About: Ana Flores

I was so happy to find out that Ingenio, one of our long-time sponsors, has added two more learning puzzles to their already impressive list of bilingual toys. One of Mexico, which Ana Lilian wrote about last week, and the other one of Puerto Rico. While I don’t hail from either country, I’ve very strong ties to both of them. Not only did I live in Mexico as a child, but I’ve family and a lot of dear friends whoRead More ...

Inject some originality into your Day of the Dead and Halloween celebrations with these colorful, campy cards from Viva Greetings. We´ve told you about their original bilingual and bicultural cards before and how ideal they are to express palabras y sentimientos in our unique Latino way. Now, we have our own cards to celebrate Día de los Muertos, with playful calacas to toot. Any of the six new Day of the Dead designs can set you apart from the pumpkinsRead More ...

It’s been a little bit over a month since we jumped into our language-learning adventure with Little Pim. While there has definitely been some progress – Vanessa’s vocabulary in French has expanded a bit – I must admit I have an even bigger appreciation of those who don’t speak the minority language and are still raising their children bilingual. As I admitted to Julia Pimselur, Little Pim’s founder, during our monthly Skype “consultation,” this first month has been a realRead More ...

I am not sure how to explain my son’s latest language development phase, except to say that he now knows he speaks two languages. He has always responded to two and spoken two, but only in the past few weeks has he started naming Spanish and English as separate entities. I am fascinated by his sudden realization, because this is yet another example of something kids pick up yet are never explicitly taught – a reminder that we are bornRead More ...

I’ve been doing some serious thinking about what will happen next year when Vanessa goes to kindergarten because there are basically no options when it comes to dual language education in Denver. Well, that’s not totally true, but the options that do exist are really not feasible for our family. Let’s see, there’s the private school she went to for the French immersion camp this summer. While I’d love for her to go there, unfortunately, it’s out of our leagueRead More ...

As much as my husband hates to admit it, his “princesa” is at a stage where fairies, princesses and pink are what make her happy.  It’s difficult for a man to understand that this is a natural right of passage for a girl. One that, when embraced with acceptance, can fuel her imagination. Her new obsession is Belle, or “Bella” as we know her by her Spanish name, from Disney’s classic “Beauty and the Beast.” My aunt had given herRead More ...