Celebrating Cultural Heritage and Family Traditions

Learn better. Play smarter. | [View this email in your browser]( Parenting made simpler. Written by experts. Designed for intentional parents. Celebrating Cultural Heritage and Family Traditions It’s Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month! It’s Filipino Heritage Month! And Monday is Indigenous People’s Day. At Plinkit, we’re proud to offer many tools and strategies that can help you teach your child to celebrate their uniqueness, be inclusive and upstand for social justice. (Like the three foundational practices below that are essential for the playground.) We’re also privileged to have a diverse Plinkit parent community that proudly celebrates identity and heritage and we’re proud to amplify that. In celebration of Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, we’re sharing some beautiful Mexican traditions from the fabulous Amy, one of our Plinkit Parents whose dedication to family and togetherness continues to inspire us. We hope her storytelling will inspire you to celebrate her Mexcian culture with your own children, just as it did with us. Try reading any one of her favorite books or enjoying the delicious foods her family loves - all great all year round with your child. . . . . . . . . . . [From Amy, Plinkit Parent:]( Favorite Foods My mother’s enchiladas cannot be beat. And nothing beats a good bowl of beans and rice with a freshly made corn tortilla. Plus, salad and crema of course! We cook a lot together. Love is in our kitchen. Family is in our food. We make everything Pati Jinich makes. Especially her basket tacos. We also love anything Gabriela Cámara makes. Especially her chilaquiles. Christmas brings out tamales and buñuelos in our family. Día de los Muertos This is an important celebration of life for us, so we literally build up to it for an entire month. We build an altar in our home specifically to honor my father and those that have passed before us. We celebrate him during the two days by making his favorite foods and we eat them together as a family. We lay marigolds in a line from the front door to the altar in hopes that he can see the path and come pay us a visit. We light a candle so he can see the path and put out many photos. We lay a petate for him to rest. We put out water, rice and amaranth to cleanse his spirit. We offer plenty of food as the journey is long. Especially homemade empanadas, lots of sweets, coffee and a beer. And, of course, some pan de muerto. We burn copal and leave lots of water as he may be thirsty. The altar is lavishly decorated with calaveras and papel picado. It all requires lots of time to plan and we build the altar over time. But, the best part is we all tell stories about my dad the whole time we're building it. One of our traditions is to share our favorite memories of him around the table when we're dining. We all laugh - and cry - so hard. It’s a celebration that truly feeds our souls. 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Learn from her perspective as a fellow parent who has interviewed over a dozen experts in the past six months. Don't miss this very timely topic! [BE A PLINKIT PRO]( PLINKIT POST [How to Teach Empathy]( A child needs to understand perspective-taking before they can anticipate a problem. Developing empathy involves several skills that don't grow overnight. Here's 10 concrete ways to teach empathy. [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2017%2F08%2Fteach-child-empathy%2F) [Share]( PLINKIT POST [*THINK* - Be Powerful with Your Words]( Use this simple mnemonic to remind your child of the impact of their words and how to *THINK* before they speak. [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2018%2F02%2Fthink-before-speak-powerful-words%2F) [Share]( PLINKIT POST ["I" Messages - A Helpful Technique for Conflict Resolution]( An especially useful skill as your child transitions to playing in larger groups or working in a group setting. Teach your child this simple phrase to help them express their emotions and desires during conflict. [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2017%2F10%2Fi-messages-helpful-technique-conflict-resolution%2F) [Share]( READ + SHARE [Round is a Tortilla]( Beautifully illustrated by an award-winning illustrator, designer and teacher. Learning-in-context in an authentic and creative way. [BUY NOW]( READ + SHARE [Brick by Brick]( Winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award. A stunning picture book that celebrates hard work, big dreams and the value of traditions passed down through families. [BUY NOW]( READ + SHARE [Islandborn]( "Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you." A celebration of diversity and connection. A superb picture book to kickstart conversations on identity and family roots. [BUY NOW]( READ + SHARE [Just Ask!]( A lovely reminder by first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, to embrace the things that make us wonderfully unique. [BUY NOW]( READ + SHARE [Stef Soto, Taco Queen]( A chapter book that explores the plight of immigrant families, the ups and downs of friendship, and a discovery of identity. [BUY NOW]( READ + SHARE [Esperanza Rising]( Multiple award winner. A moving story that provides real insight into perspective-taking. In the words of Amy, "Soooo good." 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