The holidays are coming up! It can be a great time to spend with loved ones. On the other hand, it can be rather difficult for family members who are grieving for the ones who are not here. We often think that children are not able to understand changes within family dynamics.
While it is true that it may be difficult for children to understand, for the most part, children are resilient and accepting. All they want is to be in a family with love and stability, healthy boundaries, behavior, and love. After all, families are just groups of people who respect and genuinely love one another as they face life together.
Here are three ways to help your child learn about different families:
1) Keep it simple. Help your little ones understand by stating simple phrases like, “Sarah lives with her Aunt. Her Aunt is her family” or “Riley has two moms. They are their family”. It might feel difficult to talk about sad concepts like death or separation. This blog and Yolo County Library have more information about talking with children about grief.
2) Talk to them about the different families they know – their neighbors and friends. It can be difficult to talk about families that are different from your own. If there is something you don’t know, nurture curiosity by simply stating “I don’t know, let’s find out together”. Check out the organizations listed below to help you learn together as a family.
3) Read with your child and your loved ones. There really is no better way to learn something new. It is an excellent way to spark a conversation about what family means and to embrace the ways your family is truly unique.
Here are some books that help children understand the diverse families and welcome the differences in their own. Even though some of these books are in Spanish, you can still talk about the story based on the illustrations.
The Family Book by Todd Parr
Some families are big, some families are small, others have two moms or two dads. No matter what kind of family you have, it is special in its own way.
Stella Brings the Family by Miriam Baker Schiffer
Miriam’s class will celebrate Mother’s Day. The only problem is that she has two daddies. With the help of her family, Mirian finds a solution to make this day memorable.
Organizations:
Pflag – LGBTQIA+ families organization, support available in English and Spanish.
Childmind.org Resources for kids and families navigating divorce, support available in English and Spanish.
Adoptuskids.org has various resources to help parents who adopt or foster, support is available in Spanish and English.
Invitar a un perro nuevo a su casa puede traerle inmensa alegría y felicidad a usted y a sus pequeños. Sin embargo, traer un nuevo amiguito peludo es una tarea enorme que requiere planificación y preparación. Aunque su pequeño puede estar emocionado de jugar con su nuevo amigo, es importante permitir suficiente tiempo para que tanto su peque como el nuevo cachorro se adapten.
Supervise siempre a su peque durante el tiempo de conexión con el nuevo perro para mantener la seguridad de todos.
Enséñele a su hijo cómo y cuándo abordar correctamente a su nuevo perro con respeto.
Permitir que su hijo ayude con tareas simples en el cuidado de su nueva mascota también es una gran oportunidad para que su hijo aprenda que un perro no es un juguete y que requiere bastante trabajo para cuidarlo.
Más importante aún, es crucial investigar tanto como sea posible antes de darle la bienvenida a un nuevo animal a su hogar.
Aquí hay algunos libros y recursos que puede consultar en la Biblioteca del Condado de Yolo que le ayudarán a usted y a su hijo no solo a prepararse para esta nueva llegada, sino también a aprender todo sobre su nuevo compañero:
Este kit contiene varios libros en inglés, español y ruso, junto con un títere de perro, una pieza de fieltro, una tabla, una hoja informativa y un folleto.
Mark y Miranda tienen un nuevo perrito en casa. Siga las avenutras de Mark y Miranda aprendiendo a cuidar de su nuevo perrito Duke en este libro no-ficción.
Inviting a new dog into your home can bring immense joy and happiness to you and your little ones. However, bringing in a new furry friend is an enormous task that requires planning and preparedness. Though your little one may be excited to play with their new friend, it is important to allow enough time for both your child and the new puppy to adjust.
Always supervise your child during bonding time with the new dog for everyone’s safety.
Teach your child how and when to properly approach their new dog with respect.
Allow your child to help with simple tasks in the care of your new pet. This is a great opportunity for your child to learn that a dog is not a toy and a substantial amount of work is needed to care for them.
Most importantly, it is crucial to research as much as possible before you welcome a new animal into your home.
Here are some books and resources you can check out at Yolo County Library that will help you and your child to prepare and learn all about your new companion:
This kit contains several books in English, Spanish and Russian along with a dog puppet, a felt piece and board and an informational sheet and pamphlet.
