Black History Month – Family Resources
UPDATED JANUARY 2023
Black History Month offers an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful achievements and stories that Black people have made. My husband is Bajan-Canadian and I am Filipina-Canadian and we have the privilege of raising twin boys who are a beautiful mix of Bajan-Filipino-Canadian. While my husband is the go-to person for Black history, over the years I have found additional resources that compliment the way kids of any age can learn like activity books, work sheets, self-love/positive affirmations or podcasts.
Below are my family’s recommendations primarily from Canadian authors and creators.
TRAILBLAZERS – THE BLACK PIONEERS WHO HAVE SHAPED CANADA – this is a must have for kids and adults. We bought the book as soon as it was released in 2020 and picked up a copy for my father-in-law as well. There is 40+ Black Canadian historical figures with two pages dedicated to each profile. A short biography including the contribution(s) made, a poem and beautiful illustration. It’s an engaging way to learn about Black Canadian History.
As the boys read through the book, they recognized Willie O’Ree, the first Black player in the National Hockey League (NHL) and Jean Augustine who was the first Black Canadian woman to be elected to Canada’s House of Commons and in 1995, they officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada thanks to her.
I would recommend reading 2-3 historical figures in one sitting for kids. You don’t want to sleep on this book, make sure you grab a copy.
PERIODIC TABLE OF CANADIAN BLACK HISTORY – my colleague shared this resource with me to include in our Black History Month newsletter at work. She mentioned that her friend (a teacher) incorporates this periodic table into classroom learning. The first image above is a visual from the website which you can project on screen/tv. With a little legend at the bottom, you can select what you want to learn/discuss/teach. Hover your mouse over your selection and a summary comes up (e.g. Willie O’Ree) and if you want to learn more, click on the square and it will take you to the Canadian Encyclopedia website with additional info. The second and third image, are screenshots on the mobile. Such a great visual and an engaging way to learn about Canadian Black History.
I did a little bit more digging and found the original source. Parents for Diversity advocate for schools, families and communities to promote equitable and inclusive education. They share all things Canadian in their resources, events and book recommendations.
BIG DREAMERS is an activity book that summarizes individual Canadian “Big Dreamers” from each province and territory. It’s a great way to ease kids into learning by colouring and once complete, they take turns reading out loud. There are two activity books and they come in both English and French. While the book teaches you about individuals and their accomplishments, the end of the book pulls everything you’ve learned and tests you with quizzes, word puzzles and fill in the blanks. They’ve got other great merch such as stickers, pins and totes. Click link to check it out.
COLORS OF THE WORLD – beauty comes in all shades of colours and Crayola came through with their Colours of the World colouring book, crayons, pencil crayons and markers skin tone pack. Growing up, I used the colour yellow drawing myself and my hubby coloured himself brown. When we first opened the box, I was so happy to see the different skin tones and we put the crayons up against our skin to find the perfect shade. It’s a great way to discuss with kids about the uniqueness of their skin colour. Crayola even has free colouring pages. Every family and every classroom should have the Crayons of the World set. Buy yours at Michaels and don’t forget to use a coupon to save on that coin.
YOUNG MAESTRO GOES TO SCHOOL (Canadian Authors and Illustrator) is a story about a young boy who enters his school’s writing contest. The book takes the reader through his journey of overcoming fear and self-doubt. It also emphasizes the important roles that family, friends, mentors and teachers play in Young Maestro’s life. I love coming across books with characters that look like my boys and a bonus is that the authors are Canadian. Written by Wes “Maestro” William (Canadian rapper, record producer, actor, and author) and Rhodora Meliton-Vanderpool, (twenty years teaching for TCDSB and advocate for teachers and students bringing issues of equity and equality to the forefront and the importance of recognizing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy & Diversity and Inclusion).
WATER LOVE (Canadian Authors and Illustrator) is a picture book written by Natalie Hudson and Rajean Willis. The story, (told in spoken word) is about a young black girl named Kaya who recalls how she fell in love being in the water at the age of 4. Although her love for the water is strong, she shares of her mother’s story being pushed into the water and being told that’s how you learn to swim, stepping into the pool and seeing boys that are athletes who are faster and stronger and her friends telling her that swimming isn’t a Black sport and that she should stick to ball. She decides to play ball to fit in. Then Miss Meia talks to her about the North Preston Surf Program (Black youth swimming program) and follows her passion to be in the water and surf. She overcomes her doubts and peer pressure. She joins the program and progresses to representing on Canada’s ocean playground with family and friends cheering her on.
The book is inspired by the North Preston Surf Program. Created in 2019, it started off as a pilot surf program for people of African Descent in Nova Scotia. The ultimate goal of the program is to increase diversity in the sport of surfing as well as participation in surfing by people of African descent.
LITTLE LEGENDS – EXCEPTIONAL MEN IN BLACK HISTORY – inspirational biographies of exceptional black men who were aviators, politicians, pop stars, athletes and so on. I bought the book as soon as it hit the shelves in 2019. My boys were still too young at the time and so I read the book first and then introduced it to by showing the illustrations to them and giving a brief overview. We also have the Little Legends – Exceptional Women in Black History book. I included the link of books for you to check out.
PINNA KIDS PODCASTS are so educational, so convenient and it switches things up from traditional learning. We were first introduced to Pinna through a campaign and since then we’ve been members. Pinna was created for kids, to be enjoyed by the whole family .. anytime .. anywhere. It’s great for car rides and has become part of the boys’ bedtime routine. They have a great selection of diverse podcasts year-round for kids ages 4 – 12 and I love their curated Celebrating Black History playlist. They also have a Pinna blog section where they share the latest news, tips and insights to help members find their next podcast. You need to check out their resources for Black History Month here.
There are three options when signing up for Pinna podcasts, Basic which is limited free podcasts and monthly and annual payments. Click here to check out their current promotions.
Happy Black History Month!
Until next time!
Sunshine Lily xo
