Bilingual Fun is so honored to have been nominated and then chosen for the Top 100 Language Lovers Blog Contest 2012! There are 4 categories and Bilingual Fun is included in the Language Learning Category. We would be so honored if our readers and amigos would take a second to vote for us. It is fantastic that Lexophiles has created this contest and is bringing awareness of the importance and benefits of language learning!
Please click on the link below to vote. Mil gracias!
Kids will have fun with this interactive lesson about La Mariposa y Las Flores. There are many different ways you can reinforce the language with this lesson. We chose to focus on color recognition. Check out this video to see how you can use this lesson with your children.
Happy Mother’s Day! We wanted to share a simple craft that children can make for their bilingual moms! This simple heart bouquet spells out MADRE with special descriptions of the special mom. You can reinforce the vocabulary words with the kids as they are creating their special gift. This is a fun activity that can also be a simple lesson for teaching Spanish to children. Pass this along to dads and significant others…. super easy and Moms will love it!
In honor of El Dia de La Madre, I wanted to introduce a fantastic bilingual mom who has created Cds for teaching Spanish to children. Sara Quintanar is a mom of 3, who is passionate about teaching children Spanish through music. She has created 2 wonderful music Cds called Music with Sara: Canciones en Español and Más canciones en Español. We listened to lMás canciones en Español and loved the traditional songs mixed in with fun, upbeat original tunes. Sara is a music teacher and also offers classes for children in the Los Angeles area. For parents and teachers that are looking to add to your music library, check out this bilingual mom’s site at www.itsmusictime.com.
Here is another fun learning resource for your bilingual children! We enjoyed listening to Fun Spanish for Kids! Beth Manners has created language learning products that entertain children through upbeat songs, sounds effects, and basic Spanish stories. My bilingual preschool class loved listening to the Three Bears, as a reinforcement to our ” Familia” theme. Fun Spanish for Kids makes learning fun, and will be requested over and over again by your kids!
Fun Spanish for kids will teach your child over 100 Spanish words and phrases. Fun Spanish conjugates verbs and has an important review section. It has a system of short segments to hold the interest of the young child. Developed with the help of parents, Spanish teachers and young children, this child-tested audio really teaches and is fun. Created especially for 2 – 6 year olds – the best age to learn languages
To learn more about Beth Manners and her language learning products in both Spanish and French, please visit Fun French and Spanish.
I finally found my son’s niche in his bilingual development…. Los números!
As a family that is raising bilingual children, my husband and I are always looking for different ways to stimulate our kids’ language development. My 7 year old son, whom we affectionately call ‘el tremendo’, has always given us a run for the money. He has been exposed to Spanish since birth, hears it everyday, understands it, and can communicate when we has the desire, but never is a willing participant in language games or conversations. Long ago, I learned my two children’s learning progress is very different because of their very different personalities. My daughter embraces being bilingual and is constantly growing and developing with her skills. My son has been known at times to call my husband the “Spanish monster’ and to run out of the room. Good times.
During a recent road trip, we were having fun doing oral math problems in Spanish with my daughter and nieces. The goal was to challenge my nieces with their number knowledge and to challenge my daughter with her multiplication fluency. You can imagine my surprise when my son began quickly piping up with the answers to the problems correctly… and in Spanish! As a first grader, he is working on addition and subtraction, so when he quickly shouted out ‘ochenta y uno’ for nueve por nueve, I was so surprised! Not only has he grasped challenging math concepts ,he quickly was able to transfer his knowledge and say the answers in Spanish. He loves numbers and math and since this was a fun game for him, he didn’t even realize he was participating in a Spanish activity. We continued on for over 30 minutes with the math problems and only several times did he have a question on particular numbers. I think I have found his niche! So now, on our next trip to Mexico he will handle all of the restaurant bills and money exchanges.
I know we will have to continue to challenge him and motivate him, but any positive response we get from “el hijo tremendo”, we will take it and run!