Sophie’s new human is learning to take care of her. This excellent fictional story about a dog and her human is sprinkled with true dog facts and care tips along the way.
Cuando hablamos del Día de Los Muertos, algunos pueden asumir descuidadamente que es equivalente a un “Halloween Mexicano”. Sin embargo, las celebraciones culturales son un elemento importante para entenderse unos a otros. Esta festividad es una excelente oportunidad para ayudar a los niños a comprender, escuchar y aprender de aquellos que honran esta importante festividad para mantener viva su cultura.
El altar de mi familia para el Día de Los Muertos
Belice, Costa Rica y Guatemala son solo algunos de los países que celebran los rituales del Día de Muertos, aunque las raíces de la festividad son prominentes en todo México. Desde los pueblos Nahuas que celebraban Miccahuitontli o “fiesta de los muertos” hasta los Purépechas en la Meseta Tarasca, el Día de los Muertos ha sido celebrado por más de 40 tribus indígenas mucho antes de que México fuera colonizado por los Españoles. Por lo general, estas celebraciones indígenas honrando a los muertos ocurren en los últimos días de Octubre y los primeros tres días en Noviembre.
En la época prehispánica, el Día de los Muertos no solo era un día para celebrar a los antepasados, también era un día para agradecer a los dioses por la cosecha anual. Sin embargo, durante el duro dominio de los Españoles, los pueblos indígenas se vieron obligados a ocultar su forma de vida y asimilarse a la cultura española. Esto llevó a cambios significativos en la forma en que se celebraba Miccahuitontli. El nombre del festival, por ejemplo, se cambió para ser más aceptable para Nueva España y se convirtió en el “Día de los Santos”.
La influencia española sobre el Día de los Muertos duró mucho después de la Independencia de México hasta la Revolución Mexicana. Esto fue particularmente así cuando José Guadalupe Posada creó y popularizó sus Calaveritas o caricaturas políticas que criticaban duramente a los políticos corruptos. La influencia de la famosa “Catrina” de Posada y otras figuras revolucionarias clave en su forma esquelética como Emiliano Zapata y Pancho Villa jugaron un papel crucial a favor de la Revolución Mexicana.
Hoy en día, las costumbres de la Catrina y el Día de los Muertos juegan un papel importante en las protestas contra la corrupción e incluso han sido reclamadas por la gente Latinx y la población Chicanx que vive en los Estados Unidos en un esfuerzo por recuperar nuestra pérdida de indigenidad.
Aquí hay algunos libros interesantes para aprender sobre el Día de los Muertos:
Un gran libro sobre el papel que jugó el Día de Muertos en la historia de México, particularmente a través de la emblemática Catrina y otros dibujos de esqueletos creados por el caricaturista político mexicano José Guadalupe Posada. Aunque este libro no es ficción, es una gran oportunidad para que los más pequeños aprendan la historia a través del lenguaje condensado y las imágenes.
Un libro de Lil ‘Libros inspirado en uno de los símbolos más reconocidos del Día de los Muertos. Este libro presenta a los más pequeños las expresiones emocionales y sus primeras palabras en inglés y español, y les enseña a reconocer los sentimientos.
¡Únase a nosotros en zoom para una noche divertida para honrar a nuestros antepasados con música, historia del Día de los Muertos y decoración de calaveras! ¡Recoja su kit del Día de los Muertos en las bibliotecas de Davis, Esparto o Winters del 27 de octubre al 1 de noviembre!
Visite esta divertida y colorida exhibición del Día de los Muertos que se lleva a cabo en el Museo de California en Sacramento del 2 de octubre al 7 de noviembre.
Este artículo habla sobre cómo el Día de los Muertos comenzó con raíces indígenas y ahora los latinx en los EE. UU. Están usando la festividad para recuperar sus raíces. La traducción al español está disponible.
Este artículo se profundiza en el simbolismo de un altar típico del Día de los Muertos y la importancia de cada pieza que se coloca en él. Está compilado por historiadores mexicanos para el gobierno mexicano.
When it comes to Día de Los Muertos, some may carelessly assume it’s equivalent to a “Mexican Halloween”. However, cultural celebrations are an important element of understanding each other. This holiday is a good opportunity to help children understand, listen, and learn from those who honor this important holiday to keep their culture alive.
