Tomorrow is Malala Day

Tomorrow has been designated Malala Day. Have you heard her story? Malala Yousafzai is the young girl in Pakistan who has been fighting for the education of girls in her country. in 2009, she began writing a blog for the BBC under a pseudonym, describing her life under the Taliban and expressing her thoughts about the importance of educating young girls. In 2010, the New York Times filmed a documentary about her and she became more vocal about her position. Desmond Tutu nominated her for the Interntaional Children's Peace Prize and she even won Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize.

In retaliation, the Taliban, who view girls' education is an obscenity, horrifically shot her in the head last month on October 9th. Ironically, their cruelty has only brought her greater fame and highlighted the cause for which she is fighting.

You can learn more about her story watching this video by ABCNews.com.

Her story is not uncommon. Across the globe, 32 million girls around the world are denied daily their right to go to a classroom and learn. But this issue often goes unnoticed. Too often the voice of girls and women are silenced, their education suppressed, because an educated woman is a powerful thing. We see the foolishness of war. Because of our role in our families, we seek peaceful relationships and cooperation among members. We are the voice of sanity in an insane world - and we are exactly what the world needs to settle differences and find common ground.

The Office of the UN Special Envoy for Global Education has taken up Malala's issue and are declaring November 10th a global day of action for Malala and all the other girls around the world who are denied an education. Tomorrow, Gordon Brown, Former British Prime Minister and current UN Special Envoy for Global Education, and his wife Sarah will travel to Pakistan to deliver to President Zardari their million-plus petition to make education a reality for all Pakistani children.

If you'd like to join me in showing support, you can sign the petition at www.iammalala.org.

A Night Time Story

In honor of National Picture Book Month, I'm happy to share a series of book reviews introducing you to some incredible picture books for children. Some are new and some are not, but all of them are a visual feast - and the storylines aren't so bad either! So let's kick off with a new title from Independent Publishers Group (IPG)...

A Night Time Story

By Roberto Aliaga, Illustrated by Sonja Wimmer

The perfect bedtime tale, A Night Time Story is a beautifully illustrated work about how every evening, the Night comes to tuck a little child in before bed. In her hands, she carries dozens of stories and picks new and exciting ones to tell each time, allowing the child to drift off to sleep and dream. From sweet stories at the fairground to mysterious stories in the desert, this little child can enjoy an endless number of dreams and make them his or her own.

Sonja Wimmer's illustrations are soft and whimsical, great for inspiring dreams in your own children. I love that the main character is drawn in such a way that it could be either a boy or a girl depending on who is reading the story.

Roberto Aliaga has written several childrens books in Spanish. Jon Brokenbrow translated it to English, and it appears to be a literal translation that seems to flow well, though a wee bit choppy in a spot or two.

This lovely picture book is just one of the titles IPG distributes from the Spanish publisher Cuento de Luz. It is available in hardback or as an eBook, and is also available in Spanish. Best suited for children ages 5 to 7.

I leave you with a couple more images from the book...

I Vote Because...

Are you voting today? I am. Because I believe in democracy. And a democracy can only exist when the people have a voice and use it.

A democracy depends on the education and involvement of it's citizens. The famous philosopher, Plato, basically held the position that uneducated people who did not learn about the government were more likely to fall victim to tyrants. If you don't know the rules or the issues, then someone can lie to you, forcing you (whether you know it or not) to do what they want you to do, instead of what is good for everyone.

Plato said that ignorant people will always obey tyrants.

And I would add that those who do not voice their opinion (even if they are wrong), risk being imprisoned by their own silence.

Everyone has the right to vote. It doesn't matter who you vote for (okay, yes it really does!), but I certainly wouldn't presume to tell anyone who they should vote in favor of. You're an intelligent person and everyone has the right to vote for whoever they feel has the country's best interest at heart.

I look at my personal Facebook page and see about half my friends fiercely in favor of one candidate/party, and the other half passionately supporting the other. Does voting one way or the other make them good or bad? No. It makes them human. It makes them people with free will and the right to make their own voices heard. I love them regardless of who they support because I know that what it boils down to is values and each person trying to elect the person they think will be best for the country. Some people only care about family values. Others are mainly concerned about the economy, while others are deeply concerned about health care.

I'll be honest and say that the top three issues that influence my opinion are:
#1 - The way I think people should be treated.

#2 - The education of our children.

#3 - And the importance of working together despite differences of opinion to find solutions that benefit the most people and our country as a whole.

Our country owes it to our citizens to provide them with caring, educated people in power who have a strong sense of social responsibility and justice.

