Español

Celebrating the Advent Season with Spanish flair

La Posada

Mary and Joseph finally find shelter in a stable

In our 4-year old Spanish classes, the children learned about the Hispanic tradition of La Posada. A Posada is a wonderful way to reenact Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their search for a place to rest. For the Preschool children, it was an excellent way to take part in the Nativity story and truly get a feel for what it might have been like to be tired, hungry, lost in a huge crowd and looking for a place to spend the night. This was eye-opening for our children who are used to traveling in style – on an airplane with their handheld games or in the minivan with the DVD player – and staying in hotels with pools, play areas and meals. By participating in our make-shift Posada, the children were able to clearly see the that Christmas is about a small baby, born into this world dependent upon the kindness of strangers and how important it is for us to be Christmas to others.

They also discovered that a piñata can be part of the Posada celebration. The children made their own piñata ornaments to hang on their trees at home. In this way, we have blended the traditions that the children celebrate with their own families and a new tradition that is celebrated in another culture!

La Virgen de Guadalupe

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

We also shared the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast day we celebrate on December 12th. She is the patron saint of all the Americas. She appeared to an Aztec Indian named Juan Diego on a hillside in Tepeyak, Mexico in 1531. She appeared to him dressed as an Aztec queen and spoke to him in his own language. He was to tell the bishop of Mexico to build a church on that spot in order for her to show her love to the Indian people. The bishop was not inclined to believe this peasant and demanded an improbable sign as proof – roses blooming in the desert. Juan Diego was despondent to have to tell the Blessed Mother the news that he failed to convince the bishop to do the Lady’s will. But she knew his plight and miraculously made roses to grow on that hillside – even though it was winter. He filled his cape, or tilma, with the miraculous roses and ran to share the good news with the bishop. Pouring the contents of his tilma out in front of the bishop, he was amazed that those around him were not looking at the roses, they were staring at his tilma. On the inside of the cloth he found that the image of the Lady was emblazoned. In the image, she is carried by an angel as she rides on the crescent moon. After the bishop saw his tilma, and this most holy sign, the church was soon constructed.

In her honor, we prayed the Hail Mary colored our own image of the beautiful Queen of Heaven.

Why Should We Learn a Language?

Learning our body parts using Mr. Potato Head

Every Friday, the 4-year old students at the Preschool come to the Multipurpose room to experience un poco español. Spanish is a language that is all around us in North Carolina. We hear it spoken fluently by our neighbors and fellow parishioners. What a gift it would be to be able to connect with another person in their own language! It is more than just speaking words to someone; it is bridging gaps in our common humanity and forming relationships that foster understanding, respect and acceptance.

At the Preschool, we take the first steps on that journey as we learn to use a new language in fun and entertaining ways. We sing songs in Spanish about everything and anything. We play games where each child needs to speak the language to be successful in the game. We incorporate art, music, fine and gross motor control, mathematics, literature, science and culture into the lessons.

We also incorporate our families by providing them with the resources to help their children practice Spanish at home. Information about the lesson taught and the vocabulary used (along with a handy pronunciation guide!) are shared with the families as well as a suggested activity to reinforce the language learned so far. Spanish, therefore, becomes a doorway to through which our children and families can reach out and connect with people around them – ¡Bravo!