by Our Crafty World | Apr 25, 2023 | Home Featured, Mexico
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Here is a simple Mexico craft for kids that will make your home or school room colorful and festive just in time for Cinco de Mayo.
This FREE printable is called the Festive Papel Picado Craft and you can download the simple instructions for making this craft by clicking here.
WHAT IS PAPEL PICADO?
Papel picado is a decorative craft made out of paper cut into intricate designs, often used in Mexican celebrations such as Dia de los Muertos and Cinco de Mayo.
Papel picado means “cut paper” in Spanish. It is made by folding tissue paper accordion-style and cutting beautiful shapes in it. It is then hung on strings high above the streets, but also in peoples’ homes. The tradition of papel picado dates back to pre-Columbian times, where it was used to decorate Aztec temples and ceremonial sites.
HOW DO YOU MAKE PAPEL PICADO?
In the FREE craft, you will choose tissue paper in the color of Mexico’s Flag (see my FREE Mexico Coat of Arms printable here) – red, green, and white.
You will stack these pieces of paper together, fold them accordion style, and then cut on the outer edges to reveal a beautifully cut design when unfolded.
You will then print out the Mexico and Cindo de Mayo templates you want to include on your papel picado, and attach them with tape or glue. Fold the top edge over a festive string and tape into place.
Now you are ready to find a prominent area in your home or school room to hang your Festive Papel Picado!
This Mexico craft for kids can be used for any Mexico-themed unit or celebration so I encourage you to download or bookmark it today!
Be sure to check out my other Mexico crafts for kids here and without a doubt, take a look at my Mexico Country Facts Board printable that so many teachers, parents, and homeschoolers are using to kickstart their Mexico unit.
Kids love creating these boards!
Thank you for taking the time to bring world culture into the lives of your children or students!
I invite you to leave a comment or question below.
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by Our Crafty World | Apr 19, 2023 | Home Featured, Mexico
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Hello all!
I have a FREE printable for you that will take your family (or students – see below) on a field trip to your local Mexican Market!
With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, this would be a great weekend adventure to expand your knowledge of Mexican culture through food.
This activity is not just for families. You can bring these flavors into your classroom as well!
I chose these items based on my own personal experiences growing up just north of the Mexico (Nogales)/Arizona border. Many of these items are the snacks I bought on the many trips we took to Nogales to eat lunch and shop with friends who came into town. These are the flavors of home for me and I am always sharing stories of these foods with my students.
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH ANY OF THE ITEMS ON THIS LIST?
(Get the FREE printable here.)
When you take your children (or students – see below) on a trip to a foreign market it is like taking a mini-trip to the country itself.
As you walk the aisles you take in new smells, sights, sounds, and even languages. It’s an unexpected field trip your children are sure to love.
I challenge you to print this list and schedule a day to make this fun Mexico outing happen! Maybe May 5th, Cinco de Mayo?
WANT TO BRING THESE FLAVORS OF MEXICO INTO YOUR CLASSROOM?
Simply print this list, locate your nearest Mexican Market, and choose 3-4 items you feel your students would take interest in.
HERE ARE A FEW TIPS FOR MAKING THIS MEXICO TASTE-TESTING EXPERIENCE MORE ENRICHING FOR YOUR STUDENTS:
To keep costs down, I buy in very small quantities and divide them up into bite-sized pieces. You’re not trying to fill bellies with this activity, you’re simply providing a variety of tastes from Mexico. If you do not have a Mexican Market in your area, you can always turn to Amazon.
Don’t only choose items your students will love. Students find it thrilling to bite into something different, especially when others are too. This is what defines this cultural experience – I have seen this first-hand with my own students. Disliking something is okay! Remind your students of this.
Assemble a small sampler plate for each student. Talk about the foods on the plate before eating them. Have your students smell each item, guess the ingredients, and predict each flavor. Then, as a class, sample each item together, one by one. I count to three before each bite!
After each bite, discuss each item – Did you like it? Was the flavor what you expected? Would you try it again? I ask my students to rate each item by giving a thumb’s up, thumb’s sideways, or thumb’s down. : )
Think about other country units you will be teaching. Can you provide the same, memorable food experience for your students with each country you explore? I hope you do!
I invite you to look at my other Mexico crafts for kids here.
And be sure to check out my Mexico Country Facts Board to kickstart your studies – or love – for Mexico!
Thank you for bringing world culture into the lives of your children or students!
I invite you to leave a comment below…
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by Our Crafty World | Oct 20, 2022 | Home Featured, Mexico
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In this blog post, I want to share with you some teaching highlights of this past weekend’s Day of the Dead art and cooking classes that I taught to students in my community.
