Papel picado

Hello there, my little friend! Have you ever seen those colorful pieces of paper with tiny holes cut out, that you see during special celebrations like birthdays, weddings or other parties? They are called "papel picado" which is Spanish for "perforated paper".

You see, someone takes a big piece of tissue paper, and folds it in half over and over again, until it's about as thick as a pancake. Then, they use tiny scissors or knives or special paper punches to cut out shapes like triangles, circles, flowers or stars from the folded paper.

When they unfold it, they have a beautiful design made out of tiny holes all over the paper. Then, people hang them up with string and they flutter and sway in the breeze, like colorful butterflies. Some people even create long chains of papel picado, by connecting many pieces together with glue or tape.

It's a way to decorate a room or a street with bright colors, and it makes any occasion look festive and fun. People from Mexico, Central America and other places use papel picado a lot in their special events, and it's becoming more popular all over the world.

So there you have it, little buddy. Papel picado is a very pretty way to make your parties more special, and it's made by cutting lots of tiny holes in tissue paper with scissors or special tools. Now, who's ready to make some art of their own? Maybe we can make some papel picado with construction paper and kiddie scissors?