Popsicle Stick Bows and Arrows

When I found instructions for making these miniature bows and arrows, at The Brooding Hen, I thought they'd be a fun object lesson to go along with some of the books we're reading about the Wampanoag, this week.

I figured the kids could decorate them in their own Native inspired designs, as we read about Massasoit sending out the 5 men to hunt for deer, to add to the harvest feast.

But, it turns out, they're such great toys, I think they might derail our studies for tomorrow, as we set up some buckets, or targets, for a competitive shooting event.

The Brooding Hen, offers an excellent step-by-step tutorial, for making them, so I won't repeat the steps here. But, if you want to make a few yourself, you'll need a sharp knife, or heavy duty pair of scissors, craft sticks, dental floss, and cotton swabs. They're pretty quick to make, once you've let the craft sticks soak, in water, for an hour, or so.

It takes some practice, to get the hang of shooting such tiny bows, but once you master it, the arrows really fly far, and fast.

We'll definitely be enforcing the no-shooting-at-people-or-pets rule, suggested with the tutorial. Though, I think we might set up some stuffed animals to play the part of the Thanksgiving deer, so we can reenact the historical hunt, ourselves.

For more fun with history, or geography, check out this week's Geography and History link-up, at Children Grow, Children Learn, Children Explore.

It's great to be a homeschooler.