I will show you what I planned, as well as tell you all about my brand new Dia de Los Muertos Display Board & Unit Study that was a hit with my students and made teaching about this festive holiday an absolute breeze.
In this class (filled with mainly 8-12-year-olds) we did two art projects, one cooking project, and sampled some yummy Mexican treats.
Before class, I set up an ofrenda (altar) at the front of the class, and put up my Dia de Los Muertos Display Board for all my students to see.
When you download this display board, you will receive a 27-page Day of the Dead unit study that includes everything you need to make the Festive Papel Picado you see hanging on the wall behind the ofrenda.
This Display Board & Unit Study contains so many other engaging activities such as this – worth a look!
For our first art project, we made these beautiful Nichos (Mexican shadow boxes).
After using my Dia de Los Muertos Display Board to explain all the aspects of Day of the Dead, my students learned the most important tradition of the holiday – preparing an ofrenda (altar) for a loved one that has passed. Ofrendas are decorated with items that represent the loved one, so in sticking with that theme, my students decorated their nichos with colors and embellishments that they felt represented themselves.
We hand-drew and colored the monarch butterflies in our frames as as this type of butterfly has great significance in the celebration of Day of the Dead.
For our second art project, we embossed tin skulls made from my all-time favorite Mexico craft supply, Aluminum tooling foil.
You can see that we also used this tin to embellish the tops of the Nichos above.
When it came time to take a break, I presented a platter filled with Mexican treats and unique flavors that my students might not ever have a chance to try. I sourced these items from our local Mexican grocery store.
In my Saturday class, I prepared a plate with papaya pieces sprinkled with Tajin, Nopalitos cactus bites sprinkled with salt, a bite of tamale, and a wedge of pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread).
We sampled these one by one and took the time to discuss flavors and opinions.
Students LOVE taste-testing foods from different cultures!
In my Sunday class, I handed out Mexican sweets, again sourced from our local Mexican grocery store.
(I created a really fun Mexican Market Hunt activity in my Dia de Los Muertos Display Board & Unit Study that will get you and your children or students out into the community embarking on a simple, yet impactful field trip!)
We also made Tres Leches Cake which is not typically eaten during Day of the Dead, but it’s so darn fun to make that I just couldn’t resist!
Students love poking holes in the cake with toothpicks and then pouring the tres leches (three milks) over the top of the cake. The cake is then cooled, and topped with homemade whipped cream.
Day of the Dead is one of my favorite holidays to teach about and I finally feel like I have all the information about the holiday in one visually appealing learning tool that I now know all my students enjoy.
If you want to teach about Day of the Dead, but don’t have time to do research and gather information about the holiday’s most important aspects, then you just might welcome my Dia de Los Muertos Display Board & Unit Study into your home or classroom!
To learn more about this comprehensive resource, be sure to visit my Etsy Shop, Countries on Board! I am adding country boards and recipe boards every week.
Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below!
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by Our Crafty World | Oct 24, 2021 | Home Featured, Mexico
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Day of the Dead is just around the corner! Here is a unique opportunity for your children or students to learn all about Sugar Skulls in Mexican culture and how to draw and color one of their own.
If your children or students show interest in Day of the Dead and love to be creative, draw, and color, then you definitely want to continue reading on!
In this blog post, you will learn what your child will gain from this festive project and how this class is structured to see if it fits your educational – or “just for fun” needs.
WHAT WILL MY CHILD GAIN IN THIS SUGAR SKULL DRAWING CLASS?
Focus and pride – and a beautiful decoration for Halloween or Day of the Dead!
The fascination for drawing these whimsical, yet admittedly, slightly creepy skull drawings comes from the fact that there is simply no right or wrong.
Just as every face we see in our day-to-day is unique, so are the faces of the skulls we create in this class, so no matter what design a student chooses (for the eyes, nose, mouth, etc.), their skull ends up exactly as it should be.
Kids love knowing that their creations are one of a kind and as a result, they go about their work with more patience and focus and end the class with a rather large heap of pride.
WHAT CAN MY CHILD EXPECT FROM THIS SUGAR SKULL DRAWING CLASS VIA ZOOM?
Once all students have entered the virtual classroom via Zoom, we will begin with a short, engaging slide show that explains the symbolism of sugar skulls in Mexican culture as it relates to Day of the Dead.
I ask many questions to bring about light discussion within the class and play a short game to hit home the fact that no two skulls are alike.
We then cut out and trace our template, and begin drawing our designs, one facial feature at a time. I provide numerous design ideas but also encourage students to use their own creativity, stressing again, that there is no right or wrong.
