Club de Español
Colombian Rhythms: ¡Bailamos!
What a beautiful way to farewell winter than with a sunny Monday celebrating and learning about Colombian rhythms and culture!
We started our afternoon by creating colourful masks inspired by the Carnaval de Barranquilla. The children decorated their masks using the colours of the Colombian flag, amarillo, azul y rojo, along with plenty of stickers, bling bling, feathers and other fun decorations. The results were fantastic!
We then explored some beautiful traditional costumes from different regions and cultures of Colombia. We looked at costumes from El Torito, El Garabato, and the Andean region, as well as the beautiful traditional clothing of the Wayuu people from La Guajira, in northern Colombia. The children also had a chance to practise their Spanish by describing the colours of the costumes, and they were fantastic! They certainly know their colours!
We learned that Colombian music is incredibly rich and diverse, shaped by the beautiful blend of cultures that have influenced the country. From the indigenous peoples, owners of the land, the Spanish who arrived later and the African communities whose traditions brought vibrant rhythms and sounds.
And then… ¡a bailar!
We started with a fun exercise: closing our eyes, listening to the music and letting our bodies move with the rhythm. Each child had the chance to express how the music made them feel without worrying about anyone watching. After all, sometimes you just have to “dance like no one is watching!
Then we had a little salsa demonstration, followed by two brave parents who jumped up to help us demonstrate some moves. Thank you for being so brave and joining in the fun! Later we danced a little San Juanero, some Cumbia, and finally finished with Carnaval.
Some children proudly wore their masks while dancing, and a few even dared to wear the beautiful crowns representing the guacamaya (macaw), one of Colombia’s colourful and iconic birds, for some very special photos.
We are so happy with how the activity turned out and, most importantly, we hope everyone had lots of fun while practicing Spanish and discovering a little more about Colombia.
Come along to our next Spanish Club activity, where a parent and a student will take us on a fun filled journey into the world of airplanes and the joy of flying!
¡Nos vemos el próximo lunes!
