The Best of MommyMaestra 2020

The year is coming to a close, and today is my penultimate post on MommyMaestra. I'll be taking the final two weeks of this year off to spend with my family. (Though you may see one or two more scheduled posts.)

I'm closing with a roundup of my favorite or most popular posts from each month this year. If you've missed any, go and check them out!

Wishing you a peaceful end to 2020.

January

Biblioburro: Lesson Plans, Videos, Books & More

"Do you know about Luis Soriano? Are you looking for resources to teach about this remarkable man who travels far and wide the mountains of Colombia on his little burro to deliver books to children in remote villages?

His story came across my desk... and I started thinking that I should share some resources for his inspirational story. So here you go!"

This was January's most popular post!

February

One-Page Reading Passage: Arturo Schomburg

"Arturo Schomburg: 1-Page Reading Passage is a brief history of the life of the remarkable historian and activist, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. Learn who he was and the amazing contribution he made to our country's national library system AND nation's history."

Celebrate Black History Month with this printable reading passage in English and Spanish featuring Arturo Alfonso Schomburg.

March

15 Children's Biographies Celebrating Women

"I want to focus on books that celebrate women...because it is Women's History Month! Many of these will be about Latinas. Your kids can use these books when researching the remarkable accomplishments and contributions that women have had in world history. Then they can use these free writing pages to write down what they've learned."

April

Skills Learned During the Pandemic

"I think the only time my kids have picked up an iron has been to press their Perler beads. So I decided that's it. It's time for them to start learning self-sufficiency. And I started putting together this list. I asked my friends on Facebook their opinions and they had a ton. So before long, my little list had become four pages long."

This was by far, one of the most popular posts on my site this year.

May

How I Talk to My Teen about What is Happening in our Country

"At first, I hugged her and told her, "It's okay." I was on automatic pilot trying to soothe her. She immediately said, "No! It's NOT okay!" And she was right."

June

Homeschooling vs. Distance Learning: What's the Difference?

"I can't tell you how many times I saw people complaining on Facebook toward the end of the school year about how much they hated homeschooling. But upon further reading, they talked about how stressful the zoom meetings were or how they didn't understand what the teacher was expecting or couldn't figure out the assignments.

This isn't homeschooling. It's distance learning. And the two are VERY different."

July

Free Download: El Parque y Colores

"This month's freebie is all about learning the colors... and trips to the park! The four-page file includes an instruction page and vocabulary list, picture and color cards, a speaking activity page, and a Speak, Listen, Do activity (with a discount code for any Spanish for You! purchases!). There's also an audio file to help with pronunciation."

August

Risas y Sonrisas Homeschool Elementary Program

"We're kicking off the MommyMaestra Back-to-School Fiesta with a great program for homeschool parents wanting to teach their child a second language! I reviewed this program six years ago and it has done nothing but get better, year by year."

September

Barton Reading and Spelling: Expensive, Boring, and Effective

Barton Reading Spelling is an Orton-Gillingham based reading and spelling program created by Susan Barton. According to the Barton website, the Barton system “is a great tutoring system for children, teenagers, and adults who struggle with reading, spelling, and writing due to dyslexia or a learning disability.”

October

Beautiful Mundo: Secular Spanish Curriculum

"What I love the most is that it is entirely literature based. When I was looking through the booklist, I discovered that I recognized most of the titles because they are considered Latino children's lit. (Most of them are by Hispanic authors, anyway, with a few translations scattered in.) In fact, I have most of them on my bookshelves. Some of the authors I spied in the list are Alma Flor Ada, Monica Brown, José-Luis Orozco, Lulu Delacre, and many others."

November

Holiday Gifting Series

My most popular posts in November were my recommendations for holiday gifting, such as this gift set from Whistlefritz!

December

Winter Solstice & Mesoamerica for Kids

And finally, in December I've had quite a few great posts, so I'm going to select this one with information and resources for learning about the Winter Solstice and its importance in Mesoamerican cultures.