Fun during Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States to recognize Hispanic Americans and their contributions to this nation throughout the years. As a Latina living in the US for over 13 years, I feel proud of my culture and honored that my heritage is being recognized and embraced.

This time of celebration is perfect for bringing communities together by celebrating festivals, educational activities, food feasts, and many other events. It is the perfect time to teach our children the importance of cultural diversity and how enriching it is to be open to learning and embracing others no matter where they come from. We are all united in many different ways, and the US has opened the doors to Latinos to be part of this wonderful mix of cultures.

Unity

Latin American countries have many differences and similarities among each other, and Hispanic Heritage month is a great way to celebrate and blend them all together.

Join in on the fun

Join in on the fun of celebrating this special month and share it with your children. There are many ways this can be done, either through cooking delicious dishes from different Latin American countries, such as Venezuelan Arepas, a Peruvian Ceviche, Cuban Croquettes, a Dominican Sancocho, or a tasty Mexican Quesadilla, to playing outdoor games like A la Rueda Rueda, Las Cortinas del Palacio, and El Corazón de la Piña. Also reading books written by Hispanic authors and talking to your children in Spanish or even watching their favorite cartoons in this language.

Dance to the beat

Another entertaining idea, and one of my personal favorites, is listening to different Latin songs and dancing to their beat. Music serves as a way of connecting people from all around the world, and getting kids involved to the rhythms of the Latin culture is always a fun way to make them fall in love with it even more. Dance merengue, salsa, son, bachata, cumbia, and tango and simply have fun with it. Laugh, twist and turn around a room; I assure you the children will love it.

We are unique

It is our joy, energy, humility, family traditions, love and respect for life, for others and for our heritage that make us Latinos special and unique. Let’s share our culture with our children, our neighbors, our friends, and families, no matter their nationality. And let’s make this Hispanic Heritage month a special one for our little ones, after all, they are the generation that will follow our steps and will be in charge of keeping our heritage alive.

¡Hasta la próxima!

Anadel Alberti Sahdalá was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. She moved to the US at the age of 17 to pursue her career in Int’l Business and Marketing Communications at Manhattanville College, and then her MBA at the University of Miami. Project Manager at Lanugo – the first Latino-inspired lifestyle and entertainment brand for Hispanic American pre-schoolers empowering Latino de Corazón™ (Latin at Heart) cultural pride. She currently resides in Miami, FL and spends her days in Mundo Lanugo with the entire Lanugo team, creating and sharing tools to help parents raise children with a strong sense of identity. She is a proud Dominican and, of course, always has been, is, and will be Latina de Corazón™.

Welcome to the Third Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop, hosted this year by Multicultural Kid Blogs and 22 of our member blogs! Don’t miss our amazing giveaway, and share your own posts at our linky!

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15 every year, “celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America” (from HispanicHeritageMonth.gov)

Be sure to visit all of the participating blogs (listed below) and follow our related Pinterest boards:

• Teaching Spanish
• North America
• Central America & The Caribbean
• South America
• Day of the Dead

Don’t miss our Twitter party “Celebrating Hispanic Heritage with Kids,” Tuesday, September 23, from 9 – 10 pm ET! Follow #mkbhhm to participate!

MKB Hispanic Heritage Month Blog Hop: Participating Blogs

Multicultural Kid Blogs

All Done Monkey

Spanish Playground

Kid World Citizen

Mommy Maestra

Inspired by Familia

Entre Compras y El Hogar

Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes

Spanglish House

Crafty Moms Share

Toddling in the Fast Lane

Mama Tortuga

Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Our Whole Village

Changing Plate

A Life With Subtitles

Spanish Mama

Pragmatic Mom

Daria’s Music

My Favorite Multicultural Books

Trilingual Mama

Mundo Lanugo

The Good Long Road

Ana & Zelli

Hispanic Heritage Month GIVEAWAY!

This year to celebrate we are giving away fabulous prizes! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post for a chance to win!

Please note that there are shipping restrictions on some prizes. In the event that the winner lives outside of the shipping area, that portion of the prize will be added to the following prize package.

Grand Prize Package

Smart Play Pad (SRP $ 24.99): Interactive tablet like electronic toy makes early learning fun and exciting for little ones. More than 30 touch sensitive keys teach language and pronunciation skills to help prepare children for school. Bilingual feature helps kids learn in English & Spanish. Lightweight and truly portable for on-the-go learning. Ships to US and Canada only.

A basket of fun from Escuela Falcón in Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico. This prize includes educational games, ceramic Day of the Dead skulls, a hand-painted ceramic box, wooden toys, and a certificate for 5 hours of Skype Spanish lessons with Escuela Falcón.

A basket from Lanugo that includes Lanugo’s new book, “Lula la Consentida,” a limited edition “Latino de Corazón” infant apparel, and Seventh Generation’s earth conscious baby product essentials. US shipping only.

A Spanish edition of the award-winning game Bananagrams.

DVD of Spanish music videos from Rockalingua.

A Movie in my Pillow and Poems to Dream Together – Books of poetry in English and Spanish from Lee and Low.

First Prize Package

A child’s sweater and bag from Peru courtesy of Kid World Citizen. The handmade, wool sweater is typical from the Andes and might fit a child ages 2-4. The little backpack is also handmade with gorgeous details typical of the region.

A Spanish edition of the award-winning game Bananagrams.

Chocolalala – CD of songs in English and Spanish from Mister G.

Hola Hello – A CD of children’s songs in English and Spanish from Mariana Iranzi.

Mis primeros poemas – A book of poems and audio CD for Spanish learners from All Bilingual Press.

Digital download of Spanish Colors Activities Pack with printable minibooks, games and activity pages from Mundo de Pepita.

Spanish activity book with an audio CD with listening exercises for kids between 3-10 years old (value: 12€) from Lingua Toys.

Hand-crafted guiro (traditional instrument), hand-carved from a gourd in Bolivia with a sun and moon pattern. Great instrument as well as a piece of folk art. From DARIAMUSIC. US shipping only.

Second Prize Package

Handwoven scarf from Nicaragua courtesy of Spanish Playground.

¡Las letras! and Señorita Bienvenida en el aeropuerto – Two children’s books in Spanish from Libros Arellano.

A CD of children’s songs in English and Spanish from Mariana Iranzi.

ABC Fiesta – CD of songs in English and Spanish from Mister G.

Digital download of 6 printable Spanish high frequency words books from Custom Literacy.

Hand woven and leather Guatemala coin purse, a fun and vibrant gift. Given by www.AlarconRestaurants.com – from their Gift Gallery in Antigua Real Restaurant, Mukwonago WI.

Bonus Prize: France Shipping Only!

Beautiful piñata created especially for this contest by Piñatas de Laly.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Link Up Your Posts Now it’s your turn to share your posts! The linky will be open through October 15, so come back and share throughout Hispanic Heritage Month!