My Favorite Bilingual Musician

As a mom raising bilingual children and an educator teaching Spanish to children, I have a person that I look up to. His name is Jose Luis Orozco. Mr. Orozco is a very successful bilingual educator, author, and musician. He has created wonderful resources for reinforcing the Spanish language for young children. My own children have all of his songs memorized and I incorporate his educational materials in my language classes. In the world of early language instruction, Mr. Orozco is a true champion. He performs and travels all over the country, bringing his gift for singing and teaching to schools, libraries, and communities everywhere.

My family and I had the fabulous opportunity of meeting and visiting with Mr. Orozco recently. Charismatic and sweet are just a few words I would used to describe him, as he serenaded our children with their favorite songs, and we visited with him about his life and work. What a joy for my kids to actually see their favorite music come to life right before their eyes!

It was such a great experience for us to meet him and to see him peform. I highly recommend his music and books for early language instruction. You will not be disappointed! You can learn more about his wondeful CD's at http://www.joseluisorozco.com/. Also check out his site for his performance schedule. I hope you have the chance to meet him and see him perform as well!

¿Cómo se dice?

The curious minds of children are a wonderful thing! If you have experienced the stages of " why, or what's that", you understand the questions can be relentless, but so important for the development and understanding of children. It is similar process as a child is learning a new language. As they begin to understand that words have other meanings, their curiosity grows.... and grows... and grows. In our language classes we introduce a wide variety of thematic lessons, exposing children to many new words and phrases. Parents frequently tell me that at home or at the store, their children ask " how do you say this in Spanish"?

Traditional Spanish/English dictionaries are valuable resources, but in today's society of technology and immediate information, I have 2 great sites that I recommend for parents of curious minded children. www.wordreference.com is a quick Spanish/English dictionary that can help you when kids try to stump you with vocabulary questions. An interactive site called www.spanicity.com is a great site for hearing and practicing the pronunciation. Simply find the vocabulary theme you are looking for, click on the word, and hear the pronunciation. Encourage kids to repeat along with the audio.

So next time your little one attacks you with a round of "¿Cómo se dice en español?" you will be armed with some great resources to satisfy curious minds!