Pablo Picasso Three Musicians (1921) from Wikipedia 

Use shapes to bring out the Picasso in you and create a unique piece of art. Cut out shapes in different colors and spread them out on a piece of paper.

Arrange the shapes in different ways to create a picture. Once you glue down the shapes finish the masterpiece using markers.

The first traditional Thanksgiving between the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans occured in 1621. That’s over three centuries ago! But did you know there were other feasts similar to that one too? Previously, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his group of Spanish colonists landed in Florida where they held a Thanksgiving feast to celebrate their safe arrival. Near El Paso, Spaniard Don Juan de Oñate decided to give his expedition party a rest and throw a Thanksgiving celebration.

Other interesting facts about Thanksgiving are…

…although today’s Thanksgiving meal usually features turkey and pumpkin pie, the pilgrims and Native Americans actually didn’t eat these! Instead of turkey, they ate  lobster, deer meat, and duck. Also there were no ovens to bake any pumpkin pies, though some historians believe pumpkins and squash were present—just not in pie form!

…the pilgrims and natives had different eating habits. While the colonists ate breakfast, dinner, and supper, the Native Americans just ate whenever they were hungry and often had pots cooking throughout the day.

…the reason the holiday is called Thanksgiving is because the colonists wanted to express gratitude for surviving the journey from England to the New Land. Native Americans already had a long history of harvest festivals and ceremonial dances to give thanks for a successful crop.

…Thanksgiving is also a symbol of friendship and cooperation between the colonists and Native Americans. There was a lot of tension when the colonists arrived because the Native Americans were already there living their lives. This was one of the few moments of peaceful interaction between the two groups.

Want to learn more about the history of Thanksgiving? Visit History.com – The First Thanksgiving, which is where I found a lot of these interesting facts.

Halloween is a pretty famous holiday in America, but did you know there’s another big holiday just about to happen?

A lot of Mexican Americans also celebrate Dia de los Muertos, which means ”Day of the Dead” in Spanish. Dia de los Muertos isn’t a spooky or sad holiday though—it’s a joyous way to celebrate loved ones who have passed away. People make sugar skulls, Pan de Muerto (a yummy sweet bread made only for this occasion), and the favorite foods of those who have died.

Dia de los Muertos originated a long time ago in Mexico, possibly 3,000 years ago! It’s a very spiritual, festive holiday for people to honor and remember the deceased. Families build altars with marigolds and photographs of their loved ones. The bright colors of the marigold flowers represent a way for the spirits of the dead to find their way back home.

The celebration occurs on the first two days of November. The first day celebrates kids and the second day celebrates grown-ups. On the kids’ day, families usually leave toys and candy on the altars.

Dia de los Muertos is also a celebration about life!

Learning Spanish is fun! Children at ACM are taking part in exciting new Spanish Workshops presented by The Young Peoples Workshop. Parents and kids dance, sing, and learn Spanish together. Not only are they having tons of fun, but they are also learning a new language! Qué divertido!

 The director of the program encourages parents to teach their kids Spanish at a young age. It is actually easier to learn Spanish while they are learning English! She encourages parents to practice speaking and reading in Spanish at home to their children. The goal is to gain as much exposure to Spanish as possible.

Try it at home!

We found this awesome website that makes learning Spanish easy and fun! Go here to play games, watch videos and learn Spanish!  

Young Peoples Workshop is working with The Austin Children’s Museum to offer Chiquititos Spanish Workshops every Monday until May. For more information visit our homepage.