To close out September, I'm happy to be participating in the Multicultural Kid Blogs' Hispanic Heritage Month series. There have been some wonderful posts written so far with many remarkable resources for exploring Hispanic culture. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see ALL the amazing articles that are a part of this series.
My contribution today is sharing some fun resources to supplement your world cultures lesson plan on Spain.
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1. National Geographic Kids: SPAIN
A simple jumping off place is the National Geographic Kids website. You can find a very general description of the country as well as some fun basic facts such as the capital city, population, and more. Here's where your kids can see the country's flag up close and learn about the people, the geography, its natural resources, and government.
2. Color Your Own Spanish Masters Paintings by Dover Publishers
This fabulous little book is a collection of line drawings that reproduce some of the paintings of Spain's most famous artists: de Goya, Dalí, Velázquez, Borrassa, Miró, Gris, and others.The full-color originals are displayed on the inside covers so your child can reference them. Then he or she can color in the black-and-white illustrations on his/her own. Each one is printed on only one side of perforated paper so you can tear the completed page out and frame or otherwise display it!
This is a great resource for art history and studying Spanish arts.
3. 10 Fun Facts About Spain For Kids
Multicultural Kid Blogs is always my go-to for finding fabulous information about countries and cultures around the world. This article shares some simple but interesting facts about Spain that kids will enjoy learning.
4. ¡Olé! Flamenco by George Ancona
I totally love this book by photo-essayist, George Ancona, who describes this passionate, colorful, and explosive art form that is often passed down from one family member to another.The story begins by introducing us to Janira Cordova, a young girl from Santa Fe, New Mexico, who is following in her family’s footsteps by learning the beautiful dance of her ancestors at a Santa Fe dance company called Flamenco's Next Generation. Ancona’s beautiful pictures brings us inside the classroom for a quick look at the student's school time, then they take us around the world to Spain and back, to learn about the three main parts of the dance – song, dance, and music – and each one is described in some detail. Young children will enjoy seeing the rich (and dramatic) facial expressions of the cantaores, as well as the boldly patterned costumes, traditional musical instruments, and fluid body poses. Ancona really does a lovely job expressing the movement, beauty, and emotion of this subject.
5. Virtual Field Trips to Spain for Kids
BilinguallyYours has assembled a wonderful collection of videos that take the viewer all over Spain. Learn about some of the must-see attractions in the country, such as el Prado, the Sagrada Familia cathedral, and l'Alhambra to name a few.You may also like:
Top image credit: © Can Stock Photo / marish
Multicultural Kid Blogs Hispanic Heritage Month Series
