Kindergarten students at Nuestro Mundo spent the week following spring break learning about the tradition of sawdust carpets which are created one week each spring in many Latin American countries, most notably Guatemala.

In these countries, families and businesses take time to plan and create intricate and colorful designs in the streets in front of their homes and places of business. Along with dyed sawdust, the carpets are decorated with flowers, pine needles, rice, and many other organic items.

The first step in recreating this tradition at Nuestro Mundo was to mix the sawdust and paint. Teachers and students worked diligently at this for the entire week prior to the event. Then the students designed their carpets together in their classrooms.

On Monday, April 16, the classes then took their designs, colored sawdust, used coffee grounds (donated by Starbucks and Java Cat), and other natural items brought by students, outside to the front of the school. The students worked together as teams for more than two hours to bring their designs to life. Although each carpet varied in size, they were approximately 5 x 15 feet.

And, in accordance with the tradition, all Nuestro Mundo kindergarten students participated in a procession later in the week, walking over the carpets. This part of the tradition represents a cleansing and renewal of the season. After the procession, the students cleaned up the remains and spread all them throughout the school's gardens.