Category Archives: Native American Music

We Are Grateful – A Beautiful Book in English and Cherokee

Grateful book Cover

 

This post is part of the Multicultural Kids Bloggers blog hop for Native American Heritage Month. At the end of this post are links to more great posts to check out and enjoy.

This is one of my favorite books both for Native American Heritage Month and thanksgiving. Written by Cherokee author, Traci Sorrel it takes the reader through a year of gratitude for the large and small experiences of life for present day Cherokee people.

Want to win this book? Just enter the giveaway below or read on for more reasons why this book should be part of your classroom or home book basket!

Grateful Book Cherokee PeopleIt’s A Native Book By A Native Author

Growing up In the 1960s and 70s, I recall almost no books about traditional, Native American or indigenous peoples. When they finally started to appear, they were often about native people by non-native authors.  Eventually, the children’s book industry is becoming more aware of the importance of letting colonized, conquered or diverse people tell their own stories. In the meantime, many smaller book companies have come along with the intention of showcasing Native authors and allowing diverse voices to speak and write for themselves. The results are beautiful and authentic books like this one.

This Books Showcases Traditional Life

Grateful book 2 pagesDay to day life on a reservation, pueblo or in a tribal area is a bit different than modern life. It tends to be more centered on family, community, farming, nature and traditions. I love how his book shares the rich cultural values that orchestrate daily life in a more traditional community. And it does so bilingually!

It’s Bilingual

This book is in English with Cherokee phrases throughout. As the reader travels through the seasons they learn words for things like grandmother, strawberries, summer, and winter. The notes at the end of the book explain more about the form of the Cherokee language and some of the new words or ideas presented in the book.

Grateful book WinterThe Illustrations Are Gorgeous

This is one of those books that even a pre-reading child will enjoy as they feast their eyes on the illustrations. Kids plant seedlings, grown-ups fish for crawdads, a woodpecker is busy on the nearest tree and bears quietly hibernate under the ground while children throw snowballs above. The colorful, beautiful and interesting pictures are bright and engaging bringing each page of the story to life!

It’s Great For Thanksgiving

This book is about giving thanks. After you’re done, you can answer the question “What are the people in this book grateful for?”.  And you can ask another question:  “What are we grateful for”?  No matter where you live or what your ancestry is, it’s always a good time to be grateful and give thanks.

 

Native American Heritage Month | Multicultural Kid Blogs

Welcome to our sixth annual celebration of Native American Heritage Month! Today our bloggers are sharing posts about teaching children about these rich cultures. See the list of participating blogs below, and don’t forget to link up your own posts as well! Don’t miss our series from last year, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014, plus you can find even more ideas on our Native/Indigenous Cultures Pinterest board:

Follow Multicultural Kid Blogs’s board Native/Indigenous Cultures on Pinterest.

Participating Blogs

Faith Seeker Kids on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Honoring Native American Heritage Month with Kids
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: 5 Tasty Indigenous Recipes
Crafty Moms Share: A Look at Native Hawaiians

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Toenails of Goats – An Amazing Musical Instrument!

Chapchas

All around the world, people make music. But because they all have different materials in their environment, they create musical instruments that are unique to each continent and culture.

One of my favorite unusual instruments to share are chapchas. Most often seen in the Andean countries of South America, this percussion instrument is made from the toe nails of goats, boiled and then strung onto a cloth circle or bracelet and rattled together to create the sound.  What does it sound like? Most people think it sounds like a beautiful rainstick or a gentle rattle.

You can hear them right here:

You can also hear how chapchas sound being played with other instruments in this video of a song sung in Quechua, the language used in rural Peru that dates back to the Incan empire. Just listen for the instrument that is not a flute or a drum, but sounds like a rainstick or a rattle.

Why Use The Toenails Of Goats?

