Yo Quiero Links!

Photo by mikebaird

Another scorcher here in the West, so we’ll be heading out to the pool soon but before we do, we wanted to share this weekend’s links with you – especially the first one where we get a mention that made us very happy. Yay!

1) U.S. News & World Report: Good News for Those of Us in Bilingual Families – “It wasn’t so very long ago that parents were warned that trying to teach tiny babies a foreign language would delay their speech. But as a mom in a bilingual family, I found that hard to believe. When my daughter was tiny, she had no problem understanding my husband’s Russian or my English. Her speech wasn’t delayed at all. And she had many friends in preschool who spoke their native language at home with their parents, and English at school, and managed both with ease.” The author, Nancy Shute, writes about topics related to children’s health and parenting, so we were so grateful she mentioned SpanglishBaby in her article!

2) Forbes: For Kids, Two Languages Can Be as Easy as One – “European researchers are contesting the assumption that bilingual toddlers have more trouble learning language skills than children who know just one language.” Although the results of this Italian study are not new, there’s been a lot of talk about it this week because it just got published in Science. This other article talks about the study’s results also, in case you want to read more. Thanks to our Twitter friend @analomba for the links!

3) Education Week: Learning the Language: The Strenghts of Latino Families - “Did you know that Latino children begin school with strong social and emotional skills that are quite similar to those of children from middle-class white families? Did you know that math scores for first-generation Latinos in elementary school are strong, even though many of these children have limited English skills? Did you know that eight out of 10 Latino toddlers are being raised in two-parent homes?” These are only some of the results of a research brief conducted by a panel on Latino Children at Schooling, based at Berkeley’s Institute of Human Development. It sounds pretty interesting, so I will be reading it soon!

4) Latina: The Best Latin Music You Don’t Know: Free Downloads – “The August issue of Latina brings you a guide to the year’s most buzzworthy acts. Now you can download music from the artists featured in the package, including Bomba Estéreo, Amandititita, Los Hollywood, Pilar Díaz and lots more.” Who doesn’t like FREE music? Want more? Shakira’s new single, She-Wolf, is available to download for free only today and tomorrow. Así que apúrate y vete aquí para más info.

5) CNN: Costa Rica Tops List of Happiest ‘Nations’ – “Forget Disneyland! Costa Rica is the happiest place in the world, according to an independent research group in Britain with the goal of building a new economy, ‘centered on people and the environment.’ In a report released Saturday, the group ranks nations using the “Happy Planet Index,” which seeks countries with the most content people.” Wow! That’s pretty cool, don’t you think? If you haven’t been, I suggest you try to arrange a vacation over there. It really is a beautiful country, too!

6) Mama Latina Tips: Pastel de Tres Leches – Thanks to our friend Silvia for this recipe for a dessert EVERYBODY likes! Enjoy!

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