It's up to us to put them in place. There are millions of people around this world who do not have the basic human right to vote for the person they think will do a better job leading their country. I would be sick to my stomach knowing that I treat my ability and opportunity to vote with indifference because I don't agree 100% with the candidates. Honestly? I can't think of a single person on the planet with whom I agree 100% on every issue. And I'm not so conceited as to think I know the right answer to everything.

Don't let yourself be led silently, or you may not find yourself in a very good place. You don't have to be rude or obnoxious or belligerent. You can be thoughtful and firm, always thinking of others.

Go out and vote.

And don't let anyone stop you.

The Final Rumbo al College Webinar Airs Wednesday

This is the final webinar in this four-part series. The bilingual webinars are free to all who register. Click here to sign up and watch.

Lingual: The Multi-Language Learning Application {GIVEAWAY}

There's a new multilingual app about to launch that parents and teachers should know about. Lingual is an interactive iPad application. The immersion game will be available as a free app possibly as soon as next month. With three language options, Lingual will teach English, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish through both audio and text. I love that players will also be introduced to geography and culture through various maps and famous landmarks.

The application is designed by Tiny Factory, and they are using Kickstarter to help finish funding the last of their project. If you'd like to help them make Lingual a reality, consider becoming a backer. By contributing to this project, you have the option of receiving certain gifts associated with the game, such as flash cards, posters, and a glass copy of artwork found in the app. They've already raised over $4,000 of the $5,000 they need to get funding, so every dollar counts!

Here's a short video introducing the app...

THE GIVEAWAY

Lingual is offering one of their beautiful game art works printed in glass and signed by the artist to one MommyMaestra reader. Valued at $80, it is a treasure for any family.

This is for the collectors and the language education supporters. You will receive 1 8”x10” game play concept art signed by the artist and printed to glass. Glass print will be of a monument from an English, Mandarin or Spanish journey.

To win this giveaway, simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

The deadline to enter is 11:59 EST, Friday, November 9th. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. and contacted via email - so be sure to leave a valid email address in your comment! (If I have no way to contact you, I'll have to choose someone else!)

And to increase your chances of winning, you can:

1) Follow Lingual on Twitter (@catchlingual) and send them a tweet between now and Friday, November 9th, 2012.

2) Follow the MommyMaestra FB page.

3) Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following: Win a glass art piece from @LatinMami & @catchlingual #giveaway

Don't forget to let me know by posting a separate comment for each entry!

By entering this giveaway, you agree to the Official Sweepstakes Rules. No purchase required. Void where prohibited.

¡Buena suerte!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post.

 

 

 

Thanks to the College Board

The College Board is one of the best and most comprehensive online sites for college-bound students and their families. Their goal is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to prepare for, enroll in, and graduate from college. They run a number of College Readiness programs including-

• Advanced Placement (AP®)
• SpringBoard®
• ReadiStep™
• CollegeEd®
• CLEP®
• PSAT/NMSQT®
• EXCELerator™

They also manage the SATs, SAT prep programs, and provide online tools like BigFuture, financial aid and scholarship search options, and a local/national college search.

The reality is that even though more Latino students are applying for and getting accepted to college, many are unprepared and lack the skills necessary to successfully navigate the system and earn a college degree. AP classes not only allow students to develop the skills they'll need for college classes, but they also give students the opportunity to get credit for college courses so that they can concentrate on other subjects or take more advanced classes once they enter.

There have often been critics of Latino students who take Spanish AP classes, but in fact this class is a great introduction to other AP classes and helps to build their confidence making them more likely to enroll in other AP classes. Unfortunately, many Latino students attend low-income schools that do not offer these courses. Teachers may require extra training and materials that schools cannot afford, or do not want to allocate. So the College Board advocates for these opportunities for students across the country.

If you know a high school student who is serious about college, take the time to direct them to the College Board where they'll find plenty of information to help them on their path to higher education.

Other Posts That May Interest You

• Top Five Reasons Why Latino Children Need to Go to College
  
  
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund Makes College a Reality for Latinos
  
  
• The Empowered Community College Student
  
  
• DSST Online Study Guides for High Schoolers
  
  
• CLEP Study Guides for High School Students

The Little Chefs eBook

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had been working on the Little Chefs Project. The project includes not only the Cook-Alongs, but also an eBook and recipes. I'm so pleased to announce that the Little Chefs eBook is now available online. This free, online book was written by 40 moms who share their tips, recipes, and ideas on cooking with kids.

As you can tell from the post my friend Becky shared yesterday here on MommyMaestra about the history of Calabaza en Tacha, I love learning about ways to use food and cooking to supplement school subjects. So my chapter in the ebook is focused on Teachable Moments, specifically on how to use food to teach history.

