My second graders learn José Luis Orozco's song "Nochebuena" to focus on the pre-Navidad aspect of this Mexican holiday. Some children hold UNLIT candles; others hold a paper moon on a stick and stars on sticks. (I use the wooden sticks that are sized for stirring paint; children can handle this safely and well.) A small group of children hold artificial flores de Nochebuena (poinsettias) which truly originated in México.
Señora Tolisano has created a beautiful visual for this song. Please visit her webpage by clicking here.
I have also made an easy version of the traditional buñuelos which are mentioned in the song by using commercially made plain doughnut holes and drizzling them with honey and sprinkling on cinnamon. Most children love them.
Because I teach in fifteen-minute blocks with less than five minutes between each class, I make up the buñuelos ahead of time on large trays (borrowed from cafeteria). I line each tray with waxed paper for easy clean-up and place each plain doughnut hole on a cupcake paper, drizzle with a bit of honey, and
sprinkle with cinnamon.Then I cover each tray with plastic wrap. (I make enough to share with the office staff as well for good public relations.).
I demonstrate, however, how to make un buñuelo in class in front of the children. (The children are delighted when I wear a real chef's hat with a "la cocinera" [the cook] label.) I put the honey in a squeeze bottle and label it la miel and label the shaker of cinnamon la canela.
Of course, if you have more time, space, and extra helpers, you could have the children assemble everything. That hands-on activity is best, of course.
While the children are sampling the buñuelos or the following day, I usually take a survey using "¿Te gusta el buñuelo?" The child answers "Sí, me gusta el buñuelo." or "No, no me gusta el.buñuelo." We make up a graph as we go along.
By the way, I always check with the school nurse ahead of time in case there are food allergies. Most commerical doughnut holes are fried in peanut oil which can pose a real problem for some children.
Anyone who cannot sample the buñuelos becomes my special helper in some way that day so s/he doesn't feel left out. I usually give them a tiny flor de Nochbuena as a keepsake.
We make paper poinsettias (las flores de Nochebuena which come originally from México) in rosado, blanco y rojo or color an appropriate picture of several. We learn that the poinsettia is a beautiful flowering shrub native to México. We also read Tomie De Paola's book Leyenda de la flor de Nochebuena/Legend of the Poinsettia, also.
As far as the constructing the poinsettias, again because of my fifteen minute blocks, I cut out them out from a simple pattern and let the children assemble them. The simpler the better. I point out that the poinsettia "flower" is actually the leaves of the plant.
I have also found an interesting link with poinsettia activities which explores the poinsettia and centers on how this plant is meaningful during Christmas celebrations in México and other Latin American countries. The craft is a poinsettia fan, and the use of hand held fans is deeply a part of Latin American and Spanish traditions.
Here are additional ideas for pointsettia crafts:
There are also many variations of a special fruit salad called "Ensalada de Nochebuena" in many Mexican cookbooks that is nutritious, appealing, and delicious.
We also count down the days until Nochebuena on the calendar to practice our number skills.
Celebrating this holiday also presents the opportunity of contrasting la noche with el día and bueno with malo. I use gestures of "wide-awake" for the day and "sleeping" for the night along with pictures to explain the concept. For good/bad I use "thumbs-up" and "thumbs-down." The children laugh when I make up the word, Díamalo.
We have also played a vowel game with the words Nochebuena, Navidad, flores, and buñuelos. I write the words on the board. Five children each sit on a separate chair, holding a large card with the vowel. We spell the words aloud emphasizing the vowels sounds. Each child stands when we encounter his/her particular vowel sound. Then I erase all the vowels in the words. I divide the class into five teams (one for each vowel). Each group sits on the floor around each vowel person. When I say the vowel sound, the child holding the vowel must stand up along with his/her teammates. I sound out the word and fill in the vowels as we go along.
See also a Mexican tin ornament craft activity on my "Art" page.
Lastly, there is a Nochebuena song (poem) about the family's happiness on this special occasion
and is excellent for reviewing members of the family:
Have lots of fun as I do with my classes!
