We did a short study about Paraguay and then wrapped up South America! We paid keen attention to this study because we have friends living here and, who knows, maybe we will get to visit when travel restrictions are lifted.
Navigate this page: Missions, Books, Ecosystems, Cooking, Composer Study, Folk Dance, Folk Music, Art Project, Movie, Videos
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Mapping it Out
- Seterra.com’s Free printable maps of South America
- Seterra.com’s Free online geography games for South America
- Crayola.com’s Free printable of Paraguay’s flag and map
Missions Spotlight
- Prayercast.com/Paraguay: Prayer Points, Country Summary, Quick Facts
**parents should preview the prayercast.com video for sensitive topics that may not be age appropriate
Booklist
- “Paraguay,”by Byron Augustin (Enchantment of the World Series, for advanced readers)
- “Ada’s Violin: the story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay,” by Susan Hood
- Big Life Kids Podcast: Episode 1, “Discover Growth Mindset: A Symphony of Trash: The Children’s Orchestra of Paraguay”
Ecosystems of Paraguay
The Pantanal (also listed under Bolivia and Brazil)
The Pantanal is a region of tropical wetlands and flooded wetlands.
- “Wetlands Inside Out,” by James Bow (mentions the Pantanal)
- On Amazon Prime: “Wildest: Latin America, Season 1, Episode 4, Pantanal: Brazil’s Wild Heart”
Paraguayan Food
Our surprise favorite recipe from Paraguay was Pira Caldo, or Fish Soup.
On the very day I decided to make Payagua Mascada, I read through the description of how they traditionally eat Payagua Mascada for the Feast of San Juan, and that day happened to be the very day of the Feast of San Juan! It was exciting. If you know me, you know I was jumping around the kitchen from all the excitement. We watched a video of how they celebrate the Feast of San Juan: make figures of Judas, hang them in trees, douse them in gasoline and blow them up with firecrackers….not dissimilar to what the Mexicans do at Easter. (There are more recipe links and pictures in Recipes by Country: Paraguay.)
Composer Study
We listened to the music of Argentinian Alberto Ginastera during our studies of the southern countries of South America: Bolivia, Chile, Argentina/Uruguay, and Paraguay. For links to YouTube videos of his compositions, visit my page: “Composers: Alberto Ginastera.” For ideas of how to do Composer Study, visit my page: “Art and Music.”
Folk Dance
One of the folk dances of Paraguay is the Bottle Dance (Danza de la Botella) where the dancers balance up to 10 stacked bottles on their head. I’m not even kidding, it’s totally amazing. Yes, I had my kids try it. With two small glass jelly jars…it might have lasted 5 seconds but nothing broke.
Folk Music
The national instrument of Paraguay is the Paraguayan harp. Here is an amazing lecture recital with Paraguayan harp and guitar (and if you just want to skip to the bottle dancing, watch the last 8 minutes).
I love the story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay SO MUCH. We were inspired by these videos:
Cre8ivmind’s Paraguay Music and Images
Art Project
How amazing would it have been to give the kids boxes and cans and have them make their own instruments like they did for the recycled orchestra? I may start to save a few choice pieces and I’ll update this page if we ever do it.
Movies!
We watched Disney’s “Saludos Amigos” to wrap up and review South America. It’s a compilation of 4 shorts about: Lake Titicaca, Mount Aconcagua, Gaucho Goofy (Argentina), and Brazil’s rainforest, capital, and samba.
Geography YouTube Videos
- Lutheran Hour Ministries: A Day in the Life
- Christian & Missionary Alliance: A Day in the Life of Santiago: Paraguay
- Geography Now! Paraguay (this is a fun resource geared towards adults and older kids; I recommend that parents pre-watch before showing to younger kids)