5 Easy ways to learn together during National Black History Month

February is one of my favorite months! Not only because it’s my birthday month, although that plays a big part in it being my favorite, of course but also because I feel hopeful in this month. There’s a hope found in February that I don’t see in any other month, its almost like it marks a crossroads for the rest of the year. It is as if the hope of Spring and the Winter unseen growth seem to collide full force into February creating a catalyst for love to win over apathy.

This year, we don’t want to pass up the opportunity to grasp all the hope available in February when it comes to Black History Month. We want to gather cozy and use our family time to also include learning together. I’m excited to share with you five cozy ways to do this as a family while using your senses to enjoy it all. Will you join us in celebrating Black History Month in a new way?

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Watch

Netflix is offering these beautiful read aloud read by influential black people who continue to use their voice with courage and give us opportunity to listen to black voices that lead us well. Here‘s the trailer. Your kiddos will enjoy it alongside you and one will not be enough! I especially love this series because it highlights the talent and skill of Black writers reminding us that we don’t only have to learn about their history through books about civil rights but we can also see into their souls as they write about the experiences they have had in their own skin. This is not the only thing you can watch, there are so many good movies and documentaries to prick from as well.

Another good one for your kiddos to watch alongside you is found on Prime Video. Or just to watch on your own and put yourself in the shoes of a Black child in the time around the Civil Rights Movement and gain more insight for how Black children today are asked to take on life so differently then most of us have to. An American Girl Story-Melody 1963: Love Has to Win. They do a beautiful job of depicting

Listen

Music is an easy way to enjoy the amazing talent of Black musicians. Through their words, rhythm, and powerful compositions we can learn more about how they have been shaped by their own history and see how important it is for us to know that history in general has been shaped by them as well. Here are a few of our favorite play lists from different places on the inter webs. Check out this playlist on Prime. Here’s our new favorite one on Apple Music.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/remember-me-to-harlem-ep/1549821910

Read

This is one of my favorite ways to learn and also enjoy the Black culture so close to us and so available to us we just need to make time to immerse ourselves in it. The kids and I are reading Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This is a beautiful book, a memoir written in poetry form.

We are also reading through our Bravery Magazines, we are reading about Maya Angelo and working through the activities in the magazine. We are learning about poetry, caring for each other, and how two creatively connect with others realizing we all have more in common than we think. The kids then sent their friends electronically their about me questionnaire and asked their friends to fill out a blank one and send it back to them to see how much they have in common.

Taste

Of course we needed to include food, because well I love food. Celebrating Black History Month requires food indeed. I want to share with you a recipe that I want to try and one we already love and how food connects us through even when we live across the world from each other.

I can not wait to try this Peanut Stew. My friend from Central African Republic makes a delicious meat dish with peanut butter, this recipe reminds me his dish.

As I wrote this article I learned about the “after-chop” dessert course of Western Africa high lighting the fruit salad. Giselle loves making fruit salads and I am so excited to try a African fruit salad with her. One of the most interesting things about this fruit salad is that they add avocado to it. I found this list of ingredients, on kidactivities.net “A fruit salad can be made from just three or four of the ingredients listed below.
.Any of the following (fresh or canned): avocado, banana, grapefruit, guava, mango, melon, orange, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple, tangerine, juice of one lemon, crushed mint leaves, grated coconut, or chopped roasted peanuts, sugar or honey.”

Support

I have been meditating on this verse recently, especially when it comes to how and where I spend my money.

‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:21

So, as a family we want to make a more conscious effort to support local businesses especially those owned by people of color. I especially want to take great care to not always lean to convenience but to choose a small business over next day shipping. One of the places I want to support more this year are the small black owned book stores. I love books and this year I want to support small book stores over the convenience of Amazon.

What about you? In what ways are you celebrating Black History Month? What ides from the five listed above will you implement?

Gracefully,