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How to make papel picado (A traditional Mexican activity)

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     Papel picado is a traditional Mexican craft that features colorful paper sheets with intricate cut-out details. It was made by stacking many sheets of paper and using chisels to cut the designs. You can easily make your own papel picado by layering sheets of tissue paper and using scissors           This is a great free choice activity or a lesson for a sub. Laminate the instructions and place them on a table. Add a tray of pre-cut tissue papers, and a bowl of scissors and allow the children to create a papel picado during free-choice time. WHAT YOU’LL NEED: – Colored tissue paper (12″ x 9″ approximately) – Scissors – Marker – Yarn and tape to display papel picados INSTRUCTIONS: Fold a piece of tissue paper (lengthwise) in half and then in half again. Make sure one side consists only of folds. Fold the long folded sheet in half. Mark a dot in the corner that is made up of folds. This helps the children recognize where not to cut. Just like cutting a snowflake, cut shapes along all
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Hispanic Heritage Coloring and Activity Pages

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Recommendations for the future

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          I believe that the most difficult aspect of my Better World Project is to keep track of everything.   Teachers, like me, don’t have a lot of time.  If you add all this writing and thinking and tracking, you may not have time for family or other things.   I did not have any time to write this before and to send my project little by little, due to the time.   But here I am, showing everybody my pride and joy and sharing how I felt about this project.   I think that, for me, three semesters were not enough, especially because I am achieving other educative goals at the same time.  I have mostly the summer time for this and that’s what I am doing.    My only recommendation for the future is to organize yourself better.  Ask somebody to help you in writing all of this or just do it from time to time.  As we did on the milestones, establish deadlines to add information into the system or into a document, so you keep track of everything.  Spend a couple of hours per hour to work on
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Project Analysis

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The outcome of the project was more than I was expecting, students were able to share their knowledge and experience with other students around the school.   A lot of other students asked me to join the club, but we were mostly at the end of the school year and it would be awkward to be there just for one or two days.  I invited them to be part as soon as the new school year starts.  I know for sure that the student's experience was blown up.  The principal’s son was in the club and he was very amazed by the activities and fun we had, especially tasting so many different food flavors.  Every student who participated was very happy in it and I know they will come back with more people next year.   My project made a beautiful difference in how students learn a new language learning.    Some of them expressed that being in a fun environment where they feel secure because nobody laughs at their mistakes instead of encouraging them.    Others expressed to have more clarification on what
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Skills I learned while completing this project

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During this time, while completing the project,  I was able to develop more as a leader and a mentor.  I developed better my interpersonal skills; I can influence colleagues and I am more innovative and creative.  I improved my communication skills and open-mindedness when students were struggling with some aspects we discussed and accepted their opinions, although sometimes I disagreed with them.  I can accept other opinions without being biased on their reasons.  I am more resilient, with more self-awareness, proactive thinking, and adaptability. I learned that I can guide people into fulfilling an objective.   I wanted to teach my students about certain aspects that we did not have enough time to discuss during class in a fun way.   I completed that goal.   They learned more than I was expecting them to learn.   I always knew that I was a leader, but again, some previous experiences made me hide it.   I am also more vocal in my feedback on some activities.   In the past, I just allo
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Hispanic Heritage Month activity

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 We celebrated our culture and our roots.  We celebrated with FOOD and MUSIC!  I prepared for my students the famous "Cielito Lindo".  This should be eaten with Tostitos (it doesn't matter if they are original or a substitution, but only with Tostitos!).  This delicious snack is made with cream cheese, salsa, ground meat (I prefer turkey, but you can do it with beef), shredded cheese (cheddar and mozzarella), tomatoes, and lettuce.  It is something you can't stop eating and it is healthy too!
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Activities completed in the Club - Part 4

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Weeks 19-21:   We played Monopoly in Spanish.   In this, I can say that some of them beat me, so I had to call myself Bankrupt.   They beat me!   On Week 20, we made some pupusas.   They were DELICIOUS!   Can’t have enough of them, especially with meat or cheese!   On week 21, we made tembleque at the school.   I can’t have enough tembleque in my life.   It was simply amazing how they did their own and brought me some the next day! Weeks 22-24:  We had our Spring Break, but before we left the school, I asked them to practice more Spanish at home.  When we come back, we meet to play with Dominoes.  Unfortunately, I am not that good at playing dominoes, so a lot of them beat me on this.  We watched a documentary about South America that explained the process of the conquest and talked about food, tourists, and important attractions, as well as music, musical instruments, and famous people.  We had a great discussion about it. Weeks 25-27:  During our last weeks together, we just had
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Activities completed in the Club - Part 3

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  Weeks 13-15:   We prepared for our Three Kings Day.   I bring them some candy bags for them and somebody special.   Their assignment was to explain the other people and the purpose behind the candies and the Epiphany of the Three Kings.   We also meet to add more activities for the rest of the year.   We watched a documentary about The Caribbean that explained the process of the conquest and talked about food, tourists, and important attractions, as well as music, musical instruments, and famous people.   We had a great discussion about it.   They also tasted the famous “tres leches” cake and LOVED IT!   They kept bugging me to bring more. Weeks 16-18:  We made more empanadas, following the food safety protocol.  Students also had a Día del amor y de la amistad day (Valentine’s Day), in which they shared lovely messages to someone important to them, we prepared cards and added candies to them.  We also had a Taco Thursday (instead of a Taco Tuesday).  Students provided the food and
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