Inside: Spanish speaking countries flags (free printable banner).
For Hispanic Heritage month, lots of people are looking for decorations. How about a string of flags from Spanish-speaking countries? I’ve created a little free printable that you can grab and put up in no time. These would be perfect for a bulletin board or to hang from a table or mantle.
Spanish Speaking Countries Flags
Included are all 21 Hispanic countries, plus the United States in case anyone wants to use it (the U.S. has the second largest population of Spanish speakers in the world!). I simple cut them out, punched holes, and string them up with string.
You’ll notice these are representations of each flag, and vary a tiny bit from the originals.
Hey! I’m Elisabeth, a teacher and mom raising two bilingual kids in the Peruvian jungle. Read our story here. I love digging up the best Spanish resources for all you busy parents and teachers!
Inside: Free Instagram story templates in Spanish and photo challenge.
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates Americans with Hispanic roots. I like teaching about the famous ones, sure.
But what I really love is honoring the everyday people, with their myriad of connections and roots in Spanish-speaking places.
I’m from the U.S., technically without my own “Hispanic heritage.” When I married my Peruvian husband, our cultures began to blend of course. Spanglish become our official home language; U2 and Maná shared equal space on the airwaves. He learned to love The Office and I learned that Karaoke was a legitimate date night option.
What cemented it all was our first baby. My job changed from just embracing Latino culture to passing on Latino culture.
Both of my kids were born in the US, which meant that preserving their Hispanic heritage wouldn’t just happen by accident. And as much as their natural confidence, rhythm, and athletic ability are straight from their papi, I’ve been the one who checked bilingual books out from the library, made sure to put José Luis Orozco CDs in the van, and researched all the fingerplays and rhymes I could find. I think it’s just my personality, or the teacher in me– these things are always in the back of my mind!
Whether you have Hispanic roots, yourself, or are connected through teaching, children, partners, travel, or close friends, you probably can relate to this beautiful bicultural, bilingual mess of life. So I’m inviting you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a fun Instagram challenge!
Instagram Challenge: #projectHHM
I wanted a fun way to keep HHM it in the spotlight and connect with our amazing online community. So, together with Allison from Mis Clases Locas and Frances from Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, we’re launching a fun Instagram Challenge TOMORROW, September 20!
Each day you can follow the daily post challenge, and tag us with the hashtag #projectHHM. The challenge will run for 15 days. Here are the photo ideas- be creative and have fun!
If you want to use the IG Story Templates, grab them here:
I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with! The intersection of Latino culture with U.S. culture is a rich one. I will be featuring a few photos here, throughout the next two months. Remember to use the hashtag so I can find you!
Right now, make sure to follow the three accounts that are hosting #projecHHM:
For extra fun, we will sharing Instagram story templates that go with each day’s theme, and help us get to know each other better. I will be uploading here each day, or you can watch our IG stories and screenshot from there.
Welcome
Hey! I’m Elisabeth, a teacher and mom raising two bilingual kids in the Peruvian jungle. Read our story here. I love digging up the best Spanish resources for all you busy parents and teachers!
Inside: A round-up of Hispanic Heritage Month activities and ideas.
Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th – October 15th, is the perfect chance to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans and celebrate Hispanic culture in general.
There are a lot of materials out there! I’ve been scouring the internet for the best resources and fun ideas, and gathered them here. Let me know in the comment if I missed one of your favorites.
Hispanic Heritage Month Activities
Books
I have an entire post on authentic books in Spanish for children, but here are some good quick picks as well:
Don’t have time for a big project or event? Do something bite-sized every day. Work culture into your daily bellringer (song, poem, mini-biographies, fun facts, geography), put up a bulletin board with artifacts, quotes, or biographies in the background, or pull out your authentic books in Spanish for children.
Assign a simple project about famous Hispanic Americans. Fun for Spanish Teachers describes a really good poster project that includes a QR code where students link to a voice recording.
Create a school-wide event that features Latin food, music, traditional games, country-themed tables, or dancing. Consider doing a Taco Truck Day and/or an activity to contrast typical tacos in the U.S. with authentic tacos.
Get the whole school involved throughout the month. Do trivia with prizes over the morning announcements, or have fun little games by the office or in the lunchroom (idea from the FB group Spanish Teachers in the U.S: “How many frijoles in the jar, flan flavor guessing contest, piñata on the last day, etc.”)
