Learning one’s mother tongue is essential for children’s cognitive development and self-awareness for so many reasons. This blog has mentioned a few! While those on the outside can learn to appreciate the languages and the people who belong to diverse Native American cultures that have persisted for those within Native American communities, it is so much more. It is a sense of pride and empowerment in self-identity.
A 2010 study conducted by the Census found that 169 Native American spoken languages exist in the US alone. While Native American languages make up a large chunk of non-English languages (about 40% actually) only 4 million people speak those languages.
This isn’t new information for Native American tribes as they’ve already made enormous efforts to preserve their cultures by teaching those languages to future generations. These efforts at revitalizing their languages have not been in vain, just take a look at some of the results that have yielded since such programs started.
Here at YCL we have a collection of books and resources for those who are seeking to reconnect with their languages or learn about Native American languages. Please note that some of these books provide full sentences, others have phrases or words within a mostly English text.
We have lots of books in any of these languages above, please ask our librarians for more or look them up in our catalog.
In a hurry? Check out this Turtle Island Storytime Kit available for check out at any of our YCL libraries! The kit contains several books, a puppet and some activities ready to go in one box for your little ones to enjoy.
Have you checked out Mango yet? No, it’s not a fruit! This is a new and free language app YCL has partnered with. You can learn Cherokee or Potawatomi from the comfort of your home using your computer or on the go with your smartphone.
Don’t see something you want to read in our catalog? You can suggest a book for our libraries to purchase under the “Books and More” tab on our Yolo County Library catalog.
TAGS: Language, Indigenous, Native American, Dual Language Learning
The Yolo County Library’s partnership with the Yolo County Library Foundation (YCLF) and the United Way was recently featured on ABC10. YCLF has provided Yolo County Library with a $5,000 grant to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to families throughout Yolo County. Parents and guardians in Yolo County with children 5 years old and under are eligible to sign up. Here are the four different ways to enroll:
“By having books in the home and encouraging adults to read to their kids, we’re hoping that when they enter kindergarten, they will be ready to read,” Mark Fink, Yolo County Librarian, said in a press release. “Essentially when children enter school ready for kindergarten it’s a good indicator they’ll be reading at grade level by the third grade, and that’s when you make the shift from learning to read to reading to learn, so I’m glad we’re able to expand eligibility for the program for children throughout the County.”
¡Se acercan las festividades! Puede ser un buen momento para pasarlo con sus seres queridos y por otro lado, puede ser bastante difĂcil para aquellos que están de duelo por los que no están aquĂ. A menudo pensamos que los niños no son capaces de comprender los cambios dentro de la dinámica familiar. Si bien es cierto que para los niños puede ser difĂcil de entender, en su mayor parte, los niños son resilientes. Los niños solo quieren tener una familia amorosa y estable, claro con lĂmites, comportamiento y un amor saludable. Al fin y al cabo, las familias se definen como grupos de personas que se respetan y se aman genuinamente enfrentando la vida juntos. AquĂ les comparto tres formas de ayudar a su hijo a aprender sobre diferentes familias:
Habla con un lenguaje simple. Ayude a sus pequeños a comprender utilizando frases sencillas como: “Sara vive con su tĂa. Su tĂa es su familia ”o“ Riley tiene dos mamás. Son su familia”. Puede resultar difĂcil hablar de conceptos tristes como la muerte o la separaciĂłn. Este blog y la biblioteca del condado de Yolo tienen más informaciĂłn sobre cĂłmo hablar con los niños sobre el duelo.
La clase de Miriam celebra el DĂa de las Madres, el Ăşnico problema es que ella tiene dos Papás. Con la ayuda de sus Padres y toda su familia, ella encuentra una soluciĂłn para hacer este dĂa memorable.
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 alegrĂa y felicidad a usted y a sus pequeños. Sin embargo, traer un nuevo amiguito peludo es una tarea enorme que requiere planificaciĂłn y preparaciĂłn. 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 conexiĂłn con el nuevo perro para mantener la seguridad de todos.
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-ficciĂłn.
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:Â
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 DĂa 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 DĂa de Los Muertos
¡Únase a nosotros en zoom para una noche divertida para honrar a nuestros antepasados ​​con mĂşsica, historia del DĂa de los Muertos y decoraciĂłn de calaveras! ¡Recoja su kit del DĂa de los Muertos en las bibliotecas de Davis, Esparto o Winters del 27 de octubre al 1 de noviembre!
Visite esta divertida y colorida exhibiciĂłn del DĂa de los Muertos que se lleva a cabo en el Museo de California en Sacramento del 2 de octubre al 7 de noviembre.
Este artĂculo habla sobre cĂłmo el DĂa de los Muertos comenzĂł con raĂces indĂgenas y ahora los latinx en los EE. UU. Están usando la festividad para recuperar sus raĂces. La traducciĂłn al español está disponible.
When it comes to DĂa 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 DĂa 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, DĂa 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, DĂa 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 “DĂa de los Santos”.
Today, the Catrina and the DĂa 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 DĂa 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 DĂa de los Muertos locally:
Join us on zoom for a fun evening to honor our ancestors with music, DĂa 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 DĂa 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 DĂa 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 DĂa 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:Â 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.
TAGS:Â SOCIO-EMOTIONAL, STARTING SCHOOL, Â STORYTELLING
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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
Stella Brings the Family by Miriam Baker Schiffer
Nacho tiene un perrito por Liesbet Slegers
