Team Totems
Express your team spirit and unique personal style! Create a replica of a traditional totem pole as a get-to-know-you project!
1. Totem poles are traditional among Native American clans who live along the Northwest Pacific Coast of what is now the United States and Canada. Research how their totem poles are carved. Find out about some of the traditional images used, such as ravens, beavers, whales, and thunderbirds. Many symbols signify characteristics of which families are proud.
2. With a small group of classmates, discuss your interests, skills, and favorites to discover common themes, such as soccer, dogs, video games, or crafting. Sketch some possibilities for symbols to represent your team’s ideas with Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils.
3. Together, decorate one small snack tube with Crayola Model Magic. Use symbols for the common themes your team discovered about each other. Mix colors if you like, or knead just a little for a marbled effect. Model Magic fresh from the pack sticks to itself.
4. Team members each personalize a totem pole section on separate snack tubes. Show your favorite things to express your individuality!
5. Place small rings of Model Magic between sections. Stack them on top of each other and press together to make one totem. In the oral tradition, explain your Team Totem to other teams in the class.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—
- Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
- Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
- Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
- The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
- Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
- Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
- Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Recycled Cardboard Tubes—Use paper towel tubes, gift-wrap tubes, or long cardboard tubes that can be cut to any length. Health professionals caution against using recycled toilet paper tubes for arts & crafts projects because of the potential fecal contamination.
- • Use your totem poles to introduce each other. Interview each other in pairs and then introduce your partner to the class.
- • Create a totem pole with traditional symbols. Explain or write about the meaning of each image.
- • Paint a picture of an ornate totem pole, and then recreate it with Model Magic.
- • Assessment: Observe student teams for collaboration and problem-solving skills. In the presentations, look for details to be presented about both the group and individuals. Expect new friendships to emerge as students discover connections.
Rainbow Poem
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