Jícama y más

José Rubén, Jesús, Nacho, Javier, Pepe y Carlos trying out Jicama

Our class is studying foods and we are trying out typical foods from the Spanish speaking world. We ate jícama -- a potato like vegetable from Mexico. Some said it tasted like a cross between  green apples and potatoes and others said it tasted like lemony lettuce.  We also tried chicharrones--fried pork skins-- all the boys liked them. We also ate Nopales which are cactus leaves. Almost everyone liked them. They tasted like green beans.  We learned about Mate, a traditional Argentinian tea that people drink 24/7.  --Nacho, Edu y Javier

El día de los muertos

Spanish students are learning about el Día de los Muertos, day of the dead, which is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd in central and southern Mexico. Students bring in artifacts and pictures of their loved ones who have passed and contribute to the altar, la ofrenda, set up in the classroom. Also on the altar is pan de muerto, bread of the dead, and el mole, a spiced chocolate sauce typically eaten with chicken or turkey. Students also learned that some people celebrating Día de los Muertos eat los chapulines, grasshoppers, and calaveras de azúcar, sugar skulls. Students also learned that instead of mourning their loved ones, Mexicans celebrate their life. They believe that when someone dies, they are just beginning their next stage of life.
--kata y rocío

^^ This is the altar set up in our classroom.