While Cinco de Mayo has little or no significance to Mexico, the day is celebrated in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. Many Americans, believe the day to be Mexican's independence Day, but in actuality that date is September 16.
Cinco de Mayo offers a great opportunity to celebrate the heritage and cultural differences of Mexico. Here are some great opportunities in the preschool classroom.
Art Time
Make a pi_ata- Have kids take bright color tissue papers and cut slips on the end. It is a great practice skill for cutting. Have them cut slits half way up on three different bright colors. Then glue the strips overlapping to a paper sack. Then glue streamers to the bottom of the sack. Fill the sack with goodies and candies. Hole punch four holes on each top to tie ribbon through.
Macaroni Necklaces- Have the kids paint the noodles green, red, purple and orange to make colored necklaces.
Make maracas-take plastic water bottles and fill with beans. Paint the bottles or wrap in bright colored construction paper. Have the kids march around the room shaking the bottles to Mexican music.
Make Sombrero hats-Cut out large sombrero shapes for the kids to decorate. Be sure to put out glitter, paint, tissue squares, etc. for the kids to be really creative. You can even cut a long strip of construction paper to fit around each child's head. Then place the hats on the kids heads for a parade.
Drama Center
Place some Mexican dress up clothes along with sombreros in this center. Have the kids prepare for a Fiesta. They can dress in the clothes, cook traditional foods such as enchiladas, tacos, etc. Be sure to use pretend vegetables such as peppers and corn for the kids to cook with.
Games
Have the kids throw bean bags into a sombrero. Place sombreros in the middle of a circle. Have the kids walk around the hats and count to five or cinco in Spanish. When they get to cinco-they all yell cinco de mayo and try to find a sombrero.
Snack time
Allow the kids to try traditional Mexican dishes. Have queso and chips or taco meat one day. Make cinnamon sugar tortillas by having the kids spread butter and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Make sombrero hats by taking a sugar cookie and using frosting as glue to place a gumdrop on top.
These are just a few suggestions for your classroom. Feel free to leave other activities in the comment section below.
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