PREPARING FOR DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
Guiding ideas:
Día de los Muertos, ancestors, death, the cycle of life
Ingredients for today’s Lab:
A HUGE box Piedra and Tijeras found on a walk, worms, joints and tubes, fabric, lights, leaves, cellophane, bones, x-rays, postcards, photographs, a mirror, and a strawberry plant.
What just happened?!:
Today we continued building our understanding of Día de los Muertos, a celebration of remembrance, love, and the never-ending cycle of life. Rafa shared the story of his abuelo, whose heart “was pumping and pumping until one day it stopped.” LIVNEH told and retold the story of Rafa’s grandpa’s heart to every adults that entered the space and this in turn opened the door for others:
TOLY: “Yo tenía un pez. Ya no está en mi casa. Está en el océano.”
JUDE: “I have a grandpa, but he did not die.”
LOLA: “My mommy has a mommy. I have a daddy.”
The room filled with stories, each child eager to speak of their people, pets, and memories. We invited them to ask each other questions. The difference between a question and a comment is a hard concept for a child. Wendy described a question as “a wondering of the heart when a friend shares a story.” Amigues then practiced asking questions after each story.
Their words echoed through the room—questions, threads of memory, imagination, and ancestry weaving together. Just like the family tree Eva shared, their stories reminded us that everything alive is connected: the living, the loved, and those who came before.
