Honoring Indigenous History, Culture, and Storytelling All Month Long and Beyond
November is National Native American Heritage Month- a time dedicated to celebrating the rich histories, diverse cultures, and contributions of Indigenous peoples past and present.
At 7 Generation Games, celebrating Native history isn’t just something we do for 30 days; it’s the basis of our core mission year-round. But, November provides a prime opportunity for educators, families, and communities to intentionally spotlight Indigenous lessons in literature, mathematics, science, and heritage.
Whether you’re looking to enrich your classroom curriculum, bring history to life with interactive, educational game tools, or explore cultural landmarks across the U.S., here is your guide to kicking off Native American Heritage Month!
Celebrate Anywhere: Landmarks, Parks, and Cultural Sites
You can experience and honor Native American history and culture all over the country! From ancestral homelands to incredible national parks and museums, here are a few standout destinations to visit or explore virtually:
- Acadia National Park (Maine): Home to the Wabanaki Confederacy (“People of the Dawnland”), where Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise.
- Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona): Visit the historic Desert View Watchtower, which serves as an inter-tribal interpretive center featuring live art demonstrations by local Native artisans.
- Apostle Islands & Frog Bay Tribal National Park (Wisconsin): The country’s first tribal national park, managed by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, featuring trails with bilingual signs in English and Ojibwe.
- Cabot’s Pueblo Museum (Desert Hot Springs, California): A fascinating Hopi pueblo built in honor of the area’s native tribes which offers guided tours today.
- More Hidden Gems: Check out inspiring lists from Atlas Obscura’s Native American Heritage Guide and Recreation.gov’s Cultural Destinations Guide to find historic markers, museums, and monuments near you.
- (Unfortunately Red Planet Books and Comics in Albuquerque, New Mexico permanently closed but they’ve moved online so you can still find Native Children’s Literature for your kiddos and students or Adult Native series as well! →https://atcgbooksandcomics.com/)
Classroom Curriculum & Student Activities
Looking for meaningful ways to engage students in grades K-12 this November?
- Cook an Indigenous Meal: Introduce math ratios and cultural history by studying wild rice harvesting or trying recipes from FirstNations.org or consider The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, by Sean Sherman. This can be rented at a library or purchased at your local bookstore.
- Re-examine History: Use virtual museum tours and resources from Plimoth Patuxet to examine the First Thanksgiving’s history and perspectives from the Wampanoag community. They have a ton of amazing educator/student resources!
- Explore Free Lessons: Check out Growing Math– our full library of free, downloadable K-12 lessons and digital resources on math, language arts, and social studies, highlighting Indigenous culture.
Bring History to Life Through Play
Textbooks can only go so far- especially if they’re not updated. When students interact with history and problem-solving through games, engagement grows exponentially:
- Play Our Cross-Curricular Games: Explore games like Making Camp Navajo or Spirit Lake Beginnings: Lakota (playable in either math or Lakota) that tie Indigenous history directly into math and science.
- Build Your Own Cultural Games: Using 7 Gen Blocks, educators and students can easily turn local history, tribal stories, or language lessons into interactive video games in under an hour- with zero coding required! This is exactly why we made 7 Gen Blocks- to put the power in the hands of real, responsible educators who want to give their students a holistic representation of history and culture.
How are you celebrating Native American Heritage Month in your classroom or community this year? Email us at info@7generationgames.com and let us know!