Showing posts with label Hispanic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hispanic. Show all posts
A Look At Mexican Art -- Hispanic Heritage Month
Frida Kahlo -- Women's History Month Book Review
Today I am sharing with you one of the books that we looked at for Women's History Month. Each year I try to read books about women we have not explored yet. Our first post this year about the Thinking Girls Treasury of Real Princesses shared many new to us women. It was also our official post for the Multicultural Kid Blogs' Women's History Month Series. I also like to expose Hazel to different artists and this book does that. (A few years ago I introduced her to Georgia O'Keeffe for Women's History Month.) I will admit I did not know much about Frida Kahlo before reading this book. The book is Frida Kahlo by Isabel Sanchez Vegara and illustrated by Gee Fan Eng. It is part of the Little People, Big Dreams series.
Mango, Abuela, and Me -- Book Review & Craft
What happens when a faraway grandmother comes to live with you and share your room? And what if she does not speak the same language as you? How are you going to get to know her? This is the storyline of Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina and illustrated by Angela Dominguez.
The Incas -- Global Learning for Kids -- Peru
Congratulations to Bernice for winning the DVDs from NCircle Entertainment!!
This month Global Learning for Kids is exploring Peru. Since we have explored Peru previously with Around the World in 12 Dishes, I let Hazel have some say in what we focused on. We started by watching two DVDs. One was on Peru and the other on the Incas.
Hazel was fascinated by the one on the Incas, so we focused on them. We have been exploring books about the Incas from the library.
Hazel was fascinated by the one on the Incas, so we focused on them. We have been exploring books about the Incas from the library.
Sharing Saturday 15-40
Thank you to everyone who shared last week!! The ideas shared last week were amazing!! I had trouble limiting the number of features. Remember the features are just a sampling of the things shared so if you did not get a chance to check them all out, go back and be inspired! This week's features are Glowing Features, Pumpkins & Hispanic Heritage, Fall, and a few of my favorites.
Exploring Argentina with the Tango
This month Global Learning for Kids has been exploring Argentina. In the beginning of the month we shared some of the resources we have looked at and ideas to explore. We decided to look at the National Dance of Argentina, the tango. Tango is a partner dance that started in the 1890's along the River Plate, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. It originated with lower classes in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. (Source) From the DVDs Hazel and I watched claimed it originated in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
It is a very seductive dance and has become popular throughout the world. To explore the tango, Hazel and I checked some DVDs and a book out of the library. We began to watch one of the DVDs during breakfast. Hazel enjoyed seeing the couple dance in the beginning and then it gave lessons to dance the tango. I got to be the male in our couple and lead, but we didn't really have enough room in the kitchen and never got back to it with the busy September we have had.
Rigoberta Menchu
Back in August I had the pleasure of sharing She Takes a Stand: 16 Fearless Activists Who Have Changed the World by Michael Elsohn Ross. One of the amazing 16 women I read about was Rigoberta Menchú. I decided then to focus on Rigoberta for Hispanic Heritage Month (there is a giveaway below). I wanted to share her story with Hazel (though she got bored--I guess I'll have to wait a few more years) and you. Rigoberta is an indigenous woman from Guatemala. She has dedicated her life to promoting indigenous rights in Guatemala. She received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.
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| Rigoberta with other Human Rights Activists in 1992 By Moya110 (Own work) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
Exploring Argentina - Global Learning for Kids
This month Global Learning for Kids is exploring Argentina. We always start our exploration with a search at the library network. We started learning about Argentina with two DVDs we found at the library.
DVDs are my favorite way to introduce a country to Hazel. They give a feeling of the culture and views of the country. In these DVDs we learned about La Recoleta Cemetery and all the cats that live there. I thought that would be something fun to investigate, but could not find any resources on it besides on line. La Recoleta is a large and beautiful cemetary and it has a large number of stray cats living in it. Workers and volunteers feed the cats and give them healthcare. We also learned about how tango started in Argentina. We are going to explore tango dancing this month! We found DVDs to teach the tango as well as some music. Stay tuned!!
