Cinco de Mayo is the perfect time to teach students about a neighboring country: Mexico! Not only is it important to talk about our neighboring country, but we have many students from Mexico whose heritage is Mexican-American. On this day, I like to teach an overview of the country. At the grade levels I’ve taught, we don’t get super in-depth on the traditions and importance of Mexico, however, we expose the kids to symbols they can identify and make future connections to.
First, I must grab their attention! I want the kids to come into the room thinking whatever they are learning today will be fun. So to spice up the room a bit I added a Fiesta Cutout Garland and Fiesta Cutouts around my table. I draped the garland from the top of the bulletin board and my teacher table. Then I added the cutouts to the bulletin board and hung them from the ceiling, just above my table.
I see these decorations as a little something to get the students more engaged. Chances are the kids have seen some of the decorations around their city.
Next, I show the kids where Mexico is located. I let students take turns sharing the different things they know about Mexico, and then I read a picture book about Mexican traditions and symbols.
I like to emphasize the identification of symbols, so I’m excited to share a Cinco de Mayo activity that does just that: Fiesta in a Jar! Similar to making a snowglobe, we are going to add some of the symbols of Mexico, fiesta confetti, and olé! We have a Fiesta Jar! After creating their own fiesta jars, each child can take their craft home to show their families.
Prep the sombreros and the chili peppers. Take the sombreros off the earring post and the chili peppers off the picks. Place the fiesta donkey inside the jar first. It fits perfectly! Note: if you add the dokey last, the confetti tends to get stuck around the donkey’s head. Add one or two sombreros to the jar. Add some chili peppers. Add the fiesta confetti. Use a good amount of these, but not too much! You still want to be able to see the donkey.
And that’s it! I hope you have a fun Cinco de Mayo and your students enjoy this fun craft!
