I've always been very interested in American tall tales because unlike fables, fairy tales or folk tales from other countries, American folk tales are larger than life. Things happen in them that are completely daft yet they still have some sense of realism to it. I know tales like Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk also do but Paul Bunyan and Davey Crockett feel like people you know. They're the everyman. They represent the stereotypical American male. And that's why I think it would be cool to do a program on them! This could work any time of the year but I think it would be an interesting idea to tie it in with July 4.
First, we read some American folk tales, obviously. For Paul Bunyan, the Steven Kellogg version would be a definite but otherwise, I'm not really sure yet what books would be good. I'll edit the post with some suggestions later.
Some of the folk tales I'd focus on though would be: Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill, John Henry, Davey Crockett, Annie Oakley and Uncle Sam.
For a craft, there are a lot of possibilities, especially if you're doing it near July 4. This Uncle Sam pin is pretty easy and you can offer a variety of materials to make pins of other characters being discussed. A simple Uncle Sam windsock craft could be fun too.
Another idea is to buy some small clay plant pots and let them decorate the pot. Give them apple seeds to grow their own apples a la Johnny Appleseed.
No comments:
Post a Comment