Teach your Children Spanish with El Baile del Sombrero!

Looking for another great tool to teach your child Spanish? Check out
El Baile del Sombrero! Created by dynamnic husband/wife duo Charles and Fati Mister, they have created a fun, upbeat CD for children. As parents themselves raising their own children in a bilingual household, they know well the advantages of using interactive music as a beneficial teaching tool. El Baile del Sombrero is filled with fun lyrics, easy to sing along songs, great rhythms, and useful vocabulary. We popped it in our car and my two kids immediately starting bopping around in their seats. We listen to only Spanish language music while in the car and this CD has been a fantastic addition to our collection. You can learn more about Charles and Fati here , and maybe even catch one of their popular live concerts!

Teach Kids Spanish this Halloween!

Halloween is just around the corner and you have probably done many crafts, maybe some costume parties, and snuck into the chocolates, but have you had some bilingual Halloween fun?

I like to teach thematic vocabulary using actions and sounds ( in a somewhat TPR manner). By making the learning interactive, the language comes alive for kids.

This Halloween, teach your children Spanish by reinforcing vocabulary with visuals that you see everyday ( decorations at home, in stores, on tv, in books, etc). Here are some fun, easy suggestions for teaching kids Spanish.

Halloween vocabulary:


el fantasma/ ghost- make a spooky ghost noise

la bruja/ witch- cackle like a witch

la calabaza/pumpkin- hold your arms in a circle as if you are holding a big pumpkin.

el dulce/candy- rub your tummy and say 'yum'

el gato negro/ black cat- say meow!

el murcielago/bat- flap your arms like you are flying

La araña/ spider- do the 'itsy bitsy spider' movement w/ your fingers.

Teach these actions to your kids. Reinforce daily and when you see the items. First start by saying the word in Spanish and kids do the actions. After a few days of reinforcement, switch roles. You do action and kids say the word. Remember production is a developmental stage that comes later and you need to be patient with your children's absorbtion of the vocabulary. These are fun activities because you can be creative, silly, and interactive!

Encourage your kids to teach others their new Halloween words!

Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia

You may already be teaching your children Spanish and raising bilingual learners. Now, test your knowledge on Hispanic Heritage Trivia!

Take a quiz on Latin Entertainers

How is your knowledge of geography of Hispanic America?


Play concentration for fun vocabulary practice.

More fun trivia facts:

What event do Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrate on Sept. 16?
September 16 is Mexican Independence Day.

What are sikus, quenas, wankaras and charangos?
Andean musical instruments.

What three U.S. states are home to most Hispanic-owned businesses? California, Texas and Florida.

Who is the city of Galveston, Texas named after?
Marshall Bernardo de Galvez

What historic event is celebrated on May 5th (or Cinco de mayo)?
On May 5, 1862, Mexican forces defeated the invading soldiers of France at the Battle Of Puebla.

What is one of the accepted roots of the word Mariachi?
It is a variation of the French word mariage, meaning wedding or marriage; or that it comes from the name of the wood used to make the platform on which the performers danced to the music of the village musicians.

Would you like to make a pinata at home? Try this!

GoGo Lingo

Have you heard of GoGo Lingo? It is a fun, innovative new site that offers kids' games that teach over 200 words and phrases in Spanish. I especially like the customized progress reports for your individual children. I am very particular about what my children play online and I was very impressed with the safe, ad free environment. The activities were fun, interactive, and age appropriate for both my 4 year old and 7 year old. The audio component is excellent in that it enables children to hear and encourages repetition of the language. I am always an advocate for activities that stimulate the natural learning of a child, and Gogo Lingo is a superb resource! Not only are the games educational and worthwhile, the resources, parent forum, and printable flashcards are a great asset to families and educators focused on bilingual development. Another great resource for teaching children Spanish! Check it out as they have limited time offer now that you can sign up for free. www.goglingo.com

Bilingual Fun Spanish Camp

What a great summer we have had at The Bilingual Fun Company. In addition to our regular summer class sessions, we hosted 2 weeks of Spanish Camp! Exhausting, but awesome! Parents dropped their children off daily for 3 hours of immersion activies, songs, games, daily thematic lessons, performances, crafts, and more. One of the highlights was making a piñata from scratch, using un globo. This was an excellent hands on and cultural activity for the children to participate in. On Camp Out Day, we went on a bug hunt " la busqueda de los insectos'. Kids searched outside for strategically hidden plastic bugs. We sorted by mariposas, abejas, gusanos, etc. On our Sports and Dance Day, kids played béisbol, fútbol , bastquetbol, danced to Pájaritos a Volar, the Number Conga, and learned merengue dance steps. It all ended with a culuminating Fiesta with parents joining to see what the kids had learned, breaking the piñata. The kids enjoyed face painting from Lily Picadilly the bilingual payasa! Kids spoke only to her in Spanish, practicing " yo quiero un tigre por favor.... or whatever they wanted. Our Spanish Camp offered us the opportunity to see how quickly and easily young children pick up the language and how rapidly it was absorbed in a play based, natural environment. Just another reinforcement that we love what we are doing and we will continue the path we on our with early language instuction.

Do you know of any good language programs or camps in your area? I would love to hear about your experience.

Bilingual Readers

I love finding out about new resources and sites to enhance my family's and students' bilingual literacy. I learned about this site from Latin Baby Book Club ( another fantastic bilingual literary resource) and it looks great!


Bilingual Readers is a brand new publishing company providing bilingual resources for families and communities. The resources, links, and articles are full of great information that will help to teach your children Spanish. Check out the Kids links for some great ideas and sites that support early language education.

Visit Spanglishbaby this week for some great product giveaways that will add some spice to your bilingual life!