Learn About the Caribbean Islands: Write Your Own Poem

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In today’s lesson, we will introduce you to some fun poems from the Caribbean islands from Jamaican poet James Berry.

James Berry brings musical quality to his poems that celebrate what he calls “everyday” music – bird calls, tropical storms, the chatter of family and friends, and traditional songs and stories. They bring you the sounds, sights, and smells of James’ Jamaican childhood. You can listen to a poem written and read aloud by James Berry in English titled, “Childhood Tracks”. You can also hear him read aloud a poem in Creole or Patois, which is a Jamaican dialect here: Trick a Duppy.

Next, try to write your own poem in honor of Earth Day! Using “list poem” guidelines, think about the things you see and love about the Earth to create your own poem. What do you love and wish to protect about our planet?


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TT Lesson 26 Learn About the Caribbean Islands: Write Your Own Poem

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Learn About the Caribbean Islands: Make Your Own Kite!

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In today’s lesson, we will explore a popular spring pastime in the Caribbean islands: kite flying!

Kite flying in the Caribbean islands is popular throughout the year, but Easter weekend is when you will see the most kites flying. Locals fly homemade kites with creative, colorful designs and keep them in the air all day. Easter weekend kite flying is very popular in Bermuda, St Kitts & Nevis, Barbados, Trinidad, and Grenada. Jamaica has an international kite festival too! Fun kite competitions are held to find the best kite of the day. Kites are rewarded for the best designs, colors, and build quality. Designs include themes such as butterflies,  birds, and superheroes.

In Barbados,  kite competitions award high school students for creativity and grit! In Grenada, many elementary schools host kite-making workshops and Easter Monday kite competitions. The St. Ann Kite Festival is one of the more popular festivals on the island of Jamaica. It is also known as the “Jamaica International Kite Festival,” and features activities for kids and kite flying. In Trinidad and Tobago, Mad Bulls are bigger kites that require 4 to 10 people to hold and launch the especially strong marling (twine), which helps keep the balance in the sky.

Today, have fun with a kite maze. Then, make your own kite for the next windy day!


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TT Lesson 25 Learn About the Caribbean Islands: Make Your Own Kite!

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Make a pair of Maracas – Chac-Chacs!

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In today’s lesson, we will explore more genres of music from the Caribbean islands and learn how to make your own pair of maracas with recycled objects.

Maracas, also known as rumba shakers or chac-chacs, belong to the percussion family of musical instruments. They are traditionally made from gourds, a type of fruit! Percussion instruments help to keep the beat and rhythms of songs. They include drums, like the conga, steel drums, and the pandeiro. They also include instruments like the cowbell and agogo that make hollow bell sounds. The guiro, also known as a scraper, is also in the percussion family. Some percussion instruments like the boleador keep a steady beat, while other percussion instruments build on those beats and sometimes improvise on top of the steady beats. When musicians improvise, they play what feels right as it goes along with the sounds that other musicians are making in the moment.

Today, you will make your own set of maracas or chac-chacs!  The word “maraca” is believed to come from the native people of Central and South America. In the Caribbean islands such as Grenada, Martinique, and Trinidad,  they do not use the term maracas. Instead, they are called chac-chacs. Chac-chacs can be heard in musical genres like Calypso.
When you are done making your maracas or chac-chacs, find a song to improvise to. You can find a favorite song or find one on our Tiny Travelers Caribbean Islands music playlist here See if you can match to the steady beat using your maracas. Then, see if you can improvise! Most of all, have fun while you get down and shake!


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TT Lesson 24 Make a pair of Maracas - Chac-Chacs!

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Learn about the Caribbean Islands: Music 

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With roots in West Africa, France, and Spain, music is an important part of the culture in the Caribbean.

The music that is played throughout the islands shows how the islands share some similar musical traditions and instruments. There are so many exciting genres of music in the Caribbean islands that include mento, reggae, dancehall, dub, and dembow from Jamaica,  and calypso and soca from Trinidad and Tobago. There are also Latin music genres such as bachata, salsa, merengue, rumba, and reggaeton coming from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

In today’s lesson, learn about some popular musical instruments in the Caribbean islands. Take a little trip through the musical maze and collect instruments on your way to the festival! When you are done, check out this song featuring one of our favorite young reggae artists of today: Koffee.


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TT Lesson 23 Learn about the Caribbean Islands: Music 

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Learn about the Caribbean Islands: Make a Flag Banner!

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In today’s lesson, you will complete your flag garland of the are 13 independent countries in the Caribbean Islands!

Even though there are 13 countries, it is also important to know that there are also 21 different territories and places with a different kind of status than a country. A territory means that the islands or place is part of another country. For example, Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States of America, and Martinique a french speaking island is a territory of France.

Today, let’s bring to life some more of the flags from the Caribbean! Using the examples provided, create and color your own flags. When you’re done, cut them out and string together to form your own flag banner!

Instructions:

  1. Color the country flags to match the flag examples. Then, cut out each flag.
  2. Decide where you will put your flag garland and cut a piece of yarn for the size that you want.
  3. Cut the fold over the top area of the flag and hook it over the piece of yarn.
  4. Then, tape the folded part to the back of the flag.
  5. Add each flag to your banner string.

If you need more string cut more yarn and tie a knot to tie the string together.


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TT Lesson 22 Learn about the Caribbean Islands: Make a Flag Banner!

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Learn About the Caribbean Islands: Flags of the Caribbean Islands

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In today’s lesson, we will learn about the flags of different countries within the Caribbean islands.

