5 - 7 Years SEL

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year with some live music! The kids will love crafting these simple instruments, opening up discussion about the holiday and its origins. It is a common misconception that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated as Mexico’s independence day. In Mexican culture, May 5 actually marks the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over the French forces of Napoleon III in 1862, at the Battle of Puebla. In fact, the residents of the state of Puebla are really the ones who celebrate the holiday the most – even more than the rest of Mexico. They party with traditional Mexican food, dancers, and mariachi music. These wonderful sounds of celebration inspired us to make some homemade instruments. According to the Brain and Creativity Institute at University of Southern California, music experiences in childhood can actually accelerate brain development, particularly in language and reading skills. Down the road, learning a musical instrumental at an early age can actually improve mathematical learning and increase SAT scores. Sounds good to us, so let’s get musical! Here’s what you’ll need to make you own little Cinco de Mayo band.

The family perro wearing a sombrero? Must be Cinco de Mayo!

This year, you can let May 5^th be just another spring day, or you can make Cinco de Mayo a day of fun and learning for your niños! Together you can explore Mexican culture, learn a little history, sing, dance, try some tasty South-of-the-Border treats, and even impress your kids with your high school Spanish. Sound good? Vamonos! Let’s go!

A little history

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. A small Mexican army of 2,000 poorly-equipped soldiers defeated an army of 6,000 French invaders, who were backed by Napolean III. This unlikely victory became a great source of national pride. Over the years, Cinco de Mayo has become less about that specific battle, and more of a celebration of Mexican culture in general.

Música with maracas

Music makes a fun introduction to any culture or country, and that’s especially true for Mexico. This cute animated clip pairs the traditional Mexican Hat Dance tune with new, kid-friendly lyrics.

In the video, they sing about shaking maracas, which you can easily make for your kids. Just take plastic eggs left over from Easter, pour in some dried beans, rice, or popcorn kernels. Glue the two halves of each egg together and start shaking! To make an optional handle, place 2 plastic spoons around each egg. Wrap colorful washi tape around the backs of the 2 spoons with the egg inside, then keep wrapping all the way down to secure. Your kids will be all set to keep time with the song!

Mariachi and más

Ready for a song that’s a bit more auténtico? Most Cinco de Mayo festivals feature strolling street musicians known as mariachi bands. Kids can learn all about their instruments in this charming animated clip.

Want more music? Play the Mexican Children (Children’s) Radio station on Pandoraand enjoy sweet, folksy songs in Spanish, sung by adults and kids.

Say it in Spanish

Tired of reminding your kids to say “please” and “thank you”? You might have better luck getting them to say “por favor” and “gracias,” if only because of the novelty! A nap is so boring, but a “siesta” might sound tempting. It’s easy to Google Spanish phrases online to share with your kids. Then they can brighten everyone’s day with a cheerful “buenos dias,” and introduce themselves with a “me llamo _____” (my name is____). Or teach your preschooler 3 or 4 nouns in Spanish today, ideally tangible things you can point to, like perro (dog), gato (cat), sombrero (hat), zapatos (shoes), sol (sun), or luna (moon).

By the numbers

Thanks to TV shows like Sesame Street, many preschoolers can count to 10 in Spanish, rapidly rattling off, “uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez!” But how well can your kids use these números? Challenge your family to use only Spanish numbers on Cinco de Mayo. You can start the day with a refresher, counting together on your fingers. Then ask questions like “How many pancakes do you want?” and “How many years old are you?” You can also grab a pair of dice, roll them, and see who can shout out the sum first. (Once is 11 and doce is 12.) Your kids will be drilling language and math while they’re having fun! You can even play Uno and have each player say the number of the card they are playing in Spanish for a fun twist.

Delicioso desserts

You may already be thinking of making Cinco de Mayo a taco night. But what’s for dessert? We have 3 festive ideas. Your kids may be surprised to learn that chocolate originally comes from Mexico, where it was enjoyed as a drink for many thousands of years. You can make a kid-friendly version of Mexican hot chocolate by adding a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to your favorite hot chocolate. It’s delicious served with these super easy, baked churros. See how they’re made on YouTube. 

(Try dipping the churros in the hot chocolate for a double dose of cinnamon bliss!) Or go for something light and cool with tri-color gelatin parfaits in honor of the Mexican flag. Your kids can help layer lime green gelatin into a tall glass, add a generous dollop of white whipped cream, then top with any flavor of red gelatin.

Libros, libros, libros!

Head to your local biblioteca to check out some of the vibrant and creative books for kids about different aspects of Mexican culture. New in 2017 is Lucia the Luchadora, by Cynthia Leonor Garza, about a girl who learns she comes from a line of traditional masked wrestlers. What Can You Do with a Paleta, by Carmen Tafolla, was inspired by the frozen treats sold in the barrio from little carts with tinkling bells. As kids will find out by reading the text in both English and Spanish, you can eat a paleta, draw with it, share it, and much more! Charming illustrations make Cinco de Mouse-O a delight for kids of all ages. Written by Judy Cox in English, with some Spanish words, the book follows a mouse as he explores a Cinco de Mayo celebration. The tiny hero is determined to get a piece of candy from the piñata, which keeps the story moving forward.

Make a mini piñata

Finally, you and your kids can create your own mini piñata from everyday items like cereal boxes and sticky notes. Our piñata is designed with a trap door, so no baby burros will be harmed when releasing the treats inside!

Try a few of the ideas here and soon Cinco de Mayo will become a fun family tradition and fantástico learning opportunity. 

Learning is Where We Play:

As they learn the basics of reading, writing, and math, your kids can use these toys to build new skills for kindergarten and beyond! When you give your kids toys from Learning Resources, you're giving them skills that last long after the holidays end! 

