Are you looking for some last-minute print-and-go activities for Día de los Muertos to share with your kids? MommyMaestra has you covered!
Be sure to check out the Día de los Muertos section of my TpT shop. Most of the downloads are available in both English and Spanish. And you can buy them individually or in a bundle. Here are some examples of the activities in my shop:
A final Halloween-themed post before I focus on Día de los Muertos! Are you looking for Halloween-themed print-and-go activities? Check out my selection of downloads available in English and Spanish!
My favorite one to create is this Halloween Storybook and Cumulative Tale Lesson. It gives younger children a printable storybook that they can color in. It is the story of a little witch's house. Short and sweet, it focuses on relationships while utilizing mainly nouns and adjectives.
THEN, the file includes an introduction to cumulative tales and provides graphic organizers that guide your children/students through the process of creating their own.
Read more on my post about Teaching Cumulative Tales.
The season for spooks, sweets, and treats is upon us! I wanted to share two more posts for Halloween before I turn my attention to Día de los Muertos. Today, I'm focusing on activity books!
With most kids loving the anticipation of the holidays, Halloween is always a great way to find extra fun that isn’t just about costumes and candy. Many parents have started doing themed baskets as early gifts with activities, books, and games to let their children enjoy the upcoming holiday. If you can find an activity that engages a child and excites them, that is a perfect way to spend time getting ready for the big night of fun. These Halloween activity books for kids will keep your children entertained and they may even learn something. Perfect for car rides and winding down for the day.
Arranged by age range, these activity books are sure to be a hit in your home!
Halloween Hidden Pictures Puffy Sticker Playscenes (Ages 3-6)
My Spooky Halloween Sticker and Activity Book (Ages 3-6)
How to Draw Halloween Stuff (Ages 4-8)
Halloween Hidden Pictures® Puzzles to Highlight (Ages 6)
Halloween Wipe Clean Book for Kids (Ages 4-6)
Room on the Broom Big Activity Book (Ages 4-8)
Spooky Mazes Activity Book (Ages 4 -8)
Countdown to Halloween Activity Book (Ages 4-8)
Halloween Puzzles Deluxe (Ages 4-8)
Halloween Tales Hidden Picture Book (Ages 6-9)
Día de los Muertos is quickly approaching. It is the time of year when many families take the opportunity to remember their friends and family who have passed away.
If you don't know what exactly Day of the Dead is about, check out my post, A Brief History of Día de los Muertos for Children. You can also click on the post tags to see TONS of content (crafts, books, lesson plans, etc.) for this holiday here on MommyMaestra
I'm kicking off this year's Day of the Dead content by sharing this lovely new animated music video by Nathalia. I think those of you raising bilingual kids will love it.
Enjoy!
Are you looking for a fun and fall-themed activity or craft to keep your kids busy this weekend? This (LEGO) brick-stamped apple tree craft is brilliantly simple to prepare!
I have two boys who absolutely love Legos...
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| (One small tote full of Lego's from my kid's room dumped all over the living room floor.) |
So saying I have all the bricks 100 kids need to craft with is by no means an exaggeration.
And I'm guessing that a LOT of you reading this can totally relate. So that's why I thought it would be fun to share this simple craft using a little paint, a piece of paper, and some LEGOS! It's the perfect craft in ANY language!
The following is a guest post by MommyMaestra contributor, Stacie Servantes Farias, a Mexican-American mom of 6 who does not blog because she is too busy reading other blogs to write one of her own.
Deep sigh. October...my favorite month of the year where temperatures begin to drop, the mosquitos begin to disappear, and the changing of the leaves never fails to impress with its beautiful, fiery hues. October is a month to celebrate these seasonal changes, and the best part, it gets topped off by a holiday where we get to wear costumes and collect bags of candy!
Surely Anne Shirley was right when she said,
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers!” - L.M. Montgomery from Anne of Green Gables
For my homeschooling family, and for many families everywhere, October has an additional special meaning as Dyslexia Awareness Month. I have written for Mommy Maestra before about how dyslexia has impacted my family and have shared a couple of reviews and resources (here and here) that we’ve enjoyed. However, in honor of this lovely month and because most homeschooling families beginning their dyslexia journey do not know where to start, I’d like to share a few links and resources which I hope will be as illuminating for you, as they have been for me.
This post contains affiliate links.
https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/
Seriously, start your research with this website. It is fantastic! Curriculum reviews, comparison, tools, eBooks, workshops, everything you need to learn about dyslexia is here.
Wonderful website for homeschoolers AND school systems families. I have said this before and I will say it again, Susan Barton, the founder of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia and Barton Reading and Spelling, is a Q-U-E-E-N! Watch the videos and this website and be in awe of her compassion and expertise.
