Button blankets are an important part of Pacific NorthWest Indigenous culture. 

In British Columbia classrooms, we endeavour to bring First Nations Principles of Learning into the daily life and culture of our classroom and school communities.

Learning about the artistry and significance of button blankets is one of the ways that we recognize and honour indigenous knowledge in our classroom.

Beautifully adorned blankets are worn as capes at ceremonial events. The crest on the back tells about the wearer's family. The blankets tell the story of people, places and events. They tell of the wearers position, roles and responsibilities in the community. They are a unique way of "learning and knowing" (Fine Arts, UVic).

They are powerful statements of identity. Yukon Museum

Canadian Museum of History

Over the holidays, I saw a button blanket doll tree ornament. Since it was well above my budget for sensory bin additions , and it looked pretty straightforward, I decided to make some myself.

As I was making these clothespin dolls, I was thinking that they made fine tree ornaments, but I wanted something that could stand up to add to my button blanket sensory bin and for small world play.

Peg dolls were the answer.

These are pretty straight forward to make - no need to be super crafty!

what you need
red felt (thicker, better quality felt is a good idea - having something with "weight" for the blanket works best
black felt (dollar store felt is fine for this)
black wool (for hair)
black acrylic paint (for "angel" style peg doll only)
sequins (I used iridescent - silver could work too)
good scissors
craft glue

two ways to make button blanket dolls

for a "giant" peg doll  - ordered from Stockade
1. Cut the dress out of black felt and the cape out of red felt.
2. Cut out decorative strips of felt for the dress and cape. I looked at the diameter of the sequins I was going to use, and determined the width from that.
3. Using craft glue, glue the decorative strips and sequins onto the dress and the cape. Allow a few minutes for the glue to dry.

4. Cover the peg doll's body with craft glue,

and attach the black dress.
5. Cut out  and glue on the crest for the back of the button blanket cape. Add sequins or "bling" where inspiration dictates.

6. Find the centre of the cape - put a thick line of glue down the centre of the cape  - attach to the back of the peg doll.
7. Put a good sized drop of glue on the inside top corners of the cape, and attach to the front of the doll.

8. Cut a number of 3 inch lengths of black wool for hair. Glue them onto the peg doll head. Glue wool onto the back of the head.

9. I would destroy the doll if I tried to add any facial features, so I didn't.

'

for an angel peg doll - ordered from Stockade

(I don't have step by step photos for this doll - but I am sure that you can extrapolate from the previous doll)

1. Paint the doll's body with acrylic black paint.
2. Glue on red trim and sequins.
3. Cut out red cape and black crest.
4. Glue black crest and sequins onto the cape with craft glue.
5. Find the centre of the cape - put a thick line of glue down the centre of the cape  - attach to the back of the peg doll.
6.  Put a good sized drop of glue on the inside top corners of the cape, and attach to the front of the doll.
7. Glue additional sequins onto the front of the cape as inspiration dictates.
8. Glue on wool hair.

Please click [here] or on the graphic for a free pattern printable. Remember, this is a starting point for your creativity.

The images are from School District 79's Aboriginal Education page on the school district website. They are available for anyone to use for educational purposes.

I chose the orca because it was the right shape for the blanket, and it looked manageable to cut out a small image. I have included the sizes that I used on the pattern page.

other button blanket resources

Secret of the Dance

author: Andrea Spalding

illustrator: Darlene Gait

Orca Book Publishers, 2006, 2009

summary: In 1935, a nine-year-old boy's family held a forbidden Potlatch in faraway Kingcome Inlet. Watl'kina slipped from his bed to bear witness. In the Big House masked figures danced by firelight to the beat of the drum. And there, he saw a figure he knew. Indigenous elder Alfred Scow and award-winning author Andrea Spalding collaborate to tell the story, to tell the secret of the dance. (Orca Books )

Orca Books has compiled some teacher resources.

I have "read the pictures" with my students, but I find the book is better suited to students grade 3 or older. 

button blanket - kindergarten style

Last year we did this project as part of our learning inspired by The 6 Cedars by Margot Landahl. I had cutouts of each of the animals from the book (wolf, raven, salmon, beaver, bear and orca), and the children were asked to chose the one that they felt represented their strength. 

button blanket sensory bin

            

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Sandi

Halloween and the myriad of attention grabbing, imagination inspiring bits and pieces that are everywhere just beg for sensory bin creation.

Halloween sensory bins are quick and easy to put together - there are just so many possibilities.

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Sandi

A beach has the best collection of loose parts for playing with and exploring.

It makes complete sense, to take loose parts found at the beach, and put them into a sensory bin. For times that you can't get to the beach.

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Sandi

Stars are touched with mystery and magic.  