Why use the toenails of goats as a musical instrument? The answer is simple. Many communities in the rural Andes are located at an altitude above the tree line so it is difficult to find things like wood, seeds or branches to create many common instruments. And most of these communities are herders, so the clipped toenails would be readily available every spring for fashioning an instrument like the chapchas.

Chapchas Coloring PageColor Your Own Chapchas

Want to take a closer look at chapchas? You can color your own goat toe-nail rattle in this TPT freebie here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-The-Chapchas-An-Instrument-from-The-Andes-650050

Enjoy More Posts About Hispanic Heritage Month from Multicultural Kid Bloggers!

Hispanic Heritage Month Series 2019 | Multicultural Kid BlogsWe are so excited for our eighth annual Hispanic Heritage Month series! Now through October 15, you’ll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can link up your own posts on Hispanic Heritage!

Find even more ideas on our Latin America Pinterest board:

 

September 16

Pura Vida Moms on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Celebrating Latino Culture

September 17

Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: Julia de Burgos, Puerto Rico’s Most Famous Latina Poet

September 18

Hispanic Mama: Raising Kids to Be Proud of Their Latino Heritage

September 19

Spanish Playground: Spanish Tongue Twisters for Kids

September 20

MommyMaestra: Tito Puente Lesson Plans, Coloring Pages, Crafts, Activities and More

September 23

Kids Spanish Book Club: Five Bilingual Picture Books

September 24

Embracing Diversity: 21 Inspirational Quotes by American Latinos To Uplift & Empower

September 25

el Mundo de Pepita

September 26

Little Nómadas: Quesillo Venezolano

September 27

De Su Mama

September 30

Baby Devotions

October 1

For the Love of Spanish

October 2

Tiny Tapping Toes

October 3

LadydeeLG

October 4

Bicultural Familia

October 7

Spanish Mama

October 8

The Multilingual Home

October 9

Bookworms and Owls

October 10

Jeddah Mom

October 11

Pretty Mama Breastfeeding

October 14

Multicultural Kid Blogs

October 15

Maritere Bellas

Don’t miss all of the great posts from previous years as well: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Learn A Song In Quechua for Native American Heritage Month

yaw yaw girlIf you enjoy this song, you can listen to it at the Spotify, Apple Music or Pandora links below.

November is Native American Heritage Month and it’s a great time to connect with the rich cultures that exist thoroughout North and South America – as well as the world. Here’s an easy song to learn and sing that comes from Quechua culture and I’m proud to say that my version of this folksong from Peru is being used by children’s choruses across the USA.

What Is Quechua?

Quechua is a beautiful indigenous language that was spoken widely throughout South America during the time of the Incas.  When Spanish Conquistadors arrived at that continent, dialects of Quechua were spoken in countries now known as Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Bolivia as well as the southern part of Columbia and the northern regions of Argentina.

Yaw, Yaw, Puka Polleracha

So here’s the song and a video of the song. The lyrics are simple. Someone is calling to a girl in the red skirt (puka = red, polleracha = skirt, yaw = hey). The person singing says “I saw what you did and I am going to tell your mom and dad on you!”

Learn More About Quechua and A Child’s Life In The Andes

If you like the song, you can find the complete lyric sheet, plus two language freebies below. These are a great way to learn about Quechua and get a sense of what the language sounds like and what some common words and phrases are.

zampoña boyAnd remember, all folk songs that come from a specific culture describe life in that world.  If you enjoy the song, you might like to check out my E-book: A Child’s Life In The Andes that shares more about the music, the food, the chores and the day to day life of children in this beautiful indigenous culture.

