National Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages, and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Island communities and ensure their rich histories, diverse cultures, and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation.

There are many contributions made by the Native Americans such as the discovery of edible plants, which are widely eaten by people around the world.

The government of Native Americans serves as the model of federated representative democracy.

References:

https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/

https://nationaltoday.com/american-heritage-month/

The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Johnson and was expanded by President Reagan in 1988 to cover a full month.

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana in Spanish) is celebrated in the U.S. annually Sep. 15-Oct. 15, recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans on U.S. history, culture, and achievements. The theme for 2023 is “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power and Progress in America”

Explore more:

• https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov

• Wikipedia Link

• Hispanic Heritage Month - Origins & Facts: https://www.history.com/topics/hispanic-history/hispanic-heritage-month  

• How to make paper fiesta flowers: https://www.desumama.com/easy-paper-flower-tutorial-hispanic-heritage-month/ 

• Museum of Latin American Art: https://molaa.org/

Pride Month is celebrated each year in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which is a notable event that is often considered the start of the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement. The acronym LGBTQIA+ strives to represent the various elements of the diversity of gender identity and orientation. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQIA+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.

Learn more from:

• Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/ 

• MCPS: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/lgbtq/ 

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month was originated by the U.S. Congress in 1977 to recognize the contributions made by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Asian immigrants started coming to the United States in the 1700s. Filipinos first settled in Louisiana in 1776, the first Indian immigrants in 1790, and the first Chinese immigrants in 1820. Many Chinese workers helped with the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Asian Americans have contributed achievements in various fields such as science, technology, and sports.

• Check out these books with Asian, Asian American, Desi, and Pacific Islander characters 

  • Common Sense Media 

  • Goodreads 

• Learn more:

  • Wikipedia links: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month; Asian Americans in politics; Asian Americans in science and technology; Indian Americans; Korean Americans; Japanese Americans 

  • Asian American Timeline - Immigration, Achievements & Famous Firsts - HISTORY The Quad | Asian American activism on campus (dailybruin.com) 

  • US Immigration 1840-1920: Step One (monashores.net) 

  • Key facts about Asian Americans | Pew Research Center 

Jewish American Heritage Month has been celebrated in May since 2006, with the purpose of recognizing Jewish people’s contributions to American culture for more than 350 years.

Learn more: https://www.jewishheritagemonth.gov/

Arab American Heritage Month has been observed every April since 2017. There are an estimated 3.7 million Americans with Arab roots. The Arab World consists of 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

• For a fun cooking activity try making some delicious Tabbouleh:

  • https://www.arabamerica.com/8-secrets-on-how-to-make-perfect-tabbouleh/ 

• More information and references: 

  • https://arabamericafoundation.org/national-arab-american-heritage-month/

  • https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/arab-american-heritage-month  

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture, and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. The theme for 2023 is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories, recognizing women, past and present, who have been active in media and storytelling, including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media, and inspiring current and future generations to follow the women who laid the framework for women to be treated equitably and recognized in society.

Learn more:

• https://womenshistorymonth.gov/

• https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/womens-history-month

Downloadable coloring pages:

• https://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/people/womens-history-month-coloring-pages/

• https://coolmompicks.com/blog/2017/03/16/famous-women-coloring-pages-womens-history-month/

Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson first conceived and announced a weeklong celebration of Black Americans' contributions to civilization in 1925, and it was first celebrated in February 1926 during the week that includes the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, the celebration was expanded to the entire month of February.

Reference: https://blackhistorymonth.gov/

Check out these links to coloring pages (free to download) that highlight the accomplishments of Black Americans throughout history and in STEM fields.

• https://www.scribblefun.com/black-history-month-coloring-pages/

• https://www.colormephd.org/coloring-pages/history-making-scientists (scroll about a third of the way down the page to learn about Black history-making scientists)

New Year festivals include many different observances worldwide, including religious observances, that celebrate the beginning of a new year. Different cultures and religions use different calendar systems, such as the Gregorian, Ancient Greek, and Lunar calendars, which mark a new year on different dates. Many New Year traditions are centered on celebrations that take place at midnight on December 31, with a new year starting January 1.

New Year’s Eve is commonly celebrated by gathering with friends and family. Popular rituals include serving food that symbolizes good fortune and making resolutions concerning what one hopes to accomplish in the next year.

Read more:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Year-festival

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year

December is full of celebrations of all kinds, as unique as the regions and cultures where they originated.