But the book also covers other areas and is divided into six chapters on the following topics:

- Feel Like a Kid Again
- Teachable Moments
- Everyday Fun
- Family Time
- Fun with Flavors
- Family Traditions

The book is not only a valuable resources with plenty of ideas on how you can use your kitchen with your children, but is also a visual treat. You can also find  the recipes mentioned in the book, and many others on Chef Boyardee's site. Before getting involved in this project, it never occurred to me that I could use Chef Boyardee cooking kits to create a variety of meals from a single boxed kit.

So far three Cook-Alongs have taken place, but there are still three more left! I hope you'll join us for these live recipe demos and online chats.

Enjoy this wonderful ebook. I know you'll find some great ideas to use in your own kitchen with your children.

Un abrazo...

Disclosure: I am working with The Motherhood and Chef Boyardee on the Little Chefs project.

Calabaza en Tacha: History and Recipe

The following is a guest post by Becky Morales from Kid World Citizen.

 

We often associate pumpkins with Halloween in the US, but did you know that many varieties of pumpkins have been cultivated in Mexico for thousands of years!? In fact, archeologists have found pumpkin seeds in tombs in Mexico dating back to 7000 BC! They also found evidence that indigenous farmers cultivated the pumpkin from 6000-5000 BC in Oaxaca and Tehuacán in Central Mexico (which coincidentally is also where the first maize was ever cultivated). The pumpkin shell was used as a recipient and cup by the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican indigenous groups, and pumpkin seeds were ground in sauces (such as mole or pepián). 

The Aztecs celebrated Mictecacihuatl (Queen of the underworld and afterlife) during their fall festival commemorating the dead- which eventually combined with the Catholic “All Souls Day,” and evolved into the current Day of the Dead celebration. During this fall festival, they cooked the pumpkin pulp in clay pots. This dish- “calabaza en tacha”- is enjoyed by people around Mexico and Guatemala during the fall when pumpkins are harvested. Typically bought in mercados or ferias (fall festivals) to celebrate Day of the Dead, here is a version you can make at home. It’s a simple, delicious, and nutritious recipe that your kids will love!

 

Ingredients:

1-2 pumpkins that will fit in the pot you are using

piloncillo (dark, unrefined cane sugar)

the juice from 1 orange

cinnamon sticks

optional: butter, cloves, anise seeds, sweetened condensed milk;

Piloncillo is normally sold in Mexico in conical shapes. I ran out of the piloncillo I had brought home from Mexico, but fortunately found that Goya makes and distributes it in this packaging in the US at local supermarkets. If you cannot find it, you can use brown sugar and molasses (in the US), or golden syrup (in the UK, Australia, New Zealand).

First, cut the pumpkin into wedges. Normally in Mexico they leave in the seeds and pulp, but sometimes I remove them to roast the seedsJ. My daughter also like me to take out the “strings.”

In a large pot, put in the pumpkin chunks, the piloncillo, the cinnamon sticks, squeeze the juice out of an orange, and add a couple of inches of water. Sometimes cooks in Mexico add in anise seeds and or cloves to the water, and some cooks also put in a couple of pats of butter.

Cover and simmer until the pumpkin is very tender (15-30 minutes- keep checking), spooning the juices over the pumpkin and stirring the slices so they all get down in the syrup.

Serve warm with the juicy syrup, and if you have some on hand, sweetened condensed milk (this is my family’s favorite part!).

 

¡Aprovecho!

Live Blogging: STEM: The Foundations to Create a Better Future for All

I'm preparing to live blog about a panel going on here at Latism'12. Please check back and refresh the page regularly!


Moderator: Alberto Sardinas - is with Univision
Emily Kirkpatrick - is with National Center for Family Literacy
Alberto Roca - founder of MinorityPostDoc.org
Jesse Martinez - A Start-Up Expert
Monica Vila - founder of the Online Mom

Es el Momento received 100,000 impressions on twitter during their Education Week.

Monica: Less and less of our kids are entering STEM fields, which limits our skill and achievement in this area.

The image is the probelm: STEM is not "sexy," the students are too "geeky."

Emily : How STEM relates to learning. Their goal is to bring parents and children together to learn.

Literacy and STEM go hand-in-hand. Both can help each other.

2/3rds of our countries 3rd graders cannot pass benchmark tests on math.

1/5th of our adults are not proficient in literacy.

Wonderopolis is the first online community dedicated to online learning. Wonderopolis is a site that shares wonderous topics that develop vocabulary and concepts. It encourages further learning, deeper understanding. Subscribe to receive a Wonder-of-the-Day - it is FREE!

En Camino: bilingual online modules to help families to start conversations about college-going.

