Let’s Explore & Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Creando Explorertorium
Hispanic Heritage Month takes place September 15th to October 15th every year as a time to celebrate and recognize the history, contributions, culture, and language of the Hispanic/Latine community in the United States. So, join our friends at Creando Explorertorium and let’s explore and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with all our senses.
This post includes multiple activities and lesson ideas that are perfect for young learners and can be adapted and completed in-school or at-home with minimal supplies.
Supplies:
Construction paper (various colors)
Markers
Scissors
Popsicle sticks
Playdough
We will begin our exploration by reading the book ¡Todos a Celebrar! A Hispanic Customs & Traditions Alphabet Book. This book is a great way to explore culture and traditions that have transcended borders while also exploring the ABCs with your peque/kiddo.
First, write all 26 letters on a piece of paper (we folded our paper so that children could see the lines - this will be helpful later!). Next, your peque can cut out letters while you read each page of this colorful bilingual libro. This is a great way to practice cutting skills while also exploring letter recognition and letter sounds!
Then, you can have your kiddo use popsicle sticks to make some of the letras explored in el libro such as the letra A de Abrazo. Last, you can extend the activity by asking your kiddo to make a letra from el libro that catches their attention.
Creando loves cooking with little language explorers! Through cooking, our kiddos engage with important math/literacy concepts and also get to explore new flavors, cultures, and language. The next several activities are inspired by the book, Round is a Tortilla, by Roseanne Thong. We love this book because it showcases a celebration of Hispanic culture and shapes through whimsical elements and rhyming text.
As an introduction to learning, you can start by playing a simple, fun memory game using the following shapes highlighted in the book (Cuadrado/Square, Circulo/Circle, Rectángulo/Rectangle, Ovalo/Oval, Triangulo/Triangle, and Estrella/Star). You can follow up by reading the book, Round is a Tortilla, and exploring the shapes and the featured objects of Latino origin.
You can also use playdough and ask your kiddo to make a paleta, a casa, or a quesadilla. You can finish your language exploration by making some quesadillas and reviewing the vocabulary learned. We love the idea of kids using fun cookie cutter shapes to extend this activity as well!
We love creating- Creando with our peques. Creating and making is a great way to develop language skills and instill a love for learning through a more creative and fun platform.
First, begin by reading the book Rainbow Weavors-Tejedoras de Arcoiris. This book is a sweet celebration of tradition, resourcefulness, and creating and recycling inspired by the talented Mayan craftspeople and community. Next, you can start your exploration by talking about the importance of recycling and ways that we can take care of our planet and community. Then, you can follow by exploring los colores through a fun scavenger hunt. After, you can read the book and explore more about Guatemala and Ixchel through this colorful story. You can finish your language exploration by making this paper weaver and reviewing all the colors of the Arcoíris.
We hope you have enjoyed exploring and celebrating Hispanic Heritage month with us. There are lots of bilingual books to continue to learn, explore, create, and discover more about all the amazing contributions of the Hispanic/Latine community that enrich our lives every day!
Un fuerte Abrazo!
Tus amigos de Creando
About Creando Explorertorium:
Creando is an award winning educational program for children in the Madison, WI area based on the foundation of a bilingual and Spanish immersion curriculum founded in 2013. Our fun and hands-on five senses learning approach will transport your child to a magical language exploration.
Creando believes that every child will benefit cognitively, socially and culturally by learning a second language. In addition to improving their own cognitive development and learning abilities across many areas, children who learn a second language will become better global citizens through cultural awareness and the ability to communicate with more people around the world.
Our Mission and philosophy is to spark interest, plant seeds, develop and help master a second language by making children fall in love with the Spanish language, culture and the world around them! Our language program engages children in active play through movement, music, dance, games, cooking, STEM activities, outdoor explorations, and art. It encourages children to explore, learn and play with all their senses. It also helps construct ideas of the world by acquiring basic vocabulary, math and social skills. It engages children in creative participation by exploring, artistic projects, pictures, imagination and pretend play. Our educational based language program will help your kiddo gain a sense of self by exploring, playing, and gaining confidence in their developing language skills.
