My husband and I always make sure we make room in our children’s homeschool journey to learn about important Latino contributions to society. They are vital to our growth as a people and how we integrate with the general culture.
I’ll be forever grateful for Chicano Studies in college because up until that point, I never really knew about the great Mexican-American Cesar Chavez. I found a lesson plan online as a guide to teach my kids about this important person in our history.
Cesar Chavez: Civil Rights Activist
Cesar Chavez was born on March 31st, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona. A farm worker, union leader, civil rights activist, environmentalist and humanitarian, he dedicated his life to improving the plight of migrant farm workers.
During the Great Depression in 1938, Chavez was only eleven years old when his family lost their land in Arizona. They were forced to join the great multitude of migrant farm workers that traveled throughout California looking for work harvesting food crops. It was during the next ten years that Chavez learned first-hand how poorly the farm workers were treated. They worked very long hours, often without clean water to drink, shade and restrooms. They were subject to harsh pesticides. Their living conditions (run-down shacks they rented from the growers) weren’t much better. They were also paid so little, they struggled to eat.
When I shared Cesar’s story with my kids, they listened intently. As I explained to them how he had to drop out of school to work in the fields, how he was ridiculed in school for having brown skin and speaking Spanish–how he was called a “dirty Mexican”, I had to choke back tears.
That is what shaped Chavez into the great non-violent civil rights activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers union along with Dolores Huerta. His fight for social justice has inspired so many people, including myself.
We celebrate the birth of Cesar Chavez on Monday, March 31st. Cesar Chavez Day is also an official holiday in California, Colorado and Texas–a day to remember the contributions of this great leader.
Kinesthetic Learning
As I read to my kids about the life of Cesar Chavez, I let them do their thing on this unique coloring page that my husband created for them. It’s always a good practice to engage multiple senses while learning, so while they listened and learned about Chavez, they used their hands to color, which is considered a “Kinesthetic Learning” style.
Free Cesar Chavez Printable
In honor of this great man, I’m sharing this Cesar Chavez printable FOR FREE, because I like you. Follow the link below and download the image. The image you download will not have the turquoise watermark on it. Print it out and let your kids get creative as you teach them about Cesar Chavez and how this soft-spoken yet passionate man helped a group of people stand up for dignity and fair treatment.
Click here for FREE Cesar Chavez Printable on Dropbox
Please do not use this printable for anything else besides personal use. Thanks a bunch, friends.
Hope you are inspired!
