Have your students spend time exploring different types of African Homes. They can create a gallery by working in groups and choosing a home to draw and decorate. You can also take this a step further and have them work in groups to recreate a home using boxes and misc. craft materials listed above.
Here are various types of African Heritage Homes:
Bemileke cluster houses with tall cone roofs made of grass
Mousgoum mud cone houses molded of mud and stones and marked with vertical lines to channel the rain.
Malian village compounds, including round-top houses for the extended family, granaries, and walls.
Nuba linked houses, which feature red clay walls, pointed cone roofs, and pig and goat houses.
Asante steep thatched wood-frame houses joined in a circle and linked by mud walls.
Somolo multistory mud roofs and central granary and grinding room
Zulu semispherical framework houses covered with grass mats and arranged in a ring protected by a woven twig fence.
Yoruba courtyard houses with carved posts, thatched roofs around the outer rooms, and open central court.
Caribbean balcony houses with an African flair.
You can also have students draw families and figures in the houses. Encourage them to use multicultural skin toned art materials and supplies.
games to play...
songs to sing...
Stuff The Turkey
Brown paper bag
two small brown lunch paper bags
newspaper
tissue paper
tape
stapler
glue
Fold down about 4" of the large brown bag - keep the fold inside. Fold and staple in each of the four edges of the bag so that the opening is smaller. Smooth out the opening to make it rounded. Stuff the two small paper bags with newspaper. Twist the top of the bags and tape to form the drumsticks. Cut strips of the red tissue paper and glue around the twisted top of the drumsticks for decoration. Glue the drumsticks on the sides of the "turkey". For the stuffing, wad up pieces of the newspaper and tape together to form balls.
TO PLAY: Players stand back about four feet and take turns tossing the "stuffing" into the "turkey". See who can get the most in.
This is sung to the tune of the Hokey Pokey but the children will pretend that they are turkeys as you all sing things like:
You put your right wing in, put your right wing out, You put your right wing in and you shake it all about. You do the Turkey Pokey and you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about.
You put your left wing in, put your left wing out, You put your left wing in and you shake it all about. You do the Turkey Pokey and you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about.
You put your red beak in, put your red beak out, You put your red beak in and you shake it all about. You do the Turkey Pokey and you turn yourself around. That's what it's all about.
clean paper towel tube
glue
construction paper
scissors
acorns
Cut a ring off of the paper towel tube about 2 1/2 inches. You can paint this, or leave it brown. Cut out different colored leaves from the construction paper. Glue the leaves to the top of the ring. Then add a couple of acorns for a finishing touch.
Here's a snack your kids will love! Take a pint of vanilla yogurt and put it in a bowl mix it with granola cereal, stir and serve it. It's a great snack idea.