At La Casa Grande Bilingual Academy this is arguably our favorite month of the year! I wanted to make sure we celebrated it largely and honored it deeply. Here are a few ways I believe we did just that!
BOOKS: Of course there are literally thousands of books and different directions you could go to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Here are a few of our favorites:
I love the Author/Illustrator Maya Christina Gonzalez and have loved everything I’ve read by her. I also love that many of her books are already bilingual so my brain doesn’t have to work so hard during story time!
These are board books and I could not love them more! I grew up on Chavo and all things Chespirito. If you know you know. Selena is still the one and only artist I will sing karaoke to, and Frida is of course legendary!
CIRCLE TIME: We always have Lupita, our classroom puppet (don't tell the kids she's "just a puppet," She is VERY real to them!) come to our Spanish circle time. She is from Mexico and only speaks Spanish. She had a starring role this month and told us a lot about her home of Hermosillo. She told us about her favorite food, tacos and explained that they look very different than the ones you might see at Taco Bell! She likes her food spicy! She also told us about her favorite time of year that is right after our Halloween. It's called Day of the Dead. Some of our friends have seen a Disney movie called "Coco" that explains a lot about it. She told us about birthday parties and piñatas. and then we of course had to all make one! Here's a simple version of how to make one: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/306807793372573250/
Remember, La Casa Grande is a preschool and I don't have an assistant. I wasn't about to attempt papier mâché! This is a much simpler version!
Now of course if you want to attempt the more complicated way, my hats off to you and here are your instructions:
ART
For our art component I found three separate books about Frida Kahlo a famous Mexican artist and we made and decorated piñatas. I usually stay away from anything that resembles a craft where everyone goes home with something that looks like their classmate's craft. While the piñatas bordered on being a craft I was able to see the children's individuality shine through. I gave instruction on making the tissue paper fringe and gluing it to the paper bag, however each child chose their own color and glued it their own way. Some chose to add streamers to the bottom, others opted out of that part. I added the goodies inside so that part will be a surprise. What they did at home with their piñatas was entirely up to them. One of my students said she was going to throw a birthday party for her stuffies to have an occasion for the piñata. I LOVE their creativity!
MUSIC
This was one of the easiest components to fill! Our background was filled the whole month with music! From Spanish Preschool music like Jose Luis Orozco (whom I've had the honor to meet!), to Fiesta Musical
a CD I purchased from Kaplan https://www.kaplanco.com/product/10997/fiesta-musical-cd-a-musical-adventure-through-latin-america-for-children?c=14%7CMV1000
to some of my own Latin Pop and Rock favorites on Spotify!
@Shakira @Manaoficial @Juanes @LuisFonsi @juanluisguerra @julietavenegasp
This month is dear to my heart because my dad is from Mexico and I am from Ecuador. My daughter is also of Mexican descent. But whether or not you and your loved ones come from a Hispanic background, I encourage you to celebrate this special, colorful, and tasty month every year. I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
#hispanicheritagemonthinpreschool #earlychildhoodeducation #diversityinearlychildhood #lifeisbetterinpreschool
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