Around the World in 12 Dishes -- Bolivia: Arroz con Leche
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| La Paz, Bolivia By Teomancimit (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
Quinceanera -- Exploring Hispanic Heritage
Congratulations to Sara S. for winning the WordWorld Kooky Spooky Halloween DVD!
Since Hazel loves birthday parties, I thought reading some books about a quinceañera would be right up her alley. A quinceañera is a fiesta for a Latina girl who turns fifteen. The fifteenth year is traditionally when girls turn into women in Latin American cultures. The traditional celebration differs from country to country. Most include a special dress for the quinceañera and a dance with her father (often a waltz) followed by a meal, dancing and a cake. Often there is a mass before the fiesta to honor the girl. In some countries the quinceañera has a court of friends ranging from 7-14 of each gender. (Source)
Sharing Saturday 14-40
Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Sharing Saturday 14-39
Hispanic Heritage Month
2) From All Done Monkey: Costa Rica Craft: Carretas
3) From Multicultural Kid Blogs (written by Becky at Kid World Citizen): Day of the Dead Crafts and Activities for Kids
Apples
(I had a hard time choosing from all the great apple ideas!)
2) From Pink Polka Dots & PreK: Edible Apple Sensory Play and Taste Test
3) From From ABCs to ACTs: Textured Apple Craft for Preschoolers
4) From The Classroom Creative: Apple Symmetry Craft for Preschool, Kindergarten and First Grade
5) From Mama to 5 Blessings: Fall Apple Crafts for Toddlers/Preschoolers
6) From Tiny Tots Adventures: Playful Preschool DIY Farm
Some Fun Favorites
1) From An idea on Tuesday: Bark Painting
2) From Life with Moore Babies: Cave Painting
3) From Child Led Life: Child's Book List: Birds
4) From April's Homemaking: Easy Air Plant Terrariums
5) From Saving with Shellie: Candy Corn Popcorn Balls
6) From Happy Brown House: Christopher Colombus Activities
Featured Button Code:
Now for This Week's Party
A Few Simple Guidelines:
1) Please follow Crafty Moms Share via GFC (or one of the other ways that work for you).
A Few Simple Guidelines:
1) Please follow Crafty Moms Share via GFC (or one of the other ways that work for you).
2) Link any kid-friendly, child-centered post. Please no etsy shops or giveaways, etc. Remember to link to your actual post.
3) Post the Sharing Saturday button on your sidebar or somewhere on your blog to help spread the word.
4) I would love it if you would follow me on Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest
5) If you do not have a blog, but want to share an idea you can leave it in the comments or e-mail it to me with a picture (if possible).
Disclaimer: By sharing here, you are giving Crafty Moms Share permission to use your photos for features and to pin your craft at Pinterest.5) If you do not have a blog, but want to share an idea you can leave it in the comments or e-mail it to me with a picture (if possible).
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrating with Music--Celia Cruz and Musical Crafts & Giveaway!!
As Hispanic Heritage Month continues on, we are sharing what we have been doing to learn more about Hispanic Music. A few years ago we made maracas, guiro, and a cajita based on Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou's tutorials. We also made zampoñas and a rainstick previously (thanks to Daria). This year we got a free copy of Daria's latest e-book: 10 Musical Crafts to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage. You can get a free copy this month on her Monthly Song Page (and scroll down to enter a great giveaway). After this month you can purchase a copy on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop--Learning about Juan Quezada a Mexican Potter
Easter Around the World: Guatemala
The first thing I discovered is that the different celebrations seem to also incorporate Holy Week. Holy Week is the week starting with Palm Sunday (one week before Easter) until Easter. The special days differ a bit but the major ones include Palm Sunday (the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem), Good Friday (the day Jesus died), and Easter Sunday (the day Jesus rose from death).
