The Children's Theatre Ed Pack (2007)

Technology and Enterprise - Page Two

Fun and Games – Make a Story Knife

 (Haslam, A. & Parsons, A. (1995). Arctic Peoples. London: Two-Can Publishing. P.20-21.)

 Story knives made of wood, bone or walrus ivory, were used to draw pictures and symbols in the snow or mud to illustrate storytellers’ tales.

 Stories were told in song – men sang the stories and women sang the chorus. The most popular stories were about the spirit world and how animals were created, or shamans’ tales of the past. Some songs were treated as the private property of a person, while others belonged to a whole family, or to the community. Often people had their own individual songs with lyrics that described their feelings, or events in their lives.

 You will need:

 Directions:

1. Cut a knife shape from cardboard and cover with layers of newspaper and wallpaper paste (or make your own paper mache paste). Leave to dry.
2. Smooth the surfaces with fine-grade sandpaper. Paint it an ivory colour and decorate with black or brown paint.

What Were Their Homes Like?

Arctic peoples were always on the move, from summer camps to winter camps, hunting animals. As a result, their homes had to be either light and portable, or fast to build, using materials that were readily available.

 Using what you’ve found in your research, construct a diorama of one example that Arctic peoples may have used for a home/shelter.

 The following is an example taken from Haslam, A. & Parsons, A. (1995). Arctic Peoples. London: Two-Can Publishing. P.20-21.

 The word ‘iglu’ actually means ‘home’ and can apply to any kind of dwelling. The dome-shaped snowhouse, which we know as an ‘igloo’, is called an iglu-viga (snowhouse) in the Inuit language.

 Building an iglu requires many years of practice. If necessary, a skilled hunter could build an iglu in an hour, even in the pitch dark and howling winds. Only very compact snow from a single fall could be used. It was cut into blocks that were light and easy to handle but would not crumble. A well-built iglu would last for one winter, as long as the temperature remained below freezing.

 Iglu-vigas are still built today in the same way they always were. Firstly, a base of about 3-5 metres in diameter is marked out with a snow knife. Blocks of snow are then built up from the inside, keeping the walls sloping inwards until a perfect dome is made. Then a small ventilation hole is cut out. The entrance hole is cut and a domed entrance tunnel is built over it. The tunnel is made to slope downwards to keep out the icy winds. A few days later, when the structure has hardened, a window is cut and glazed with a pane of clear, freshwater ice.

 Soft snow plastered to the outside of the iglu seals the gaps between the blocks.

 A large platform of icy snow covered with furs serves as a bed.

 MAKE YOUR OWN MODEL IGLU

You will need:

2 polystyrene tiles (one with cotton wool glued all over the top for a base board)

craft knife

scissors

PVA glue

Thick card

 Directions:

1. Cut a flat ring from the card 2cm wide. Cut a tapered strip from the plain tile, the same length as the circumference of the card ring.
2. Cut strips into blocks and glue to the card ring. They should slant inwards. Make the dome by cutting out more strips and blocks and gluing them on top of each other in a spiral pattern. Shape the last block to fit the top.
3. Cut a piece of tile to place inside iglu as a platform. Glue iglu to base.
4. Cut and glue blocks from the tile to make a domed entrance tunnel.
5. Cut a small arched doorway into the iglu. Glue tunnel over entrance. Glue wisps of cotton wool around the base and over the iglu to cover any cracks.
6. Cut out a section from the side if you want to be able to see inside the iglu.

Juggling Balls

Materials You Need:

·        3 balloons

·        80g of rice

·        roll of plastic wrap

·        scissors

 Directions

1.    Place the rice in a mound in the centre of a double square of plastic wrap (take a large piece of plastic wrap and fold it in half). Pull up the corners and wrap it into a neat parcel so that the rice cannot fall out.

2.    Use the scissors and cut off the tops of the three balloons.

3.    Stretch open one of the balloons and pull it over the rice parcel. Do the same for the other two balloons.

4.    Repeat steps 1,2, and 3 to make more balls (you will need two or three juggling balls).

 Extension:

 What are some other ways you could make juggling balls?

What materials would you need?

 Design your own juggling balls and create an instruction sheet for it. Then, make the juggling balls, following your instructions and compare them with the juggling balls made with balloons.

Fun and Games – Make a Kickball

(Haslam, A. & Parsons, A. (1995). Arctic Peoples. London: Two-Can Publishing. P.20-21.)

 Kickball was a kind of football. It was played by two teams who tried to win possession of the ball and score a goal. The pitch could be any size and the goal areas were simply marked in the ground. Any number of people could play, adults and children alike.

 Kickball was known as unkak in Alaska. To make a kickball soft sealskin was stitched and stuffed with caribou hair or moss. The ball varied in size, but was usually no bigger than 12-15cm. It was also decorated with symbols.

 You will need:

 Directions:

1. Cut 4 calico squares 9cmx9cm, and 2 circles, 9cm in diameter.
2. Cut 4 oval sections of calico 20 cm long and 14cm at the widest point.
3. Paint the squares and circles brown with white patterns.
4. Sew the oval sections together, leaving one side open. Pack the ball with stuffing and sew up the last seam. Paint it a yellow-brown colour and leave to dry. Stitch on the patterned squares and circles.