To get ready for our Cross Curriculum Road Trip, we did a fantastic art project: we made a collage that tied in history and science facts. The little one got to rip paper, glue, and color. She also cut out fact cards that we glued around the buffalo — each with a fun fact about the buffaloes or how they were used by the American Indians.

In addition to the template and instructions, I also put together science and history fact cards. The packet is ready to print, use, and share right now!

What do I need for this project?

1. Buffalo Collage Packet
2. Scissors
3. Glue
4. Markers / Crayons / Colored Pencils
5. Construction Paper
6. Poster Board or Paper

How does it work?

1. On the poster board or paper, draw the landscape for your buffalo. We choose to draw something that resembled the plains and talked about the environment where buffaloes live.
2. Color the body of the buffalo on page one. We used a light brown. I recommend doing this BEFORE you cut it out so that the finished product is a little nicer.
3. Cut out the buffalo and glue it onto the landscape you drew.
4. Tear the construction paper. The pieces should be small enough to be glued onto the buffalo pattern. We used dark brown for the fur on the head and light brown for the fur on the shoulders.
5. Glue the torn construction paper onto the buffalo pattern.
6. Cut out the science cards on page two and glue them around your buffalo. As you glue on the facts, discuss what each one means with your little one. 

Pair this art project with the other American Indian activities for Math, Reading, and Geography. The worksheets are ready to print and use.

What are we learning?

This art project was inspired by a display in the Mandan earth lodges at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, ND. Our little one was absolutely enthralled.

Buffaloes played a tremendously important role in the lives of many American Indians in North Dakota — no part of the buffalo was wasted. The Mandan were farmers that didn't live on the Great Plains, but buffalo were so important that the Mandan visited the plains to hunt. Other Plains Indians lived in tepees in order to follow the seasonal pattern of the buffaloes.

I created this art project to help kids make a connection to the buffalo and provide a platform to discuss what this beautiful animal meant to the American Indians on the Great Plains. Each card lists a part of the buffalo with common uses.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS RESOURCE. FEEL FREE TO PRINT IT OUT AND SHARE WITH FRIENDS.

Happy Learning! - RS