Día del Niño celebrates children in Lafayette – Boulder Daily Camera

The WOW! Children’s Museum in Lafayette celebrated Día del Niño Sunday.

Día del Niño is a Mexican holiday every April 30 that celebrates kids and promotes their wellbeing. To celebrate, WOW! hosted a free day and had a performance from the Colorado Youth Mariachi Program based in Aurora.

Joanna Cagan, executive director at WOW!, said that representation matters. Having a variety of performances, talks and events highlighting different cultures is important to have at the museum to teach kids the diversity of Lafayette and the world.

“When our guests get to experience the cultures of the community, that we are apart of, we are stronger,” Cagan said.

Cagan said all kids are natural explorers, scientists and artists, but need the space and environment to “tap into that part of themselves” and learn more about the world around them.

Cagan said that WOW! provides that learning space for children, whether it is about learning STEM subjects or other cultures.

Emma Habecker, marketing and communications manager, said that the museum is about kids learning, through a hands-on approach, about different subjects. So it is only fitting that kids learn about cultures through a hands-on approach as well.

“It’s important to have a center for people who are looking to, not only learn, but experience different cultures,” Habecker said.

Both Cagan and Habecker agreed that many local communities crave that sense of “togetherness and connection,” and celebrations like Día del Niño help bring people together.

More than 40 people gathered in the outdoor playground of WOW!, 110 North Harrison Ave., to listen to the mariachi band. Each mariachi member sang their own song while the group played their guitars, mandolins, violins or trumpet, and kids in attendance were more than happy to dance along.

Victor Becerra, musical director and trumpet teacher for the Colorado Youth Mariachi Program, said that the program not only teaches students music but also teaches culture.

Children of immigrants who are born in the U.S. may have a hard time connecting to their culture and the mariachi program pulls them right into their culture. Kids then have a way to learn an instrument and be able to speak Spanish outside the home and embrace their culture.

“There will be times when a kid comes to the program and they don’t want to speak Spanish,” Becerra said. “But once they are in the group and they get comfortable, then they speak Spanish and they are even more interested in the music.”

Marylou Villalobos said that she put her daughter into the program for the chance to become a better guitar player and to get involved in Mexican culture outside the home.

“I was surprised to see a Día del Niño event happening here (in the U.S.), but I think it’s really cool to see it celebrated,” Villalobos said in Spanish.

Villalobos also said that outside immediate family, it can be hard to find one’s cultural community. She expressed that it is important to have Día del Niño events celebrated outside Mexico, as a way to celebrate Mexican culture and celebrate kids.