Lesson Plan Submitted by Marilyn Engel
Broad View Elementary in Oak Harbor, Washington.
Grades: Grades 1 to 5

Materials:

• White and yellow cornmeal
• Malt-o-meal (brown colors)
• Food coloring
• Rubbing alcohol
• Elmer's school glue

Procedure:

Collect white and yellow cornmeal; malt-o-meal (brown colors) and use food coloring mixed with rubbing alcohol added to white cornmeal to create additional colors if desired. On tag board, index or cardboard have the children create a simple Native American design with their pencils. Templates could be made available for younger children.

Using one color at a time, apply Elmer's school glue to the penciled in areas and sprinkle with desired color of cereal. Shake excess off. Cake pans make an excellent trays to trap the excess cereal to be reused. Move on the next color desired and repeat process.

The effect is striking.

Alternate Methods:

Use table salt mixed with shavings of chalk/pastels. Store separate colors is small butter dishes. You may also use se colored sands

See another sand painting lesson here.

Links

• Sand Painting- An art lesson by Kinder Art.
• Navajo Sand Painting- A lesson by Eduscapes.

Resources

Lewis & Clark Unit- See another IAD lesson that integrates Native Americans into history and art.

Kit

Native American Designs: Create 8 Beautiful Paintings Out of Sand! - This sandpainting kit contains everything that children need to create eight sand-art images based on Native American objects and designs, including a buckskin robe, a tepee, and a warbonnet, among others.

Books

History of the Navajo can be included in this lesson. There are a few books that could help enhance the lesson into the history and art of the Navajo.

Colors of the Navajo - Uses colors to focus on the history, culture, and physical surroundings of the Navajo Indians.

The Navajo (American Indian Art and Culture) - This book covers the art and culture of the Navajo.