Día! is upon us!
So, you’re reading this and thinking OMG, this is not so LOL when Día! is upon us! Don’t panic! There’s still time left to make this a meaningful Día! Sure, you may have somehow missed out on REFORMA’s March 31st deadline for applying for its Día! grants, but with a little planning, and some great resources, you can do this!
Do YOU Día?
But, I hear you say, Jonathan, I’m not Hispanic and I don’t speak Spanish above the “hola me llamo [insert name]” level. Let’s review what Día is all about!
El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of ALL linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Thus, you see that it’s not just about Spanish speakers. Indeed, I want to highlight that there were winners of the CSMCL 2019 Día grant this year that celebrated African-American culture and heritage. More info on CSMCL right here! And of course it’d be impossible to talk about Día without acknowledging author, advocate Pat Mora, who is the founder of Día.
So, the question should not be Do YOU Día, but rather, why Don’t you Día?
Let’s do Día!
Resources for you that are free and ready and waiting for your left-hand mouse click!
Pat Mora’s Día Resources to Share
Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC)
- Día home page
- National registry of Día events
- Building a Culture of Literacy in Your Community Through Día (Jeanette Larson) – professional resource book with Día history and programming ideas
First Book
- Explore the Día resource page on the First Book website.
- Visit the Día shop to find discover books for your celebration that depict and celebrate diverse characters and experiences.
- Find books paired with tip sheets to celebrate Latino culture.
- Fundraise for your Día celebration.
Literacy & Teaching Organizations and Websites
- Reading Rockets – Día activities and video interviews
- ¡Colorín Colorado! – Día resources, activities and videos
- ReadWriteThink – Día lesson plan
State and Regional Library Associations
- The Texas Library Association: Día toolkit
- Oregon Library Association newletter article: Community Collaborates for a Día celebration
- Texas State Library: Online Día manual
STEM/STEAM a la Día
This year ALSC has added a STEM/STEAM component to Día planning – explore!
Free Program Downloads tab to download the new 2019 Día web badges, booklists, and banners! Also download the Día event poster, add details about your event, and promote your Día celebration.
As always, I want you to think outside the box. Please strongly consider using Poet X as a jumping off point for a poetry slam at your library or maybe some work by Kwame Alexander. No matter how you Día – do it right!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIsma9GtJlU]
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