Here’s my family’s Día de los Muertos altar:
Belize, Costa Rica, and Guatemala are just a few of the countries that hold Day of the Dead rituals though the roots of the holiday are found all throughout Mexico. From the Nahua peoples who celebrated Miccahuitontli or “fiesta for the dead” to the Purepechas in the Meseta Tarasca, Día de los Muertos has been celebrated by more than 40 indigenous tribes long before Mexico was colonized by the Spanish. Generally, these indigenous celebrations for the dead take place in the last days of October and the first three days in November.
In pre-Hispanic times, Día de los Muertos was not only a day to celebrate the ancestors, it was also a day to thank the Gods for the annual harvest. During the harsh Spanish rule however, indigenous peoples were forced to hide their way of life and assimilate to the Spanish culture. This led to significant changes in the way Miccahuitontli was celebrated. The name of the festival, for example, was changed to be more acceptable to Nueva España and became “Día de los Santos”.
The Spanish influence over Día de los Muertos lasted long after the Mexican Independence until the Mexican Revolution. This was particularly so when José Guadalupe Posada created and popularized his Calaveritas, or political cartoons, which heavily criticized corrupt politicians. The influence of Posada’s famed “Catrina” and other key revolutionary figures in their skeletal form like Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa played a crucial role in favor of the Mexican Revolution.
Today, the Catrina and the Día de los Muertos customs play an important role in protests against corruption. They have been adopted by Chicanx and Latinx folk living in the United States in an effort to reclaim their indigeneity.
Ani informational book about the role Day of the Dead played in Mexican History, particularly through the emblematic Catrina and other skeleton drawings created by the Mexican political cartoonist Jose Guadalupe Posada. Though this book is nonfiction, it’s a great opportunity for little ones to learn the history through condensed language and the pictures.
A Lil’ Libros Book of Emotions. Inspired by one of the most recognized symbols of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), this book introduces little ones to emotional expressions and their first English and Spanish words–and teaches them to recognize feelings like emocionado (excited), triste (sad), and confiado (confident).
Opportunities to observe Día de los Muertos locally:
Join us on zoom for a fun evening to honor our ancestors with music, Día de los Muertos history, and skull decorating! Pick up your Dia de los Muertos kit at the Davis, Esparto, or Winters libraries from October 27th through November 1st!
Great article talks about how Día de los Muertos started out with indigenous roots and now Latinx people in the US are using the holiday to reclaim their roots.
This article delves into the symbolism of a typical Día de los Muertos altar and the importance of each piece placed upon it. It is compiled by Mexican historians for the Mexican Government. Translation in English is available.
thorough look into the roots and historyof Día de los Muertos compiled by Mexican historians for the Mexican Government. Translation in English is available.
Little mummy asks Mama mummy for one last game of “hide and shriek”. As he looks for Mama mummy in the forest, he encounters creepy creatures who go about their nightly routine before bedtime.
Bunny, and other cute creatures, want to join Dracula and his Fright Club. They must learn to out-scare the fright club members first, will they succeed?
This song is not only fun, but it also can develop pre-literacy skills. Use this story’s finger play to grow emerging fine motor skills. You and your little ones can have fun and learn some simple ASL words!
TAGS: ASL, RHYME, MUSIC, DAYS OF THE WEEK, HALLOWEEN
Whether your little one is stepping inside the classroom for the first time ever or for the first time since last year’s virtual learning, these first couple of weeks in school are sure to be a mix of nerves and excitement. This last year no doubt tested the patience of kids of all ages and caregivers alike. So much change in so little time is difficult to process! Reading together invites the opportunity to talk about school expectations. Sharing stories can help identify and tackle any fears so that your little one can start off school on the right foot.
A story that reminds us it’s okay to be different and have the courage to stand out and tell your story, even if not everyone understands because in our differences we find similarities.
Asiya is wearing a Hijab for the first time in school. Though kids at school bully Asiya, her mother’s words and her little sister’s admiration give her strength to be her true self.
Little Bat is excited about night school but soon finds it difficult to make friends. He retreats into a cubby where Ophelia the possum is also hiding. Together they meet other nocturnal buddies and learn how to make friends.
