Teachers.netAmazing Africa Projects You Can Build Yourself
All eyes will be on Africa in 2010 when South Africa hosts the Soccer World Cup, an athletic event that rivals the Olympics in enthusiasm and anticipation. While Africa is one continent, it contains many diverse countries. Amazing Africa Projects You Can Build Yourself introduces readers ages 9 and up to the stunning landscapes, ancient civilizations and tribes, unique traditions, and amazing wildlife of the vast African continent.
Through 25 fun projects that use common household supplies and recycled materials, kids will beable to learn what life is like in Africa. Step-by-step instructions show young readers how to make their own shields for an initiation ceremony, cook banana fritters and benne cakes, and design animal masks to commemorate the seasons. Through Amazing Africa Projects, Kids will celebrate Africa and its place in our world.
Booklist May 15, 2010— Casual and informative, this large, attractive, browsable paperback in the Build It Yourself series offers a view of contemporary African life that reaches far beyond the usual scenery-and-wildlife tourists’ perspective. Blending history, culture, and tradition with politics and life in both cities and rural areas, the chapters begin with a look at natural wonders and dangerous wildlife that will grab readers, then move onto historical discussions of humankind’s birthplace and early civilizations. Views of daily life today show the continent’s vast diversity: in a city apartment, a teen might surf the Internet, but most Africans live in smaller, more rural communities, where there may be no electricity or running water. The author also discusses AIDS orphans, many of whom live homeless in the streets of shantytowns. The open design includes sketches on every page. Many readers may skip the craft projects––make your own Maasai beaded necklace, kente cloth, woven basket, galimoto doll, and much more––and go straight to the facts.
“User-friendly, clearly written, and grounded in deep historical evidence. The careful and compelling presentation on a wonderful continent allows us to reflect more clearly about an incredible place.” — Toyin Falola, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Texas at Austin, and the Nelson Mandela Professor of African Studies-At Large.
“Amazing Africa Projects is a thoughtful, visually engaging overview of the diversity, complexity, and rich heritage of African people, places and predicaments. The book is a valuable resource for teachers and parents who want to encourage pre-teens to learn about and experience the past and present of Africa and to contemplate the continent’s future.”
— Dorothy L. Hodgson, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Institute for Research on Women, Rutgers University
Books
Ayo, Yvonne. Eyewitness: Africa.
Beck, Paul. The Field Guide to Safari Animals.
Finley, Carol. The Art of African Masks: Exploring Cultural Traditions.
Hansen, Joyce and Laurie McGaw. African Princess: The Amazing Lives of Africa's Royal Women.
Katis, Alex. Fandex Family Field Guides: Africa.
Knight, Margy Burns. Africa Is Not A Country.
Lekuton, Joseph Lemasolai and Herman Viola. Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna.
McKissack, Patricia and Frederick. The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay: Life in Medieval Africa.
Nuckolls, Genny and Les. Growing Up in Africa.
Websites
Africa For Kids
African Kingdoms
Animals of the African Safari
The Story of Africa
Megan Stearns is a freelance artist and has completed many commissions, including portraits of animals, people, and landscapes, T-shirt designs, and children’s book illustrations. She lives in Mattituck, New York.
The Kikuyu people are the largest ethnic group in Kenya. The young men wear special initiation shields prior to becoming junior warriors.
The shields are carved from wood and are often passed down within families and repainted for each initiation. The shields also have an “eye” cut out of the center.