This is the website for the International Dyslexia Association and info on dyslexia is available in English AND Spanish on this website. Be sure to check it out!
https://www.dyslexicadvantage.org/
Brock and Fernette Eide recently developed a dyslexia screening app for the iPad!
https://www.facebook.com/decodingdyslexiamilitary/
Decoding Dyslexia is a parent-led nonprofit that is available in every state. The link above is for the DD-Military Chapter but rest assured your state has its own network that you can google.
https://www.theliteracynest.com/
Check out this shop on her site and Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s excellent!
Fun Fun FUN phonics-based activities found here!
Dyslexia 101: Truth, Myths, and What Really Works by Marianne Sunderland
Quick read and good starting point.
Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz and Johnathan Shaywitz
Make sure you read the new and updated 2020 edition.
The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock and Fernette Eide
The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan by Ben Foss
The Dyslexia Quest Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dyslexia-quest-podcast/id901156826
Read Aloud Revival Podcast Episodes 175 & 176
https://readaloudrevival.com/podcasts/
Institute For Excellence in Writing Podcast. There are many episodes dedicated to dyslexia but here is one in particular that I enjoyed.
https://iew.com/help-support/podcast/episode-159-iew-and-dyslexia-conversation-susan-barton
There are so many more books, websites, blogs, podcasts, etc. available that it would be impossible to include them all, which means that our children and homeschools are blessed to have an abundance of dyslexia resources. Whether you are the 1 in 5 people with dyslexia, or your child is, take comfort in knowing there are solutions, advantages, accommodations, and anything you need to make learning accessible. I leave you with a quick 5-minute video that explains dyslexia way more concisely than I ever could.
Happy October to you all!
The following is a guest post by homeschool mom, Rachel, from Where'd You Learn That.
Can you attempt Spanish-English bilingual homeschool, even when you don’t *really* speak Spanish?
Sure you can! For the exact same reason that homeschool parents don’t need degrees in chemistry or physics so that their kids can study high school-level science.
You don’t need to be an expert in everything that your child learns during their homeschool journey. You do need to be willing to learn alongside your child, and to seek out resources and tools for the learning journey that you are embarking on.
Let me share what I’ve learned since beginning bilingual homeschool as a mom who doesn’t *really* speak Spanish...or didn’t until this journey started!
My family is fairly typical of those you’ll find among the bilingual parenting community. My husband has Mexican heritage and grew up speaking Spanish in his family, and I’m an English speaker. I did take a couple college classes in Spanish many years ago, but...as is the story of many who studied a language but never needed to use it to communicate...I never spoke it, up until after we had children.
Raising Spanish-speaking kids was important to my husband, so it became important to me. We started out with the typical OPOL method, “One Parent One Language.” But...where we live, we have zero access to a local Spanish-speaking community, and I’m the primary caregiver, while my husband works outside the home. We quickly realized that if the only Spanish exposure our kids got was through conversation with him, it wouldn’t be enough for them to build really solid Spanish language skills. I needed to get involved in the process. Spanish needed to become a natural part of our homeschool preschool routine. I needed to get outside my own language comfort zone and challenge myself in order to give my children the gift of bilingualism.
So, I set my mind to the task of bilingual homeschooling, even though I was far from able to hold a conversation in Spanish. If you’re in a similar place, how can you get started?
I started by collecting any Spanish picture book I could get my hands on. Translated or authentic, it didn’t really matter when I was starting from nothing. What mattered was that even though my spoken Spanish was slow, broken, and awkward, my background of taking Spanish classes had equipped me with the ability to pronounce Spanish words and read them aloud.
I don’t understand every word, or the grammatical order of the sentences in the endless picture books I read to my young children, but illustrations, a storyline, and young, eager listeners provide the perfect foundation for understanding. Make it a goal to learn how to read Spanish aloud, and you’ll quickly grow more and more comfortable with the vocabulary and rhythm of the language.
I can sing dozens of songs off by heart—all the songs I heard throughout my childhood. Every one of them is in English. When exploring bilingual homeschool, I needed to enter the unknown world of Spanish music for children. I asked my husband about his favorite artists. I talked to other parents raising Spanish-speaking kids and got recommendations of artists creating child-friendly music in Spanish. I made it a habit to play Spanish music during times of work and play throughout our day.
When the Spanish music plays, I don’t turn my mind off. I listen. Over time, with repeated hearings, I try to sing along. I stumble over the fast pace of the words at first, but with time, I get better. As time has passed, I begin to be able to sing some of these songs even without the music in the background. Today, my sons can be heard singing in Spanish as they play together. Bilingualism isn’t built in a day, but in a million tiny decisions throughout the years.
Although my children are young, I feel very comfortable in the world of homeschool and education. I was homeschooled from preschool through graduation. I’ve been a classroom teacher, a private tutor, and a curriculum writer in the days before parenthood. If I were homeschooling in English only, I’d be just the type to create custom, DIY curriculum, to go off-script, to lead spontaneous activities and unit studies.
