TRADITIONAL MEXICAN PAPEL PICADO

Papel picado is a traditional Mexican craft that features colorful paper sheets with intricate cut-out details. It was made by stacking many sheets of paper and using chisels to cut the designs. You can easily make your own papel picado by layering sheets of tissues paper and using scissors.

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EARLY FINISHER OR SUB PLAN PROJECT

This is a great free choice activity or a lesson for a sub. Laminate the instructions and place on a table. Add a tray of pre-cut tissue papers, a bowl of scissors and allow the children to create a papel picado during free-choice time.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

– Colored tissue paper (12″ x 9″ approximately)

– Scissors

– Marker

– Yarn and tape to display papel picados

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a piece of tissue paper (lengthwise) in half and then in half again. Make sure one side consists only of folds.

Fold the long folded sheet in half. Mark a dot in the corner that is made up of folds. This helps the children recognize where not to cut.

Just like cutting a snowflake, cut shapes along all four sides avoiding the area with the dot.

To cut a shape from the middle of the rectangle, fold the paper in half again, and cut a shape into the fold.

Unfold carefully and tape tissue paper to a long string of yarn.

To make multiple panels from one cut, layer 2-3 sheets of tissue paper together add tape (carefully) while cutting.

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