Concentration
Make cards with pictures of trade items (pottery, figurines, turquoise, macaws, etc.) and cacti, animals, the characters in the story, etc. Make another set with their names (Mimbres bowl, javelina, etc., maybe the Latin names of plants). Place the picture cards upside-down in one area, the name cards upside-down next to them. A student turns a picture card over and then a name card. If they don't match, turn them back down again. Matched pairs are collected until the cards are gone. The one with the most pairs wins. (Indian Uses of Desert Plants by James W. Cornett has photos and Latin names of common Sonoran Desert plants, including cacti.)
Find the North Star
Use the pointer stars in the Big Dipper's cup. If the sky is not visible, use a Sky Map or visit a planetarium. Read American Indian stories of constellations. On the Sky Map, overlay Mylar and have students draw their own interpretations of the constellations. Students make up their own stories as to the origins of the constellations.
Make a Constellation Flipchart
Cut a piece of construction paper, 9" x 11". Fold over the top two inches. Cut four more pieces (different colors) 9" wide, each 7 1/2" long. Place succeedingly shorter pieces on top of each other, all tucked under the folded flap of the longest piece at the top. Staple the top. Label the folded part My Favorite Constellation. The next piece underneath can be labeled Name and Illustration. The next, Month and Season Visible. The next, Indian Mythology. Next, Names of the Stars and last, My Own Mythology. There's room under each titled flap to write, each page is larger toward the back of the flipchart.
