|
| |
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Tod and the First Nations
ACTIVITY THREE: Make a Cardboard Canoe
|
Materials Needed |
|
a piece of stiff cardboard |
|
pencil |
|
scissors |
|
markers |
|
a darning needle (2) |
|
fine, strong string |
|
newspaper |
|
a pot |
|
parafin wax or |
|
a tin can |
|
a stove |
|
pot holders |
|
tongs |
Since the best roads for the Aboriginal Peoples to navigate were the streams and rivers that wound
through the different regions, the canoe was the best form of travel.
Canoes were originally made from birchbark and could range in size from a one-seater to an eighteen-metre (60-foot) war canoe.
Although it would be great to make a real canoe, this activity shows you how to make waterproof cardboard canoes*. You'll just have to use your imagination. Okay, let's get started.
* Please be sure you have adult supervision when using the stove and melting the parafin wax or candles.
Activity Steps
1) Fold the cardboard in half, lengthwise. Draw a side view of a canoe with the bottom of the canoe along the fold.
2) Cut out the canoe but don't cut along the fold. Keep two pieces of cardboard for seats.
3) Use the markers to decorate the canoe.
4) Thread the needle with about 45 cm (18 inches) of string. Double the string and knot it. Sew the bow and stern of the canoe as shown, using a blanket stitch.
5) Trim the cardboard seats to fit in the hull of the canoe. Wedge the seats in snugly.
6) Spread newspaper on your table or kitchen counter, and ask an adult to help with the next step.
7) Fill the cooking pot with about 5 cm (2 inches) of water. Put the wax in the tin and place it in the pot.
8) Turn the stove on low until the wax melts. When all the wax is melted, remove the pot from the heat. Using pot holders, take the tin out of the pot and place it on the newspaper.
|
Some Native people artistically decorate clothing and other everyday articles. They get many ideas from nature such as buffalos, owl, deer and snakes; raindrops, mountains or flowers. For some Native people, animal symbols have special meaning: a rattlesnake jaw stands for strength, butterflies for everlasting life and bear tracks mean something good will happen. Look around outside your home. Use ideas from your natural surroundings and represent this through symbols on your canoe. |
10) Allow the wax to dry for 10 minutes.
Now you have a waterproofed canoe! You can use it in shallow water or in the bathtub. Make a fleet of canoes and have a flotilla. You can also make a sail and race your canoe. Just slide two tooth picks between each side of the seat and tape a small square of cloth between them. Have fun canoeing.
Curriculum Objectives for Grade Five Social Studies
|
|
|
|
