Overview
The Smithsonian Latino Center’s bilingual materials are created to explore various approaches and to enhance the classroom learning experience. They are also excellent resources for parents and caregivers looking for at-home activities. Within each guide, we provide background information, activities, vocabulary, and additional resources for teachers and students. We have divided this page into subject areas for ease of identification. Should you need more information, please contact us at SLCEducation@si.edu.
These resources are also on the Smithsonian’s Learning Lab which offers teaching collections grouped by themes. These groupings feature related videos of performances or interviews with experts and/or related Smithsonian objects. To learn more, see the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Learning Lab page.
Look, Hear, Learn, and Do
Arts and culture activities that allow for the exploration of themes such as Latino music, cultural ceramics, contemporary visual art, and spoken word and poetry. These art activities connect with Latino cultural contributions and are also designed to augment classroom learning in Arts, English, Language Arts, Social Studies, and World Languages and Culture curricula.
- American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music Activity Poster
- Andean Rhythms: A Children's Music Workshop
- Color and Discover: A Journey Through Central America's Past
- Cultural Expressions: Art for Social Change Learning Lab Collection
- Cultural Expressions: Southern Identity, Contemporary Argentine Art Learning Lab Collection
- Cultural Expressions: Spoken Connections and Poetry Learning Lab Collection
Art for Social Change Featured Collection
Easy To-Do-At-Home: Resources for Caregivers, Families, and Lifelong Learners
¡Descubra! Hispanic Heritage Create-It activities that the whole family can enjoy together. Explore Latino culture and Latin American contributions through these activities on our Learning Lab collections. The activities include word searches, easy-to-do craft activities, collages and coloring, and recipes from our kitchen to yours.
- American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music Activity Poster
- Celebrating Afro-Latinidad
- Celebrating Cerámica Activity Poster
- Celebrating Central American Traditions Learning Lab Collection
- Celebrating Inka Road
- Celebrating Staging the Self
- Color and Discover: A Journey Through Central America
- ¡Descubra! Hispanic Heritage Learning Lab Collection
- Latino Arts, Beats, and Culture
- Making History, Sharing Culture Learning Lab Collection
- Panamanian Passages Family Guide
- Passport to Argentina Family Guide
- Southern Identity: Contemporary Argentine Art Family Guide
¡Descubra! Hispanic Heritage Featured Collection
Investigate and Learn About Latino History
These resources highlight Latino and Latin American contributions to U.S. and World History. Travel throughout the history of the Americas to learn about Central America’s Past, Argentina’s history, the creation of Panama and its relationship with the U.S. and the world. Explore U.S. Latino contributions and traditions since the American Revolution. These resources can be used with elementary through high school students. Activities are also designed to augment classroom learning in Arts, English, Language Arts, Social Studies, and World Languages and Culture curricula.
- Cerámica de los Ancestros: Central America’s Past Revealed Learning Lab Collection
- Cultural Expressions: Southern Identity, Contemporary Argentine Art Learning Lab Collection
- Day of the Dead Bilingual Learning Lab Collection
- Our Journeys Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievement Bilingual Publication (In four parts):
- Panamanian Passages: Panama as a Crossroads Learning Lab Collection
- Latino Patriots in American Military History Bilingual Publication (In two parts):
Featured Collection
¡Descubra! Meet the Science Expert Create-It
Become the scientist with these hands-on activities (pocket and kitchen STEM/STEAM), handouts, and notecards. These resources encourage the exploration of the process of problem-solving, making, and creating, allowing learners to fully engage and understand the concepts being presented through the creation of their own project. These handouts are designed for elementary through high school students in earth and space science, biology, chemistry, physics, and natural and environmental science.
- Create-It: Design and Build Wind Instruments
- Create-It: Inka Engineering in a Grass Bridge
- Create-It: Let’s Have a Whale of a Time
- Create-It: Let’s Land a Rover on Mars!
- ¡Descubra! Ciencia: ¡A divertirnos con las ballenas!
- ¡Descubra! Ciencia: ¡Coloquemos un rover en Marte!
- ¡Descubra! Ciencia: Diseño y construcción de instrumentos de viento
- ¡Descubra! Ciencia: La ingeniería inka en un puente de hierba
- ¡Descubra! Ciencia: Tarjetas de bolsillo
- ¡Descubra! Meet the Science Expert Learning Lab Collection
- ¡Descubra! Meet the Science Expert Pocket Notecards
- Panamanian Passages: Panama as a Crossroads Learning Lab Collection
- The Inka Suspension Bridge | El Puente de Suspención Inka
¡Descubra! Meet the Science Expert Featured Collection