Cinco De Mayo

I have never before celebrated Cinco de Mayo in the classroom, but for some reason this year my end of the hallway has decided to recognize this day. To be honest, I had to look up the origins of the holiday, and I was quite impressed by the historical significance. Had it not been for the Mexican militia at the Battle of Puebla the French might have established their hold on Mexico earlier and been in a position to support the South during our Civil War. This might have turned the tides of battle significantly. Isn't it a wonder how an event can have such far-flung and long reaching effects? Reminds me of my new favorite show, Touch!

Originally we were just going to do something small, but as the event nears it is getting more elaborate. This is partly due to the fact that those on high were looking for someone celebrating Cinco de Mayo and were told that our three classes were going to be doing a little something in the afternoon. Now a newspaper photographer is coming to take pictures, plus some powers-that-be might stop by, so don't you know, we just have to have something newsworthy going on when they come by. Here's our plans so far:

 We are going to be reading different books - both fiction and non-fiction about Cinco de Mayo and Mexican culture. Here are a few on our list:



We are going to be making homemade salsa in class, and serving it with nachos and cheese for snack. That's to go along with this fun book:

 

My class is going to be all decked out for a fiesta - including my tree! I just picked up a fun tablecloth for my reading area and we also have a pinata! Should be super fun I think! I will make sure to get pictures and post them!

Here's a freebie for you, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, a new set of Roll & Cover addition and subtraction boards to play during your "fiesta"! Just click the picture to download it for free from my TPT store!