They are tiny and beautiful, and at the same time immense and unfathomable.

We use them for determining direction, have made up stories about them, and have beliefs about their position determining the course of our lives.

And simple enough to put in a bin and explore with our senses.

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Sandi

Oliver Jeffers is one of our favourite authors. 

He captures the limitless imagination of childhood, while gently pushing his grown up reading audience towards life truths. Truths that kids just seem to "get"; maybe adults have forgotten them ...

We read How to Catch a Star. And then we played it. In a sensory bin. 

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Sandi

Elephants are such fascinating and amazing creatures that they cannot help but capture the imagination.

Add that to sensory play and the alphabet - and you’ve got a winning combination.

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Sandi

Insects have captured our imaginations.

We have had numerous snails, spiders, and wood bugs visit our classroom in various containers.

Since the kids seem to have a need to play with bugs, it was time for an insect sensory bin.

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Sandi

We have been singing "Let it go, Let it go, I can't hold it back any more" for a year now.

I have helped sort out many who gets to be Elsa and who gets to be Anna disputes - I suggest that each of their personalities and powers are much too big for one person  - and remember, in our class, we are good at sharing.  Sometimes it works!

It was time to bring Frozen into the classroom (a bit)  - introducing, a Frozen-inspired Sensory bin.

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Sandi

Christmas has sparkle.

And a little (well, a lot) of magic.

So, what do you put in a Christmas sensory bin?

Sparkle - and a little bit of magic.

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Sandi

Sometimes things are so simple and glaringly obvious, I just don't see them.

We have been thinking like Mr van Gogh and painting Starry Night.  The movement of the swirling wind, the twinkling stars.  

We talk about how you can almost feel the movement that Mr Van Gogh was trying to paint.

Feel.  

There's the word.

And the simple and glaringly obvious - a Starry Night sensory tray.

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Sandi

Turkey is a country that is a feast for the senses. 

The colours of the landscapes, the local produce and the wares sold at every market.  The bustling noise of the markets.  And the food.  I was not prepared for how delicious the food would taste and smell.  

Walking through the markets, I knew that a bit of Turkey would come home to start off a Turkish Bazaar Sensory Bin. 

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Sandi

Who can help but love the amazingly tall sunflowers that stand sentinel over the last days and weeks of summer.

Blazes of yellows, oranges, russets and browns.  

Bringing us into Fall.

And inspiring a sunflower sensory bin.  

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Sandi

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a fabulous book for retelling.  

It has progression of numbers, the days of the week, it's all about food, and it has a miraculous ending.  Every syllable of every word is right where it belongs.  It just invites retelling. 

How about we retell the story with a sensory bin.

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Sandi

I have always thought of purple as a bit of a flamboyant colour.  

A bit out there - and probably not totally respectable.

But I love it. 

When my teaching pal suggested that we make purple sensory bins, I was all over the idea. 

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Sandi

Spring time -- green grass, tree blossoms, birds gathering twigs and grass, and the chirping of baby birds.  

A good time for a birds and nests sensory bin. 

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Sandi

in the jungle, the mighty jungle 
the lion sleeps tonight

In the interests of full disclosure, I should admit that I spent six weeks in South Africa last December, 

and my husband was (usually) very patient while I searched market stalls for the "perfect" spoons, bowls and animals.

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Sandi

It's Day 16 of Little Bins for Little Hands' 40 days of sensory bin fillers.  

40 days.   40 bloggers.  40 different sensory bin fillers.

Now that's a sensory bin fix!  

One of my go to sensory bin fillers is found at your local pet store.

Aquarium gravel is  shiny. 

It has a wonderful texture. 

It comes in all sorts of colors - bright, natural and multicolored. 

It has many different "personalities".  Everything from neon loud to thoughtful neutrals. 

It makes a satisfying clinking sound when poured into or from a container.  

It sweeps up easily.  

It happily mixes with other fillers.   It "plays well with others". 

And that is why I like aquarium gravel so much.  It plays well with others.  It provides a wonderful backdrop to other sensory materials and small world play items.  

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Sandi

This is the simplest bin that I have ever made.

It has reminded me that simple is good.  

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Sandi

There is just so much potential for a Valentine's sensory bin.

The question is when to stop - not where to start.

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Sandi

I have put together a number of sensory bins.  

(I quite like making them - it's a bit of an addiction.)

I need a sensory bin storage solution.

serious disclaimer:  I am not an organizing queen.  I wish I was.  I actually quite dislike organizing things and would much rather some nice people invaded my space and organized all my stuff for me, and then I could just have fun creating and playing.

That said, here is how I sort of organize my sensory bins and their bits and pieces.

My go-to essentials are a big storage bin and the gallon size zip lock baggies. 

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Sandi