Columbus Day is a day to remember Christopher Columbus’ voyage across the Atlantic in search of a new world.  This time of year is also used to raise awareness to the accomplishments of the Native Americans found by Columbus when he landed in the Americas. This story is told to school children across North America every year and often times the children engage in arts and crafts projects to give them a better idea of what Columbus actually accomplished and as an opportunity to teach children about Native cultures.  The following is a short list of great craft ideas to use on Columbus Day.

Columbus Day is a great time to teach young children a little bit about the world around them and show that they are part of a larger global community.  Once way to do this is have children create a paper Mache globe and have them trace Columbus’ voyage across the Atlantic.  This will not only teach the children about Columbus’s voyage but will also be a fun geography lesson.

There are great instructions on how to make a paper Mache globe at:  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/globe/

If Paper Mache is a bit too messy or the materials cannot be found, then creating a flat map of the Columbus’ voyages could also be a fun way to teach children both geography and history.  Simply have the children draw a map of North America, the Atlantic Ocean and Europe as it was known in 1492.  Then have the kids color the map to their liking.  Have the Children then draw replicas of Columbus’ ships tracing his voyage across the Atlantic.  While the kids are coloring, always a fun activity, this is a great way to teach them a little geography and history at the same time.

For more detailed instructions, go to:  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/columbus/map/

As well as celebrating Christopher Columbus, Columbus Day can also be used to celebrate Natïve American Culture as the Native Americans are an important but sometimes ignored aspect of the Columbus Story. One thing that can be done with children is make an Indian Dream Catcher. A Dream Catcher is a handmade object based on a hoop that is decorated with personal and sacred items such as feathers and beads. This is a fairly easy craft to do with children and can be fun and rewarding.

For more information on how to make a dream catcher go to: http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/native/dreamcatcher.html

Columbus Day is a day to look back at history and remember a major accomplishment in the history of the world.  It is important for children to learn all aspects of the history and one of the best way to teach children is through crafts that teach and that are fun.  Enjoy.