Mis Clases Locas had the great idea to do a Hispanic Heritage Music Madness bracket. Select a song from each country, and vote throughout the month until you have a winning song!
Coordinate with other teachers to emphasize Hispanic Heritage awareness. Talk with the art teacher about incorporating an artisan craft or studying a Hispanic artist.
Invite community members to talk or share something culture (a dance lesson, cooking lesson, craft, childhood stories, etc.)
Use this month to teach Spanish-speaking countries and capitals. (A free game card set is available in the printable section below.)
#authres
There are lots of infographics, songs, and video clips you can use during Hispanic Heritage Month. Here are some ideas:
Here are some ideas if you want to showcase Hispanic countries. Thank you to Alaid Zepol, from JLSimpson MS in Leesburg, VA for sharing pictures from their 2nd International Night!
Celebrate Latin American countries in this happy song. If the isn’t appropriate for your school, consider using a version that just features the lyrics.
Guantanamera
Expose your students to one of the great classics in Spanish, by the legendary Celia Cruz.
La Bamba
La Bamba isn’t just one of the most famous songs in Spanish, it features a Chicano artist who bridged Mexico and the US.
De Colores
A traditional song for children, De Colores is a beautiful and classic Hispanic song that can be enjoyed by all ages.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Google Arts:
How Pitbull’s Cuban-American family came to the U.S:
Hispanic Heritage Month from young Disney Stars:
Kids Talk About Hispanic Heritage Month (in English):
Latino Learning Modules (explains the terms Hispanic, Latino, and Chicano):
HBO’s the Latin Explosion is not available full-length on YouTube, though clips are available by artist. This preview might be a fun intro to Latino music in the US, as a way to kick off the month or music study. If you buy the full-length video, preview (especially for drug mentions.)
Hey! I’m Elisabeth, a teacher and mom raising two bilingual kids in the Peruvian jungle. Read our story here. I love digging up the best Spanish resources for all you busy parents and teachers!
Inside: Bulletin boards, ofrends, and Day of the Dead decorations in Spanish Classrooms.
Decorations for Día de Muertos are a welcome alternative to the chile peppers and sombreros we often see in Spanish classroom decor. Many teachers embrace the holiday as more deeply rooted in Latino traditions than Cinco de Mayo, for example. Though Day of the Dead isn’t celebrated in every part of the Spanish-speaking world, it is widely celebrated across Latin America and a good way to bring culture into the classroom.
As with any religious holidays, Day of the Dead has to be handled with care. It’s an interesting chance to explore religious traditions and compare/contrast with Halloween here in the U.S. (If you are looking for classroom ideas, check out my post on Día de los muertos activities!)
If you have students who have recently experience loss, you may need to tread carefully. Some teachers use the day as it was intended, and intentionally create a space for grieving students to reach out and remember their loved ones.
The teacher below did just that, to remember a student in her own school community. “Altar de muertos dedicado a uno de los estudiantes que perdió la vida en un accidente el año pasado.”
Credit: Alicia Chávez Bartlett
You know your own students and community best, but it’s sometimes helpful to see what others are doing.
If YOU have pictures of Day of the Dead decorations, bulletin boards, or ofrenda you’d like featured, please send me an email or message and let me know!
Día de Muertos Bulletin Boards and Displays
We’ll start off with bulletin boards and displays that teachers set up to share about the holiday.
Or how about going Coco-themed for your Day of the Dead bulletin board?
Día de Muertos Ofrenda Projects
Many teachers assign making ofrenda as a project. Several Spanish teachers shared the gorgeous work their students created, and I love seeing their creativity.
Credit: Kimberly Perez
School: Cypress Park High School
Día de Muertos Celebrations
Credit: Claudia Di Crosta
Claudia shared these pictures of the celebration she’s organized at her school. She says,
“We decorate the room with all different projects my students make, and we create a life size altar on the stage where the students and staff can display the pictures of their loved ones. Then we have a fiesta, our baking students bake/decorate skull shaped cookies and Día de los Muertos bread, our culinary students make us rice and pulled chicken and then we eat, dance, and share stories about our deceased loved ones. We have been featured in our local newspaper the past 3 years.”
Amazing way to put the spotlight on world language programs, right?
