WHYY helps children appreciate cultural diversity

Appreciating other cultures is just as important as being proud of your own! As children grow older, parents should encourage them to support, respect and value the diverse society in which they live.

This month, WHYY is excited to add the hilarious new animated series Maya & Miguel to the weekday TV12 schedule. Maya and Miguel Santos are second-generation Latino twins who speak both Spanish and English. The twins -- along with their bilingual pet parrot Paco -- live with their loving parents and grandmother, who teach them about their Latino heritage and culture.

In a neighborhood with many diverse families such as Chinese-Americans and African-Americans, the 10-year-old twins are growing up with a strong appreciation for cultural diversity. Maya and her two best friends, Maggie and Chrissy, realize that -- although they are from families with different traditions and languages -- these differences make each of them individually special! Maya and Miguel are also very proud of their own culture and love speaking Spanish. Learning English wasn't easy, but the twins are excited that they are able to speak not one, but two languages, and are learning to value the differences that make each one of us unique.

View

Children will learn to appreciate and respect different cultures along with Maya, Miguel and the Santos family when Maya & Miguel premieres on Monday, October 11 at 6:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on WHYY TV12. As a parent or caregiver, you will undoubtedly enjoy watching as your children are introduced to the Spanish language while also learning more about English vocabulary and its usage.

Also, be sure to check out the new animated series Postcards From Buster weekdays at 3:30 p.m. beginning Monday, October 11. A spin-off of the popular Arthur series, children will learn more about the cultures of North America as they follow the adventures of Buster Baxter, who is traveling with his airline pilot father through the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Blending animation with live-action sequences, Buster records his trip with a handheld camera and sends "video postcards" home to Arthur and his other friends and family.

Do

Culture Swap

Help your children take pride in your family's heritage, and learn about their friends' traditions, by organizing a culture swap!

Ask your children to think of something -- whether it is an object, story or cuisine -- that represents a certain aspect of your culture or background. Maybe there is a song or dance that is important to your family, or even a special photo or antique object that has been passed down through the generations. Once they have selected something, ask your children to think about why the item they have chosen is so important to them and their heritage.

Gather a group of you children's friends together, and have them share with each other what they have brought to represent their culture or family. Let each child individually tell the group about their object's importance to his or her background.

Read

Friends at School by Rochelle Bunnett; photographed by Matt Brown This colorful book contains photographs of a diverse group of students interacting and having fun together in the classroom, showing young readers how exciting it is to have many different friends at school. Recommended for children ages 3 to 6

We're Different, We're the Same by Bobbi Jane Kates; illustrated by Joe Mathieu With the help of Sesame Street characters, this book shows children that every person is unique -- with different hair, skin, eyes and noses. Despite their physical differences, however, children will also see that people are alike in many ways, too. Recommended for children ages 3 to 9

Learn More

Children can explore the show further at the Maya & Miguel Web site. Here, they can safely browse the site on their own, learn more about the characters, and play games. Like the show itself, the Web site aims to build language skills and cultural awareness by offering content in both English and Spanish.