Category: Hispanic Heritage Month

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

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For the third year in a row, I have been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with friends, and with our community.
We are mid-month through Hispanic Heritage Month so you can still plan a party or a community event before October 15.  
Don’t know where to start? Well, have I got news for you!  I’m thrilled to share some ideas on how to get your party started  over at Mommy Maestra!   Click here:  How to Host a Children’s Hispanic Heritage Month Party
Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month

Children’s Book about Puerto Rico

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When my child was born 8 years ago, I had a goal in mind: to find as many children’s book about Puerto Rico so I can share with him.  Little by little, I started  building up my child’s home library. Some of the books listed here we own, others are on my wish list.    On the books that we do own, you’ll see an additional post on how we used it such as an activity or craft or a review on the book.   

Since there are so many books on this list,  I broke them down into ten sections with a header so you can learn about Puerto Rico through these books: Notable Figures, Taínos, Flora and Fauna, Popular Culture, Christmas, Folk Tales, Geography, Picture Books, Chapter Books,  and Fiction. 
I hope you enjoy this list!  If there’s a children’s book that is not listed here please share in the comments below so I can add it. ¡Gracias!
Need some ideas for extension activities on the Taínos? Click here. 

Activities about El Día de Reyes includes cultural play dates, crafts, and a fiesta click here. 

Hispanic Heritage Month Series 2016 | Multicultural Kid Blogs

We are so excited for our FIFTH annual Hispanic Heritage Month series and giveaway! Through the month (September 15 – October 15), you’ll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can enter to win in our great giveaway and link up your own posts on Hispanic Heritage!  

September 20 Tiny Tapping Toes

September 22 Spanish Mama

September 23 All Done Monkey

September 26 Crafty Moms Share

September 29 Embracing Diversity

September 30 Mama Tortuga

October 5 Pura Vida Moms

October 7 Spanglish House

October 10 Mundo Lanugo

October 12 MommyMaestra

    Don’t miss all of the great posts from previous years as well: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

    An InLinkz Link-up

    Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month

    Notable Hispanic Figures: Thirty Days of Resources

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    Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated during September 15 – October 15 every year. That’s thirty days to learn about thirty notable Hispanic figures during this month!

    I have a confession to make!  Every year, around this time I say to myself that this month we’re going to dedicate some of our Spanish homeschool to learn about Hispanic Americans, and their contributions.

    Guess what? The year comes and goes, and nada!   So this year, I’m prepared and ready to tackle this on.  

    I’ve gathered some on-line resources,  such as biography, trading cards, YouTube/Vimeo videos, coloring pages, book recommendations,  activity sheets and even some lesson plans.*  I’ve compiled all of this in one easy calendar that you can download and print, and I’ve also created a clickable links doc that you can save to your computer or print.

    On each day, I’ve committed to teach my child about one person in this list:  

    September 15  – Celia Cruz/Arts
    September 16 – Roberto Clemente/Sports
    September 17 – Jaime Escalante/Science
    September 18 – Ileana Ros-Lehtinen/Politics
    September 19 – Fernando Bujones/Arts
    September 20 -Edward James Olmos/Arts
    September 21 – Mario Molina/Science
    September 22 – Cesar Chavez/Politics
    September 23 – Rita Moreno/Arts
    September 24 – Nancy Lopez/Sports
    September 25 – Antonia C. Novello/Science
    September 26 – Hilda Solis/Politics
    September 27 – Salma Hayek/Arts
    September 28 – Henry Cejudo/Sports
    September 29 – Ellen Ochoa/Science
    September 30 – Sonia Sotomayor/Politics

    October 1 – Isabel Allende/Arts                        
    October 2 – Joan Baez/Arts
    October 3 – Franklin Chang-Diaz/Science
    October 4 – Dolores Huertas/Politics

    October 5 – Tito Puente/Arts 
    October 6 – Crystl Bustos/Sports 
    October 7 – Martha E. Bernal/Science 
    October 8 – David Farragut/Politics 
    October 9 – Diego Rivera/Arts 
    October 10 – Oscar De La Hoya/Sports 
    October 11 – Luis Walter Alvarez/Science 
    October 12 – Salvador Dali/Arts 
    October 13 – Carlos Santana/Arts 
    October 14 – Frida Kahlo/Arts 
    October 15 – Carlos Noriega/Science 
    I want to make learning fun! So I’ll just pick and choose what resource I want to use in our homeschool.  I’ll be printing some coloring pages to make a coloring book, and using the trading cards as well.  There are some fun videos to watch, too!

