Field Trips
Make May Baskets for an art project.  Go to a nearby hospital, retirement home, or other care facility.  Bring the May Baskets to the people who live there.  (make arrangements ahead of time)

My Favorite Flower
Have a vase of several real flowers that have a strong smell.  Let the children smell each flower.  Do they have a favorite one?  What do they like about their favorite flower ~~ the smell, the color, the shape?
For more May Flower ideas see:  Flowers & Gardening | Spring

Color Match
Make a color wheel using the 8 basic colors.  Paint several clothespins to match each color of the wheel.  Have pictures of different flowers or real flowers.  Hold up one flower.  Talk about all of the colors in the flower.  Have the children decide which color they see the most.  Have a child get a clothespin which matches
the predominant color of the flower and clip it onto the matching space on the color wheel.

Make a Maypole
During free play, make a maypole with the children.  Fasten long, colorful streamers to a tree or pole.  Have enough streamers for all of the children and adults to have one for the maypole dance.  Begin the circle time with singing and dancing, sing the song several times before you begin to dance. 

Round the Maypole Song:
   (Tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush")
Here we go 'round the maypole, the maypole, the maypole.
Here we go 'round the maypole, all on a May Day morning.

The Dance:
Have each child/adult hold one of the streamers.  Begin singing the song and walk around the maypole.  When you have song the song through once, reverse and go in the other direction.  Walk again, singing.  Continue the dance, by using different movements around the maypole (weaving in and out of each other!) as you sing.

Learn to Count to Ten in Spanish
1  = Uno
2  = Dos
3  = Tres
4  = Cuatro
5  = Cinco
6  = Seis
7  = Seife
8  = Ocho
9  = Nueve
10 = Diez

Make a Pinata
Several days before Cinco de Mayo, have the children help make a paper mache (recipe) pinata.  When dry, fill it with candies, small treats, confetti - whatever you want (do this out of site of the children for a wonderful surprise)!  On Cinco de Mayo hang the pinata and have fun breaking it open.  Have the children stand in a circle around the pinata, and each child should have a chance to hit the pinata with a stick ( a broom handle works great!).  As the others watch, have them clap in rhythm.  All the children share the goodies found inside!

Parades
Parades are a big part of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations.  Ask the children to cover their eyes.  Play some parade music.  When the music stops, ask the children what they saw in their minds!  Play the music again, this time ask the children to march in time to the music!

Listen to Mexican Music
Have guitars and maracas available.  Play some mexican music - ask the children to point out when a guitar is playing, when the maracas are playing.  Make homemade guitars/maracas for each child - ask them to strum their guitar,  or shake their maracas along with the music.
 
 

Flower Play
If I were a little flower,
Sleeping underneath the ground,
I'd raise my head, and grow and grow,
And stretch my arms and grow and grow,
And nod my head and say,
"I'm glad to see you all today!"

Relaxing Flowers
Five little flowers,
Standing in the sun;
See their heads nodding,
Bowing one by one.

Down, down, down,
Falls the gentle rain;
And the five little flowers,
Lift up their heads again.

My Flower Bed
See the blue and yellow blossoms
In the flower bed.
The daisy spreads its petals wide,
The tulip bows its head.
 
 

Quesadillas
12 flour tortillas
1 lb. cheese, cheddar or monteray jack, grated or sliced thin
sugar (optional)

Warm tortillas on a griddle or grill to soften.  Place cheese on half of the tortilla and fold over, return to grill.  Let it toast a little on one side, then turn over to toast other side, long enough to melt the cheese.  When cheese is melted, remove from grill and cut into halves or fourths to serve.  Sprinkle with a little sugar if a sweet taste is desired.