Did you know that each flag carries a special meaning? For example, the two black triangles in the Jamaican flag represent overcoming hardships from the past and future. The two green triangles represent hope and good farming while the yellow cross represents soil and sunlight in the sky of Jamaica. The flag colors in Trinidad and Tobago, represent Earth, water, and fire. Black is a symbol of unity and strength, red a symbol of the energy and warmth of the sun, and white for the sea that unites the two principal islands. The colors in flags represent the beliefs and values of each country. The flags of the Caribbean are all unique but they have some similarities in their designs.

Today, let’s bring to life some of the flags from the Caribbean islands! Using the examples provided, create, and color your own flags. When you’re done, cut them out and string together to form your own flag banner! Come back tomorrow for more flags from the Caribbean islands for part 2 of this lesson.

Instructions:

  1. Color the country flags to match the flag examples. Then, cut out each flag.
  2. Decide where you will put your flag banner and cut a piece of yarn for the size that you want.
  3. Cut the fold over the top area of the flag and hook it over the piece of yarn.
  4. Then, tape the folded part to the back of the flag.
  5. Add it to your string and collect more flags of the Caribbean islands in part 2 tomorrow.

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TT Lesson 21 Learn About the Caribbean Islands: Flags of the Caribbean Islands

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Learn About the Caribbean: Foods of the Caribbean Islands

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Tostones are a type of twice-fried green plantains that are eaten in different Latin American countries and the Caribbean

these countries include Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, Honduras, and in Haiti. Did you know that a type of music and poetry that comes from the mountain regions of Puerto Rico known as Jibaro, brought over from Spanish settlers in the 1600s, talks about this side dish known today as tostones?  Tostones have a long history and today you can learn how to make tostones with the help of a grown up.

In today’s lesson, learn how to make tostones with a grown-up using our favorite recipe.


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TT Lesson 20 Learn About the Caribbean: Foods of the Caribbean Islands

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Note to parents

This recipe should be done with adult supervision as it involves slicing and frying oil on a stove top.


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Learn About the Caribbean: Geography and Animals

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In today’s lesson, we will continue to apply your learning about maps, geography, and land and water forms as we explore the Caribbean Islands.

In lesson 6, we learned about some land and water forms that include a landform called an archipelago. An archipelago is a group of islands that are close together. That is why the islands in the Caribbean are called the Caribbean Archipelago. Did you know that there are over 7,000 islands in the Caribbean archipelago? There are 13 countries in the Caribbean and 12 territories! A territory is an extension of other countries. In the Caribbean, there are three main ecosystems such as forests, coastal areas, and wetlands full of wildlife, from birds to reptiles, and sea creatures!

Today, you will color a map of the Caribbean islands and find some land and water forms in the region. Then, you can color some of our favorite animals of the Caribbean! Before you get started, you will need crayons or colored pencils to color the map.

First, color the physical map of the Caribbean. Find and circle the following water forms on the map:

Landforms

  • Lucayan Archipelago
  • Greater Antilles
  • Lesser Antilles

Water Forms

  • Straits of Florida
  • Gulf of Mexico
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Caribbean Sea

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TT Lesson 19 Learn About the Caribbean: Geography and Animals

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Learn About Puerto Rico: Foods of Puerto Rico

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Let’s get cooking, Tiny Travelers!

From pasteles to arroz con gandules, chicharrón to bacalaíto, Puerto Ricans love their food and take great pride in cooking from the heart. For today’s activity, we are going to focus on one of the most beloved sweets in Puerto Rico: an icy type of ice cream called limber.

Limbers can be found all over Puerto Rico; at roadside fruit stands, local colmados (convenience stores), and even gas stations! Limbers are commonly made with tropical juices and sometimes with milk! They are the perfect treat to cool down on a warm day, or when you want a light snack to satisfy your sweet tooth.

If you’re wondering about its unique name, limbers are actually named after Charles A. Lindbergh, the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. When Lindbergh flew alone to Puerto Rico on his 26th birthday, on February 4, 1928, he was offered a frozen fruit juice. He enjoyed it so much that the locals then started freezing the juice and calling it “limber” in his honor!

Today’s activity includes a fun Puerto Rico coloring sheet in which you can explore what foods you would traditionally find on the table at home. Once you’ve completed your coloring sheet, try making a limber with our recipe! This easy-to-follow recipe can be customized in a variety of ways to adapt to ingredients you have in your home.The flavor options are endless – you can use any fruit that you have available and it’s a kid-approved healthy alternative to a traditional popsicle!


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TT Lesson 18 Learn About Puerto Rico: Foods of Puerto Rico

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Note to parents

This recipe should be done with adult supervision.


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Learn About Puerto Rico: Make a Vejigante Mask

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The vejigante, pronounced ve-hee-GAN-teh is a character that represents an enemy or monster and can be seen in Puerto Rico during festivals such as Carnaval, Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol (in honor of St. James ), and other days of celebrations. The vejigante mask is known as the careta and it is usually made using papier-mâché or coconut husks and sometimes gourds. The legend of the vejigante comes from the Spanish settlers that brought over this symbol from Spain.

The Loíza vejigante masks are some of the most recognizable examples in Puerto Rican folk art. This style became popular by the late Don Castor Ayala over 60 years ago! Today, the Ayala family still makes these masks out of coconut and bamboo from their home in Loíza, in the northeast coast of Puerto Rico!

In today’s lesson, you can color your own vejigante mask also known as a careta.

Even though the masks represent a villian type of character, they are still used in playful ways and shown in bright colors throughout celebrations. Can you bring your vejigante to life using bright, fun, and playful colors?


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TT Lesson 17 Learn About Puerto Rico: Make a Vejigante Mask

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