Ecuador+Activities


 * General Information || Geography || History  || Culture  || Political System  || Economics  || Activities  || Teacher's Page  ||

toc

Early Elementary
Go to this website for a class activity that demonstrates how the Incas passed messages along from one city to another. In this activity, the students will play a variation of the game Telephone.

Upper Elementary

 * After learning about the geography and culture of Ecuador, have the students write a journal entry as though they lived in Ecuador. In this journal entry, the students may include aspects such as the scenery they saw that day, the way they might be dressed, what the weather is like, and any other events that may have occurred that day that what be unique to the culture or geography of Ecuador.

Fine Arts
These activities may be done in the classroom or at home with adult supervision.

Have students create their own model of an Incan city using clay.

Title - Masapán Bread-Dough Sculptures  By - Señorita Thomas  Primary Subject - Art  Secondary Subjects - Social Studies  Grade Level - P-6

 Average Activity Time: 30 minutes

 Masapán sculpting is a special craft technique associated with the town of Calderón in Ecuador. It is an artform from which beautiful and detailed figurines are created from a bread dough mixture (Masapan means bread-dough). It is said that the exact mixture varies from artisan to artisan, and that the recipe is a family secret, passed down through the generations. Masapán crafts are unique to Ecuador.

 Sculpting masapán figurines is a fun activity for children. They appreciate the simplicity of the ingredients used to make their items, and despite protests of yucky hands, they enjoy the tactile stimulation of molding and mixing the bread and glue. Have fun with this activity.

 Step-by-Step Instructions


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Materials needed per child: 3 slices of white bread, lots of glue (2 - 3 tablespoons), poster board paint and paint brushes.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Peel the crust off 3 slices of white bread (my students like to eat the crust) and break into smaller pieces.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Add lots of glue to the mix (approximately 2 - 3 tablespoons full, or enough to cover the bread without soaking it completely.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Mix the bread and glue thoroughly with hands until the mix becomes doughy and pliable enough to be molded.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Sculpt your desired image... perhaps something with a summer theme. You may want to first show students examples of designs you have pre-made, as well as show actual masapán artwork for creative inspiration.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Paint the masapán figurines with brightly colored tempura paint.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Depending on the age and skill of your students, I recommend sculpting the following: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Elementary ages: a sombrero, a pitcher of tea, an American flag, an ice cream cone, an animal, a picture frame.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Preschool / Pre-K: a sun, a moon, stars, or some amazing object taken from their imagination... This age group may fair better by using cookie-cutters.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> For additional information on Masapán crafts and the artisans of Calderón who create them, visit Union of Progressive Masapan Artisans of Calderón, Ecuador. www.thelanguagestudio.us/

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Lesson plan taken from http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ArtSSMasapanBreadDoughSculpturesP6.htm