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| Flag of Guatemala |
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Today we are focusing on Easter and Holy Week in Guatemala. Guatemala is a country in Central America. It borders Mexico, El Salvador, Bolivia and Honduras as well as the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Guatemala has had many different types of government including Mayan rule. It also had a Civil War being fought from 1960 to 1996. Since the Civil War it has had economic growth and elected a new president in 2011. Nearly all of its residents are Christian with only 1% following the indigenous Mayan faith. During Colonial times Roman Catholic was the official religion, but in recent years Protestant religions have been popular with nearly one third of residents being Protestant. (Source) |
| Source |
The first thing that peaked my interest in Easter in Guatemala was a book we found at the library called Sawdust Carpets by Amelia Lau Carling. The book is written by a Chinese woman who grew up in Guatemala. One of her fondest childhood memories was the sawdust carpets or Alfombras de Acerrin made for the parades re-enacting Holy Week or the procesiones. The most famous of these occur in Antigua, Guatemala. The author remembers a trip to visit her aunt, uncle and cousins that lived in Antigua one Semana Santa (Holy Week). In the story she describes seeing the neighbors making the beautiful colorful sawdust carpets and even helping a neighbor with one. The neighbor gives the leftover materials to the children so they can make their own. They design and make one just as the procession is beginning. The young narrator tries to stand in the way of the procession so their special carpet will not be ruined. The neighbor steps in to explain how each carpet is an offering to life. They then watch the procession and see the different floats with statues portraying the story of Holy Week. There are bands who follow each float playing music to set the mood of the float. Overall the day is exciting and sad all rolled into one which seems like a wonderful description of Holy Week to me.
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| Source: By Municipio de Patzún (Municipalidad de Patzún) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
We also researched some more of these sawdust carpets by reading about Semana Santa in the Fiesta! series Guatemala. This book describes Holy Week or Easter as the most colorful and biggest fiesta in Guatemala with Antigua having the best festival. During this time planting is done and Indians ask their gods to give them a good harvest. The week however is very solemn. The stores close and there are long religious rituals. Antigua was the capital when the Spaniards ruled and the traditions date back to that time, so this is why it has the biggest festival.
To make the carpets, local people make big stencils of birds, flowers, and religious symbols. They first lay down plain sawdust onto the wet ground. Then they use their stencils and colored sawdust to make the designs. They also embellish the carpets with flowers, pine needles, and fruit. To reach the middle of the designs without messing up what is already done they have raised pieces of wood to walk upon. These are made before Good Friday. The procession beings very early. Riders, dressed as Roman soldiers call for the death sentence of Jesus. Floats carry the figures of the Virgin Mary and Saint John as well as the effigy of Jesus. The men who pull the Christ floats are allowed to walk on the stenciled shapes on the street. They wear purple until 3 p.m., the time Jesus died on the cross. They carriers then change their clothes to black until Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is a day of joy with music and dance. (Source: Fiesta! Guatemala by Grolier International)
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| Source: GuateRob at en.wikipedia [CC-BY-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons |
The largest float requires 80 men to carry it. They are switched every 10 to 15 minutes so the procession can require more than 2500 carriers. Women carry the float with the Virgin Mary on it. It is an honor to be a carrier and often it is passed down through generation to generation of a family. Incense is lite before the procession starts and the streets fill with spectators as well as carriers and smoke and scent from the incense. (Source)
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| Source: By Jialiang Gao www.peace-on-earth.org (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons |
The entire procession sounds like a perfect way to celebrate Easter. I hope some day to actually see it. I wanted to do a craft with the idea of sawdust carpets using colored sand, but we have not had time yet. If we do make one, I will be sure to post pictures here. How do you celebrate Easter? What are some of your family's traditions?
For a great first hand experience of the flower carpets in Antigua, check out World Travel Family's post Flower Carpets in Antigua Guatemala.
Be sure to check out:
- My Easter craft and book round-up
- My Lent round-up
- Easter in Ethiopia
- Easter in Sweden
- Legend of the Sand Dollar (an Easter Story)
- Easter in Spain, Portugal and France
- Easter in Ukraine and Russia
- Multicultural Easter Books
- My Easter Craft Round-Up
- My Easter and Lent Pinterest Board
- My Multicultural Pinterest Board
Around the World in 12 Dishes--Peruvian Purple Corn Pudding
Have you entered my current giveaway yet? There is just over a day left to enter!!
