Bilingual Time Machine - For Families

No registration. 

This hands-on, intergenerational program brings families together through memory, music, and storytelling using everyday objects from the past.

Participants are invited to explore how daily life looked, sounded, and felt across different decades. Families might listen to the Jackson 5 music on a record player or radio, explore how letters were written and mailed using ink pens, stamps, and stationery, or flip through LIFE magazines dating back to 1936, sparking curiosity and conversation. Objects such as model cars, rotary phones, cassette tapes, early video game controllers, and Trapper Keepers create natural bridges between generations, connecting parents and grandparents’ memories with the childhood experiences of parents and caregivers who grew up anywhere between the 1950s-1990s.

These shared moments invite storytelling, questions, and laughter, encouraging families to learn from one another while creating new memories together. Event facilitators will be available in English, Spanish, and German, creating opportunities for participants to engage, share stories, or ask questions in the language they feel most comfortable using.

About the Presenter
Samira Álvarez Gretzinger is an educator, author, and speaker with 15+ years of experience in bilingual education in the U.S. and abroad. This program is deeply inspired by her grandmother, Clara Luz, a beloved folkloric musician from Camuy, Puerto Rico, whose music and stories were central to her community and family life. As Samira works on writing her next book, a memoir honoring her grandmother’s life, she has found that music and everyday objects have a powerful ability to unlock memories, stories, and emotional connections across generations.

This program is made possible by Beyond the Page, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Madison Community Foundation.