I just wanted to share a few pictures of Crackerjack's latest project with you ... this is something he was assigned for his Spanish class and I thought he did a really nice job!
His teacher asked her students to choose a Spanish-speaking country and then learn all about it. They could use any resources they liked. (CJ used some library materials - a couple of books and a video - as well as some online research.)
Crackerjack chose to learn about Cuba ... a country about which I knew little myself. I'd like to say I learned a lot along with CJ, but to be perfectly honest, with the way I've been feeling these last few weeks, I kind of stayed on the sidelines. Thankfully he managed just fine and Bill stepped in to help him with the more hands-on aspect of the project.
So in addition to preparing a five-minute oral report, Crackerjack also had to make up a t-shirt representing his country of choice. For this, he used some printer-transfer paper I'd picked up at the craft store, and for the front of the shirt he went with a map and flag image (see above) ...
For the back of the shirt he compiled a list of important information:
For the final part of the project, CJ had to present a prop of some kind ... so he chose to make a frame for an art print depicting The Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, Cuba's patron saint.
There is a rather neat legend tied to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre ...
In or around 1608, three Cuban fisherman set out on the The Bay of Nipe, looking for salt. The salt was for preserving meat for the copper miners (cobre = copper). Suddenly, a terrible storm came over them and they began to pray for their safety. When the skies cleared they saw a statue floating towards them, resting on a wooden plank ... it was an image of the Blessed Mother, holding her Son in one arm and a golden cross in the other. Along the edge was written, "I am the Virgin of Charity." The statue was perfectly dry.
A shrine was built for the statue (now known as the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Charity), and to this day the site remains a popular pilgrimage destination. The Virgin of El Cobre is considered an important cultural icon as well, to both believers and non-believers alike.
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Well my friends, I hope you enjoyed this look at Crackerjack's Cuba project! When he made his presentation to his class, he said he felt it went well, if maybe a bit too fast! ("But Mom, some of the kids actually talked for the whole five minutes!" Lol.)
Another project he's working on right now - a multi-piece watercolor painting of the three principle Greek gods: Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. (He's a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series and Greek mythology in general.) This project is an assignment for his Art class, and I'll give you a peek at his work a little later this fall.
Thanks so much for joining me today ... I hope to be back later with a little Tuesday Tea but if not, I'll surely see you all here again very soon!
❤
