Dark Shadow, Fruit Preserver

All month long, the 3rd graders at Bitz have been studying about Native Americans and today Mason's class gave a presentation in their classroom. They were assigned a job that was performed in a tribe and were asked to write a report and create an object used for that job. Mason's job was that of a food preserver and he was to show how fruit was preserved. Of course, he totally wanted to be a spear maker or a hunter, but by the time it was his turn to pick, only cook and food preserver were left. He wrote his report and made a basket out of the bottom half of a 1 gal. water jug painted brown with a rope for a strap. But the way he tells it, the basket that he used to gather fruit was made from tree bark and mud and the strap was made from the skin of a dead animal.....most likely a buffalo!! He also glued various dried fruits to a chart to show what fruit looks like when dried by the sun. Parents as well as students from other classrooms were able to walk around from child to child and hear all about their jobs and what they had created. They also made vests and headbands with their Indian names on them. They got to pick their own Indian names and Mason chose Dark Shadow. My favorite name was from a little girl who sits next to Mason......Fluffy Mouse, how cute!!

Flying Sun and Dark Shadow

(a.k.a. Pierce and Mason)

Mason telling other students about his job.