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Monday, October 28, 2019

PBS Celebrates Día de los Muertos


One of the things I love best about PBS is how hard it works to be inclusive and to reflect the experiences of their viewers. From Sesame Street to Molly of Denali, I feel like the shows on PBS KIDS introduce children to a diverse world and also help empower children from a variety of backgrounds. And the same is true for their programming for adults.

Did you know that PBS has quite a few resources for Día de los Muertos? Sometimes it's hard to get things exactly right, but most of the time, the introduction (to children) is pretty accurate. I've chosen my favorite episode, craft, and lessons that introduce Day of the Dead to families.

First, for the children...

Let's Go Luna! episode dedicated to the Day of the Dead



PBS KIDS


One of my son's favorite new PBS KIDS shows, Let's Go Luna!, has an episode dedicated to the Day of the Dead! Click here to watch it online - just skip to the second half of the show (12:00) to watch it.


Day of the Dead Candle Magnets on PBS Parents

PBS Parents


PBS's website for parents also has this super fun tutorial for creating Day of the Dead Candle Magnets. They are just the cutest and pretty easy for older children to make on their own!


Día de los Muertos: Tradition and Translation | Craft in America

PBS Learning Media


There are a few different lessons on here, but these two are my favorites. The first is a comprehensive unit with multiple videos. The second is a nice introduction to the holiday from a personal point of view.
Artbound: Día de los Muertos episode

PBS


And finally, for teens and adults, there is a wonderful documentary available for streaming on PBS.org. Artbound has this Día de los Muertos episode that features an "altarista" from L.A., and also talks about the history of Day of the Dead in this country.