STEAM EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Step-By-Step Folklórico provides a comprehensive STEAM education program with an emphasis on the science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics associated with the rich history, culture, language, and ingenuity of the Mexican people.
STEAM EXTENSION ACTIVITIES MENU
SCULPTING ALEBRIJES LEARNING SERIES:
Focus Areas: Science, Art, Literacy, & Creativity.
Alebrijes are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical and mythical creatures which are known as spirit guides. These creatures, featured in the Disney/Pixar movie Coco, are traditionally made from paper mache or sculpted to represent different parts of various animals with strong associations of differing elements such as earth, air, fire, and water. In this series of lessons, students represent a state of Mexico by researching the wildlife associated with it, and sculpt and paint their very own Alebrije.
*Student materials kits are available for purchase
from Step-By-Step Folklórico.
COSTUME DESIGN AND SEWING LEARNING SERIES:
Focus Areas: Technology, Art, Math, Creativity
Each region of Mexico has its own unique style of dance, but also its own style of traditional dance attire. In this series of lessons, students learn to measure, pattern, cut, hand-stitch, and sew fabrics on a sewing machine to create miniature replicas to fit on a doll, representing the traditional dance attire from a state in Mexico. They learn how a sewing machine works and learn about primary, secondary, tertiary, complementary, and analogous colors.
*Student materials kits are available for purchase
from Step-By-Step Folklórico.
HISTORICAL MURAL PAINTING LEARNING SERIES:
Focus Areas: Arts, Math, History, Literacy, Communication, & Collaboration
The stories of political and historical movements in Mexico are often told through paintings and murals, including those of Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. In this series of lessons, students learn about the mural painting design and creation process to produce a portable 15’ x 5’ canvas mural in teams of 4-6 students. Students learn about how murals are an example of storytelling as they also learn about the most prominent mural painters in Mexico’s history and beyond, and tell the stories of significant historical events through a hand-painted mural that is first designed in a computer with graphic design skills and techniques.
*Team materials kits are available for purchase
from Step-By-Step Folklórico.
HEADPIECE AND ACCESSORY CREATION LEARNING SERIES:
Focus Areas: Arts, Math, Creativity, & Critical Thinking
Each state and region has its own unique traditional attire, and as such has its own unique headpieces and accessories. In this series of lessons, students create headpieces for personal use in alignment with the regions’ dances they are learning to complement their assigned costume elements. Lessons in mathematics and measurement are embedded in this series.
*Team materials kits are available for purchase
from Step-By-Step Folklórico.
HUICHOL BEAD ART LEARNING SERIES:
Focus Areas: Arts, Math, History, Literacy, Symbolism, Perseverance, & Creativity
The Huichol people are an indigenous tribe living within Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains. They are known for their beautiful animal figures coated with beeswax then covered in tiny beads set in place one at a time that produce dazzling patterns derived from their ancestry and spirituality. The creation of this Huichol bead art requires a great deal of imagination, perseverance, and creativity, all characteristics of the Huichol Indian outlook on life. In this series, students create their very own Huichol Bead Art.
*Huichol Bead Art student materials kits are available for purchase
from Step-By-Step Folklorico
MAYAN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING:
Focus Areas: Science, Engineering, Arts, Math, Collaboration, & Communication
The fact that Mayan structures still exist to this day is a testament to the ingenuity and intelligence of this civilization. They built elaborate structures without tools that we would consider essential today. One example of the technology they used to create temples and bridges was the Corbel Arch. This arch employs an architectural technique called corbeling to create a span and distribute weight. The Maya used this technique to create temples and other structures with vast, open interior spaces. In this series of lessons students learn about the Mayans' use of the arch and conduct experiments with measurements, weight and height.
*Team materials kits are available for purchase
from Step-By-Step Folklórico.
PIÑATA HISTORY AND CREATION LEARNING SERIES:
Focus Areas: History, Engineering, Arts, & Creativity
Culture and traditions collide to create the the piñata —the colorful, decorative paper candy containers that are popular at parties today. While they used to have much more religious symbolism, today they are used more for celebrations and birthdays. In this series of lessons, students learn about the different types and styles of piñatas, then design and create their own.
*Student materials kits are available for purchase
from Step-By-Step Folklórico.