My mommy dreams coming to an end

As I prepare for bug to start Kindergarten I feel like I need to give up on the expectations that I had that he would go to a dual language school. When we left Denver for the suburbs of Raleigh, I knew that life would be different, but just how different? That was something that I had to learn of the course of last year.

I always wanted my son to go to a neighborhood school, one that he could attend with neighborhood friends just as my husband and I did. I wanted the school to be free of fuss and really include the basics but I wanted that school to be dual language.

I got most of my wishes but I didn’t get the dual language. This is something that I will have to deal with but it’s been a hard one to swallow. I’ve had to let go of my dream.

What I have done instead is to round-up resources, such as Mommy Maestra, a resource for home schooled Spanish speakers I’ve also increased the amount of Español en la casa y en el carro.

With my dreams coming to an end I’m learning to pick up new ones along my suburban way. Stay tuned!

 

Curious George celebrates Hispanic Culture

El Dia De La Madre

My son was thrilled to open our box packed with Curious George goodies.  And as a bilingual and bi-cultural mommy I was even more thrilled to see PBS Kids embracing Español. Gracias a Latina Bloggers Connect for esta opportunidad.

Now in it’s 5^th season, PBS will air a brand new Curious George on Friday May 6^{, 2011} to celebrate and honor Hispanic heritage and Latina moms. “Mother’s Day Surprise” will feature Marco as he plans a surprise party for his mami, complete with arts, crafts and food.

“This Mother’s Day, we’ll continue Season 5’s exploration of the social sciences by showing kids how Marco and his family celebrate El Dia de la Madre,” said WGBH Executive Producer Dorothea Gillim.

The new episodes were a hit  and have been on constant rotation in our home.  First we invited  a few of the neighborhood kids over for a mini Jorge el Curioso viewing party. The crowd was a mix of three, four and five year-0lds and as usual watching Curious George was full of giggles and monkey sounds. All of the kids were excited about the party and wanted to plan one for their mommy’s.

Who can’t love Jorge as he’s dubbed en español? In the episode Marco and Jorge el Curioso plan the perfect Mother’s Day party with all the trimmings of a Latino fiesta. They are also confronted with Mami’s early arrival and they must work together to make the plan work.

While on a road trip a few days later, my son watched the episode again (several times). I was beaming with pride and orgullo when he asked, “Mami?” “Can I throw you a fiesta and can we make a piñata?”  He then asked me if I knew how to make a piñata and went on to list everything we needed to get started.

What this said to me was the importance of having shows produced to promote cultures in positive lights. Weather it be the Latino culture, Asian, Native America or African American cultures, children pick up on it. Adding cultural traditions such as making a piñata work. My son picked up on all of it and although we speak Spanish in our home and we have had several piñatas at parties, it’s more important to see the culture within mass media.

We are in the process of making our own piñata and while our fiesta won’t be a surprise I was very pleased with the new episode of Jorge el Curioso. Well done Dorothea Gillim.

To view glimpses of the episode check out this video on YouTube and don’t forget to check your local listings for PBS viewing times.