    Hopefully with my calendar in hand we can learn about one Hispanic American during this month of celebration!

    Click on the links to get your free printable. 

    *Please note that the resources listed from education.com are free with limited access each month. In the past I’ve downloaded up to 4-5 free worksheets and/or coloring pages monthly. Once you reach your free limit you can return next month to get more free resources. Since this month is really two months get your free downloads for September then go back and get the ones for October. Easy, peasy!  


    This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure page. 

    Categories: Free Printables, Hispanic Heritage Month

    Our Favorite Spanish Children’s Book Collection via Instagram

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    Little one and I have been blessed with wonderful friends, and family who are always thinking of us! We’ve received Spanish children’s books from Spain, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and different parts of the U.S.A. how cool is that! Other times, I literally celebrate when I find a Spanish children’s book in our neck of the woods.   Below you’ll see a collection of our fave Spanish books, and some English one, too that I’ve share on my Instagram account.

    Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month, Spanish / Bilingual Children's book

    Sharing Our Hispanic Heritage: Ideas for the Classroom & Community

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    Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time for us as a familia to share our Hispanic heritage with little one’s friends at school, and with our community.

    Although Latinos are the second largest, and fastest growing minority group in the United States in our small Southern community we don’t have a large Latino presence.  This is our opportunity to educate others on the beauty and richness of our heritage so they too can embrace diversity.  This is significantly important due to all  the negative media towards Latinos that we are seeing daily.

    Monica from Mommy Maestra sums it up on her post on  Why We Need Hispanic Heritage Month: 

    “Hispanic Heritage Month is a vitally important observance for the United States, perhaps now more than ever. According to the U.S. Census, there are 53 million Hispanics in the country. And yet every day media reports show an increasing hostility toward Hispanic immigrants and Spanish-speaking families as they are used for political platforms, promoting stereotypes and ignorant backlash.” 

    Therefore, we need to continue to instill pride in our bilingual and multicultural child. Particularly since we live in a community where Latinos are far and few.   
    Classroom

    In little one’s classroom, he only has one Hispanic friend.  She too, is bilingual and her parents are from Mexico. Since they are the only two Latino and bicultural children in their classroom.  I approached her Mom so her daughter can participate in a special presentation activity on sharing their heritage.   I thought it’d be cool for them to do it together! The activity includes: reading a book, talking about where their family comes from, and gifting their classmates with a mini-piñata. 

    Children’s Book 

    The book they both read was F is for Fiesta by Susan Middldeton Elya.  It’s perfect for the occasion and has enough words in Spanish for the children to read aloud, and enough words in English for their monolingual classmates to understand.  The book highlights the Hispanic culture through the use of the  Spanish alphabet.  
    Activity Presentation 
    They each both made a tri-fold. Little one helped cut-out, and glue the pictures. We also included a picture of us with the familia in Puerto Rico, and another one of  his Abuelo from Ecuador with both of us. He was so excited about the presentation!  His friend, and classmate shared a similar tri-fold with pictures, and information on Mexico.  
    Special Treat 

    For the treats we made mini-piñatas filled with Mexican candy.  We made them out of toilet paper rolls and wrapped with colorful party streamers, and ribbon to carry. 
    This was a fun activity to put together! I am also grateful for little one’s friend’s mom on going along with my crazy idea, and helping me make the min-piñatas while our children played in Spanish.