The winter days can be long, especially when too cold for extended periods outside. Those are the days when I try to set up a fun and inviting sensory play activity for my four-year-old. During a recent snow day, she was desperately trying to convince me that we needed to set up a hot chocolate stand just like an ice cream stand we had set up the previous summer. I was game for the hot chocolate part, but I'm not sure about the standing outside to sell it! We compromised and decided to enjoy some simple sensory play with our Learning Resources® Hot Cocoa Time! Playset and a packet of cocoa powder.

What you need:

• Hot Cocoa Time! set from Learning Resources (Amazon exclusive)
• Bowl of warm water
• Cocoa powder
• Twisty Dropper™
• Tray or tablecloth (ours is an IKEA SMULA tray, they are great for sensory play and crafting with kids!)

Let’s Get Set Up

It’s a good idea to put the materials on some sort of tray or plastic cloth as things may get a little messy. I scooped a few spoons of hot chocolate powder into the brown cocoa powder box from the set. I also put out the kettle, spoons, two cups, some warm water in a bowl (not too hot, of course) and a Twisty Dropper to help encourage plenty of fine motor work.

It’s Hot Cocoa Time!

My four-year-old was beside herself with excitement when she opened the cocoa box, and there was real cocoa powder in there. She carefully scooped the powder into the cups, counting out the scoops as she went. Of course, she felt there needed to be plenty of chocolate flavor, so I guess it’s a good thing she got to practice counting nice and high! Then she used the dropper to add lots of water to the kettle, ready to pretend to boil it. It never ceases to amaze me how patient kids are when transferring water with droppers. My kids always love to use a dropper and will happily keep squeezing and releasing over and over until the job is done. Once she was happy with how much water was in her kettle, she pretended to flick a switch, and we stood and waited as the water ‘boiled.’

‘Click’! The water was ready, and so was my little one. She poured the water into the cups right over the cocoa powder. She then used the spoons to stir in the powder until it dissolved. She was giving a running commentary as she went, telling me how the water was changing color and that she could smell the chocolate, and it was YUMMY! We both pretended to sip on our cups of hot chocolate, giving it the occasional stir as we chatted.

With these sorts of set-ups, I always like to leave plenty of opportunities for my preschooler to explore the materials however she wishes. She asked if she could make a bowl of hot chocolate next, so that’s what she did. She kept transferring the water and cocoa powder, stirring, smelling, and eventually serving. She liked to ensure that all the powder was fully dissolved before serving it to me. This activity allowed for plenty of fine motor development and working on some science fundamentals. She predicted what would happen as she mixed the ingredients, observed the changes, and then analyzed and described the outcomes. It was science without us even realizing it!

Have you ever used hot chocolate powder for sensory play? What is your favorite way to play with your Hot Cocoa Time set? We’d love to try out some fun new ideas. Now I’m off to finish my sixth cup of hot cocoa!

Writer’s Bio

Lucy Baker is a Mom of two (4 & 8 years old) passionate about creative play and hands-on learning. She firmly believes in providing children with the opportunity to learn through play and being part of their play journey as a parent. See more of her creative play ideas and process art projects on Instagram @findthelittlemind and on her blog, Find the Little Mind.

Snow has to be one of the best and most exciting sensory bases for play. Have you ever thought to scoop some up and bring it inside for a fun hands-on setup? It makes prep a breeze and is sure to engage your little ones. For this activity, we decided to use some snow from the yard to make pretend snow cones. It led to so much sensory exploration and engaging conversation.

Materials needed:

• Primary Science® Jumbo Eyedroppers with Stand
• Primary Science® Jumbo Test Tubes with Stand
• Squeezy Tweezers®
• Handy Scoopers™
• A large bowl of snow
• Water and food coloring
• Selection of small bowls and cups

The Set Up

Grab a big bowl of snow from outside and set it up somewhere a little more warm and cozy. To prepare the colored water simply fill each test tube nearly all the way to the top and add two drops of each color food coloring. My 3 year old chose red, pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow. I asked her to help mix the color in, which she really enjoyed doing. We put the test tubes out along with the snow, droppers, fine motor toys, and bowls and cups. It is also a good idea to have a small towel on hand as it can get a little wet and messy.

How the Activity Works

My daughter has always loved sensory set-ups, and this one didn’t disappoint. She got straight to work scooping up the snow and transferring it to one of the bowls ready to make her first snow cone. She thought it was so fun that the Handy Scoopers and Squeezy Tweezers made perfect little snowballs!

As she added the scoops of snow she used the tools to mash up the snow a little and was constantly talking about what flavors she was going to add. She opted for lots of red for her first one and told me that it was going to be a very strawberry flavor! She used the Jumbo Eyedroppers to squirt the colored water onto the snow. I always love watching as the color spreads across the snow. She kept adding squirts of color until she was happy with her first yummy snow cone.

She enjoyed making many more, using the different sized cups and bowls. We added in some numeracy by counting how many scoops of snow and how many squirts of colored water were needed for each snow cone she made. We even speculated how much each one would cost to buy…her suggestion of $37 seemed a little steep!

After a while, she started to experiment with mixing the colors to make new ‘flavors’. The colors spread through the snow to make new colors which she thought was so cool to watch. She spent lots of time debating what these new flavors would be called!

Throughout this entire activity, she was working her fine motor skills hard, as well as building her sensory confidence. The snow offered such a unique sensory base and there was the added bonus that as time went on the snow started to melt which completely changed the consistency of her creations. By the end of the activity, she was enjoying a slushy rainbow mess… so much sensory fun! Do you ever bring snow inside for play? What are your favorite activities to use it for?