From September 15 through October 15, the U.S. celebrates National Hispanic Heritage month. Recognize achievements and contributions from American Hispanic champions and learn more about the cultures and histories from around the globe with your students this month. The Smithsonian has curated a collection for teachers of resources to explore with students.

For more inspiration, explore the Fab Lat Kids, a network of 21  Fab Labs from 15 countries that support exploration of digital fabrication and education for students and families in these communities.

There are also a wide variety of lessons from SCOPES-DF contributors that integrate digital design and fabrication with traditions, histories, and crafts from many of these countries. Check out these lessons below for inspiration to use in your classroom this month as you support student exploration of this important celebration.

And if you are looking for a digital fabrication lesson plan collection in Spanish, check out this great educational collection on Social Fab Labs!

An inspiring program from the Fab Lab Network is launching in Fab Lab El Paso based in Texas. The Latina LEADS program is designed for middle school girls to engage them in STEAM through an afterschool program. This program is supported by The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which is the oldest and largest Hispanic membership organization in the country.

According to the National Science Foundation, while women comprise 25% of the science and technology workforce, Hispanic women represent only 3%. LULAC recognizes that in order to prepare our young women to break into in- demand tech careers, we must start early by promoting better career opportunities through education and mentoring.

Enjoy this celebratory month with your students and share your stories with our community of practice!

Best,

Liz Whitewolf