The world of homeschooling has grown immensely over the last 10 years. More and more families are discovering the advantages and benefits of providing at-home education. Especially these days, when many children across the nation are being schooled at home. For Monica Olivera, a 6th generation Latina mom the decision to homeschool came out of her determination to provide a good education for her children. Living in a town where the school district was considered to be failing, she made the decision to teach her daughter at home as she entered Kindergarten. Today, in her quest to raise bilingual and bicultural children and understanding that many Latino families are as devoted as she is to education, language and culture, she provides information, ideas, resources, and materials via her platform, MommyMaestra. Founded in 2010, her blog supports both homeschooling parents, parents involved in their children’s education, and also bilingual education teachers. Her materials are offered in both English and Spanish.
Monica is the author of The Latino Family’s Guide to Homeschooling and The Heritage Journal Series. Her Spanish curricula include arts and crafts, homeschooling basics, language and reading, books, math, music, science among others. She recently started a new FB group for Hispanic Bilingual Homeschoolers Families, a supportive community that brings together homeschooling families from across the world. “Our mission is to inspire and support homeschooling parents, caregivers, and educators raising the next generation of global citizens”
Monica’s tips for parents to celebrate Latino culture all year round:
- READ – pick a series at a time, maybe from the same author. Make it
- Cultural activities – crafts, arts, music.
- Find resources to use throughout the year. Look for Latinos that are making contributions to society, the world, and share with your kids.
- Journals – Her books, The Heritage Journals are an excellent resource to promote culture and where kids, ages 8-14 can record their family’s story and heritage and learn fact bits of the particular country. The series includes Guatemala, Puerto Rico, France, Cuba, Mexico and there is a Spanish Heritage Journal as well.
