N is for Native Americans

November is the month for Native Americans! As part of the Core Knowledge curriculum I teach about the Sioux (Plains) Indians and the Wampanoag (Thanksgiving) Indians. I love to read and share the Native American legends with my class. They have a good lesson and usually introduce a lot of new vocabulary words. Today we read The Story of The Jumping Mouse. It is a tale about a mouse that is on a long journey and along the way he gives part of himself to those in need. The magic frog who sets him off on his journey reminds him to keep hope within him. By the end of his journey Jumping Mouse cannot see or smell but he has not lost hope. He gets to the far off land and meets with the magic frog again. The frog tells the mouse to jump as high as he can, to jump higher then he thinks he able.. and the mouse begins to soar and turns into an eagle. This is a heavy story and some kids don't get the message- but there is magic and the ending catches everyone by surprise. We talked about this story before dismissal again, and I think my kids "got it".. ask your kindy to tell you the story of The Jumping Mouse. We also made these ADORABLE mice! I got the idea here. I love how they turned out.