Read and Rise Book Club - 'Grandmother's Dreamcatcher' November 2020

I have always loved the idea of Native American dreamcatchers and was so happy when my husband found me an authentic one on a work trip to NYC almost 15 years ago (it's the one on the left - that's why it's missing feathers and looking a little worn, it's moved homes several times and been well loved for a long time!). I would often get bad dreams as a child and they've been much less frequent through adulthood, but they still come now and then. When Lil C started having bad dreams, we figured she should get her own! I don't remember where we got hers, but hers is the one in the middle. Last fall, we picked up a dreamcatcher for Squidgy while we were visiting Bushkill Falls in Pennsylvania. I did notice that Lil C's is the only one with a bead in the web - I'm not positive on the meaning of that but I'm thinking it might symbolize the spider who wove the web. 

This week we have a sweet story about a girl whose bad dreams lead to her grandmother making her a dreamcatcher and sharing the story of the dreamcatcher's origin.

Featured story: "Grandmother's Dreamcatcher" by Becky Ray McCain

Activity: Illuminative has another wonderful free lesson to go along with our story this week. Download your copy of Keeper of the Dreams: The Legend of the Lakota Dream Catcher and learn how to make your own dreamcatcher. The lesson also includes digital text and read aloud versions of the story "Keeper of the Dreams: The Legend of the Lakota Dream Catcher." 

One important thing I want to note is, if you would like a dreamcatcher, please either make it yourself using the lesson above or purchase one that is made by Native Americans. I think dreamcatchers are beautiful and wonderful for helping keep bad dreams at bay, but in order to respect the culture that created them, we should understand the meaning behind them and the method in which they are made.