Viaje virtual con muñecas de papel

Virtual Travels through the Hispanic World with Paper Dolls
A Geography Lesson

We're planning a new project about countries in the Hispanic world in the Spanish Club at my kids' school.  We are making "Flat People" (kind of like a "Flat Stanley" paper doll) wearing traditional Latin American clothing.  For an example of a traveling paper doll project, see: 

www.flatjohn.blogspot.com 
http://www.flatannaley.blogspot.com

Here's What We Did:
I photocopied a paper doll cutout (see PDF file below):

http://www.angelstreetmom.com/downloads/angelstreetmom-readingworld-mexico.pdf

In advance, parents sent in a headshot photo of their child and signed a permission form so they would know the photo would not be returned, and to give their consent for sending the paper dolls with photo faces around the world to visit my friends.

During class, I wrote words on the board for the art supplies we used, and asked kids to come to the front table to request what they needed by saying, "Necesito _____________."

Materials

• Papel de construcción (de color rojo, verde, amarillo, café, etc.)
• Una muñeca (la fotocopia)
• Los colorines
• Las tijeras
• El pegamento
• Unos colorines (un Crayon de color________)

I told students I would not share my supplies unless they asked me in Spanish.  I urged them to ask each other in Spanish for borrowing tools at their tables.  We repeated the supply list aloud before getting started on the project.

The kids colored clothing for our paper dolls, and then attached each child's photo face to his or her "Flat Self".  I wrote to several of my friends and family in Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Spain to ask if they would be willing to receive a package of our Flat People.  I invited these Spanish-speaking friends to pose in a picture somewhere in their city with the Flat People, and then to email their photo back to me so that our Spanish Club kids can see where "we" have traveled around the Spanish-speaking world.  As we talk about the map of the Spanish-speaking world this week, sending their paper dolls to real people in real countries is bringing the geography to life for them.



When the dolls were complete, at the end of our Spanish Club meeting, I invited the kids to come to the front of the room to place their dolls in the pre-addressed envelopes to be sent around the world.

I sent home a map and asked parents to help their child to find the countries together, and to decide whether they want their paper doll Flat Self to go to Barcelona, Spain, Costa Rica (2 locations), Baja California in Mexico, Mexico City, or Argentina.

 The paper dolls have made their first stop in Tijuana, Mexico.  They visited the Hidalgo Market where vendors are preparing for Christmas celebrations with figures of the Nativity for decorating their homes in time for the Posadas. 

Finding Host Families 
I wrote to a few friends in Costa Rica, Argentina, Spain, and Mexico to enlist their help with hosting these paper dolls.  Here's my note:

Querido/a _____,

Quisiera pedirte un favor. Tengo un grupo de niños en un "club de español" en la escuela de mis hijos. Quiero que hagan unas muñecas de papel para enviar por correo a diferentes partes de Latinoamérica. Podría enviarte un paquete de muñecas de papel y pedirte que les saques una foto para enviarme por Facebook o por email? La foto de las muñequitas se podría tomar en un lugar de tu barrio, o una visita que haces a una tienda interesante, o en algún lugar de interés turístico en la ciudad. Podría ser una foto con tu familia o tu casa. Después de sacar la foto, podrías tirar las muñecas a la basura--- no me las tienes que devolver. Ya habrán servido su propósito de llevar a la clase en un viaje virtual.

Si tienes tiempo para recibir un paquete de personitas hecha de papel, déjame saber. Gracias por considerar la idea.

Sinceramente,
Sarah

They all said yes, and now the kids have been assembling packages of paper dolls.  We mailed the first set of paper dolls yesterday!