The Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala, and known for its bright green and red plumage. Traditionally, the quetzal is incredibly important to the indigenous Maya of the country. Representing freedom, the quetzal is known to die in captivity. Sadly the quetzal has become endangered due to the destruction of it's habitats. I thought … Continue reading Guatemala Unit Study: Quetzal Bird Toilet Paper Tube Craft
Arts and crafts are one of my favorite pastimes and I like to incorporate this into my country learning activities. For our Egypt Unit Study, I wanted to allow my kiddos to create jewelry and death masks like the pharaohs and queens wore in photos and were found in their sarcophagus. Except for the slaves, … Continue reading Ancient Egypt Masks & Paper Plate Jewelry
I like to include a variety of subjects into my learning activities and as my oldest is now in Pre-K, I want to put a small emphasis on basic mathematics. As part of our Guatemala Unit Study, I thought it would be fun to create a measuring activity in regards to the Mayan temples that … Continue reading Mayan Temple Measuring Activity: Units of Measurement
Guatemala culture has been shaped significantly by their Mayan ancestors. There are multiple Maya ruins that can be explored in Guatemala, with the Mayan temples being the most iconic. I thought it would be fun to challenge my kiddo in a STEM-Inspired activity. For the past couple weeks both my girls have been enjoying the … Continue reading Guatemala Unit Study: Mayan Lego STEM Activity
Guatemala is full of some of the most unique and interesting animals! It was fun (and challenging) to narrow it down to only six to feature this month! You can download these three-part printable matching cards FREE HERE! Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis), The spider monkey inhabits several South American countries, including Mexico, Guatemala and … Continue reading GUATEMALA Unit Study: Fauna – Montessori 3-Part Matching Cards
Fall is one of my favorite seasons, with nature bursting into an array of colors. I saw a similar activity using cutouts arranged over various nature foliage, and thought this would be perfect for my Egypt Unit Study! I first drew some crude sketches of King Tut and Queen Nefertiti on cardboard scraps and then … Continue reading Egypt Unit Study: Nature Painting
For our study of Guatemala during the month of September, we focused on the Cacao plant/seed, where Chocolate is made from. I made a simple learning pack to accompany this, which can be downloaded HERE. I first focused on the life cycle of the plant itself, which I displayed as a spinner. I laminated all … Continue reading Life Cycle of the Cacao Plant/Seed
One of the most interesting parts of learning about a new country is the myths/legends associated. Each culture has unique stories that are passed along through the generations, which are fascinating to study. Guatemala has "Worry Dolls" - an adorable belief that tiny dolls can be made, confessed worries to, and their owners can sleep … Continue reading Guatemala Unit Study: DIY Worry Dolls
I absolutely love to upcycle, creating something from the discarded. I try to base my unit study activities on things that can be found around the house, minimizing cost and waste. I was inspired by these masks on a similar version found on Instagram. I thought they would be perfect for my Guatemalan Unit Study! … Continue reading Egg Carton Mayan Masks
As part of our Guatemala Unit Study, I wanted to do an activity that focused on weaving which is a major part of the traditional Mayan culture. When I visited the countryside of Guatemala in 1999, I saw many woman outside their simple homes weaving beautiful fabric. Guatemalan woman weave beautiful textiles characterized by bright, … Continue reading Paper Plate Weaving: Fine Motor Activity