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Welcome
Hey! I’m Elisabeth, a teacher and mom raising two bilingual kids in the Peruvian jungle. Read our story here. I love digging up the best Spanish resources for all you busy parents and teachers!
Inside: A collection Spanish slang phrases from different countries in the Spanish-speaking world.
¿Así es, di? ¡Hola, huambrilla!
I remember the thrill of dropping slang into my sentences, as a baby Spanish learner. Di is special to the Pervuian jungle, so it got fun reactions when I learned to use it properly, as an obvious extranjera living there.
Heck, twelve years later it’s still infinitely satisfying to include that perfect piece of Spanish slang, at just the right time.
Perhaps it’s that sense of, “This isn’t my native culture, but I belong. I have roots here too.”
Slang can make you sound like a native you aren’t (as long as you know how and when to use it!) and some phrases express things your native language can’t.
Street Spanish is interesting, because it varies so widely across the world. Some phrases won’t make sense to a native speaker from another country, or might be considered vulgar somewhere else, so you have to be careful. It’s important to pay attention to what works for each country.
This post is the result of crowdsourcing! My readers from all over sent in slang from their respective regions. If you find a mistake or disagree, please let me know in the comments. I imagine this post will be organic for a while, as we correct and collect more. Please send me your favorite Spanish slang phrases and I’ll keep adding to the list.
Spanish Slang
Mexico
¡Qué padre! – How cool!/ awesome
¡Qué chido! – very cool
chafa – cheap, lame poorly made
órale – to express surprise/ Really?
Híjole – Oh my goodness!
¿Qué onda? – What’s up?
¿Mande? – What?
cuate – guy
guey – man
compa – friend
suave – groovy (older form of cool)
Qué mala/buena onda – What bad/good luck
pasta – money
es la leche – cool
chavo – young man
Neta? – Really?
¡No manches! – No kidding!/ For real?
¡A la goma! – to express surprise/ Wow!
¡Qué fregón! – How cool!
chilango – person from Mexico City
foráneo – person from out of town
provinciano – person from elsewhere than Mexico City
lana – money
chanclas – sandals
coche – car
Spain
sujetavelas – third wheel (candle-holder)
sinpa – dash and dine
pelota – teacher’s pet
enchufado – well-connected, the favorite
Qué mal rollo – that sucks
¡Qué guay! – How cool!
tío – guy/dude
majo/a – very nice
a flor de piel – wear your heart on your sleeve (meaning varies)
pasta – money
¡Cómo mola! – How cool!
vale– okay
es la leche – cool
chaval/a – teenager
Qué chulo – How cool
flipar– to be shocked
picar– to bother someone
Ecuador
pana – friend
bielas – beer
mijin – friend (amigo inseparable)
guambra – guy/girl (chico/chica)
achachay – it’s so cold (qué frío)
ayayay – that hurts (qué dolor)
acolitar– help (ayudar/acompañar)
ñaño/a – brother/sister
Costa Rica
chunche – thing
chiva – cool
¡Qué cachete! – How cool!
mop – close friend (primo, changed to mopri, shortened)
vara – thing
voy jalando – to leave a place with a bad attitude/feeling
mae – dude
manillo – dude
chiguines – kids
tico/a– a Costa Rican
tuanis – cool
pura vida– hello/ goodbye/ cheers/everything is good or cool
estar chineado/a– when you want to be cuddle/ loved/ taken care of
Panama
vaina – thing (as in, when you don’t remember what it is)
¿Qué sopa? – What happened? (¿Qué sopa?, after pig latin… ¿Qué sopa mopri?)