Sophie’s world is changing; it seems scary and she’s worried about going outside. With her Grandfather, they make masks for her entire neighborhood. This book teaches kids the importance of wearing masks to keep everyone safe.
Se dice que la música es el lenguaje universal del mundo. El simple sonido de un solo tambor puede provocar movimiento en cualquiera. Pero hay una razón sólida de por qué la música es instrumental para la alfabetización temprana en los niños. La conciencia fonológica, o la idea de que las palabras tienen sonidos específicos divididos en sílabas, es un concepto esencial que los niños deben adquirir antes de aprender a leer. La música es una herramienta maravillosa y eficaz para que los niños adquieran esta habilidad. Los instrumentos musicales, cantar canciones como “La Araña Pequeñita” y la simple tarea de aplaudir las sílabas de una palabra como su nombre pueden ayudar a su peque a dominar esta habilidad rápidamente.
En la literatura infantil, la conciencia fonémica se puede desarrollar a través de libros con rimas y palabras que se centran en un sonido específico. Por ejemplo, en el libro “Jaja, Ji, Quack“, la repetición de la línea “Jaja, Ji, Quack” ayuda a los niños a concentrarse en el sonido de la letra “J”. Otra forma de aumentar la conciencia fonológica es encontrar libros donde los niños puedan adquirir conocimientos alfabéticos o la capacidad de familiarizarse con el alfabeto. Chica Chica Bum Bum es un favorito para nosotros los narradores de cuentos porque tiene un gran ritmo y la melodía es tan pegadiza que los niños aprenden el abecedario en tiempo relámpago. Aquí hay algunos otros libros y recursos que puede encontrar en la Biblioteca del Condado de Yolo que aumentarán la conciencia fonológica de su pequeño:
La Cancion del Lagarto por George Shannon
Oso desesperadamente quiere aprender la canción de lagarto, pero por alguna razón no puede cantarla bien. Lagarto le enseña a Oso una nueva canción más adecuada para Oso.
Canción Para Dormir a las Fieras por Paula Carbonell
¡Por una razón u otra los animales de la selva no logran pegar un ojo! Tal vez juntos todos podrán dormir al fin.
Mochila Bilingüe- Música
En esta mochila puedes encontrar varios instrumentos musicales, un libro en español, un libro en inglés y tres libros bilingües.
It is said that music is the universal language of the world. The simple sound of a single drum can elicit movement in anyone. But there’s a sound reason as to why music is so instrumental for early literacy in children. Phonological awareness, or the idea that words have specific sounds broken down into syllables, is an essential concept for children to acquire before learning to read. Music is a marvelous and effective tool for kids to become phonologically aware. Musical instruments, singing songs like “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”, and the simple task of clapping the syllables of your child’s name can help your little one grasp this skill rather quickly.
In children’s literature, phonological awareness can be developed through books with rhymes and words that focus on a specific sound. For example, in the book “Click, Clack, Moo”, the repetition of the line “Click, Clack, Moo” helps children focus on the letter “C” sound. Another way to increase phonological awareness is to find books where kids can acquire alphabetic knowledge, or the ability to become familiar with the alphabet. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a storytime favorite for us because it’s got a great rhythm and the tune is so catchy kids learn their ABCs in no time. Here are some other books and resources you can find at Yolo County Library that will increase your little one’s phonological awareness:
Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie
Pete asks his friends to teach him how to dance; the only problem is he keeps doing it all wrong! Owl’s wise words help Pete the Cat learn that he dances best when he is being himself.
Brilliant Baby Plays Music
Come along with Baby on this journey to learn about all the different types of musical instruments and genres!
School Readiness Kit- Music
This music-themed kit offered by Yolo County Library contains a variety of books in English, Spanish and Russian, CDs with children’s music, and an activity for your little one to enjoy!
Bilingual Backpack- Música
In this backpack, you can find several musical instruments, one book in Spanish, one book in English, and three bilingual books.
It is no secret that anti-immigrant rhetoric has increasingly been normalized over the recent years and utilized as a scapegoat to attack BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) communities. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie once said: “…show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.” Well, the narrative about the job takers, the criminals, the worst of the worst has stuck and it’s here to stay.
Within our own immigrant communities, however, we’ve always heard of the gut-wrenching stories about undocumented children in detention centers. At quinceañeras and family gatherings, we’ve always heard the Tias whispering to one another about how “so and so’s father” had their naturalization certificate torn into little tiny pieces and got taken by the Migra, the border patrol feet away from American soil. We’ve heard of all the atrocities that occur long before any foot is ever set on this imaginary line that separates us from a good and ordinary life.
It wasn’t until July of 2019 when the outcry of activists and whistleblowers finally put a spotlight on these issues for the rest of the country. Reports about the unsanitary and unsafe conditions children as young as five months old endure in these so-called detention centers led to an ongoing conversation that keeps unraveling the harsh reality. The traumatization of undocumented children furthers when they have to face the reality that they might have to appear in court often without legal representation resulting in a high probability of being sent back to the country they fled from or a country that is completely foreign to them.
Whether they are part of the 29,792 unaccompanied minors who were apprehended in the fiscal year 2021 alone or part of the 16.7 million people who have at least one undocumented family member in their household, their story matters and it must be told. However, according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), which has been documenting statistics on diversity in children’s books, of the 3,682 children’s books they reviewed in 2018, 252 depicted Latinx characters and only 207 books were written or illustrated by Latinx creators. The statistics dwindle for other ethnicities compiled in this report. Unfortunately, there just isn’t any data available that compiles any children’s books dealing with the diverse stories about immigrants, refugees, and undocumented folk.
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has said: “Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.” These stories should be written accurately and they should be written by those who’ve lived through them. These stories must be told not only so that those who may not understand learn to empathize, but so that those whose legal definition blurs can see themselves reflected and begin to heal some of their trauma.
Here are 5 excellent books I recommend to start off with:
This story is from the perspective of a child who uses counting as a coping mechanism to distract herself from the difficult experiences in her journey to a new country. Though never mentioned in the book, both she and her dad are most likely Guatemalan refugees as Guatemalan worry dolls are shown at the beginning of the book, and illustrations of soldiers are sprinkled throughout the book. She also travels via train, most likely alluding to the infamously dangerous train dubbed as The Beast that runs from Guatemala all the way to the United States.
In this story, we follow Estrella whose father has been recently deported to their country of origin. She wishes people around her knew how her life has been affected by his absence. Her teacher notices she is withdrawn and distraught so she creates a safe space to talk about the things Estrella and her other students wish they knew. This gives Estrella the courage to share not only how much she misses her dad but also about the things they did together that brought her joy.
This story parallels Estrella’s story as Jose’s mom is also unexpectedly deported back to Mexico. Jose’s family lives close to The Tijuana US-Mexico border so Jose and his dad travel through the border to see his mom. Mama doesn’t know when she will come back to the United States. Jose and his dad must return to their home in the US without Mama. This is a book that tells the stories of countless children in between two borders.
Saya’s mom is sent to a detention center for being undocumented. It’s been a long time since her mom’s been home and the only thing she finds comfort in is her mother’s greeting on the answering machine. After Saya accidentally deletes the answering machine greeting, Mama sends bedtime stories inspired by Haitian folklore on a cassette tape. Saya decides she will write a story of her own, one that could potentially help get her mother back home.
Henri’s uncle invites him and his parents to leave Haiti and come to New York City to live with him. Hoping for a better life, Henri and his parents leave on an old rickety boat. The boat overturns in the middle of a storm and Henri’s parents float further away as he calls to them. When he finally makes it to his uncle’s home in New York, he becomes withdrawn, unable to speak. One day he takes a bucket and uses it as a drum. It calls to him so he starts using it to cope and express his emotions.
This book is written by Areli Morales, a DACA ( Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient who shares her own story as an undocumented immigrant child. In this moving picture book, Areli has to leave her home and Abuelita, to join her parents and her older brother Alex in New York. After her classmates bully her for not knowing English she learns about the term “Illegal”. Areli struggles with this imposed identity and the heavy consequences that could arise should anyone find out about her legal status. In the end, we see Areli give herself permission to dream and to exist just as she is.
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We acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory and homelands of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. For more information, please go to: www.yochadehe.gov
Nacho tiene un perrito por Liesbet Slegers