    Community 
    I reached out to the director of our local library to bring awareness on Hispanic Heritage Month. What I initially had in mind was to volunteer on setting-up a table with children’s book on notable Hispanic figures, and information on Spanish speaking countries.  In our conversation, I mentioned having celebrated a Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta last year in our home.  She loved the idea, and a fiesta was planned!  I was thrilled to have my name mentioned as a special guest in “A Celebration of Hispanic Culture.”  
    The children’s book Abuela by Arthur Dorros was read by our child, and I had a Power Point presentation in which I talked about where our son’s Abuelas were from both Puerto Rico and Ecuador, and valuable information on Hispanic Heritage Month.  
    We had two different crafts:  papel picado, and  plastic bottle maracas.  In the background, I was playing both Lucky Diaz De Aqui y de Alla and Mister G’s ABC Fiesta‘s CD.  The guest were also treated to freshly made churros fried on the spot! 
    I am beyond happy with our participation celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at the library. We had a great outcome, and  our son surprised me by wanting to read the book in English/Spanish all by himself to a room full of people. I am also thankful for the emotional support my husband,  and dear friends gave me with their mere presence. I am also eternally grateful to the director of the library on allowing me the opportunity to share the beauty and richness of our Hispanic heritage to our community.
    It is my hope that we’ve planted the seed of knowledge on our Hispanic culture, and heritage in the hearts of the children in our son’s classroom, and in the community. Thus bridging the gap of ignorance, and prejudice of the unknown with a new found knowledge that embraces diversity. 

    Looking for more ideas on how to bring Hispanic Heritage Month to your classroom, or homeschool? Check out my Hispanic Heritage Month Pinterest Board:

    Follow Frances @ DTWTMSE’s board Hispanic Heritage Month on Pinterest.

    Multicultural Kid Blogs Hispanic Heritage Month Series and Giveaway 

    Hispanic Heritage Month Series 2015 | Multicultural Kid Blogs
    Multicultural Kid Blogs is excited to be hosting its FOURTH annual Hispanic Heritage Month series and giveaway! Throughout the month (September 15 – October 15), you’ll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can enter to win in our great giveaway! Visit our main page for a full schedule of the articles in this series.
    Giveaway ended 2015

    Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month

    Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta for Kids

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    Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated every year throughout the country from September 15 through October 15 to recognize the contributions of Hispanics and the important presence of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States and to celebrate their heritage and culture.

    An affiliate link is used in this post. If you purchase through this link I will receive a small monetary compensation Thank you for your support!

    Not having many opportunities to celebrate this month in my neck of the woods (small southern town) I was determined to make a big deal out of it! What better way than having a fiesta!
    Hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month fiesta for kids has been on my mind for a long time. This is a fun and educational way to familiarize my friends, and my child’s friends on the beauty and diversity of the Hispanic culture. 
    This post is part of the Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop sponsored by Multicultural Kids Blog. Fellow bloggers including myself have come together to share ways you can celebrate this month with your children, and the best part is that we are also having a giveaway, and linky. So be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to have an opportunity to win some great prizes!
    I used A Kid’s Guide to Latino History: More than 50 Activities (A Kid’s Guide series) for ideas on making this party memorable, and fun for the kids. This book has more than 50 activities, and offers a brief history of the contributions of Latinos throughout history. 
    Now let’s go to the fiesta!  We’re going to start with the food.  Since it’s a kids fiesta I wanted to go with simple, and easy “finger foods.” Something I could prep in a minute on the day of the fiesta or ahead of time.  I work full-time, and have very limited free time.  Thankfully, I have an amazing group of multicultural moms that offered great suggestions!

    So I went with these sweets, and treats: 

    Brigadeiros – Brazil  – click on the link for a delish recipe from The Piri-Piri Lexicon. 


    Tembleque – Puerto Rico

    Churros – Mexico – I didn’t make these but bought them from the local Mexican taquería.

    Tostadas – Guatemala – Fellow blogger Kristen from Toddling in the Fast Lane shared with me this simple recipe for Guatemalan tostadas, and the best part is that the kids assembled them themselves! I bought corn tostadas, refried beans, and queso fresco.  I warmed up the refried beans a little, and the kids spread it over the tostadas, and sprinkled queso fresco over it. 

    Mexican Street Vendor Fruit  – Becky from Kid World Citizen suggested I try out Tajín on fresh fruit for a healthy alternative to the sweets!

    Tuna Spread Mini-Sandwiches I used a simple tuna spread recipe that Diana from LadydeeLG shared with me.  It’s tuna, and mayo with olive oil. Put all the ingredients in the blender to make it into a spread. It was delicious!


