Interesting classrooms are made up by
teachers with diverse interests. My hobbies outside the
classroom setting sometimes enter the education field, since I believe my classroom to be
an extension of real life. It is also true
that educational materials enter my home all the time. Actually, my
elementary-aged children have a blast each Summer with all my "stuff" from
school. Even though they are past Kindergarten, manipulatives are great tools
for learning at any age. Every afternoon we ask each other what did all of us
learn in school that day.
Puerto Rico is of great interest
to me. I was born and raised on this beautiful Caribbean island. Please make a
virtual visit to
one of the world's most populated areas by linking to Welcome to Puerto Rico!
You will find a description of the island, and information on its geography, history,
government, economy, tourist sites, and more. You can read about Puerto
Rican "immigration", find out about specific towns
of the island, or get a hold of that special ingredient for a Caribbean
recipe in Qu�Rico, Spanish
Supermarket or Spicy Caribbee (at
Viejo San Juan). How about Puerto
Rican toys for loved ones?
Spanish is spoken inside our home. Even
though everyone in the house is bilingual in English and Spanish,
we decided on using only one language. For our children, it is a time to
experience the Puerto Rican culture so that they too can become bicultural.
My husband and I are consecutive or successive bilinguals, and learned
English after knowing Spanish. Our children are simultaneous bilinguals,
because they are having an early exposure to both languages and are given ample
opportunities to use or practice both. Many researchers define this as infant
bilingualism or bilingualism as a first language.
Crosstitching as a craft was introduced to me when I was
age 10. My neighbor, Lillian Rivera, had probably no idea to the extent that crosstitch
was going to be part of my life thereafter. During the Summer, when I am off from school,
I enjoy stitching for friends, relatives, or just to decorate my home walls. If you like
practicing this art, I recommend you to visit Hobby
Punt. Good books are: Jo Verso's Cross Stitch Gifts for Children
and 2001 Cross Stitch Designs : The Essential Reference Book.
If you need ideas visit DMC.
I
had always liked painting. Sometimes I use stencils to decorate my home�s walls.
Other times I use permanent markers to decorate votives and candle holders. I
try to find an occasion to do these activities. If I cannot find an opportunity
to do these at home, my classroom is the perfect place. I just find a project to
do with my students and get those brushes on our hands.
It was during my teen years when I
started collecting international Coca-Cola cans. Some friends that have visited
other parts of the world bring them to me, and others I have brought myself inside of
suitcases from not-so-far away places. During the Summer of
2000 my family and I visited the World of Coca-Cola building in Atlanta, Georgia. It was very
interesting. Now we are into patch collecting. The Summer of 2001 has begun with
"Mami's Camp," which includes "field trips" to museums,
forest preserves, and zoos. We are collecting patches from all of these places to
remember our good times together.
Personal reading is
the one thing I wish I could do more often. Following is a list of books I have
recently read: Boundaries
(1992), Woman
of Strength (1997),
The
Power of a Praying Wife (1997),
The
Way They Learn (1998), Successful
Christian Parenting (1998), Every Child Can Succeed
(1999), Christian Teachers in Public Schools: A Guide for Teachers,
Administrators, and Parents (1999),
Boundaries in Marriage
(1999), Kids' Allowances - How Much, How Often & How Come, A Guide for Parents
(2000),
Money
Doesn't Grow on Trees: Teaching Your Kids the Value of a Buck!(2002),
Conversations With Catholics (2002) ,
The
Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (2002), and
The
Power of a Positive Wife (2003).
Genealogy is one of those hobbies that is a personal quest since 1988. I
remember using 25 cent coins as outline for my family members when I drew our family tree.
My husband Manuel also joined this never-ending hobby. We started joining forces with the
help of The Family Tree Maker.
Not too long ago we were able to locate a birth certificate from the
1800's in Spain using one of the genealogy chat groups from the internet. A good
source is you do not know how to start is Hispanic Genealogy
Center. Are there any
Fronteras out there that I still don't know about? Contact Mrs. Frontera at Jard�n Mundial and tell me about your existence. If you would like to search for
books to help you incorporate Family History in your curriculum, click here.
Want to begin your own search? Try Hispanic Surnames and Family History
or Introduction to Hispanic Genealogy.
I collect family pictures as
another way to document the past. Baby albums, scrapbooks, negatives, and photo captions
are an all-through-the-year affair present during our birthday celebrations, school
events, and holiday activities. Since I became a mother, the picture themes have been
centered around my children. However, I also enjoy landscape photography when traveling
away from home, and taking pictures of peculiar animals to show to my class.
Since visuals are so important during the early and formative
years, clipping pictures from newspaper and magazines has entered my classroom
setting. Some relatives know about my interests and share their experiences with me. My
brother Carlos went to Australia and Brasil brought me back some pictures to share with
my students. My brother Roberto went to Japan and Germany and brought me back
some interesting souvenirs. Our family camera is always ready to take pictures
of interesting animals every time I go on vacation with my own two children.
Zoos and aquariums are some of our favorite places to visit.
Gardening is a hobby that I
like, but one that I am not very good at. I just like spending time with nature
during our Summers here in Illinois. Of course I pay the price later on with my
asthma, but well, that's life! Watering the grass and pulling a few weeds here
and there will be enough for me. My children and husband pitch in as well. Being
outside is helpful, since that's is also the time we feed our outside
"pets". We enjoy them outside because of my allergies. The birds
always find a way of putting a nest on a hanging flower basket near our kitchen
window. The rabbits are on the look out for new flowers to eat, which drives my
husband crazy, and the squirrel is peaky about the pumpkin seeds we like to give
him. Here they are:
If you suffer from asthma just like I do, the Asthma
and Allergy Foundation of America has the resources you need. Also I
will like to read this book one day, Allergy-Free Gardening : The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping.
Have you read it yet? Please email me your comments.
Singing on my church�s choir is an
activity I really enjoy. Every Fall Naperville
Christian Church of Illinois presents a musical and I like being part of it.
My mother is a pianist and classical music was always heard at home growing up
in Puerto Rico. I played a bit of piano and oboe. Now as an adult I usually sing
children's songs with my kids in school. Maybe you want to browse for some
current Children's
music titles.
Last, but not least, I enjoy the magnificent world of baby animals, in particular, baby
mammals. I nursed my two children and became interested in how other animal mothers
nurse their young. After all, nature is nature. While taking a graduate course in Early
Childhood Education, I researched this topic and created a pictography with around 75
pictures of animal nursing couples. The document may be available for publication sometime
in the near future. It may interest teachers discussing mammals within their science
curriculum units, breastfeeding mothers, and lactation consultants. I recommend
these important articles:
Aronson, S.S. (1998, March/April). Breastfed babies in child care. Child Care Information Exchange, 120, 22-24.
Baumslag, N. and Michels, D.L. (1995) Test Your Breastfeeding IQ (from Milk, Money and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding)
Coburn, J. (2000, July/August). Formula for profit: How marketing breastmilk substitutes undermines the health of babies. Mothering, 101, 58-68.
Michels, D.L. (1996, April). Mother Nature Loves Breastmilk. L.A. Parent Magazine
Breastfeeding: The Gold Standard of Infant Nutrition and Nurturing
More resources to help you. Click on the image below.
