Reminder that part of your homework is celebrating a holiday!
The theme of this week is seeing the leaders in our families, so we’re going to learn about an ancestor (and celebrate them!) and then discuss how we can be leaders in our very own homes.
In the United States, Halloween is a common autumn holiday, but there are other autumn holidays celebrated around the world. The one we are going to focus on this week happens right after Halloween, and it’s celebrated in Mexico!
Dia de Los Muertos
Dia de los Muertos is a holiday that covers multiple days! Families set out ofrendas for children on Oct. 31 and ofrendas for adults on Nov. 1.
Assignment: Watch these videos
Watch this video to learn more about Dia de los Muertos and ofrendas.
Keep that information in mind; you’ll need it for one of your assignments.
Assignment: Learn about an ancestor.
As you learned in the videos, ofrendas are set up for family members who have passed on. This week, I want you to learn about one of your ancestors. Ask your mom for help learning about someone in your family tree. She’ll probably take you to FamilySearch, a website that houses millions of family history stories for people all over the world.
Pick something interesting to share with us: Maybe you’ll share a neat story about an ancestor that you learned. Maybe you find a way this ancestor was a leader in their home, career, church calling, etc. and tell us about that. Maybe you learn about an ancestor that sounds a lot like you! I can’t wait to hear whatever story you choose.
I can’t wait to share with you two stories this week from my family history: One about a Pony Express Rider and another about the Queen of Denmark!
Assignment: Make an Ofrenda
Now that you’ve learned about one of your ancestors, I invite you to create an ofrenda for that ancestor and set it up during the time of Dia de los Muertos. Remember, it is a multi-day celebration, with children celebrated Oct. 31-Nov. 1 and adults Nov. 1-Nov.2. But if you miss those days or can’t set up your ofrenda on the assigned day, do it when you can.
When I asked AI what goes on a typical ofrenda, it told me this: “An ofrenda traditionally includes photos of the deceased, candles, cempasuchil (marigold flowers), water, salt, copal incence, pan de muerto, and the favorite foods and drinks of the people being honored.”
For our class, your ofrenda can look like anything, and you have to check with your mom about what you can put on your ofrenda. It is totally okay to print out pictures of their favorite foods if you don’t have them on hand–or even draw a picture of it!
When you are finished, take a picture of your ofrenda and have your mom send it to me. I’ll either print them or cast the to the TV so we can see all of your creations!
(Moms, go as big or small as you want/need to. The goal is really to learn about an ancestor, and with this weekend being Dia de los Muertos I couldn’t pass up this activity. I have winged ofrendas with whatever I have on hand, and it was still a good experience. Also, I’m serious about simply printing a picture…)
Assignment: Listen to this picture book.
We have learned about our ancestors and celebrated them in a Mexican way. These ancestors were leaders in their time and in their families. Did you know you can be a leader in your family? You totally can!
We are going to shift gears and go back to the Medieval Times (that’s the time period your Senior brother or sister is learning about) and read about how one girl helped her father. It’s 22 minutes long, so if you need to take a break and come back–that’s okay!
I love how she steps in and helps her dad when he needed it–She was a super hero!
This week in class, we are going to color our own illuminated manuscript pages. Your Senior brother or sister did this at the beginning of the year. Will you ask them (and your mom) if you can use their gold or silver marker in class? I’ll have pages for you to color during class.
OPTIONAL-Listen to My Own Super Hero
If you want to, listen to this song again. Remember, you are a super hero and you come from a long line of super heroes.
Assignment: Copy/Write
Copy this quotation in your best handwriting:
“We are braver and wiser because they existed, those strong women and strong men… We are who we are because they were who they were. It’s wise to know where you come from, who called your name.” – Maya Angelou
Younger Rookies can write “We are who we are because they were who they were.”
(Moms, here is the link to the canva design with handwriting dots. Here is the PDF.
/
Extra VanCoins if you memorize this short part!
I’m excited to learn with you this week!
-Kaylee
Here’s a LINK to the checklist for homework this week.
