Storytime: Fiesta (Hispanic Heritage Month)

I did a similar theme back in 2020, but I’m really happy to revisit it again on the eve of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 – October 15. This time around I was also able to ask a Latina friend to review and check my plan for accuracy and inclusion, which I should have done to begin with. I’m hoping in the future she’ll be available to visit one or two of my sessions to co-present storytime!

Because I only do one book for my storytimes at this library, the transitions and supporting rhymes in English that went along with the books I did before didn’t really work. However, I have more repeated rhymes and songs I do with this group, so the time was filled nicely. Parents and kids seemed to enjoy hearing some new songs, and a couple of my families do speak Spanish and I got big smiles from them, so success!

Another thing I really enjoyed with this session was a chance to really highlight the excellent Spanish-language and bilingual books we have, as well as so many of the books with Latinx authors and illustrators. I found some new favorites and was happy to share some of my own, such as Rafael López, Angela Dominguez, Jen Arena, and Juana Martinez-Neal.

Early Literacy Tip: Studies show that children raised in bilingual environments develop core cognitive skills like decision-making and problem-solving — before they even speak. If you aren’t already bilingual, that’s okay! You can still expose your child to different languages and cultures. As long as you share words in a new language in a consistent way with the same context, they’ll reap the benefits.
Source: BigThink.com

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (BB) (TB) (FT)**

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (BB) (TB) (FT)
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. This week was elbows and noses.

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB) (FT)

This is starting to be one I repeat, so I’ll add it to my Repeated Songs and Rhymes page and not repeat it in full on the blog in the future!
Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big (TB) (FT)
This is big, big, big (hold arms out to side)
This is small, small, small (cup hands together)
This is short, short, short (flat hand lowers)
This is tall, tall, tall (flat hand reaches up)
This is fast, fast, fast (circle fists quickly)
This is slow, slow, slow (circle fists slowly)
This is yes, yes, yes (nod head)
This is no, no, no (shake head)
Source: Mel’s Desk

Intro: Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 -October 15. Hispanic means Spanish-speaking, but I like to include Latinx people who do not speak Spanish as well. Today we are going to celebrate the contributions people of this heritage make, especially authors and illustrators, and we’ll also do some traditional songs and rhymes in Spanish.

Here’s a song about our pretty little hands. Can you flip your hand back and forth like this?
Song: La linda manita (BB) (TB) (FT)
La linda manita
que tiene el bebé
qué linda, qué bella
qué preciosa es
Source: traditional, watch: https://youtu.be/OWAunlWlMUI

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Read: Fiesta Babies by Carmen Tafolla & Amy Córdova (BB) (FT)

Read: How do you say? /¿Cómo se dice? by Angela Dominguez (TB)

I went in different directions here for the older and younger groups – I generally keep counting songs for the older ones, so the younger ones got the shorter Los pollitos dicen and the accompanying Ten Fluffy Chicks, while the older ones got Cancion de los elefantes.

All those sleepy babies being loved on by their grownups reminds me of a song popular in some Spanish-speaking countries. I explain the meaning of the song, and ask the group to help peep “pío” with me before we start. I’ve also used Ashley Wolff’s board book as a nice visual aid in the past, too.
Flannel Song: Los pollitos dicen (BB)
Los pollitos dicen, pío, pío, pío
cuando tienen hambre, cuando tienen frío
La gallina busca, el maíz y el trigo
les da la comida, y les presta abrigo
Bajo sus dos alas, acurrucaditos,
duermen los pollitos hasta el otro día
Pío, pío, pío dicen los pollitos
cuando tienen hambre, cuando tienen frío
Source: traditional, watch: https://youtu.be/a7zUbmjUtDM

Fingerplay: Ten Fluffy Chicks (BB)
Five eggs and five eggs, And that makes ten
Sitting on top Is Mother Hen
Cackle, cackle, cackle (clap, clap, clap)
What do I see?
Ten fluffy chicks As cute as can be!
Source: adapted from Mel’s Desk, flannel from Sunflower Storytime

Those giraffes were so silly! Here’s a traditional (and silly!) song about another grasslands animal, the elephant. He is having fun balancing and swinging on a …spiderweb! Do you think the spiderweb will hold up an elephant? I did just three elephants to accommodate a shorter attention span, but it usually goes up to five.
Counting/Flannel Song: Canción de los elefantes
Un elefante se balanceaba, sobre la tela de una araña,
como veía que resistía, fue a buscar a otro elefante

