A Week's Worth of Great Blogs!

Starting on Monday 3/30, Spanglish Baby will be hosting a week of Mom blogs focusing on learning Spanish and embracing the culture. Bookmark the site for some great reading!

Bilingual Fun is now at Borders!

The Bilingual Fun Spanish for Children DVD series is now available at Borders Bookstores in various regions across the country. Bilingual Fun hosts free community events for children at various stores, and we are honored that our own product proudly has a spot on the shelves at Borders. The Spanish for Children DVD series introduces the language to young children through music, movement, visual and oral repetition, and fun activities. Many different phrases and vocabulary are introduced, helping children learn Spanish through fun, easy songs and activities.

It was a family project, as my husband Mark and I worked with a production company, our own children, as well as nieces, and cousins were featured in the films. We are proud to have created a worthwhile teaching tool that teaches kids Spanish and promotes bilingual development. Stay tuned for Volume 3! Check out your local Borders in the children's foreign language section..... maybe you will see our familiar guitarra smiling back at you! You can also purchase the DVD series here.

Games to Teach Spanish

Guess Who! Quien es?

This traditional game that has been around for years, is a fantastic game for language reinforcment and easy Spanish practice. The objective is to guess who the ' mystery person' is by asking the opponent questions. You must use adjective and descriptive words to deduct and guess who your opponent has. My kids love this game and we always play several rounds in Spanish. It is a great activity to teach Spanish. My daughter who is a bit more fluent than my son, asks questions such as " tiene pelo rubio, o lleva lentes". My son who has excellent comprehension can easily answer si o no to her descriptive questions. I give my son hints and he is able to ask his own questions, such as ' gorra' o 'es hombre'. Any game that we can adapt for Spanish learning is a worthwhile activity for our family. Our kids love to play games, and Guess Who is a super game for communication reinforcement. Try it out with your kids!

Bilingual Fun Demo Video

Teach Me Spanish Please!

My own children often take for granted that they have bilingual parents that are alway insisting they continue to learn and practice their Spanish. Although we get some resistance at times, my husband and I remain consistent. Our next trip to Mexico with Abuelita is only a few months away and our children know the rules. No English while in Mexico! So, I am trying to find ways for my kids to enhance their language proficiency. They have the opportunity to speak with us, family, and friends, but sometimes they want something more exciting.

I went to the elementary school today to have lunch with my first grader. A month ago, I taught a Spanish lesson to the first grade and we had a blast. Walking through the lunch room today, you would have thought I was a local celebrity ( kind of fun!). I got a barrage of Holas and rojo and abre and arriba and just about every other word they could remember from my 20 minute stint with them last month. It was so cute. I had two little girls come up to me and ask very sweetly to teach them Spanish. They asked if maybe I could come everyday at lunch and teach them new words. Their was so much interest from these kids and it was so rewarding to see how much they retained.

What a bummer it is that our local public school have gotton rid of language education in the elementary schools. It makes me sad, but I am glad that our Bilingual Fun program services this population.

Of course when my daughter's little friends showed such an interest in learning Spanish, she immediately piped up and gave her two cents. Sometimes it sparks the interest a bit when your lunch mates are begging your mom to 'teach me Spanish please'. My daughter told the kids that her mom can't come to lunch everyday, so she will teach them Spanish. Yippeee! A teacher in the making! This will be another great reinforcement for my daughter's own language development.

El Dia de los Enamorados

Te quiero mucho

In honor of el Dia de San Valentín, I would like to share words, phrases, and activities you can learn with your children and express your love! A great way to reinforce Spanish with your children is to keep the learning natural and relevant. If you plan on making Valentines or decorations this year, incorporate some bilingual fun!

Expressions of love:

te quiero mucho- I love you very much
te amo- I love you
mi amor- my love
el corazón- heart
eres mio- you are mine
eres especial- you are special
el beso- kiss
bésame- kiss me

Bilingual Valentine Activities:

*Cut out little corazones in different color construction paper. Reinforce color vocabulary in Spanish.

*Make a list of family members of whom you want to send Valentines. Make homemade cards and reinforce family vocabulary in Spanish. Write 'querida prima' or 'querido abuelo'.

*Count candy hearts. Sort by color and count in Spanish. Older kids can do adding/subtracting problems using the dulces. Reinforce number vocabulary by asking ' ¿cuántos hay?'.

From the mouths of babes

I love to hear the funny musings and mispronuciations from my sweet 4 year old. As a bilingual child, he had a longer silent period and but when he did speak, he was proficient in both languages. I am happy to say that all is developing as it should be and we were never concerned about delays or confusion in regards to his language skills. He is still our "tremendo", wearing SuperHero costumes daily and harassing our sweet puppy. But my husband and I are constantly amused by some of the funny things that come out of his mouth! Here are some of our bilingual favorites:

* When talking about his excitment, he told me " i have have cerditos in my tummy". He knew that his sister has butterflies in her tummy and he has cerditos. Sounds logical. :)

*We conduct our family meals in Spanish, so he frequently tell us ' listo para helado'. One of the incentives we give for conversing in Spanish is dessert, so he starts the conversation by telling us he is ready for ice cream.

*The letter 'F'still alludes my son both in English and Spanish. When using his best manners, he tell us ' por savor' in place of 'por favor'. It is hard to understand, but we know he is trying to be polite.

* After a recent visit with Abuelita, he picked up on her favorite expression of " Ay Chihuahua". My son adds his own twist to the expression by frequently saying " Ay Chihuahua Captain Underpants'. Apparently this is to show extreme surprise. :)

*A big fan of Tom and Jerry, my son was thrilled to hear the phrase " toro, toro, ven aqui'. He uses this phrase for just about anyone. Recently when my brother in law was over, my son wanted to show him a new toy, so he summoned his tio by calling ' toro, toro, ven aqui".

Teaching Spanish to our children is a joy and at times a challenge. We are dedicated to keeping the language alive for them and offering them opportunities to foster their bilingual skills. Although my 4 year old son is ' contra la corriente", he keeps us smiling and laughing, as we know he is absorbing and retaining his bilingual skills.

Feel free to share some funny quotes! i love hearing what our sweet kids have to say!