But because I’m homeschooling bilingually in a language I’m not yet confident in...I need a script right now. I have purposefully purchased workbooks and learning guides that are published in Spanish so that I have a script to follow. I use Spanish-language videos to teach concepts to my children, and use the same videos to teach new vocabulary to myself. I don’t have all the vocabulary words that a native-speaking teacher would have. I know myself. If I’m not prepared, if I don’t have some sort of script to give me the basic words, I’m going to freeze, and all the vocabulary I do have will disappear from my brain. I’ll revert back to what’s easier for me: leading any activity in English. Curriculums that are already in Spanish help make bilingual homeschool possible for me.
Many families choose to incorporate online or in-person classes taught by native speakers. You are not “betraying” any homeschool ideals when you hire a teacher to help strengthen the Spanish component of your homeschool. There are no unwritten rules that good homeschool moms do everything on their own. I know it feels like that’s a rule...but trust me, it isn’t.
I want to applaud everyone out there who’s on the journey of learning a second or third language as an adult. It’s tough. You feel like an intelligent, capable human being when speaking your native language, but in your second language, you stumble. You speak slower. You make errors that are obvious to a 1st grader. You get frustrated with your clumsy tongue. Sometimes it’s just easier to be quiet than to continue trying to speak.
When you’re using your second language to homeschool your kids, there will be times when your native-speaking kids know the right Spanish words to use before you do. Times when they correct you and remind you. That means you’re on the right track. You’re giving your children the gift of language acquisition at an early age. This is something that’s going to benefit them for a lifetime, and it’s okay if there are times when it’s a little hard on your own self-esteem. Press on!
So many years lie ahead of us. The subjects we study will get more complex. I may not know where to find Spanish-language books, videos, curriculum, and resources for science, history, and beyond!
That’s okay! It may feel like you’re walking this path of bilingual homeschool alone, but you’re never truly alone. Search out people who are further along on the journey. There are amazing homeschool parents out there sharing resources on their blogs, Instagram accounts, and YouTube channels. There are parents and educators creating new Spanish curriculum to fill in the gaps that they have noticed along the way.
I seek out such people. I follow them. I save their book recommendations and their posts in lists I’m making for future years. I gain new ideas and am encouraged that it is possible to build a thriving bilingual homeschool. Follow people that keep you looking ahead to the adventures that await you. You CAN do this!
Photo credit:(c) Can Stock Photo / pressmaster
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Rachel is a 2nd generation homeschool and a mom of two. She shares her bilingual homeschool journey on her Youtube channel, The Nerdy Homeschooler. Rachel and her husband, a Spanish teacher, work together to create printable resources for bilingual homeschoolers on their website.
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
As I mentioned in my last post, this is one of my favorite times of year for finding new resources that I can use to explore our Hispanic heritage throughout the year.
Today, I want to start with resources for little ones. So I'm sharing a list of five picture books that feature myths and folktales from five different countries in Latin America. What a great way to introduce culture to young minds!
Enjoy!
This following are Amazon affiliate links. See my sidebar for more information.
Long ago, the gods of Mesoamerica set out to create humans. They tried many times during each sun, or age. When all their attempts failed and the gods grew tired, only one did not give up: Quetzalcóatl—the Feathered Serpent. To continue, he first had to retrieve the sacred bones of creation guarded by Mictlantecuhtli, lord of the underworld. Gathering his staff, shield, cloak, and shell ornament for good luck, Feathered Serpent embarked on the dangerous quest to create humankind.
In this bilingual book, written in English, Spanish, and bits of Quechua, we'll meet Ch'illik'utu (Kutu), a princess the size of a cob of maize. When a terrible drought devastate the city of Cusco, where she lives, Kutu sets out on a courageous quest to save her people.
Alida, the daughter of a Taíno chief, lives in paradise. One day, she is startled by a boy from the opposing tribe, the Carib. Meeting daily in a hidden place, Alida and the boy, Taroo, soon become friends ー and then their friendship blossoms into something more. What will happen if someone discovers their forbidden love? A retelling of the Taíno legend of how the hummingbird came to be, this story brings an ancient culture ー and a young love ー to colorful life.
In the magical rainforest of the Iguazú National Park, butterflies are the multicolored flowers of the air. Great dusky swifts watch over the park, and the untamed spirits of jaguars roam the jungle. Spanning three countries--Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay--the thundering waterfalls and lush green rainforests of the Iguazú have dazzled visitors for centuries, and are now in danger of being lost.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins in less than a week! How does your family or classroom celebrate this month-long observance? Personally, I think it's important to recognize the contributions of Hispanic people and culture to the U.S. throughout the year. But I do like taking advantage of all the resources that become available during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Over the years, my family has celebrated in a variety of ways and learned about some amazing people along the way. I've listed many of these in my recent article for PBS SoCal. Check it out if you are looking for some inspiration. I even included a printable Hispanic Heritage Month Bucket List (shown above) for you to download for free. NOTE: The article does have some resources geared specifically for Southern California, but there are items listed that will appeal to families all across the United States.
Also, don't forget that I have some great downloads available for exploring Latinos in U.S. History, as well as materials for learning about traditions and holidays of Hispanic culture. Here are a few that I recommend:
