names of plants, animals, rocks, etc. Rather, he or she has had direct experience with them, coming to know about them and using all senses to develop this intelligence. A naturalist also has a reverence for nature, valuing and caring for living things from the smallest mite to the tallest tree. A naturalist comes to not only knowing the creatures and features of his or her environment, but treasuring them in thought and action.
Why does it matter?
In the process of becoming a naturalist, children become stewards of nature, a connection that is associated with a range of benefits, including greater emotional well-being, physical health and sensory development (not to mention the benefits to nature itself!). In a world in which primary experience of nature is being replaced by the limited, directed stimulation of electronic media, kids senses are being dulled and many believe their depth of both their interest in and capacity to understand complicated phenomena are being eroded. To contrast, the naturalist learns about the key features of their natural environment by using all of his senses and be interpreting open-ended and ever-changing stimuli.
Empathy
Category:
Social Skills
What is Empathy?
Simply put, empathy is the ability to think and care about the feelings and needs of others. The good news is, the more we study, it appears that children are empathetic by nature. All we need to do is nurture it in them—that of course is now always easy. Even though young children are simply working on gaining control over their emotions and won’t learn to really think about their emotions and the cause and effect of their behavior on others until their school years, they can start to develop the foundation for empathy much earlier. Taking actions (and watching adults take actions) that benefit other people, caring for animals and their environment and even just wondering how other people or creatures are feeling helps build both positive habits and a strong base for the development of empathy.
Why does it matter?
Empathy is at the root of what psychologists call “pro-social” behavior—behavior that people must develop in order to develop a conscience, build close relationships, maintain friendships, and develop strong communities. Empathy also helps kids avoid bullying, one of the most worrisome social challenges young kids face. Being able to think and feel for others can keep kids from becoming either bully or victim and equip them to stand up for others who are bullied. Imagine if all kids had such tools!
Age: 3 to 8+
Time: 1 hour+
Materials: various
