The Inuits

Since we talked about arctic animals on Tuesday, I decided to teach about people who live in the arctic for Thursday's joy school. First we sang some snow- themed songs. A few favorites were "Once There Was a Snowman" and "Snow is Falling All Around." We read and looked at the pictures of the Inuit people in these books:

We learned that the Inuits dig through thick ice to find fresh water and to fish, and that they build igloos from slabs of ice. They stay in these igloos when they hunt. They also enjoy carving, and they use snowmobiles to travel far distances. Dogs also help pull sleds. The kids learned that the Inuits live in the far northern areas, in places like Canada.

Then we talked about all of the clothing that an Inuit needs to wear to stay warm. Annie was our "Inuit" and put on snow pants, gloves, snow boots, a snow hat, coat, etc. We also talked about why we wear each item. (Hats are necessary to keep our heads warm, gloves keep our hands warm, boots protect our feet from the snow, etc.)

Next, I had the kids come to the kitchen table to do a few crafts. We practiced writing letters of the alphabet using our "snow" (shaving cream.) This is one of Annie's most favorite ways to practice her writing. We practiced writing an "I" for Inuit, a "p" for polar bear/penguin, "A" for Arctic, as well as the letters of our names.

Next, they each received a bar of soap and a little nail and they practiced "carving" into their soap, similarly to how the Inuits carve into wood, stone, and other materials. This kept their attention for longer than I expected.

The kids made igloos out of marshmallows and frosting, using a paper bowl as the foundation to build their igloos around.

We had a fun time today. Annie and I were so glad to be able to spend the day with your cute kiddos!