During this time, you are exposing children to an aspect of a country's culture. Today we are going to learn a little bit more about Mexico! Culture can include language, history, scientific discoveries, geography, animals, art, and so much more!
Activity best for children age 3 and up
Mexico is a country located in North America. Mexico is the 11th most populated country in the world with about 117 million people! Mexico is known for having a variety of art. One of the most famous artistic forms coming out of Mexico are papel picados, or punched paper. These tissue paper-like flags have their roots in the ancient Aztec culture of Mexico. The Aztecs used to mix mulberry tree bark and fig tree bark together to make a paper known as amatl. Amatl was used to make flags and banners to decorate homes and villages. Now, Mexican artists create intricate designs in tissue paper to decorate homes or for special occasions! Today, we're going to make our own papel picados to decorate our home!
Materials
Construction paper (or white paper that you have colored)
Scissors
Directions
Step 1
Cut your paper into a square
Step 2
Fold on corner of the paper so that it touches the opposite corner to make a triangle. Do this 2-3 more times.
Step 3
Cut shapes into the edges of your triangle. These could be lines, circles, triangles, or any shape you want!
Step 4
Unfold your papel picado and see the unique design you have created! Hang it up in your home.
Be sure to share your papel picado with us Instagram by tagging @sdcdm320!
Questions about this activity? Email Education@sdcdm.org