Calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls)

We had fun decorating our sugar skulls today. Big thanks to the adults that made this possible!

Next Friday, we will work on a traditional  Day of the Dead display, we will continue with our song, and will go outside to whack a pinata.

For those of you who are new to class, please watch the first two videos in this link (you may want to preview them and determine if this is something your child may enjoy).

Also, below you will find two links to the Wild Thornberrys episode Spirited Away (parts 1 and 2) , loosely based on the Day of the Dead. Again, you may want to watch them ahead of time and decide whether to show it to your children or not.

Enjoy and see you next week in class!

The Wild Thornberrys Spirited Away, part 1




The Wild Thornberrys Spirited Away, part 2.

Sugar Skulls

calaveras (skulls) drying in the oven

Hi, today we worked in the kitchen and made some awesome sugar skulls. I am baking (drying) them in the oven as I write this. It was lots of fun (and messy too).

I will make some extra ones during the break and will put them together, so when we meet again on October 30th we can go ahead and decorate them.

Enjoy your break (review last week's videos, if you have not done so) and see you in a couple of weeks!

Day of the Dead

Today we practiced greetings, colors and numbers in our class. We also played with finger puppets to create a simple dialogue. We also continued practicing our song for the Winter festival.

Next week, in preparation for Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead),we will explore the cultural meaning of this celebration and will make some sugar skulls in the kitchen.

I will bring molds, sugar, eggs (or corn starch), vanilla extract and lemon to prepare our mix. Once the front and back of our skulls are shaped, I will take them home for baking/drying.

When we reconvene on October 30th, we will decorate the dry skulls, make some paper flowers and set up a small display in the Fellowship Hall or the corridor, outside our classroom.

If you wish, please take a look at these four videos on the Day of the Dead. Parents, you may want to watch them ahead of time and decide if they are suitable for your child. The animation is quite beautiful, but you may find that it is best to explain ahead of time what is going to happen in the beginning as some kids get "afraid" at first, when they see the skeletal mariachi or when the mom is preparing the girl delicious traditional desserts. Do not spoil the end though, as it is quite moving :).

¡Hasta el viernes! See you on Friday!

¿Cómo te llamas y de dónde eres?

My name is Taco

Hi,

Today we continued working on numbers and colors and started our second lesson (introductions and origin). I am very pleased with the way things are going and how much all of you know already!

We also started our song for the Winter Festival. I will bring a couple of ukuleles to class on Friday that you can borrow if you want to. We will try playing them and see how it goes. It should be fun.

In preparation for class, please watch again, the Rockalingua video ¿Cómo te llamas? What is your name?  (preview below). You can also practice the Calico video included in this post (see below).

If you could, please download and print the corresponding worksheet for this lesson. Do not forget to bring it to class if you can. Our three ring binder comes in handy for handouts or as reference. Thanks!

¡Hasta pronto! See you soon!

¿Cómo te llamas? What is your name?

¿Cómo te llamas? What is your name? by Calico Spanish.