Weaving

First and second grade students all participated in paper weaving. We use these mats for the Thanksgiving feast that each grade has just before the holiday. The students learned that weaving is still used today to create fabric and is still essentially the same process as it was hundreds of years ago. The students watched a short video of a loom in action and I also demonstrated using yarn on a small cardboard loom. We then cut the paper and used pre-cut strips to weave our own place-mat.

Once the mats were done we decorated them using Native American symbols. Discussion centered around what a symbol was and how it could be used. We also talked about symbols we have in our daily lives and how we use them.