Being a monolingual household with bilingual aspiration requires a lot of tools. Any chance I have to expose the kids to my family’s language is imperative to our success. We love using Spanish language media; television and mobile apps have been invaluable in creating a bilingual environment while my husband is at work. But, for times when I don’t want my toddler consumed in technology, having access to educational tools that support bilingualism is another avenue of reinforcing our SpanishRead More ...
Need a fresh way to practice bilingual basics with your toddler or preschooler? Kiko can help! In the new Kiko and Kids, Body & Clothes app created by a mom and speech language pathologist, a cute little rana teaches and quizzes players on body parts and clothing items. Your kids can choose between English and Spanish audio and male and female characters. They will learn the face and body parts and clothing items, then move to the puzzles andRead More ...
When it was forecasted that Huracán Sandy, was eminently going to strike our area, the first thing we did was go out and collect the beautiful fall leaves that colored our barrio. I knew that after the storm, we would be left with few vibrant reminders of fall. Even so, I felt like we needed to add a little more color of fall into our lives. So I reverted to a favorite childhood activity that my sister and I usedRead More ...
We’re thrilled and honored that our friends at Nestlé El Mejor Nido have offered to give away a copy of our book “Bilingual is Better” to two winners. Each prize pack will include one copy of “Bilingual is Better,” plus the two “Poppy” bilingual books offered on El Mejor Nido. In order to participate you should Like Nestlé El Mejor Nido on Facebook and follow their instructions to tweet why you think bilingualism is better using the hashtag #BilingualisBetter between tomorrow and WednesdayRead More ...
In February my daughter witnessed one of the life events that has made the most impact in her: a wedding. Ever since then, she’s been obsessed with the ceremony and white “princess” dresses. I had no idea when we were sitting in the chapel, with her on my lap, and me whispering in her ear explanations for what was happening in the ceremony – the aras, el ramo, los lazos, los anillos, la vela, el beso – that it wouldRead More ...
Editor’s note: Michael, a 13-year-old homeschooled teen, is the son of Rachel Matos, one of our occasional contributors and fellow blogger. He had been anxiously awaiting the premiere of “Lincoln,” so we decided it would be great to encourage him to attend an advance screening and give us his personal review. A year ago, I heard that Steven Spielberg was going to do a movie about my favorite president Abraham Lincoln. I’d been excited ever since. When they released theRead More ...
Just about everything we do in our daily routine has been turned into an electronic game – childcare, cleaning, cooking, fitness, sports and even stealing cars! Not that we steal cars routinely, but I think you get what I mean. This sort of attention to gaming has been strongly redirected toward the arena of education, and rightly so. Watch any gamer in action and you’ll see a firsthand demonstration of how the learning curve actually works. Because video games canRead More ...
Little Pim, the cute panda who teaches foreign languages, is one of our favorite characters for Spanish-language education. We have reviewed several Little Pim resources in the past, including the Word Bag app. This PBS Kids iPad app, Little Pim Spanish, follows with the award-winning quality of other PBS Kids products. It is a simple, effective way for preschoolers to learn new vocabulary – 60 words and phrases, in fact. Aimed at English-dominant children who are learning Spanish, Little PimRead More ...
