Mexican culture is far more than Cinco the Mayo and Day of the Dead. A rich cultural history is ready for exploring for World Thinking Day celebrations!

Today, I’ll share some ideas and resources to help your troop prepare swaps, Girl Scout trivia and recipe ideas to share at your World Thinking Day event.

Learn:

How much do you know about Girl Guides in Mexico?

Guías de México (Guides of Mexico) was founded in 1930 and has five age levels:

• Girasoles – ages 4 to 6
• Haditas – ages 6 to 9
• Guías – ages 9 to 12
• Guías intermedias – ages 12 to 15
• Guías mayores – ages 15 to 20

Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from all over the world can visit Our Cabaña, one of the four Girl Scout and Girl Guide World Centers. (A cabaña is a hide-away cabin in the woods, surrounded by nature.)Our Cabaña is located in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The World Center opened in July 1957 and has welcomed more than 70,000 Girl Guides and Girl Scouts visiting from around the world. You can hear the Our Cabaña song here.

Read

Download If you were me and lived in… Mexico: A Child’s Introduction to Cultures Around the World.

Order a copy of Traditional Crafts from Mexico and Central America (Culture Crafts)

Order a copy of Hispanic-American Crafts Kids Can Do! (Multicultural Crafts Kids Can Do!)

Order a copy of Aztec, Inca & Maya.

(Yes it’s American Girl, but if it gets your girls interested, I’m all for it! And by planning ahead you can buy these very inexpensively on Amazon.)  Order a copy of Josefina Learns a Lesson: A School Story: 1824 (American Girl).

Eat

Aztec Pie (Pastel Azteca)

6 corn tortillas
1/2 pint of sour cream
1 lb. of tomatoes
8 poblano chilies, or green peppers
1/2 lb. grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 lb. grated mild cheddar cheese
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
cooking oil
salt
1 small onion, chopped

Fry tortillas lightly in hot oil, but avoid hardening. Chop tomatoes and fry with chopped onions. Clean chilies and cut in 1/4-inch strips. In a greased baking dish, place alternate layers of tortillas, tomato mixture, chicken, cream, chili strips, and grated cheese and salt. Last layer should be tomato mixture, cream and cheese. Heat in 350 degree F oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the bottom tomato layer is cooked and the top is golden brown.

Mexican Hot Chocolate (courtesy of Our Cabaña)

3 tablespoons instant hot chocolate
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup boiling water

In a large mug add milk, mix the hot chocolate mix, chocolate syrup and cinnamon.  Add the boiling water and stir.

Other recipes and ideas online:

• Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• Mexican dinner – perfect for Cadettes working on their New Cuisines badge!
• Pan de Muerto Recipe
• Mexican cooking with kids from Food Network

Swap

God’s Eyes

God’s Eyes always harken back to my Girl Scout camp days, but Our Cabaña was kind enough to share this history of them for this blog:

The Huichol Indians of Mexico and the Aymara Indians of Bolivia weave brightly colored yarn on a simple frame of crossed sticks to make a design called “Ojo de Dios” or “God’s Eyes”.  Originally God’s eyes were made to be placed on an altar so that the gods could watch over the praying people and protect them.  They are now more often sold in markets, reminding us that God looks with love on people everywhere.

Materials:

• Sticks (chopsticks, pencils, barbecue sticks…)
• Colored Yarn
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Cross the sticks at the center. Tie them together with the end of a piece of yarn, making an X, but don’t cut the yarn off its skein.  Tie the yarn in back of the 2 crossed sticks.
2. Pull the yarn over the top of one of the sticks. Wrap it all the way around the stick so it crosses the top twice.  Then pull the yarn across to the next stick and repeat the process.
3. Continue the same way until you have almost reached the ends of the sticks. Make sure that the threads lie next to one another but do not overlap.
4. You can change colors as you go along if you wish. Do this by cutting the first yarn and tying it off at the back.  Then tie the new color on to the sticks and begin again.

Paper Cut (directions courtesy of Our Cabaña)

Paper cut is a Mexican craft that are made from cut paper and has been used since ancient civilizations of our country, for example the Aztecs made their ornaments and holy vestments with the sacred paper that could give it the way they wanted, decorated, and painted, where represented the images of their gods; they painted figures and symbols on paper with melted rubber. After the arrival of the Spaniards and there were other cultures and different ways to cut paper. One way to make paper cut is to draw a guide mold first on paper, then put several pieces under the mold and go cutting it with scissors. Another easy way for you to make paper cut is:

Materials needed:

• Tissue Colored paper.
• Scissors
• Glue
• Resistant treat or rope.

Directions:

1. Cut squares of paper the way and size you like.
2. Make a fold in one side of the paper, about 3 cm. Because there you are going to hang it.
3. Place the paper, so that the fold is in front and connects the opposite side to the fold to its limit.
4. Draw the figures you want in the side of the paper, except the side where you did the fold, make triangles, squares, semicircles, etc. Leave a space between them and cut them.
5. Re fold the paper up the fold and repeat the above procedure.
6. Un fold your paper and it’s ready. It is decorated.
7. At last where you fold the paper you might insert the treat, glue it. Repeat the procedure with all the paper you previous prepare. Remember to live a space at the ends to tie or hang it.

Other swap and craft ideas:

• Mexican paper flowers
• Mexican “pottery” craft plate
• Day off the Dead masks
• Mexican flag

How other troops celebrated Mexico at World Thinking Day events:

• Daisy/Brownie troop.

What other Thinking Day ideas have you done for Mexico? Share your ideas and pins below!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which help support our scouting adventures!