Since February is Black History Month, I wanted to do something a little different than the predictable lesson plan. I stumbled across a site about the Underground Railroad and how the lowly homemade quilt played a part.
One of the block designs was a sailboat which signaled to the escaping slaves that there was a body of water nearby. This helped to orient them toward their path to freedom.
I hand drew the sailboat on a simple white piece of paper and had my kids color their "quilt blocks". I then laminated them and tied them together using yarn. The resulting quilt was eye catching and my kids actually grasped the concept of slavery as well as using another form of communication. Fun, fun and educational!
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