Book 4 in the Life Skills for the Young Lakota series is designed for fourth graders but can be used for other grades as well.
This continues the systematic approach of health and healing to education, aiming to nurture the whole child through a culturally relevant lens. It is designed to address the unique needs of young Lakota children, incorporating traditional wisdom with modern educational practices. This curriculum aims to build resilience and self-esteem while also teaching practical life skills for our children to thrive.
– To help our children see themselves as sacred beings and give them the education and tools to develop the ability to make healthy choices equally in the four areas of themselves; to ground themselves in the foundational believe of mitakuye oyasin (our relationships to all of creation).
– To continue developing the tools to break the cycle of addiction
– To begin laying a foundation of prevention education and good health
– To provide tools to make healthy choices in the four bodies or aspects of each one of us
– To provide a foundation to live a life of balance
– To strengthen Lakota cultural identity and appreciation of the language
– To improve vocabulary by using the Teacher’s manual
– Whole-body medicine wheel approach, viewing each of us in four parts; the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental aspects of ourselves that we refer to as “bodies.”
– Helping the child to understand that each “body” is equality important to educate, nurture and develop in order to be able to walk a balanced life.
– In 2nd and 3rd grades we develop the language of the emotional and spiritual “bodies” which will help children to understand the importance of identifying and expressing their feelings in appropriate ways.
– To empower each child to seem themselves as “wakanyeja” (child, meaning sacred being)
Physical body: Connection to Mother Earth, importance of water and good nutrition, exercise, getting enough sleep…
Emotional body: Boundaries to have healthy relationships, communication, stress management, etc…
Spiritual body: Cultural traditions, understanding the virtues of our ancestors: generosity, courage, fidelity, fortitude; meditation, support systems, virtues, gratitude…
Mental body: Brain care, problem-solving, understanding life’s challenges, effects of substance abuse, how to develop good habits…
The students will go around the medicine wheel 14 times (7 times for the first semester and seven times for the second semester.)
o Opens with Health & Wellness Practices such as meditation, tapping, talking circles, and journaling to name a few. The purpose of this is to help our children get out of stress and survival and to engage their learning brain.
o Read aloud by teachers with interactive activities for each lesson
o Incorporates Lakota language words and ancestral wisdom
o All workbooks have a pre and post inventory survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HVYX8FT) to track the learnings of our children and to see how this curriculum is impacting their thoughts, behaviors and beliefs. Teachers are encouraged to take pre surveys the first week of school and post surveys the last week of school. If at home take the “inventory” at the start and at the end.
*Teacher’s Manual – check out to see what these include. It is designed so any teacher can teach it.
