How the Moon Regained Her Shape Crafts!

At this month's "From the Earth to the Moon" Reading Clubs the second graders will be reading a Native American folktale called "How the Moon Regained Her Shape."

"Influenced by Native American folktales, this fascinating story deals with bullying, self-confidence, and understanding the phases of the moon. After the sun insults and bullies her, the moon gets very upset and disappears - much to the chagrin of rabbits who miss their moonlight romps. With the help of her friends, the moon gains more self-confidence each day until she is back to her full size." ("How the Moon Regained Her Shape." Sylvan Dell Publishing - Home. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. )

Inspired by this touching story, volunteer Susan Trabue created this wonderful craft designed to remind kids of their strengths, in the event that they ever faced bullying like the Moon did in our story.


1.Draw the line that will serve as the top of the wings that will stick out when the paper is rolled into a totem pole. Basically, we’re going to draw two identical right triangles. On a sheet of construction paper, about 1” below the top of the page, draw a 3” horizontal line on both sides of the page.

2. Lightly trace a 2 1/4” vertical line down from the interior end of each horizontal line you made in step 1. *Please note you will NOT be cutting along this line.

3. Draw lines completing both triangles. If you like, you can scallop or texture this edge to give it more of a feathered appearance.

4. Cut along the lines you made in steps 1 & 3.

5. Roll & tape/glue the paper together to form totem pole.

6. You can either draw your totem art directly on the construction paper, prior to rolling it into a tube, or you can do the art separately and glue/tape it to the totem.

I must confess, the cute baby animals are from “How to Draw 101 Animals,” that I found at Michael’s for $5. (http://www.topthatpublishing.com/uskids/detail.asp?id=796) It has easy step by step instructions that the kids can follow with your guidance.



You can see some great examples of totem poles and genuine Haida totem art at http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibits/tbird-park/html/intro/intro.htm. Go to the present park layout and click on the totem icons to load detailed photos/explanations.

Animal Symbolism
(animals with asterisks are more commonly occurring on Native American totems)
Bear*: healing power, courage, great strength
Beaver*: determined, builder, protector
Boar/Pig: prosperity, spiritual strength, fearless
Buffalo: life/sacredness, great strength, gratitude
Butterfly: metamorphosis/transformation, balance, grace
Coyote: trickster, clever, stealthy
Eagle*: Spirit, healing, freedom
Frog*: cleansing, water, new life
Hawk: messenger, intuition, responsibility
Horse: power, wisdom, balance
Hummingbird: joy, love, beauty
Otter*: playful, friendly, joy
Owl*: clairvoyance, magic, wisdom
Raven*: magic, courage, awakening
Salmon*: pride, confidence, inspiration
Turtle*: protection, grounded, Mother Earth
Whale*: history, intuition, sound
Wolf*: teacher, family, new ideas

Thank you Susan for this wonderful idea! Have fun reading this weekend!