Indian Village theme for Fall Activities

Created this Fun Indian Village to teach the kids about the Indian's and how they helped us when we arrived to the Americas. Here are the activities we did and the props I made for this theme.      

The Canoe is an Expedit Shelf. The kids love sitting in their cube while they pretend to row along the river. I used blue painter's tape to create water lines on the floor (not seen here).

More Expedit Ideas

Created the oars with PVC piping, cardboard, duck tape and corn. I filled the pipes with corn so that they made sounds when rowing. Also hung yarn and jingle bells along the window. This was a big hit and super easy to construct. My 11 month old loved it too.

Click here to see how I made the oar.

We sang songs with the kids while they rowed. All time favorite was Row, Row your boat.

The round tin containers are filled with corn, money and rice.

The kids had fun playing in the tee pee; equipped with the ever popular peek a boo hole.

DIY Tee Pee

As a sensory activity, we had the kids paint with corn using containers.  We call it Shaka Shaka Art.

How to: Shaka Shaka Art

The kids had fun doing tribal dances with this easy DIY prop (Rainmaker Wand).  It makes sounds when you move it.

How to make Rainmaker Wand

For movement and fine motor, I had the kids make wind by blowing feathers with their straws.  This is a great activity because it adds to the decor of the theme and they just love anything that hangs from the ceiling.  I hung the feathers high to encourage the use of the straws.

As an extended activity, I had them tape several straws together to form a big straw. While laying on the floor, they had to blow their feathers with their long straws. After, they opted to get stools and blow standing up.

More Ceiling Activities

For circle time during Indian Village week, I created this fun fire activity using an elefun toy!  The kids have fun putting the ambers (tissue paper) into the fire and watching them blow out.

Click here to read more about this DIY Fire Activity

To get the kids moving, we brought out the big balloons!  These punching balloons were a hit.  As a bonus, the kids got to take them home.

We called this Turkey Punch. The kids had fun punching the turkey on the punching balloon.

How To: Turkey Punch

This was a fun one for them.  They just love doing summer salts.  Another great movement/exercise activity

We called this Turkey Tumble. Just bring out the mats and watch them roll!

As a craft, the kids made their own cheerios necklaces.  This was a great activity to teach them about lacing.  

A fun activity for snacking on too ;)