Fiesta Mats

Fiesta Mats lesson plan

Paper weaving and crayon designs add color to your Mexican culture classroom celebration.

  • 1.

    Find out how holidays are celebrated in Mexico. When might woven mats be a part of their festivities? What materials are traditionally used to construct mats? What colors are typical? What symbols are common?

  • 2.

    Fold a large piece of construction paper in half by bringing the shorter sides together. Measure a line 1 inch (3cm) from the open end with a ruler. Use Crayola® Scissors to cut 4 parallel lines from the fold up to your line. Space the cut lines an equal distance apart from each other and the side of the paper. Unfold your fiesta mat base.

  • 3.

    Cut a second large piece of construction paper into strips, cutting straight across the paper from long side to long side.

  • 4.

    Weave strips over and under the slits into the base. Alternate each strip so that where one goes over, the next strip goes under. Weave as many strips as you can. There will be strips left over.

  • 5.

    Attach loose ends of strips to the mat base with Crayola School Glue.

  • 6.

    Use Crayola Construction Paper Crayons to draw fiesta symbols in the squares created by weaving.

Benefits

  • Students research Mexican peoples and their cultural celebrations.
  • Children find and describe similarities and differences among Mexican holidays and traditions of other cultures.
  • Children coordinate fine motor skills to weave paper to make a mat similar to those that are traditional in Mexico.

Adaptations

  • Laminate Fiesta Mats with clear plastic adhesive, such as Con-Tact® paper.
  • Create a trait chart comparing several U.S. or other national holidays with traditional Mexican celebrations. Head each column with a different holiday, then list characteristics such as time of year, reason for the celebration, traditional foods, customs
  • Hold a Mexican New Year celebration. Organize a fiesta with authentic food, music, and decorations. Use fiesta mats for place settings while eating.
  • Younger students and those with special needs may need help cutting and weaving. Provide assistance or helper partners as needed.