What do you do to motivate your kids to speak Spanish? Tips, stories, ideas? Please share!
Teach Spanish to Children with Music from Sing with Señor
Sing with Señor teaches the basics of the Spanish language through simple lyrics and infectious melodies. As a bilingual teacher and mom, I am always looking for ‘teachable songs’ that will reinforce our lessons. The Sing with Señor songs are fun and easy to sing along. The songs consist of relevant themes that enhance pronunciation, fluency, and reinforce the basics of the language. My kids really enjoyed listening to the CD and I know this will quickly become one of our favorites!
We have 2 copies to giveaway to our readers! This will be a great addition to your bilingual resources!
2. Leave us a comment on why you would like to win a copy of this great CD!
Check out their latest video Los Números:
About Sing with SeñorSing with Señor is an idea born years ago while Felipe Canete was teaching
Spanish to middle school students in Seattle, WA. Having realized that a lot of the songs used to teach Spanish were traditional music from different countries in South America, he wanted to introduce art into his teaching and one day, inspired by his students, started to play the
guitar and wrote an original song for the students. They loved singing the song and then asked to make more. It was clear that the students were learning while expressing themselves through songs that they could sing and through simple lyrics that they could follow. He started to write songs that would fit the curriculum but at the same time would be fun and catchy to sing.
About the founders
Felipe Canete
Felipe has a degree in business and works as a professional actor and
musician teaching theater and Spanish in different schools in Seattle. He is also a member of a Seattle world band called
Luc and the Lovingtons. He started to develop his artistic career when, as a
child, he participated as a singer and dancer in different local festivals in Chile.
Soleil Kelley
Soleil is a musician and producer from the Methow Valley, WA. He is a
talented, versatile, multi-instrumentalist that wishes he had catchy songs to
learn Spanish with as a kid. When he’s not performing with Luc and the
Lovingtons, Soleil is a full time musician, crafting his own music and
producing the music of Seattle’s
local talent.
Visit Sing with Senor to learn more about using music to teach children Spanish!
Thanks so much for entering our giveaway! We love to hear from all the like minded families and teachers that are passionate about raising bilingual children!
The following readers were chosen via random.org. Please contact us at info@bilingualfun.com with your mailing address.
We are rounding out the month of February ‘ el mes del amor”, and we want to share some LOVE by offering you a great resource for your bilingual library!We are proud to be offering a fantastic giveaway that includes a CD and book set from the series called Música Amiga. Bilingual Fun had the opportunity to review the Música Amiga series, composed of 10 books and 10 CDs with 12 songs each, and we are thrilled to find yet another great product from Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. We are huge advocates of the power of using music to enhance language development. The Música Amiga series is a compilation of beautiful, traditional folklore and original songs for early language exposure. The music of the original songs has been created by renown composer Suni Paz, who sings all the songs. Children will love singing the songs, as well as reading the accompanying book with lyrics and whimsical illustrations by Ulises Wensell. This is a great resource for parents and teachers who are raising bilingual children.
The importance of songs in the classroom cannot be overly emphasized. Songs are a vehicle for both teachers and students to develop fluency in the language, improve pronunciation and intonation, build vocabulary, and develop their understanding of Hispanic culture. Learning the traditional folklore cherished by families and communities will strengthen Latino children’s sense of identity; for English-speakers learning Spanish, songs and folklore will deepen their appreciation of the Spanish language.
We have 10 sets to giveaway!
To enter, please, leave a comment here or on Facebook and tell us why you would LOVE to win a copy! ¡Muchas gracias!
If you and your children are making special Valentines this week, add some bilingual fun and create some in Spanish. Here is a simple coloring sheet that your kids can personalize, decorate, and give to a special family member. Be creative and use this activity as a fun communication tool.
Ideas for Spanish practice:
1. Add heart stickers and count how many are on the card. ¿Cuántos corazones hay?
2. Encourage children to make it a colorful card and identify Spanish colors.
3. Practice the date and phrase by using a calendar for recognition. El catorce de febrero.