Peru is a country in western South America and was home to many ancient civilizations including one of the oldest in the world, Norte Chico, and the Inca, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered Peru in the 16th Century and Peru gained its independence from Spain in 1821. Peru has the peaks of The Andes as well as the rainforests of the Amazon Basin. Spanish is the main language in Peru, however many Peruvians speak Quechua or other native languages. (Source)
Now let's talk about our mazamorra morada. If you want a wonderful scent in your house, I suggest you cook this pudding. I can still smell the sweet pineapple, cinnamon and cloves in the air a day after making it. Now we used this recipe found on About.com. Normally I post my Around the World Dishes on the third Tuesday of the month, however I had some trouble finding purple corn. Daria had suggested a Hispanic market. I called six I found on-line. Only one answered (and one had been disconnected). The one that answered did not have purple corn, so I goggled it and found it at Amazon. I didn't get it until after the third Tuesday and then I had to get the other fresh ingredients.
Mazamorra Morada or Peruvian Purple Corn Pudding
Ingredients:
1 pound dried purple corn
1/2 pineapple (including rind)
1 quince (or a green apple if quince is not available)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1 apple
1 cup dried fruit: prunes, apricots and/or cherries (we used prunes)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
juice of 1 lime
The first step is to put the dried fruit in a heat proof bowl and cover it with boiling water. Then set aside to cool.
Next put the purple corn in a large pot and add 10 cups of water. Then cut the pineapple into small bite sizes. Put the cut pineapple aside but add the rinds to the pot. Quarter the quince and add it to the pot with the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Bring the water to boil and boil uncovered for about 30 minutes until the water is purple (which it is almost instantly) and the quince is very soft. While it was boiling, Hazel juiced the lime and we took a pineapple break with the other half of the pineapple. It was the first time Hazel liked a fresh pineapple though she did get a hurt tongue from eating too much of it.Once the mixture is done, strain the liquid and return the liquid to the pot. Throw away the corn, pineapple rinds, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Take 1/2 cup of the liquid and put it in a small bowl with the cornstarch. Set it aside for later. Peel and cut the apple into small bites. Add the sugar, pineapple, apple, dried fruit (strained from the water), and a pinch of salt to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for about 20 minutes until the apple is soft. Stir occasionally.
Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil again. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Cool. Serve room temperature or chilled. Sprinkle with cinnamon when serving.
We of course enjoyed some stories from Peru. Hazel really loves hearing the different stories from all the different cultures.
We also listened to some Peruvian music with songs from these CDs.
We also looked at some resource books.
Now a few of these books are craft books. The textile book suggested a Peruvian weaving as a craft. Since we did a weaving recently, I decided not to attempt this right now. We did however try the Peruvian clay whistle from the World Crafts Musical Instruments book. Ours did not turn out well though. (It was suppose to look like the yellow one on the cover.)
So that is our exploration of Peru. Have you explored Peru or made a Peruvian dish? Feel free to link up here and visit the others to see more dishes and explorations!! Also print out the Peru Placemat and Passport Pages to have explorations with your own kids.
Flamingo Friday: Chilean & Caribbean Flamingos
Have you entered my current giveaway yet?
Continuing on looking at the species of flamingos, I thought I would give you some information about the last two that live in the Americas: the Chilean and the Caribbean Flamingos. Now these are the only flamingos I have seen live since our local zoo and Sea World have these kinds.
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| Source: By Kevin Walsh from Bicester, England, UK. (flamingoscene.Uploaded by PDTillman.) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
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The Chilean Flamingo:
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| Chilean and Caribbean Flamingos at Stone Zoo, Stoneham, Massachusetts |
They breed in temperate South America: from Ecuador and Peru to Chile and Argentina and east to Brazil. They also have been introduced in Germany and the Netherlands and have a small population in Utah and California in the United States.
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| Hazel and a flamingo at Sea World |
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Sources: Sea World Animal Bytes and Wikipedia
The Caribbean Flamingo:
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| Source |
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| A Parent feeding a Young Chick at Stone Zoo |
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| Source: By Martin Pettitt from Bury St Edmunds, UK (Caribbean flamingo) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
Sources: Wikipedia, Sea World Animal Bytes, and Flamingo Resource Centre
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Here is a video from YouTube of a Caribbean flamingo chick taking its first steps.
That is what we have for this week's Flamingo Friday. Soon we will talk about the Greater and the Lesser flamingos. Enjoy!!
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