Integrating Holidays: Cinco de Mayo

For the history, the WHY, and more reading material, check out a post from last year on this festive Holiday most Americans (Mexican or not) tend to recognize. Click here: Cinco de Mayo.

I see the term on invitations to parties, graduation invites, and sales all around. So, this year because of the business, we celebrated simple in my house.

We learned about the Mexican flag.

Then we compared it to the American flag. We talked about why there are flags, what we do when we say the Pledge, and the colors. Because my child is four, we took the time to make patterns like the Mexican flag with beads. And then of course, we read a new book I found at a Scholastic fair.



Maybe next year I will "spice" it up a bit.

Enjoy!

Integrating Culture: Hispanic Heritage Month

From September 15th to October 15th, tht United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month. According to Wikipedia: "September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. They all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18, and September 21, respectively."

Hispanic Heritage Month also celebrates the long and important presence of Hispanic Americans in North America, starting with the discovery of America by Spanish conquistadors led by Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1492. While we no longer receive the day off of school for Columbus Day, we do need to recognize that he discovered a land where we know occupy and live.

The contributions of Hispanic and Latino are many and to help guide you on who and the what, here is the government website you can read on what they are focusing on here: Hispanic Heritage

Here are a few books to read:

Here is a website I have sent to my teacher, but there are some names of Latinos you could have your child look up and read about. Scholastic.

Here are some more resources you can use during the last part of this month and all year long to recognize Hispanic and Latino Heritage: Parents Connect.