Tortilla Painting (Mexico)

Multicultural Art Lesson Plans

Lesson plan developed by Aurora Tollestrup, BS Ed

Activity:

Age Group:

Preschool

* Lesson plan objectives and assessments can be adapted to use this activity with school-age children

Tortilla Painting (Mexico

Objectives:

Children will create art inspired by Mexican culture that will also serve as an exercise in independence.

CDA Competency Standard:

II.8.3a

Candidate encourages children to develop a sense of independence.

a) Encourages children’s self-help/self-regulation skills while being respectful of family preferences and cultural differences

Materials:

Small corn tortillas
Water
Food coloring
Qtips
Small spoons
Muffin tin
Cookie sheet
Oven
The book Tortillitas para Mamá and Other Nursery Rhymes (Bilingual Edition in Spanish and English) by Margot C. Griego

Procedure:

Read the poem “Little Tortillas” from Tortillitas para Mamá and Other Nursery Rhymes (Bilingual Edition in Spanish and English) by Margot C. Griego.
Put water in each muffin tin and mix a few drops of food coloring in.
Put one tortilla on a plate or similar work surface and invite children to decorate their own tortillas using the colored water and materials. Give them as much independence in this activity as possible. Do not guide the colors or patterns that they choose, but instead allow them the opportunity to decide for themselves.
When children are finished you can bake the tortillas at 325 for 5-10 minutes.
When the tortillas are cooked and cooled you can use a pizza cutter to cut them into triangles and serve them with a healthy dip.

Assessment:

Observe and record children’s social and emotional development through the self-expression opportunity in this activity. Did they work with peers successfully? Were they confident in their creations? Did they persevere through any challenges?

Note: Please provide appropriate supervision to the children in your care when completing all activities. You will need to decide what types of activities are safe for the children in your care. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when providing art and sensory experiences for children. Infants and toddlers require special precaution, only use non-toxic materials, and do not allow young children to put things in their mouths that are a choking hazard.