Links And Resources

Listen to Yaw, Yaw on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/77JSyFW5OINqMGOA0cvNa7

Listen to Yaw, Yaw on Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beautiful-rainbow-world/id208109471

Listen to Yaw, Yaw on Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/artist/daria…world/yaw-yaw…/TRkZwmVbKqthXf4

Yaw Yaw – Free Lyric Sheet  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Yaw-Yaw-Puka-Polleracha-Free-Lyric-Sheet-Song-In-Quechua-3340027

Quechua Mini-Lesson for Kids (TPT Freebie) https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Quechua-Language-Mini-Lesson-For-Kids-Colors-Numbers-And-Common-Words-2825911

Learn About Quechua Language – For Kids (TPT Freebie) https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Quechua-Language-For-Kids-Verbs-Common-Phrases-and-Notes-on-Spelling-2825952

Yaw Yaw Sheet Musichttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Yaw-Yaw-Puka-Polleracha-Sheet-Music-2707454

A Child’s Life In the Andes E-Book and CD of Andean Music https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Childs-Life-In-The-Andes-E-Book-Plus-Music-CD-639838

8 Native American Museums You Can Visit Online

Hopi Butterfly DanceNovember – Native American Heritage Month – is a great time to learn more about Native music and culture. And a  Native American museum is a great place to start.

Across the USA, you can find various museums and cultural centers that are great ways to see, touch, hear and learn more about the Native people of your region, both from the past and in the present day. You may be surprised to learn new things about the history of your area or to find that local place names have a special meaning in the Native American tongue of your region.

The National Museum of The American Indian

NMAI buildingIf you are close to Washington DC or New York city, you can visit two of the NMAI – National Museums of the American Indian. Both are exciting places to experience Native culture first-hand. Aside from an incredible facilities both sites have on-going exhibits, classes, workshops and even online performances or seminars about topics of interest concerning Native American culture.

More Native American Museums

If you’re not close to either NMAI location or want to know specific information Screen shot 2017-11-05 at 8.35.18 AMabout local tribes near your home, you can often start by searching the name of local tribes online. Check to see if a museum or cultural center exists or find a contact on the powwow.com site. Within a short time, you should be able to find accurate and up to date information about what is happening in your area in regard to Native culture.

Here’s one thing to remember about searching popular tribal names, though. Keep in mind that some commonly used names for tribes are not the same ones used by the tribes themselves. For instance, although the Iroquois Museum uses the term “Iroquois”, the teaching resources utilize their preferred name of Haudenosaunee, meaning “People of the Longhouse”.

Get There Online!

Can’t visit a museum in person? Check out the websites below for some great experiences. For instance, the NMAI in New York has just completed a 5 year Screen shot 2017-11-05 at 8.39.57 AMlong exhibit called the Circle of Dance. If you visit the main page, you can see a glorious slide show of Native Dance regalia from all over the world. At the main NMAI site, you can discover a host of teaching materials or even do an online search of collections. Some facilities; such as the Iroquois museum, also offer resources for tracing genealogy. The Museum of Inuit art offers audio and video tours. Many sites have bookstores online where you can purchase accurate material on Native history and traditions as well.

What can you learn about Native culture? A world of resources are available. Just start with a sense of curiosity and respect and you’ll be off on an exciting journey into the world of the first peoples of North America.

Native American Museum Links

NMAI in Washington DC – http://nmai.si.edu/visit/washington/

NMAI in New York City -  http://nmai.si.edu/visit/newyork/

Iroquois Museum -  http://www.iroquoismuseum.org

Children’s Iroquois Museum – http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/CHILDRENS%20MUSEUM.html

Screen shot 2017-11-05 at 8.31.32 AMMuseum of the Cherokee Indian – http://www.cherokeemuseum.org/

Walatowa Visitor Center (Pueblo of Jemez)  – http://www.jemezpueblo.com/

Ojai Valley Museum (Chumash and Ancient Peoples of California) https://www.ojaivalleymuseum.org/

Museum of Inuit Art (Canada) – http://www.miamuseum.ca/

Circle Of Dance Exhibit Info – http://nmai.si.edu/static/exhibitions/circleofdance/

Powwow.com – http://www.powwows.com

Related Resources And Activities

Jingle Dress via WIkimedia commonsJingle Dance Tradition (Post + 2017 NAMH Blog Hop And Give-Away) https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/2017/11/03/jingle-dress-dancing-native-american/

