Only the Mountains Do Not Move

Readers, come along on a visit to the Maasai people of Kenya in Jan Reynolds' photo essay, Only the Mountains Do Not Move.
Visit with Noonkuta and her family, which includes her baby daughter, Ramati. After Noonkuta milks her cows and goats, her husband, Ole Kiyaa,
must keep an eye on his livestock while they graze out in the bush.

The beautiful photographs include one of  the family's hut, an enkaji. which is made from trees lashed together, Mud is used to seal the walls.

Teachers, Jan Reynolds provides this resource to use in the classroom.

She also includes proverbs from the Maasai people. Here is a sample:
"Nobody can say he is settled anywhere forever; it is only the mountains which do not move from their places."

Late to the party

March 7th was World Maths Day and I wanted to have titles to recommend on that day. Better late then never! So here are two titles of interest:


Flowers and Showers: A Spring Counting Book by Rebecca Fjelland Davis.
Here is a sample: "One colorful kite dances in the sky. Hold the string tight and watch it fly." 





  One Hundred Shoes : a Math Reader by Charles Ghigna.
  Here is a sample: "Centipede, Centipede, how do you choose? Where do you shop for one hundred shoes?"

 Teachers, I recommend a visit to Zoe's site for more book titles and an activity.

Black Hawk's War

Chief Black Hawk, a leader of the Sauk people, fought to prevent his people from confinement to a reservation. His efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. This week's curriculum tie in is Black Hawk's War by Georgene Poulakidas. Here is a sample: Black Hawk and his followers chose to stay at the Sauk village, Saukenuk, in Illinois."

This book is a good source for a discussion of primary source materials: books and materials written at the time of an event.  Here are some suggested activities:
1. A discussion of a passage from Chief Black Hawk's autobiography. How did the Sauk people live?
2.  Here are two different portraits of Chief Black Hawk:  an image in tribal dress and in western dress.
     Compare the two.