Posts

Learn How to Make a Mola! 

,

Today, let’s learn a little bit about traditional textiles and clothing in Panama.

Specifically: Mola, which comes from Panama’s San Blas Islands.
Molas are a type of woven textile made by the women of the Kuna people in Panama’s San Blas Islands. The word mola actually has two meanings: it is a Kuna word for clothing but it also refers to an important type of textile that features colorful panels sewn by the women of the native Kuna people. Traditionally, molas depicted the geometric shapes women painted on their bodies in ancient times. Molas have such importance for the Kuna and their traditional identity that even the school children have mola patterns as part of their school uniform!

As you begin today’s project, you can look online by searching the term “Kuna Molas” for images of the traditional clothing of the Kuna women to see examples of what molas look like. You will also notice other beautiful details that complete the outfits, including a patterned wrapped skirt (saburet), a red and yellow headscarf (musue), arm and leg beads (wini), a gold nose ring (olasu) and earrings, and the mola blouse (dulemor).

Today, color a pattern to make your own paper mola! You can use your mola as a piece of artwork on your wall, or give it as a gift to someone you love!

Fun fact:  Did you know? The tradition of molas as textiles go back to over 175 years!

Fun Fact: Did you know? The San Blas Islands are a group of islands in the archipelago de San Blas, located in the Northwest of Panama facing the Caribbean Sea. There are 378 islands within the San Blas archipelago. An archipelago is a group of islands surrounded by water.


Download Activity Sheet:

Icon

TT Lesson 32 Learn How to Make a Mola! 

1 file(s) 0.00 KB
Download

/by

Learn About the Caribbean Islands: Write Your Own Poem

,

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?


Download Activity Sheet:

Icon

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

1 file(s) 0.00 KB
Download

/by

Learn About the Caribbean Islands: Make Your Own Kite!

,

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!


Download Activity Sheet:

Icon

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

1 file(s) 0.00 KB
Download

/by

Learn About Puerto Rico: Make a Vejigante Mask

, ,

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?


Download Activity Sheet:

Icon

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

1 file(s) 0.00 KB
Download

/by

Learn about Mexico: Draw an Axolotl

,

In Mexico, one of the most studied salamanders in the world are known as Axolotls.

Wild axolotls live in swampy areas of Lake Xochimilco and in the canals that flow into the southern edge of Mexico City.

Axolotls have also been known to have once lived in Lake Chalco, one of Mexico City’s five “great lakes”. This is one of the areas that the Aztecs settled. The Aztec called themselves Culhua-Mexica and they were a Nahuatl-speaking people who ruled a large empire in what we now call central and southern Mexico. The Axolotl name comes from the Nahuatl language and is pronounced Ax-oh-lot-ul. Atl means “water” and axolotl means “dog,” after the Xolotl, the canine Aztec deity.

In today’s lesson, we will learn how to draw your own Axolotl!

Before you begin, you will need a pencil, eraser, and colored pencils or crayons.

1) Did you know: Even though the Axolotl is commonly known as a “Mexican Walking Fish” it is not a fish at all. Axolotls are salamanders which is also a kind of amphibian. They are more like a cousin to a frog than they are to a fish.

2) Axolotls are carnivores known to eat worms, insect larvae, tiny shellfish known as crustaceans, and some fish.

3) Axolotls can live up to 10-15 years but are now considered to be a critically endangered species.

4) Did you know: Axolotls are neotenic salamanders, which means even as they grow older, Axolotls still look as if they are young.

5) Axolotls can regenerate (which is a fancy word to re-grow) the same limb up to 5 times!!


Download Activity Sheet:

Icon

TT Lesson 11 Learn about Mexico: Draw an Axolotl

1 file(s) 0.00 KB
Download

/by

Let’s create a map of your home, Tiny Travelers!

,

Before you begin you will need crayons or colored pencils, scissors, and a glue stick.

We’ll use pictures and symbols to tell a story about the people who live there and create a fun treasure hunt that you can play with other family members.

1) Start with drawing a map of your home. Check out the map examples for some inspiration!

2) Next, draw or cut out pictures and symbols to tell a story about the people who live in your home.

3) Then, add some of the “special symbols” to make your home map into a treasure map!

4) Add a map key with symbols, lines, special shapes, and colors to help readers make sense of the map.

5) You can also use some of the treasure chests or x’s provided to mark the placement of your first treasure.

6) You can make this into a game and hide objects for a treasure hunt game with family members.


Download Activity Sheet:

Icon

TT Lesson 8 Let’s create a map of your home, Tiny Travelers!

1 file(s) 0.00 KB
Download

Note to parents

Be sure to help children identify the locations of countries by pointing at the countries and calling out their names aloud. You can also pull out any atlases at home and check out other maps of North America online. Ask your child if there are any countries that they are just learning about and see if they can locate it on the map.


/by

Let’s create a compass rose to learn about the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west!

,

What is a compass rose?

A compass rose is a drawing that is usually found on maps to show the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west. Have you ever looked at a map and said, “the United States of America is above Mexico?”

But if you are in Mexico and looked up you wouldn’t see the United States. Instead, it is better for us to say that the United States of America is north of Mexico. The most northern point on our planet is the North Pole and the most southern point is the South Pole.

When facing north, east would be left in relation to where you are standing, and when facing north, west would be to the left.

Before you create your own compass rose style, check out the examples for some inspiration.


Download Activity Sheet:

Icon

TT Lesson 7 Let’s create a compass rose to learn about the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west!

1 file(s) 0.00 KB
Download

Note to parents

See if you can play a game with your child saying what countries are east and west, and north and south of each other using a political map and a compass rose.. For example: “I spy with my little eye a country that is south of the United States of America.” See if they can find Mexico or any country that is south of the United States of America. You can also use hints using family members or friends that are from or live in different parts of the world; for example, “I spy a country that your grandfather is from that is east of Brazil.”


/by