National Hispanic Heritage Month begins Sept 15th and ends on Oct 15th. This 30 day period-known as Fiestas Patrias among the Hispanic community-was enacted by President Reagan as a way to recognize the influence of Hispanic Americans in the US. Sept 15th is of importance because many Latin American countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and my beloved Mexico, celebrate their independence during September.
Our family kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating Mexico’s Independence. On the eve of El Día de la Independencia, we stay up to watch El Grito live from El Zocalo. Watch a spanish-speaking vlog explaining the history of el grito HERE or an english version HERE The next morning we enjoy a traditional Mexican breakfast like chilaquiles, while we watch the military parade. We spend the rest of the day doing all the Mexican things like playing lotería, cutting papel picado and making paper flowers. We cook our favorite Mexican foods. Believe it or not, it’s never tacos! While tacos are an every day staple, special occasions call for more elaborate dishes, made from scratch. My kids top three are red pozole, tinga tostadas, and mole colorado (click for recipes) our celebrations don’t stop there! For the next few weeks in our homeschool, we’ll be learning about other Spanish speaking nations and their cultures. Below, I am including some suggestions to help you observe Hispanic Heritage Month.
Take a virtual tour of Spanish speaking countries on YouTube. For every country, I’ve included two videos. One highlights beautiful landmarks and breath taking landscapes. The other features that nation’s traditional folk dance. Each video is about 5 minutes long, but you can certainly extend the activity by having a discussion afterwards.
You don’t have to do every activity. Choose whatever fits your homeschool style, to enrich your learning and have fun with it!
As a Mexican homeschooling mom, I want to invite you to partake in Hispanic Heritage Month activities with your children. You don’t have to speak Spanish or be Latinx/Hispanic to celebrate our heritage, but please remember that this is so much more than an excuse to drink tequila, wear a sombrero, and fiesta! Hispanic Heritage month is the perfect opportunity to dig deeper and see us beyond the stereotypes, in an effort to learn about our culture, traditions, history, and to truly honor our contributions to this nation