Colombia
nombe – abbreviation of hombre (used as in “nuh uh no way”)
¿Qué hubo? – What’s up?/ How’s it going?/ to shoo away dogs or reprimand kids
ira – now
Guatemala
güiros – niños
pisto – dinero
patojos – teenagers
Puerto Rico
charro/charrería – something/someone is lame
vacilón – a great party, having lots of fun
mano – dude
algarete – something crazy
bochinche – gossip
bregar – to work something out
cafre – someone with little education and attitude
seco/a – awesome, a person who is good at doing something
guagua – baby
bebida – soda
Dominican Republic
un chin – a little bit
vaina – stuff
guagua – bus
jevi – cool
Qué lo qué – What’s up
colmado – convenience store
bacano – cool/ someone good at something difficult
pana – buddy
jeepeta – SUV
chévere – cool
tato – everything is good/alright
ñapa – bonus/ when you buy something and they give you extra
esquimalito – popsicle
jevo/a – boy/girlfriend or girl/boy
concho – non-reulgated public transportation/ to express discomfort
tripear– to joke around/ to be pleasing (as in, “te tripea”)
quillao/quillá– being very mad
guapo/a– to be angry
Nicaragua
tuani – cool/awesome
chigüin/a: boy/girl
dale pues – do it then, go ahead
chaval/a – boy/girl
chele/chela -light-skinned person
chunche – thingamajig
Qué encave – How messed up
están jalando – they are dating
ni chicha ni limonada – to express confution
El Salvador
chivo/a – cool
va – ok/uh huh/got it/ah
cara de chumbe – turkey face
bicho, cipote(a) – child
chucho – dog
pisto – money
Venezuela
dale pues – go ahead and do it, let’s go, to express agreement
chévere – cool
chamo/a – boy/girl
chimbo – not good/bummer
coroto – thing (when you’re unsure of the name)
guácala – yucky, gross
bululú – a crowd
na’guará – to express admiration of something incredible or true
Paraguay
colectiva – bus
dispensa – corner store
puerete – cool (Guarani origins)
chulina – cute (Guarani origins)
chamigo/a – close friend (mix of che and friend)
Uruguay
ta – okay
chiquilín/a – boy or girl
guri – boy
plata – money
Argentina
che – meaning varies (hey, cool, guy)
pibe/piba – boy/girl
mina – girl
re – prefix that means “very”
tener fiaca – lazy
morfar – to eat
bondi – bus
¿Me estás cargando? – What the heck?
baja un cambio – call/ slow down
dale – ok/ hurry up
plata/mango/guita – money
Welcome
Hey! I’m Elisabeth, a teacher and mom raising two bilingual kids in the Peruvian jungle. Read our story here. I love digging up the best Spanish resources for all you busy parents and teachers!
It can be overwhelming to sit down for a night of Netflix, especially when you’re trying to sift through lesser-known films. I’ve spent the last month marathon-ing my way through Spanish-language movies and shows, and this post focuses on titles related to Latin America.
Latin American Movies on Netflix
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!
There are lots of Mexican movies as well, so I’ve got a post on Mexican movies on Netflix coming your way as well. I will link to it as soon as it’s live!
An indigenous Guatemalan family arranges a marriage for their 17-year-old daughter, Maria, to the foreman of the plantation. Maria, however, is in love with another worker and wants to escape with him. What follows is a clash of modern-day and traditional life: beautiful, sad, and compelling, both cinematographically and story-wise. The movie was filmed in Kaqchikel, which all of the actors natively speak.
Info: Drama | Kaqchikel Audio, Spanish Subtitles | 2015
LIVING ON ONE DOLLAR
Four friends leave the U.S. and plan to live on $1 per day in Guatemala. Although this film can reinforce the storyline of interpreting poverty and Latin America only through the eyes of foreigners, it’s an interesting watch.
Pía is surrounded by people who take her for granted and take advantage of the fact that she doesn’t speak up for herself. One day she can’t take it anymore, and sees an alternative Chinese doctor. He administers a dubious treatment that turns out to be extremely effective: now Pía can only say exactly what’s on here mind.
(Heads up– there’s a somewhat explicit sexual scene near the end that I found a little disturbing. It’s meant to be uncomfortable, but just letting you know.)
Mexican writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II retraces the life and journeys of Che Guevara. (It was difficult to find the trailer, so below is a section of the documentary itself.)
Discover the mysteries and marvels of Machu Pichu in this doucmentary from PBS.
Info: PG | English Audio | 53min
Of course, there are many Latin American movies that aren’t available on Netflix. Here are some famous titles:
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Welcome
Hey! I’m Elisabeth, a teacher and mom raising two bilingual kids in the Peruvian jungle. Read our story here. I love digging up the best Spanish resources for all you busy parents and teachers!
Hey! I’m Elisabeth, a teacher and mom raising two bilingual kids in the Peruvian jungle. Read our story here. I love digging up the best Spanish resources for all you busy parents and teachers!
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