Hispanic Heritage Month September 15, 2010 to October 15, 2010

About National Hispanic Heritage Month:
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.

This Year's Theme:
“Heritage, Diversity, Integrity and Honor: The Renewed Hope of America”

copied from: http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH RESOURCES:
Library of Congress: Hispanic Reading Room
http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/
Smithsonian Latino Center
http://latino.si.edu/
Latino Virtual Gallery
http://latino.si.edu/virtualgallery/LVGhome.html
Legacy: Spain and the United States in the Age of Independence, 1763–1848
http://latino.si.edu/SpainLegacy/Archive/index.html
HispanicHeritage Tour
http://heritagetours.si.edu/hhm.html
Library of Congress
http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
Latin Music USA
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/latinmusicusa/
biography.com
http://www.biography.com/hispanic-heritage/index.jsp
Latino Trivia Challenge
http://www.biography.com/hispanic-heritage/game.jsp?HPF_rid=39977291&HPF_mid=2860_T1_Url10

6th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day September 25, 2010

Saturday, September 25th, 2010 is Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day where you can attend a museum for free. The following web address has information where you can search for participating museums such as History Miami museum, International Swimmers Hall of Fame museum, or Bass Museum of Art, etc. You must download the free ticket which is good for two people.

http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/?utm_source=dedicated&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20100924-MuseumDay

Constitution Day-- September 17th!!!

Did you know our constitution was signed on September 17, 1787? The United States Constitution is 223 years old. In an amendment to the Omnibus spending bill of 2004, the late West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd designated September 17 as Constitution Day, on which schools receiving federal funding are required to teach the Constitution. Check out the following websites for more historical information:
History.com
http://www.history.com/topics/constitution
Prentice Hall
http://www.phschool.com/curriculum_support/interactive_constitution/
The National Constitution Center
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Online_Activities.aspx
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/ncc_progs_Constitution_Day.aspx
The National Endowment for the Humanities
http://edsitement.neh.gov/ConstitutionDay/constitution_index2.html#read
Scholastic Constitution Game
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/constitution_day/constitution.asp?eml=TNL/e/20100831/912_NEW
The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=3&title.raw=Constitution%20of%20the%20United%20States
The Charters of Freedom from NARA
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters_of_freedom_1.html
School House Rock presents - The Preamble on kidstube.com (thanks to Ally Segovia) which has a cute song on the Preamble.
http://www.kidstube.com/videos/1927/School House Rock - The Preamble