We all learn best when learning about subjects that are interesting to us.

Litera-Seeds Mini-grants:
Awarding 10-20 grants of $500 each

NOV 1 - Applications accepted for the Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year will receive a 20,000 grant.

Jesse -
Creating an organization to support Latino entrepreneurs. They are also supporting tech entrepreneurship at a high school level.

Their after-school pilot (using google adwords and analytics, creating Facebook apps, building a website) has led to the establishment of a class available for students that teaches them online skills and technology.

Alberto Roca -

Is a scientist interested in DNA repair.

Helps people who are getting doctorates in STEM navigate the system. Problem: we don't have enough Latino staff to serve as role models.

Is now publishing a newsletter, called Diverse Scholar,

Richard a Tapia, PhD, Rice univ. has received ;

Eurgene Cota-Robles, PhD, UD-Riverside
- there is a Graduate Student Fellowship in his honor.

SACNAS - The Society for the Achievement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.

Our problem now is that we have a generation of Latino faculty who are retiring and leaving us.

We need more people who are Diverse Scientists who are Blogging to create science journalists

Isis the Scientist: Lab Goddess
M. Garcia: Chemistry-Blog
C.A. Rodriguez-Rosari: Minus Two Fish
H. Hernandez: On Life and science
L.L. Espinosa: STEM Watch
C. Santa Maria: Talk Nerdy to Me (vlogger)
M. Cinces: SoScience
Univ Washington SACNAS chapter
CienciaPR (Puerto Rico) Spanish/bilingual

Roberto has put together the Diversity in Science Blog Carnival
hosted by Elisa Maldonado, PhD
LarvalMetamorphosis.com

submission form is on MinorityPostdoc.org

Roberto asks: Why is there no interest in STEM?
Jesse says we need to change the perception that it isn't "cool" or attractive.
Emily says that we don't make the subject fun.

Roberto asks: Are moms worried about the way STEM is presented in school?
Monica: There is an incredible difference in the way we teach our kids. Our education has fallen behind and is still teaching for factory jobs.
Check out the video: Did You Know?
She advocates introducing children to technology with proper monitoring.
There's a lot we can do at home, if we can't change our school systems.

Roberto: The trouble is implementing educational goals at a local level. Specific challenges include: Kids need to understand there are certain skills that must be mastered to achieve their dreams (depending on what they are).

Organizations are calling for change in the way science is taught.

Jesse: One of the biggest challenges is the student's home life and what they're support system is like.

Education is not indoctrination. It is giving them the skills they need to apply in the future.

Abróchate a la Vida

Just a reminder...

 

Send a Message to the Students in Bolivia

I know that both educators and parents are going to love this opportunity, because it allows your students and children to communicate with and help other students in another country - Bolivia!

Part of raising children who do not see in color, but in words and actions, is teaching them to see with their heart and find the beauty in differences. It's teaching our children to understand that there are others like us, in another part of the world, who may or may not look like us, but have the same hopes and dreams that we have.

The World Food Programme is working in Bolivia to provide nutritious meals for children in schools. As part of their project, they are inviting other people from around the world to get to know the children in the Huarimarca School in Bolivia, who benefit from their program. Your class or children, can ask a question to the children in Bolivia. The message may be in English or Spanish and will be translated (if needed) and delivered by Ximena, WFP’s Communications Officer there.

What a fantastic opportunity for your kids! You can learn more and send your message here.

Watch this video to learn more...

The Pumpkin Moon Empanadas

I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled when my friend, Clementina, who has the most delicious and amusing blog, told me that she has published her first children's book. Of course, I (politely) demanded a copy, eager to see Clementina's wonderful gift for storytelling channelled into a format specifically for children.

And I was not disappointed. The Pumpkin Moon Empanadas is a lovely tale about young Paloma, whose hard-working Papi loves her so much that he promises to bring her the moon. And then one day, he does! So Paloma and her Mamá get to work making the most delicious empanadas out of it that anyone has ever tasted.

The vibrant illustrations lovingly capture the joy and tenderness of Paloma's relationship with her father. Young readers will be especially drawn to the sweet, colorful images.

The story is written in English with Spanish words and phrases embedded throughout. The English translation immediately follows, encased within brackets which can be a little distracting at first, but native speakers can skip past them easily and there is a glossary in the back of the book, too.

But possibly one of the best things about the book is the delicious recipe for Mexican pumpkin empanadas that is included in the back of the book. Perfect for making with your own little chef!

I love this special little story about how sometimes the greatest gifts we can give our children are imagination and hope.

Best suited for children ages 4 and up.

To purchase your copy of The Pumpkin Moon Empanadas, click here.