We trace our design in black Sharpie and then watch our skulls come to life by adding color with markers.
Finally, we glue them onto patterned paper to complete the project and spend a short moment sharing our work and discussing uniqueness one last time.
WHAT SUPPLIES WILL I NEED FOR THIS CLASS?
For this class, you will need to print some projects sheets and gather scissors, markers, a glue stick, and a black Sharpie. That’s it! No fancy supplies are necessary.
HOW DO I RESERVE MY CHILD’S SPOT IN THIS SUGAR SKULL DRAWING CLASS?
To register your child for this class, please click this link to view available class dates and times and instructions for how to reserve your spot.
And be sure to take a look at my class, Hands-on Mexico!, a 4-week session in which we learn about the rich culture and beautiful traditions of Mexico.
I invite you to leave your thoughts or comments about this Mexico craft for kids below.
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by Our Crafty World | Nov 19, 2019 | Home Featured, Mexico
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As stated in many earlier blog posts, I find it so important in my around-the-world art and cooking classes for kids to start our study of a country by learning basic country facts.
To do so, I always make a country board for the first class of our 5-week session. My students have come to expect it and they are always excited to see how it will be presented.
Country boards not only give a great starting overview of a country but also spark interest in students who want to learn more.
I have made country boards for my children prior to family trips as well. It generates pre-trip excitement and also confidence when arriving in a country knowing we have a little knowledge under our belts.
Whether in your home or in your classroom, the look and feel of Mexico generated from this country board will set a solid foundation for future learning.
With this 24-page Mexico Country Facts Board digital download (PDF), you can skip hours of research and use this as your go-to for teaching your children or students about this culturally rich North American country in the most visually appealing way possible!
Not to mention, kids LOVE making these boards! The download comes with easy instructions so you can simply print, cut, and display 16 country facts about Mexico in any way that your learners or you prefer. There is also a game, recipe, and so much more!
Just use a standard-size white foam board (20 x 30 inches) and some green and red paper for the background.
Choose from two sets of picture cards to display, and don’t forget the coat of arms to complete the flag!
Display in your home, homeschool, or classroom to supplement any Mexico crafts for kids you might be doing.
Be sure to check out my other Mexico crafts for kids by clicking here.
Thank you for taking the time to bring world culture into the lives of your children or students!
I invite you to comment on this Mexico craft for kids below!
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by Our Crafty World | Nov 14, 2019 | Home Featured, Mexico
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If you’re planning any Mexico craft for kids it is a must that the walls of your home, homeschool, or classroom be adorned with Papel Picado!
Papel Picado is the quintessential Mexican folk art decoration that may seem intimidating to make but is actually quite easy.
Just like cutting and unfolding a paper snowflake, Papel Picado provides the same element of surprise and beauty. It is what makes this Mexico craft for kids so fulfilling – and addicting!
And honestly, you don’t have to follow any specific instructions for this project. You can simply fold tissue paper, cut along the folds to your heart’s desire, open it up, and voila, you have Papel Picado!
Kickstart this project by learning about Mexico first!
Hands down, the best way to start any Mexico project is this Mexico Country Facts Board. Kids love making these boards! This is a 24-page printable with so much information about Mexico, including games, a recipe, and more…you don’t have to look any further.
Two Ways to Make Papel Picado
For my Mexico class students, I wanted to present Papel Picado in two ways.
The first way involved using a pattern for precise cutting. I found the perfect pattern online by doing a simple search for “FREE papel picado templates”.
This was a great lesson in symmetry.
I asked my students if they could guess how we would cut out each of the small shapes on the inside of the pattern. Many guessed we would use a utility knife to cut out the shape. They were surprised to learn that all you have to do is make a fold in the middle of each small shape within the pattern and then cut out that shape.
The end result was uniform, professional, and oh-so pretty!
The second way to make Papel Picado (without a pattern) definitely led to more creativity, guesswork, and wonder in this project.
We used extra large pieces of tissue paper which was certainly a game changer as the amount of folding and cutting quadrupled!
Unfolding these gigantic Papel Picados was so fun!
We hung both styles of our Papel Picado on our homeschool classroom wall so we could enjoy the colors and traditions of Mexico over the course of our 5-week Mexico class.
Our Mexico classroom was transformed and is now complete for this festive Mexican holiday season!
What techniques have you used to teach your children or students about Papel Picado?
Be sure to check our other Mexico Crafts for Kids which would all be a great addition to your Mexico unit study or Mexico curriculum.
I invite you to comment on this Mexico craft for kids below.
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