Families and friends may do a variety of things to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, the Winter Solstice, the end of one year and beginning of the new year, and other special days and events this time of year. While there are many differences in these celebrations, there are also some common elements, such as decorations, special foods, lights, gifts, togetherness, and reflection.

Learn more about these and other winter celebrations: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/pages/topic/winter-celebrations

Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages, and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Island communities and ensure their rich histories, diverse cultures, and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation.

“American Indian Day” was first declared in May 1916. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants of the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.

Native Americans have been living in America for a very long time. There are many contributions made by the Native Americans, such as the discovery of edible plants, which are widely eaten by people around the world. They were the first people to raise turkeys, guinea pigs, and honeybees. Also, the government of Native Americans serves as a model of federated representative democracy.

Learn more:

• https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/

• https://nationaltoday.com/american-heritage-month/

• https://www.nps.gov/lecl/getinvolved/november-2022-native-american-heritage-month.htm

When the pleasant wind blows and the leaves turn red and yellow, it is Fall, the season of abundance.

Fall is the season of bountiful harvests of crops and sweet fruits, and many countries and cultures around the world hold fall festivals to celebrate it.

In some countries, people wear costumes and perform trick or treats (Halloween), others hold a festival of lights (Diwali). In some places, people make wishes while looking at the full moon and give thanks to their ancestors (Chuseok and Moon Festival), while others pray in remembrance of dead relatives and friends (Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead), and some enjoy the fall festival with a drink (Oktoberfest).

Families and cultures celebrate these and many other unique traditions in the Fall.

Let us know if you have a celebration to add! And however you celebrate, Happy Fall!

The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Johnson and was expanded by President Reagan in 1988 to cover a full month.

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana in Spanish) is celebrated in the U.S. annually Sep. 15-Oct. 15, recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans on U.S. history, culture, and achievements. The theme for 2022 is “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.”

Explore more:

- https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hispanic_Heritage_Month  

- Hispanic Heritage Month - Origins & Facts: https://www.history.com/topics/hispanic-history/hispanic-heritage-month  

- How to make paper fiesta flowers: https://www.desumama.com/easy-paper-flower-tutorial-hispanic-heritage-month/ 

-Museum of Latin American Art: https://molaa.org/

April is Autism Acceptance Month, also called World Autism Month. Although there is no formal designation of the month, the observance started with the Autism Society of America’s first National Autistic Children’s Week in 1972. According to Claire Delano in Autism Parenting Magazine, “the goal of Autism Acceptance Month is to be more inclusive of the very community it seeks to celebrate. It promotes not just education about the differences of people with autism, but understanding and respecting those differences. It calls for more tangible progress toward equal rights and resources.”

Gnome Surf is a nonprofit organization that serves children across the ability spectrum, including children with autism. It is focused on the “inclusion, diversity, equality, and acceptance for kids of all abilities through surf therapy, arts, and cultural activities … based on the belief that every athlete that walks through the door is a unique, amazing individual.” Read more about this organization on the Autism Speaks website.

Learn more:

• The Autism Society: https://autismsociety.org/the-autism-experience/ 

• School Community Tool Kit from Autism Speaks has information about autism, specific community information for teachers, peers, and more

Every March, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) and its partners collaborate to observe Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM). The social media campaign highlights the many ways in which people with and without disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities. The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all aspects of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

The 2022 theme, Worlds Imagined, focuses on how the world is changing as we move through and beyond the pandemic. With this theme, NACDD plans to highlight intersectionality and disability, as well as how people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) are living longer and more productive lives than ever before. The 2022 DDAM theme encourages exploration of new and ever-changing opportunities.

Learn more: https://www.nacdd.org/ddam1/  

The Lunar New Year is a festival and national holiday celebrated in various Asian countries, including China, Korea, and Vietnam, commemorating the first day of a new year using the lunisolar calendar. According to East-Asian culture, 2022 is the Year of Tiger.

It is one of the most important holidays of the year for several Asian countries, and there are many families in our school that celebrate the Lunar New Year (e.g., Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese families).

Lunar New Year has a different name in each country. In China, it is called Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. In Korea, it is called Seolnal. In Vietnam, it is called Tết.

During the Lunar New Year holidays, many people visit family, wear the traditional dresses, eat traditional foods, play folk games, and perform their own traditional activities.

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_New_Year

• https://www.teachstarter.com/us/teaching-resource/lunar-new-year-powerpoint-us/  

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_New_Year

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E1%BA%BFt