State of Alaska - Pottery and History Curriculum Lesson for Homeschooling or Summer Enrichment
Alaska
Join me on a Pottery Road Trip. These lessons are a great way to teach kids history and geography through pottery. For each state, I list fun facts about the state. Then, I show you how to make a simple pottery project related to the state.
You can make these lessons as easy or as complicated as you want. Just follow the lesson or use it as a jumping off point. Make a lapbook about the state. Check out library books. Make recipes from the state. There are all kinds of possibilities!
Here are some quick facts about Alaska:
State Abbreviation: AK
The capital is Juneau.
"The Last Frontier" is the state nickname.
“North to the Future" is Alaska's state motto.
The state song is "Alaska’s Flag."
Have you ever seen a Willow Ptarmigan? That's Alaska's bird.
The state mammal is the moose.
A Four Spot Skimmer Butterfly is the state insect.
The state sport is dog mushing.
Some Famous People from Alabama:
Jimmy Doolittle, World World II General and Hero
Wyatt Earp, frontier law office
Nathan Jackson, artist specializing in totem poles
Sarah Palin, youngest and first female governor
Fun Facts:
-Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 for less than 2 cents per acre.
-Alaska has a large deposit of jade, including a big mountain filled with dark green jade on the Seward Peninsula.
-Dog sledding used to be a popular form of transportation in Alaska. Now, it is popular sport and is considered the state sport.
-The record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degree. The record low was 78 degrees below 0.
-Alaska is only about 58 miles from Russia. This is closer than Orlando is to Tampa.
-Eskimo ice cream is a native delicacy traditionally made from whipped berries, seal oil and snow. Sometimes shortening, raisins and sugar are added or substituted. (I see a cooking project in your future!)
-The igloo is an Alaskan dwelling usually made of driftwood, whalebone and sod. It is the Canadian Eskimos, not the Alaskan, who built igloos from blocks of snow.
-Polar bears live in Alaska. The other places where polar bears live are Canada, Greenland, Russia and Norway.
For Alaska, our clay project is a sweet little polar bear.
First, you make a large ball, a medium ball and 5 little balls.
Next, you squish all the balls.
Then, you put the medium ball on the large ball to be the snout.
Attach the nose.
Attach the eyes.
Then, attach the ears.
Use a skewer or a pencil to draw the mouth, nostrils and pupils.
Now you're looking at a polar bear!