    Chips and Dips 


    Goya drinks 

    If you have the time to spare, and are looking to whip up a multicultural meal for your Hispanic Heritage Month fiesta be sure to check out Multicultural Kids Blog multicultural cooking Pinterest board.
    As the guests arrived  I gave them a brief explanation of the displays, and of the foods. 
    We started our fiesta with story time reading Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo (Pura Belpre Honor Books – Illustration Honor), and I gave the kids instruments to play with as I read the story (there’s a part that the reader says, ♫tum, taca, tum♫).  Once story time concluded some children went on to make there very own güiros,  and the other children made Mexican tissue paper flower. 
    The kids truly enjoyed themselves they made Latin inspired crafts, made their own tostadas, jammed to “AQUI, ALLA” by Lucky Diaz and The Family Jam Band music, and even played lotería!

    We certainly kicked-off Hispanic Heritage Month in a blast! Now scroll some more so you can link-up and have an opportunity to win great prizes!

    heritagemonth

    This post is part of the Hispanic Heritage Month Series hosted by Multicultural Kid Blogs.

    Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month

    Story Time with Kiki Kokí: Discovering Our Taíno Ancestry

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    This is our last and fourth installment of our series Discovering Our Taíno Ancestry.   In our recent trip to Puerto Rico we bought a great selection of books in Spanish. Our favorite is Kiki Kokí La Leyenda Encantada del Coquí (Kiki Kokí The Enchanted Legend of the Coquí).  It’s fully in Spanish which is a perfect complement to our son’s language learning.  This book is also available in English.  
    The story tells of a Taíno boy who does not cooperate or help his tribe. He prefers to play then to help his around the tribe. Therefore, since he didn’t help the tribe he wasn’t allowed to participate in the festival. He is really upset, and storms out into the jungle upset. However, the moon goddess to teach him a lesson turns him into a golden tree frog. Kiki Koki redeems himself when he saves a village of frogs from rat pirates earning his right to become a boy again. This is a beautiful story of redemption, and of making things right.  To finish off our story time, we made coquí crafts out of small paper plates.  Little one painted them, and glued on the eyes.
    Our coquí craft, and little one insisted on making one as an alien coquí with four eyes. 🙂 
    During our stay in Puerto Rico this past summer every night we would hear the coquíes sing. It was music to my ears, and little man enjoyed the beautiful song that they sang.   I recorded them singing. Just click on the video below. It’s dark, because it was recorded during the night time.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

    To read more about the coquí click here. I hope you’ve enjoyed our series Discovering Our Taíno Ancestry as part of our Hispanic Heritage Month activities. Don’t forget to check out my initial post here, and to participate for a chance to win some wonderful prizes in our giveaway!  How are you celebrating with your family? Please like, comment, pin or share!

    ¡Hasta la próxima!

    Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month, Taíno Ancestry

    Do It Yourself Petroglyph: Discovering Our Taino Ancestry

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    During our past summer vacation I really, really wanted to take little man, and my husband to the La Cueva del Indio to see first hand the Taíno petroglyphs. Unfortunately, due to time constraints we weren’t able to go. 
    This is a picture of a petroglyph in La Cueva del Indio. Photo credit:  Neyda S. 
    However, on our return back home we had a lesson on Taíno petroglyphs. Little man even made his own Taíno petroglyphs. 

    Petroglyphs (or ‘stone symbols’) were carved on rocks all over Puerto Rico by the Taíno indians to record their lives, and daily life.  For our lesson,  I printed a sheet with Taíno symbols from here so little man can draw the symbols for  the petroglyph.

    He practiced before drawing the petroglyphs on the rocks. 
    Taino Symbols
    Taíno petroglyphs found in different places in
    Puerto Rico. 
    We had lots of fun making the petroglyphs, and we learned the meaning of some of the symbols, too.  We’re looking forward to our next installment about our beloved coquí.  
    In the meantime take a look at our previous post on Discovering our Taíno ancestry here, and here. How are you celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month?  Please like, comment, pin or share! 
    Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month, Taíno Ancestry

    Our Top Five Puerto Rico Children’s Books To Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

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    I have seen so many wonderful lists of children’s book to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month that I was inspired to create a list of our top five Puerto Rico children’s book to celebrate through out this month.  We have these books at home, and they are my child’s favorite. 

