A Short List of Virtual Las Posadas Celebrations for 2020

Tomorrow night, Las Posadas begins. For many, it's hard to imagine the holiday season without getting together for the 9-day celebration. But I want to encourage you all to forego them in person this year. It breaks my heart to write that. But to help you with the struggle, here is a list of virtual posada programs happening around the country, that you can watch/participate in from the warm comfort of your own home!

OR you can organize one yourself among friends and family using Zoom. (I LOVE this idea!)

Enjoy!

Free Virtual Events (most require registration)

• The Museums at Union Station (Ogden, UT) will be hosting an online event activity that will happen via Youtube and be posted on Facebook. It includes:
  -@11am make luminarias and piñata ornaments
  - @6 pm Music, Stories and Folk Dances from España, Mexico, Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Chile and Argentina!
  REGISTER HERE
  
  
• Girl Scouts Virtual Piñata Making & Posada Celebration:: LET'S MAKE a Piñata!! Your whole family and friends are invited to make a piñata while learning how a Mexican Posada is celebrated!
  REGISTER HERE   and in SPANISH HERE
  
  
• Aurora Museum Foundation (Aurora, CO):: Online Lecture: Las Posadas. The Christmastime tradition of Las Posadas begins on December 16th. Maye Agama has celebrated Las Posadas with Las Fraternas at the Fort for many years. She will share her photos and experiences. The lecture is free, but you must register to receive the link to the online meeting. Space is limited, please only register if you plan to attend. There is no cancellation fee. REGISTER HERE

• Join Ignatian Solidarity Network December 16-24 in a daily virtual experience of music, art, prayer, reflection, and action as they journey with the Holy Family and migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in search of shelter and protection. Read more here.
   
• Mission San Jose (Fremont, CA) is hosting FREE nightly Posada entertainment December 15th through 23rd at 7pm. See the schedule and register here.
  
  
• La Posada Sin Fronteras /// Posada Without Borders  This year's Posada Sin Fronteras event will take place virtually on Saturday, December 19 from 4 PM to 5:30 PM. Follow them on Facebook for more information.
  

Teacher Resource for Chocolate: The Field Museum

By far, one of my favorite resources for studying chocolate is the Field Museum website. Their current exhibit, Chocolate Around the World, will be on display through January 8th, 2012. If you happen to live in Chicago, you should definitely try to swing by there, or plan a trip for your class. They still have several weekend activities planned between now and the end of the year. In fact, this Friday and Saturday (Nov 25th & 26th), artist Rebecca Moy will be painting an original chocolate masterpiece. The following weekend on Dec 3rd, Rhonda Morkes will be creating chocolate gingerbread houses, and during the last week of December, Pastry Chef Omar Martinez, from Food for Thought, will be creating a miniature version of the Field Museum - out of chocolate!

But aside from these fun events, the museum's website is full of information. The Educators' Resources area offers six lessons on the relationship between chocolate and the environment, and another six lessons between chocolate and culture for teachers to download. You can also find Fascinating Facts, Chocolate Quotations, Recipes, and Book and Movie Lists, to name a few. In the All About Chocolate section is another page with activities Just for Kids.

In addition, the site offers three interactives. Manufacturing Chocolate takes the visitor through the process of making chocolate from growing the trees to pouring them into molds. My kids love this interactive because it lets them cut the beans with a machete, pack them into bags, start the various machines and much more.

The Chocolate Challenge takes you on a journey around the world - but only by answering questions about chocolate can you advance on your journey! Again, more fun for the kids, but mine were a little too young. Best suited for children ages 9 (10?) and up.

Cacao Farm helps you discover the connections between cacao and its environment by using your virtual binoculars or microscope to study the differences between cacao farms and rain forests.

So if you're looking for a fun - but educational - distraction for the kids this holiday weekend, this website is a great place to start!

Con mucho cariño...