Ms. Rosie has developed a series of themed Storytime kits to support Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
She has shared some with us. Remember that Hispanic Heritage Month runs until October 15th so it’s not too late to celebrate! It’s also never a bad idea to include a diversity of programs. Here at Storytime Solidarity we recommend inclusive programming year round with special pushes during the designated months.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the various Hispanic cultures and immerse yourself and your little ones in new experiences. Here in the United States, we have festivals, community organizations creating culturally specific cooking classes, author events, Folklorico Dance, arts/crafts, and some movie theaters showcasing movies written/produced by Hispanic/Latine people and filmed in Central or South America.
El Mes de la Herencia Hispana es una maravillosa oportunidad para apreciar las diversas culturas hispanas y sumergirse usted y sus pequeños en nuevas experiencias. Aquí en los Estados Unidos, tenemos festivales, organizaciones comunitarias que crean clases de cocina culturalmente específicas, eventos de autor, danza folclórica, artes/manualidades y algunas salas de cine que exhiben películas escritas/producidas por personas hispanas/latinas y filmadas en América Central o del Sur.
-Ms. Rosie
This kit is based around the book COQUÍ IN THE CITY and Puerto Rico.
Book:
A heartfelt picture book based on the author-illustrator’s own experiences, about a boy who moves to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico and realizes that New York City might have more in common with San Juan than he initially thought.
Printable:
Ms. Rosie created her own coloring page on Canva.
Why Puerto Rico?
Well I wanted to showcase the various animals that live in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has a Rainforest called El Yunque. I have been lucky to see it in person, and it is beautiful. I wanted to find a craft that would go well with the theme of the story of this special bond of the boy with his coquí.
Craft:
Magic Color Scratch Little Garden Critters.
From a kit available from Oriental Trading.
Are you looking for even MORE frog crafts? Check out this post from ArtsyCraftsyMom.
This kit is based around the book LA CUCARACHA MARTINA: A CARIBBEAN FOLKTALE.
Book:
This tale has been told orally, read aloud, and passed down through families from one generation to another. Pura Belpré was from Puerto Rico, where there is a long history of oral storytelling. She wrote stories from her native country. One of those, Perez y Martina, has been retold by many authors.
The ending changes between retelling but the story remains the same, Martina, a beautiful cockroach has suitors asking her to marry them. She makes a plan and meets the love of her life. Together they live happily ever after. The suitor changes: Ratoncito Perez or a Quiet Cricket.
Additional reading:
THE LIFE OF / LA VIDA DE PURA.
Introduce your little ones to the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City, Pura Belpré, in both English and Spanish!
Craft:
Bug magnet kit.
From a kit available from Oriental Trading.
Or, you can use this DIY version from Three Sisters.
Assembling is great for developing fine motor skills and helps with visual focus.
Want to know more?
The Solidarity Team is thrilled to be featuring the award winning 123 ANDRES on our song list. We thank them so much for helping us diversify our song list!
Lullabies don’t have to be reserved for bedtime story programs! They’re a great way to calm little people down and get them settled for the next story!
This song features Ms. Rosie and Ms. Juana showing different interpretations of the same song. We love that it highlights the variety of language and experience within Latinx and Hispanic communities.
”I want to thank Ms. Rosie for giving an excellent presentation explaining how to accurately represent Latin culture. I truly appreciate the efforts that she put into this presentation. I’d like to echo Ms. Rosie’s words: do your research. It is refreshing to hear Ms. Rosie explain why we should not lump Hispanic countries together just because they share the same language.
Each country has their own traditions, customs and cuisine that’s dependent on their region. Though we all have different skin colors, we are all part of the human rainbow. Ms. Rosie did an excellent job in explaining why the cookie cutter approach to celebrating Hispanic heritage is problematic when celebrating Hispanic Heritage. That is something that we all need to think about in order to stop perpetuating stereotypes and make a sincere effort to accurately represent authentic Hispanic culture. Cinco De Mayo hats and Mariachi bands may have their place, but they do not represent the entire Hispanic universe. As a Puerto Rican, I thought it was nice to finally hear that. Thank you so much. Ms. Rose! Wepa!!!!
Ms. Juana