Hear a Pow-wow Drum  http://www.dariamusic.com/drum.php

Make a (Frameless) Pow-Wow Drum  http://www.dariamusic.com/make_Drum.php

pow wow drumColor a Pow-Wow Drum – Printable and Online http://www.dariamusic.com/drum.php

You Are Welcome At A Native American Pow-Wow (Post on Pow-Wow Etiquette) http://multiculturalkidblogs.com/2014/11/02/native-american-pow-wow/

Make A Native American Turtle Rattle From Recycled Materials https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Native-American-Turtle-Shell-Rattle-Craft-Using-Recycled-Materials-600715

The Pow-Wow Drum – Making a Beat, Together With Friends!

#31daysofrhythm FB

Did you now that March is Music In Our Schools month? What a great way to focus on how music enriches the lives of all students, young and old!

I’m part of a group of music educators that want parents, teachers and everyone to find lots of fun and creative ways to share music with kids. This year, our theme is “31 days of rhythm” so I wanted to share a bit about how pow-wow drumming.

What’s A Pow-Wow Drum?

Seven Cedars Sing At University of Pensylvania MuseumIf you’ve ever been to a Native American gathering, the pow-wow drum is at the center of the event.  At most pow-wows you’ll see a group of either men or women gathered around a big drum and everyone is playing and singing at the same time. They are all playing in unison, meaning the goal is to strike the drum together. And when a great drum group is playing, it sounds like thunder and shows the power of what people can do when they work (or play) cooperatively!

Make Your Own Pow-Wow Drum

DALLAS girls making drum at women's museumActual pow-wow drums are beautiful and many are very special and sacred. But I’ve done a post that explores the first pow-wow drum and you can easily make that at home. You can find it here as well as check out the sound of a traditional drum group playing and singing: http://www.dariamusic.com/drum.php

You’ll Need a Drum Beater

To play a pow-wow drum, each drummer needs their own beater. Check this link feathered drum beaterfor an equally simple craft to make your own pow-wow drum beaters: http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/make-a-little-drum-beater-for-a-big-drum/

Now Let’s Play!

Every child can find a place around the fabric drum, holding the drum with one hand and their beater in the other. Then, they strike the drum together – at the same time. At first, a teacher or adult may want to tap out a beat to any familiar song and encourage the children to play along, hitting the drum at exactly the same time. Once the kids get the idea, the leader can also ask the children to kids drumming in DARIA workshop - ISRAELlisten carefully and do what she/he does. While playing the same song, she/he can play softer and they should tap softer.  He/she can play harder or a bit faster or slower and the drum group should do the same.

In Native cultures, drumming is just one way of teaching cooperation and listening skills as well.

Drumming Together

To practice drumming together, you might wish to try a simple song I used while teaching music and English in the Middle East. The students wanted to learn the days of the week in English so they drummed to the following little song. Whoever was leading set the pace and played the rhythm as they sang. When they finished, they pointed to someone who had listened and played well to be the next leader.

(one beat) Sunday,
(one beat) Monday,
(one beat) Tuesday,
(one beat) Wednesday,
(one beat) Thursday,
(one beat) Friday and
(three beats) SAT-UR-DAY (beaters must stop and raised in the air).

Happy drumming and check out all the posts for the 31 Days of Rhythm right here: https://musicedblogs.com/

A Trip Around The World In Song!

mama-lisa-book-coverThis is my new favorite international kids song songbook!

To be honest, I’ve been a huge fan of the website – Mama Lisa’s World – for years, so I was thrilled to be able to review this new compilation songbook. It has 100 songs from global cultures – including indigenous cultures – along with descriptions, sheet music, translations and notes on where to find MIDI and recorded version for listening. This book simply could not be more complete – or more fun!

Many of the songs that Lisa has selected are not just great songs, they are also games and offer wonderful ways to combine music, language and movement. Because translations come with each song, you can also easily start learning  simple words and phrases in other languages as well.

Where does this songbook go? It opens in Africa with welcome songs, circle dances and call-and-response tunes. Next, the songbook goes to Asia, with songs of friendship, love and play. After that, you can find favorites from Australia and the islands of Oceania. In the songs selected from Europe, you’ll meet familiar characters like the Sandman and Little Red Riding Hood. Of course, there are mama-lisa-book-pagealso songs from North America, including an Iroquois lullaby as well as English and French Canadian songs. The book closes with songs from Central and South America, including music with roots in Hispanic, Afro-Hispanic and Indigenous cultures.

What more do you need to know? This is definitely a must-have songbook for anyone who loves children’s songs and world music! You can buy both digital copies or a full size physical copy at the links below.

Links And Resources

Digital Copy From Gumroad (352 Pages/5.64 MG/3.99) https://gumroad.com/l/GvQVT#

Kid Songs Around The World: A Mama Lisa Book (Physical Copy) From Amazon http://a.co/3mx1z0o

Free Music Resources For Back To School

WOM mini postersWhether you’re a classroom teacher, a homeschooler or a parent who loves sharing music, you’ve probably already found the wonderful site – TeachersPayTeachers. It’s filled with all kinds of resources including a huge amount of freebies and fun for all aspects of teaching, not just music.

If you follow me on TPT here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Daria-Music you’re welcome to enjoy my fantastic back-to-school freebies. At this time of year, I generally set four of my top-selling items to “0” so my followers and friends can take advantage of these resources as they plan ahead to the coming year.

WHAT’S FREE THIS YEAR?

You can get my Parent’s Choice Award-winning children’s music cd – Beautiful Rainbow World – including songs from 12 world cultures. There’s a pack of mini-posters of world music instruments from all across the globe plus two instrument-making craft activities. Until Friday  (August 24th),  follow me on TPT and you can download these items for free:

ADD SOME MULTICULTURAL MUSIC TO YOUR CLASSROOM https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multicultural-Music-CD-Beautiful-Rainbow-World-by-DARIA-1189106

WHO DOESN’T LOVE POSTERS AND MINI-POSTERS? https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/World-Music-Instrument-Mini-Posters-2182210

PERFECT FOR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH (NOVEMBER) https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Native-American-Turtle-Shell-Rattle-Craft-Using-Recycled-Materials-600715

EXCELLENT FOR NEW YEAR AND CHINESE NEW YEAR FUN https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Monkey-Drum-Chinese-New-Year-Drum-Craft-1748044

WHAT ELSE IS NEW IN DARIA’s TPT STORE?

We’ve also just added two fun mini-courses that share the Instruments Of India along with Ancient Instruments From The Middle East. There’s gorgeous coloring pages of darbuka drums, sitars and handbells along with crafts to make Screen shot 2016-08-09 at 1.10.15 PMIndian ankle bells, dhol drums or even an Egyptian sistrum that dates back to the time of the pyramids! Plus there’s lots of songs, lyric sheets, sheet music, activities, E-books and more.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Instruments-of-India-Mini-Course-2682389

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ancient-Instruments-From-The-Middle-East-Mini-Lesson-2127995

Just drop by and become a follower, here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Daria-Music

UPDATE:  Did you miss the free items because the sale is over?  If you are a teacher or homeschooling family on a limited budget, drop DARIA a line at dariamusic at yahoo dot com.  She can often send along a free copy of one of her resources for your classroom!

And happy planning for the school or homeschool year for 2016/2017!

Make A Little Drum Beater For A Big Drum!

kids playing pueblo drumNovember is Native American Heritage month and it’s a great time to step right up and play a big drum!

Whether it’s a pow-wow drum, a pueblo drum (as seen here) or another drum you have, you’ll need a special stick to play that drum. And here’s how you can make an easy version, perfect for small hands with big hearts!

Pencil Mini-Drum Beaters -Materials Needed

One pencil per child

Colorful electrical or washi tape

Pipe cleaners (optional)

Feathers (optional)

pencil drum beatersStart with colorful (unsharpened) pencils. Wrap the pencil side with the electrical or washi tape and add feathers with pipe cleaners if desired.

These smaller beaters are the perfect size for young children to hold and will make it easier for them to tap or play a drum.

Playing Any Drum

Use your drum beater to play a frameless pow-wow drum (instructions below) or tap out a beat on any drum you might have around the classroom or house.

Don’t have a drum handy? No problem, I suggest you find a round container, like a sturdy laundry hamper or large plastic container and improvise a drum. Overturned pots and pans will work as well, but can be really loud and possibly have an adverse effect on young children’s hearing.

Playing A Pow-Wow Drum

pencil beater on drumTo play a Native American pow-wow drum, each drummer will need one beater.  The goal is to play in unison, with everyone’s beater hitting the drum head at the same time.  This can be a wonderful way to teach cooperation and listening skills as the sound of the drum is amazing and powerful when everyone strikes together!

Want to hear a real pow-wow drum and a pow-wow drum song.  Check out the Starfeather Group who you can hear in the links below.

Can you play along to those powerful songs?

Links and Resources

pow wow drumHear a Pow-wow Drum  http://www.dariamusic.com/drum.php

Make a (Frameless) Pow-Wow Drum  http://www.dariamusic.com/make_Drum.php

Color a Pow-wow Drum – Printable and Online http://www.dariamusic.com/drum.php

You are welcome At A Native American Pow-Wow (Post on Pow-Wow Etiquette) http://multiculturalkidblogs.com/2014/11/02/native-american-pow-wow/

Make A Native American Turtle Rattle From Recycled Materials https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Native-American-Turtle-Shell-Rattle-Craft-Using-Recycled-Materials-600715

A Musical Journey To Hawaii!

Hula LullabyeCan’t make it to the beautiful island of Hawaii this summer?

No worries – here are some fun and easy ways to have a Hawaiian-themed musical play-vacation with your kids!

Make Some Pu’ili Sticks!

There are many different kinds of Hawaiian hula dances.  One form of hula uses bamboo rhythm sticks (below right); called pu’ili, that are tapped together by the dancers to make interesting beats.   And the sticks are not just tapped together in front of the dancers – use can use them as a part of some terrific music and movement activities.

Making your own pu’ili sticks from paper towel rolls – much easier then finding and cutting bamboo – can be the basis of some wonderful percussion play with your child!  Find the step by step directions plus movement suggestions in the resource list below.

Sticks and Stones!

josef rocks outHula dancers also tap together smooth stones as part of their percussion fun.  They play them in a way that is similar to Spanish castanets!  Even if you can’t tap these stones together like talented dancers, you can use river rocks make up rhythms as a part of natural musical play.

A Ukulele and You!

A uke is a great first stringed instrument for a child.  It’s small size and easy chord positions mean that your little one can be playing easy songs within the first few hours of instruction.

And what about you?  Learning an instrument with your child is a great way to show your child how acquiring a new skill requires patience and practice – even for grown-ups!  And it sets the stage for wonderful bonding.  If your child is better at the uke, let them play and you clap out the beat or sing the words.  Or trade places and see what happens.  This is a fun way to make music a part of your everyday learning and enrichment.

Lilo and Stitch

Aside from the exotic Hawaiian setting of this animated Disney Classic, we love the bonus features on the DVD that share more about Hawaiian music, hula and musical instruments like the gourd ipu.

HawaiiSerious Crafting – Hawaiian Style

If you’re a serious crafter and got inspired by gourd instruments from Hawaii, this book offers fantastic instructions on making both the simple and the more complex Hawaiian instruments, including lots of percussion that can be enjoyed with any type of music.

Not up for crafting? There’s a link below where you can browse and purchase real musical gourds from a Hawaiian family-owned business that grows and makes their own.

Hawaiian Lullabye

Last of all, you might want to nod off to sleep with this beautifully illustrated book that will lull everyone to sleep with an island lullabye.  A Hula Lullabye is a great way to end an exciting day of play!

real ukelele color posterLinks and Resources

All About The Pu’ili – Blog Post
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/make-your-own-puili-hawaiian-rhythm-sticks/

Screen shot 2014-02-02 at 8.33.56 AMPu’ili Instruction PDF from TPT
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Puili-Hawaiian-Rhythm-Sticks-1205139

Playing River Rocks As An Instrument – Hawaiian `ili`ile

https://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/playing-river-rocks-as-an-instrument-hawaiian-iliile/

Ukulele Coloring Page
http://www.dariamusic.com/docs/Ukelele%20BW%20Coloring%20Page.pdf

Hawaiian music on Multicultural Kids Music Vids http://multikidsmusicvids.com/?cat=79

drting gourds (bright picture)Authentic Hawaiian Hula Gourds
http://www.ipufarm.com/

How To Make Hawaiian Musical Instruments – Book Review
https://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/the-ultimate-make-your-own-hawaiian-instruments-book/

Hula Lullabye Book Review
http://favoritemulticulturalbooks.com/?p=2140

Three Musical Rattles For Exploring Native American Culture

little gal and buffalo drum

November is Native American Heritage Month!

What a fun time to make and play several different types of rattles that are found in Native cultures. Each rattle here is easy to make and can be used to explore Native American music and dance or for any musical activity with young children!

TURTLE ISLAND RATTLE

Did you know that the North American continent is often called “Turtle Island” based on a story that comes from an Haudenosaunee/Iroquois legend? Turtles also figure prominently in the lore and legends of many Native American tribes give-away turtle rattleacross the USA and Canada. Although the actual rattle is made from a turtle shell, this craft uses supplies that can be found around any house or classroom.

What do you need for a recycled turtle rattle? One take-out container of any size, a small amount of materials to fill the rattle (birdseed, pebbles, paper clips, etc.) a bit of glue and a piece of felt, poster board or foam to make the turtle’s body. Plus you’ll want to have some materials to help decorate the rattle, such as paint, glitter and glue or permanent markers and possibly some googley eyes for the turtle.

homemade and real turtle rattle  lo resHere’s a real and homemade turtle rattle side-by-side. Find the easy and free step-by-steps directions on DARIA’s TPT Store, here:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Native-American-Turtle-Shell-Rattle-Craft-Using-Recycled-Materials-600715

CHAPCHAS OR JINGLEY BRACELETS

chapchas (3) on red backgroundSo many Native rattles are made from materials found in the natural world. Chapchas – from the Andes – are made of a rather unusual natural material, the clipped toenails of sheep or goats. The nails are boiled and sterilized then a hot needle punctures a hole in the nail so they can be threaded onto a strip of fabric about the size of a bracelet.

Don’t worry – our recycled version of this instrument does not require chasing any sheep, goats or llamas for their toenail clippings! Instead, we start with a piece of yarn and weave in things that jingle as well as click and clack. We suggest a variety of household items such as buttons, beads, paper clips, jingle Chapchas - Jingley Thing craftbells or dried pasta, to name a few.

Find Step-By-Step Directions as well as a free coloring page, here:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-The-Chapchas-An-Instrument-from-The-Andes-650050

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chapchas-A-Unique-Rattle-From-Latin-America-1426778

CHEROKEE NOISE-MAKERS

LeannaOne of our favorite bloggers – Leanna (from All Done Monkey!) just posted this craft that her family made from the book they were reading (The Cherokee by Rennay Craats). In the book, these noise-makers helped a child know what they might hear at a special ceremony of the Cherokee. You can find the activity and the full post here:

http://alldonemonkey.com/2014/11/03/cherokee-rattle-craft/