Day of the dead. Part 1

Next week we are celebrating Day of the dead, I am having the children color their own skull, you can download it here. I will also explain them the meaning and the tradition of this day. In case you don't know it, this is a short explanation:

Day of the dead in Mexico represents a mixture of Christian devotion and Pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs. As a result of this mixture, the celebration comes to life as an unique Mexican tradition including an altar and offerings dedicated to the deceased.

The altar includes four main elements: earth, wind, water and fire.

Earth is represented by crop, Mexicans believe that souls are fed by the aroma of food.
Wind is represented by a moving object, tissue paper is commonly used.
Water is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst after the long journey to the altar.
Fire is represented by a wax candle, each lit candle represents a soul and an extra one is placed for the forgotten soul.

Nowadays, people also use photographs of their love ones and prepare their favorite foods. My mom used to leave a Coke for my dad on his favorite glass.

Songs

At the AMS conference I was asked for songs. I am currently working on a Cancionero (Song book) with 50 songs. I am almost done with the book, just need to find a quiet time to record the songs :)
Just a reminder, I am not a singer but I try!
In the meantime here's a link for all of the great lyrics our beloved Cri Cri gave us. Enjoy!

By the way, Francisco Gabilondo Soler (Cri Cri)was a great composer; my dad used to sing to me all his songs and I played them to my kids when they were little. I must confess I still play them in my classroom just out because of the memories they bring back. If you've never listen to any of his songs, here's your chance!

AMS Conference - more pictures

AMS Conference

Here are some pictures of my exhibit at the AMS Conference:

Today is the last day of the AMS Conference in San Diego. It is been good, meeting a lot of teachers. Got great feedback on my products and some ideas on new materials; I will be busy the next few months creating more materials.

Thank you to all of you that stop by, special thanks to Susan, Dilek, Abigail and Sarai for all your comments.

My current project is a songbook - Cancionero, so far I have 30+ songs, I hope to have 50. It will have a CD to accompany the book. Now, I am not a singer but it will give you an idea on how the song goes.

Animals in the house

This week I am teaching Animals in the house. We did family a couple of weeks ago and have been reviewing vocabulary every day. We will do flashcards first, then a coloring exercise (colors review) and then, we will make animals out of shapes (yep, shapes review).
As you can tell by now, I always use every opportunity to review vocabulary :). I will take pictures and post them before I leave to San Diego.
Have a great week!

AMS Conference and New website

As I mentioned before I am going to be at the AMS Conference in San Diego next week. I've been very busy getting samples of my products ready to show there. My booth number is 74. Make sure to come say hi.
I've been also very busy updating my website, now I have 170 products; some for immediate download, some Cd's and some books and 3 part cards ready to use. I am currently working on more products so, check my website often.
I will take lots of pictures at the conference for all of you! San Diego, here I come!

New website

I am very excited!! I got a totally new website and 160 products!!!
You can download flashcards, 3 part cards, activities, games, etc or; I can print them and laminate them for you.
Here's the link, take a look and tell me what you think...:)