Broaden Students' Understanding of Hispanic Heritage Month with Hand-Picked Podcasts | | |
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By Laura Ordoñez
Senior Editor, Podcast and YouTube Reviews | | | | |
As Hispanic Heritage Month begins, I've started to look back on my experience with this month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino culture. As a third-generation Latina woman living in the U.S., I'm trying to understand the difference between how I've experienced it vs. how my son's generation is experiencing it now. The realization I came to was eye-opening. 👀
For a long time I simply thought of it as a nod to Mexico's Independence Day 🇲🇽 —which is on September 16 and commemorates Mexicans calling for liberation from Spain in 1810. Because my dad's side of the family is from Mexico, it's what we celebrated at home, and at school we would learn about Mexico's Independence Day in history class while all the Latino students would bring in their favorite traditional treats (I would always choose conchas). Then we'd move on to a new lesson. |
It wasn't until high school that my understanding of Hispanic Heritage Month expanded, and that was mostly because my friend group diversified. I had friends who were Puerto Rican, Colombian, Salvadoran, Peruvian, and from many different mixtures of Hispanic cultures. Although our traditions, cultures, and experiences were broadly different, our experience of Hispanic Heritage Month was generally the same: We'd celebrate our own specific culture at home, then come to school to have a dangerously overgeneralized celebration with all of our unique cultures lumped together as one.
Now, as an adult, I cringe at this experience 😖, not only for myself, but for my friends and so many other Latino and Hispanic kids who probably experienced the same generational trauma of being misunderstood, underrepresented, and stereotyped. So how do we do better for this current generation and those to come?
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First, we know representation matters, both to reflect our own experiences and to learn about others'. And, as head of ratings and reviews for podcasts 🎤, I know that they're an increasingly popular, screen-free media format for kids. They let us listen just about anywhere, and the intimate format allows kids' imaginations to soar. 🪁
So below is a list of podcasts—and specific episodes—to broaden kids' understanding of Hispanic Heritage Month and the diverse contributions of Latino and Hispanic people and culture.
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Circle Round (2+): Little ones can listen to a variety of folktales from the Spanish-speaking world—including a touching Paraguayan tale—through music-filled episodes with characters voiced by some of their favorite actors. Check out: "The Uncommon Offering," "
The Horse of a Different Color," "Lookalike Falls," "Of Beans and Bunnies."
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The Music Box (6+): This educational music podcast has a great episode that highlights and celebrates music and artists from Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and more: "Composers and Musicians of Latin America!"
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Who, When, Wow! (7+): This fun history show from the creators of Wow in the World features two great episodes that will expose kids to Latino athletes who defied the odds and paved the way for Latinos to shine in spaces where they were once hidden. "
Alicia Alonso: Ballerina" tells the story of the partially blind Cuban ballerina who founded the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. And "Roberto Clemente" celebrates the first Latino baseball player to reach 3,000 career hits.
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The Ten News (8+): A great way to kick off HHM is with their episode "Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month," which gives the historical background of the holiday and also dives into the distinction between the terms Latino and Hispanic to ensure they're used correctly.
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The Mayan Crystal (8+): This is a fictional story with roots in Mayan culture and tradition, and a brave female protagonist.
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Timestorm (8+): This epic audio adventure highlights Puerto Rican culture, traditions, and history in a fun and unique way: through time travel. What's great about this podcast is that it shares the perspective of Latin American kids who may feel somewhat disconnected from their culture because they were never fully immersed in it.
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Cultureverse (8+): A great podcast with diverse folktales for older kids. Two episodes highlight Latin American folktales: "Cholito de la Suerte" (Mexico) and "
The Wise Fool" (Puerto Rico).
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Mija Podcast (8+): Tells stories of the immigrant experience, from triumphs to tribulations. Season one focuses on a Colombian family's experience, and the upcoming miniseries—set to launch September 14—will focus on community and growth in northern Mexico. Episodes are offered in English and Spanish.
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Duolingo Spanish Podcast (10+): From the creators of the well-known language learning app, this podcast doesn't just teach the Spanish language, it immerses listeners in Hispanic culture around the world. Episodes are bilingual and best for those with intermediate to advanced Spanish language skills.
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Tres Cuentos Literary Podcast (11+): This literary podcast celebrates Latino and Hispanic authors, stories, and experiences from Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and many more. Each episode is recorded in both English and Spanish. Great for older middle school students and high schoolers as well.
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Latino USA (15+): Hear diverse news and culture stories from Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Afro-Latino, and Venezuelan communities and more. Great for high school students to broaden their perspective of U.S. history and current events from a Latin American perspective.
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To explore and celebrate more of Hispanic and Latino culture, history, and contributions beyond this holiday month, you can also check out some of our other podcast lists: Best Bilingual and Spanish Podcasts for Kids and Kids & Family Podcasts with Latino Hosts and Latino Lead Characters.
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Best,
Laura |
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