Host a Hispanic Heritage fiesta

September 22, 2009

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation has named September as Hispanic Heritage Month, so give your next party a little Latin flavor.

Assign a country with a predominantly Hispanic population to each child before the party. Have them research their country so that they can share their information with everyone later.

Decorate the house in bright colors and maps of Latin America and South America that everyone can use to point out their designated countries. Set up workstations for each child and hang each country's flag and colors above them.

Encourage everyone to wear at least one traditional piece of clothing or jewelry from the country they've been assigned and explain why they chose that particular item.

At the big bash, supply each child with a paper cutout of their country. Supply them with markers and have them decorate the shape with drawings to represent facts about the country. Invite each child to explain their artwork to the rest of the group.

Take the fun into the kitchen by picking a few simple snacks everyone can help prepare. Explain each dish's roots and ask the child representing the treat's country to provide another tidbit of information. For example, make mini quesadillas to represent Mexico or Brazilian empadas.