One small paper plate.
One pencil
String
Scissors
Tape (optional)

Cut the center out of the paper plate. Cut a piece of string about 2 feet long. Tie one end of the string to the pencil, tie the other end to the outside edge of the paper plate. Use tape to help you keep the string in place, if needed.

Hold the pencil with the tied end in your hand. Swing your arm so the plate goes up in the air and try to catch it with the end of the pencil.

This activity is based on a game that was played by Native children across North America long ago. It helped to teach the hand-eye coordination that would be needed for hunting and fishing.

The original materials would have been wood or bone instead of a pencil, sinew instead of string, and bone, leather, or rawhide instead of a paper plate.

Most Native kids today play computer games and school sports like other North American kids.

Did you know that lacrosse, a game popular in many schools and colleges today, was invented by Native people? There are many Native nations that play similar games, but it was the Mohawk form of the game (we call it Tewaarathon) that was seen by non-natives near the city of Montreal and was adapted by a Canadian named DeBeers into the modern game of lacrosse. Did you know that lacrosse is Canada's national game?