    1. Kiki Kokí La Leyenda Encantada

    Kiki Kokí tells the story the Enchanted Legend of the Coquí Frog.  Based on a Taíno legend of Kiki Kokí a little Taíno Indian boy who would rather play then help his tribe.  Of course, he’s not allowed to celebrate in the festival with the tribe, and he storms off into the jungle.  To teach him a lesson, the moon goddess turns him into a golden tree frog. Kiki Koki redeems himself when he saves a village of frogs from rat pirates earning his right to become a boy again.  This book is available in English, and in Spanish. 
    This is the story Guanín and his pet Tahite as he narrates the beauties of Puerto Rico, the wonders of nature, and life as a Taíno boy 500 years ago. It is a beautifully illustrated book that celebrates and educates children about the Taíno history and culture. This book is available in English and Spanish.

    3. Everywhere Coquis! / En dondequiera coquies (English and Spanish Edition)

    This is an adorable book that tells the story of the coquís that lived in the rain forest, and how annoyed the birds were with the ♫♫ coquí, coquí ♫♫ song that they heard every night. So the birds are on a quest to find these “birds” that chirp ♫♫ coquí, coquí ♫♫ every night! However, the coquís are everywhere, and at the end of the story the birds discover who in fact was singing ♫♫ coquí, coquí ♫♫.  🙂 This is a beautifully illustrated book that captures scenes of the day to day life in Puerto Rico.  This book is in both Spanish and English. Flip the book, and it’s in Spanish, flip it to the other side, and it’s in English. 

    4. Shake It, Morena

    This is a wonderful book that explores Puerto Rican folklore, with games, counting rhymes, riddles, and short stories. It has typical songs of Puerto Rico such as “Shake it, morena”, and “The Song of el Coquí.” What I love about this book is that the concept of this book is taken from the schools and playgrounds in Puerto Rico. It also offers a footnote with explanations of the cultural background. This book will bring back memories to the older generations adults, and provide a valuable insight of the games, songs, and play to the up and coming younger generations.  This book is in both languages: English and Spanish sentences side by side. 

    5. Mi isla y yo: La naturaleza de Puerto Rico

    This is story of two children as they set off to discover the nature of Puerto Rico. It is a book about the natural ecology of an island. This is an enchanting picture book that allows the children to visualize their relationship between the island creatures, the water and sky; and how we are all connected to the island as being one.  It sends a message of love and respect for our environment, and for our island of Puerto Rico. The watercolor illustrations capture the ecological island life from a simple perspective that children can understand and relate to. 
    Do you have a multicultural book that you love? Please comment, like, pin or share. 
    ¡Hasta la próxima! 
    Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month

    El Cemí y Dujo: Discovering Our Taíno Ancestry

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    This is the second installment of Discovering Our Taíno Ancestry series.   In our first installment little one learned about his Taíno culture with a sensory “yucayeque” village that we made. Today’s post is all about learning more in detail about the cemíes and dujos that were in his yucayeque.  Luckily I was able to purchase small replicas during our visit to Puerto Rico this past summer, and he used those to make his own. 
    Little man had fun making the cemíes and dujos with play dough. He tried to make it to look like the replicas, and I think he was pretty close. 😉  Taíno indians carved the cemí from wood, stone, and/or clay. It was a three pointed sculpture that was the physical representation of Taíno deities (gods). Cemíes were said to invoke the spirit of the god Yucahú.
    The Taíno religion was centered around the divine character or nature representing Yucahú the god of the yuca (cassava) and conservation, and Atabey the goddess of rain, river, and the sea. There were other minor gods governing the natural forces, and they were all conceived as a cemí. For example, Boinayel was the giver of the rain. Therefore, the cemí had the power to make it rain. The cemíes came in all sizes and mostly were three pointers.

    Nitaínos carved elaborate cemíes and some were painted and decorated with gold and precious stones. Most of them had human facial or animal features carved on them representing a divine creator or a force of nature. 

    Little one also made dujos. The dujo is made from stone or wood with a raised tail used as a tall backrest, and they were short seats with four short legs with feet.  The caciques and bohiques were the only ones allowed to sit on it.  They were a symbol of prestige.

    Little one’s dujo and cemí made out of play dough. You can see on the replicas the facial human and animal features. 

    For more information about the Taínos click here, and here. Hope you enjoyed today’s installment of our series Discovering Our Taíno Ancestry. In our upcoming installments the coquí the unofficial mascot of Puerto Rico, do-it-yourself petroglyphs, and more!

    How are you celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with your children? Please like, pin, comment or share. 

    Categories: Hispanic Heritage Month, Taíno Ancestry