SOUTH AMERICA: The Andean Condor is the largest flying bird in the world. It weighs up to 33 pounds and can have a wingspan of nearly 11 feet. Students tried to make a life-size replica…
You know that feeling you get when you really want something, but know that you shouldn’t have it? Well, recently, I’ve been frequenting the Teacher’s Lounge, only to find that it is littered with cupcakes,…
LINKS: South America Coloring Pages (maps)
VENEZUELA: Heladería Coromoto in Merida, Venezuela, is home to 900 flavors of ice cream and a world record, at that! Have you ever been in a rut, and wanted to try something new, different, novel to get another perspective? Well, here is your chance! Try avocado ice cream with black beans; or trout ice cream; or perhaps spaghetti with cheese ice cream. Click HERE to learn more.
In class, students had fun dreaming up strange combinations of flavors, and even began ‘selling cones’ made out of colorful paper.
PARAGUAY: “Ñandutí, (Guaraní Indian: “spider web”), type of lace introduced into Paraguay by the Spaniards. It is generally characterized by a spoke-like structure of foundation threads upon which many basic patterns are embroidered. This structure, resembling a spider web or the rays of the Sun, is usually made on a small circular cushion and is common in many Spanish countries. It is also found in drawn thread work. A comparable lace is made on the island of Tenerife and bears its name.” –Source
In class, students used watercolors to paint on top of a design like this. I did this with kindergarten and the paintings turned out beautifully! If you combine this project with La Danza de La Botella (Paraguay), you can point out in the video of the dance that she is wearing a dress with Ñandutí lace.
LINKS: Getting Crafty, Embassy of the Republic of Paraguay
CHILE: The Atacama Desert (in northern Chile) is known as the “driest place in the world”, but you might not believe that if you chance upon it during the desierto florido phenomenon. Every so often, this megadry 41,000 square mile (105,000 sq km) area receives unexpected amounts of rain, causing seeds deep within the earth to bloom.
“In August even more rain fell and a second even wilder bloom followed. A barren country where you can walk for days without seeing an ant, a fly, or a blade of grass erupted in a gloriously obscene display of flora.”
Craig Childs
One Twitter user described it this way: “The average rainfall is 15mm/ year. Some weather stations have never received rainfall at all. But when it receives higher rains, it blooms like a fairyland“ (Susanta Nanda). Supposedly, this fairyland reappears every five to seven years, but take that with a grain of salt: the desert is a wild beast with a mind of its own, and will bloom when it feels like it.
While the photos are incredible, some sources seem to say that one of the images depicted is of the Valley of Flowers in the Himalayas. Regardless, the desierto florido is a real thing, and does in fact happen in the Atacama.
People living in the Atacama used to speak a [now extinct] language called Kunza, also known as Lickantantay. The Tierra Hotels offer a PDF of activities for children and a list of vocabulary in Kunza.
LINKS: Paranal Observatory in Chile, Atacama- Flowers Bloom Following Rain
BOLIVIA: I read a book recently that took place primarily in the pantanal. It sounded fascinating–and I desperatedly want to do a project on it–but the lesson plan has not come to fruition quite yet. Check back in the future for more on this!
LINKS: GLOBE TREKKER- Tough Trains (Bolivia), Tough Trains Series- Across Bolivia the Pantanal to the Pacific, Arica to La Paz By Train (Chile/Bolivia), Sucre to Potosí en Buscarril (Bolivia), From the Pantanal to the Pacific (Bolivia), Río Mulatos-Potosí Line (Bolivia), Toughest Place to Be a Train Driver (Bolivia), 5 Highest Railway Lines in the World, Globe Trekker: Tough Trains (Bolivia), Tough Trains (Bolivia)
Most Dangerous Railways in World, Tough Trains (Bolivia), Tough Trains2 (Bolivia),
See also Argentina- Train to the Clouds
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MEXICO: After taking time to learn about molinillos, or the [beautiful!] wooden tools used to stir chocolate in Mexico (see video below), students practice a hand clapping rhyme about cho-co-la-te. Some classes also learn another well-known rhyme: bate, bate chocolate, tu nariz de cacahuate.
Some year, we will dive deep into the history of chocolate (Jennifer Martinez @EverythingJustSo has an extensive packet on this)–but this year was not the one. However, fourth graders did figure out how to do the clapping rhyme in a circle, with a big group of people. We also changed the ‘playback speed’ to super fast and then super slow on the clapping video below. Fun, fun, fun! This lesson is great for both vowels and coordination.
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