Dos elefantes se balanceaban, sobre la tela de una araña,
como veían que resistía, fueron a buscar otro elefante.
(count up, and replace last line for final elephant)
…la telaraña se debilitó, ¡y todo al suelo se cayó!
Source: traditional, watch: https://youtu.be/I0IW4101ew0

This is becoming another repeated activity for my baby class:
Bounce: A Smooth Road** (BB)

Let’s make some music with our bodies! I go through the body parts vocabulary to get everyone ready, then we go through the song a couple times. There was a lot of enthusiastic stomping and clapping!
Action Song: Mi cuerpo hace música (BB) (TB) (FT)
Mi cuerpo, mi cuerpo hace música
Mi cuerpo, mi cuerpo hace música
Mis manos hacen (clap,clap, clap)
Mis pies hacen (stomp, stomp, stomp)
Mi boca hace: la, la, la! (point at mouth)
Mi cuerpo hace: cha, cha, cha! (dance)
Source: Sol y Canto, from the album El Doble de Amigos. Watch with motions at Jbrary

Let’s slow it down a little and sing a lullaby that has both English and Spanish words in it. If there’s someone around you feel like snuggling with, now’s a good time to do it! I brought my ukulele today, so feel free to just listen and cuddle.
Bilingual Lullaby with Ukulele: Yo te amo / I Love You (BB) (TB) (FT)
Yo te amo, yo te amo
All day long I’ll sing this little song to you.
Yo te amo, yo te amo
Darling, I love you!
Source: Jbrary
Thanks to Storytime Ukulele, who published the chords to this song. I made my own PDF version that you can download.

Get a downloadable ukulele songsheet here!

We did this one in Spanish and again in English.
Action Song: Cabeza y hombros, rodillas y pies (BB) (TB) (FT)
(Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes)
Cabeza y hombros, rodillas y pies (rodillas y pies)
Cabeza y hombros, rodillas y pies (rodillas y pies)
Ojos, orejas, boca y nariz
Cabeza y hombros, rodillas y pies (rodillas y pies)
Source: traditional

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Tissue Paper Flowers
In Mexico there is a tradition of making crafts with tissue paper. Behind me you can see papel picado, an ancient craft that goes all the way back to the Aztec. You’ll also see big colorful paper flowers as decorations at celebrations, and that’s what our craft is this week. I used the instructions from the Inspired By Family blog, but since the kids are so small, I did all the steps up until they need to separate the tissue paper to make the flower. It simplified so the kids could do it. There was some torn paper, which I expected, but it was less than I’d feared. They did a great job!

Play Time
The babies have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (BB) (TB) (FT)

There are so many amazing books by Latinx creators. Here are just a few I put on my handout.
Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Los pollitos dicen / The Baby Chicks Are Singing – Ashley Wolff
Marta! Big & Small – Jen Arena & Angela Dominguez
Mi casa is my home – Laurenne Sala & Zara González Hoang
Alma and How She Got Her Name – Juana Martinez-Neal
I Love You, Baby Burrito – Angela Dominguez
Round Is a Tortilla – Roseanne Greenfield Thong & John Parra
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré – Anika Aldamuy Denise & Paola Escobar
Book Fiesta! – Pat Mora & Rafael López
Just Ask! – Sonia Sotomayor & Rafael López
Viva Frida – Yuyi Morales
¡Pío Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes – Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy, Alice Schertle, & Viví Escrivá
Sonrisas for Baby: A Little Book of Smiles – Jen Arena & Blanca Gómez
A Song of Frutas – Margarita Engle & Sara Palacios
Maria Had a Little Llama / María tenía una llamita – Angela Dominguez
¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat! – Raul the Third & Elaine Bay
Arrorró, mi niño – Lulu Delacre & Cecilia Esquivel & Diana Saez
I’m Hungry! / ¡Tengo hambre! – Angela Dominguez
Besos for Baby: A Little Book of Kisses – Jen Arena & Blanca Gómez
Paletero Man – Lucky Diaz & Micah Player
Brrrum, brrrum, brrrum / Zoom, Zoom, Zoom – Annie Kubler
Hasta las rodillas / Up to My Knees – Grace Lin & Carlos E. Calvo
Eso es mio / That’s Mine – Sumana Seeboruth & Ashleigh Corrin
Ten little birds / Diez pajaritos – 123 Andrés & Sara Palacios
Me gusta – Angela Dominguez

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/12, 9/13, & 9/14/22.

Storytime Handout:

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(BB) Book Babies, ages 0-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5