Welcome to the latest installment of “What We’re Watching,” a weekly Paley Education@Home guide. During this unprecedented time, we are continuing to reach out to our community with tips and ideas for consuming media with kids! We know that screen time has increased and so we’re here to help. Each week we are highlighting a different theme that connects to two selected programs, one for younger viewers and one for older viewers, each with related activities and resources.

Consuming media with your kids is a perfect jumping-off point to making media literacy a part of your everyday lives. Familiarizing yourself with the basics is a great first step. In case you missed it, you can view our first edition about media literacy best practices. We also recommend the National Association for Media Literacy Education’s Parents Guide—it’s a terrific introduction!

For connection details, please RSVP to eduny@paleycenter.org.

In honor of The Paley Center for Media’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, for four weeks “What We’re Watching” will focus our attention on Hispanic culture as illustrated through media. For our first edition, we will be focusing on one of our favorite topics - food! So often, food is an entry point for cultural exchange and understanding. Food is not just the things we eat; it can be used as a lens to view history, migration, and the environment. As chef Geraldo Gonzalez said, “I believe that the whole history of the world can be traced in the foods of the Americas and Caribbean — be it through indigenous traditions, Asian trade routes, the strong cultural ties through Africa and the Middle East, and, lastly, from European colonialism.” We hope you enjoy our viewing recommendations and use them to better understand the importance of culinary stories as a means of appreciating Hispanic cultural heritage.

Para leer en español, haga clic aquí.

Nina’s World follows the daily adventures of Nina, a Mexican-American girl growing up in Chicago with her family and friends (both real and imaginary!). In this episode, Nina’s father shows her and her friend Chelsea how to make conchas, Mexican sweetbreads, in the family’s bakery. Nina and Chelsea learn about tradition and improvisation.

Taco Chronicles is a Spanish-language documentary series that spends each episode tracking the tradition and technique that goes into a different taco style. In this episode, viewers learn more about the rich history of carnitas, one of the most iconic taco fillings.

Street Food: Latin America is a documentary series that highlights the culture of street food across a variety of Latin American countries. In this episode, viewers travel to Bogata’s Plaza de Mercado La Perseverancia to learn more about the diversity of Colombian people and their food.

Get inspired by these programs and make some of the delicious food you’ve seen at home! Cooking with kids is not only a great way to spend quality time together, it’s also an excellent opportunity to work on math skills, following directions, and creativity.

Chef’s Table: “Enrique Olvera” Season 2, streaming on Netflix

Chef’s Table: “Virgilio Martinez” Season 3, streaming on Netflix

Like Water for Chocolate, streaming on HBO 16+

Tortilla Soup, streaming on Amazon Prime 10+

As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at eduny@paleycenter.org.

Happy viewing,

Rebekah Fisk, Director of Education

Caroline Quigley, Senior Manager of School & Family Programs

Photos—Taco Chronicles: Netflix; Taste the Nation: Hulu

We hope this inspires you to watch and learn together in a new way at home! The Paley Center is here for you and, now more than ever before, we would deeply appreciate your support. Please consider making a donation: