We loved going on road trips before all of the shutdowns. On one road trip we could explore sometimes five different states in just three weeks. We loved South Dakota. Spearfish left such a positive impression on us. Since I was a little girl I always wanted to see the magical Mount Rushmore and I was finally able to see it with my sweet children. I’m looking forward to the day we will be able to travel freely again. But until then we will be learning about the different states at home.
Mount Rushmore Masks
Oh you know, nothing to see just that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln came over to visit.
What you need is : chicken wire, wire cutters, masking tape, school glue, newspaper, cardboard boxes to cut out, gloves, glue gun with glue sticks, paint, and paint brush.
It only took us two days to do. We also painted only one layer but I recommend doing two layers so it should take three days to make a mask like this.
We plan to make many more of these type of paper Mache masks. We used school glue, water, and newspapers for our Mache. Lots of people use flour and water but in the past we haven’t had such success using that method so do it the way you know how to best.
South Dakota Landmark Map
I believe that the landmarks of the state is what makes each state so unique. We wanted to explore South Dakota because we wanted to see Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Monument, and Crazy Horse Memorial. If you google “South Dakota Landmark Map” you’ll find a variety of postcards or pictures. Then you need to order or buy clay at the craft store. Put a poster paper or parchment paper on the table and then start sculpting the different landmarks.
South Dakota State Symbols
For the South Dakota State Symbols we used a large cloth and painted the bird, fish, flower, animal, tree, map, and insect. We also included the state song of South Dakota.
Rush to Rushmore Game
Games are a fun way to learn about a state. On the board game I wrote interesting facts about South Dakota so that every time we landed on a square the person who landed on it can read it. Simply google “37 Important Facts about South Dakota.” When it is each players turn, they have to pick up a card and answer a variety of questions such as…. Which presidents are carved on Mount Rushmore? What are the state flower? What is the nickname of South Dakota? I also printed out the South Dakota quarter and added it to the board game. Whenever someone landed on it they received a certain amount of quarters.
Winter Count
The Lakota Indians kept a timeline of their history. Each year they drew on skins the important event that occurred the previous year. The community would get together and draw only one event that occurred that was most memorable.
This is a beautiful idea to do on New Years Eve. My girls and I talked about drawing something that happened each month. An easy way to remember is to draw that one thing at the beginning of the next month. We liked the idea of drawing one thing per month so that by the end of the year each child can have twelve different memories recorded.
Thank you for reading our blog post. We share a new blog post every Wednesday and Friday.