SB Finds

Speekee TV is a UK-based online series of Spanish episodes aimed at children 2-10 years of age. I had the pleasure of watching all 10 episodes currently available via subscription with my son. Though he speaks fluent Spanish already, he loved the program and asked me to watch it every chance he got. The format of the videos is great for any age. They feature Speekee (a cute, purple lemur) and a couple other animal puppets, Jim (the company’s co-founder),Read More ...

These are exciting times for parents looking for resources to teach Spanish to their children. More and more major media companies are venturing into creating content suited to the needs of Spanish-language learners. They are most likely paying attention to the fact that one out of four children in the U.S. are Latinos and Spanish is the second most spoken language in this country. (In fact, the U.S. only trails Mexico as the country where the most Spanish-speakers reside inRead More ...

I wanted to learn how to make cascarones (confetti-filled eggs) for Easter and I almost died when I walked into my local Walmart, went to the Easter section and found these cascarones on the shelves. Truth be told, I didn’t know much about cascarones before. I’d been wanting to do something special with my daughter for Easter (Pascua), so when I heard of cascarones, I decided I’d check them out. While I must report that I’ve absolutely no skills whenRead More ...

Objective: to use TPR (total physical response) to teach Easter vocabulary in Spanish. To encourage children to be creative and imaginative, using movement and word association while developing their bilingual skills. 1.  Create Las Orejas del Conejo (Bunny Ears) You will need: Construction paper, crayons/markers, glue or staples To make ears: Cut a piece of construction paper that will fit around your child’s head. Cut out 2 large rabbit ears. Encourage children to decorate ears. Attach ears to back ofRead More ...

  Easter Sunday, known as Domingo de Pascua in Spanish-speaking countries, falls on April 24 this year.  While many of us are getting ready to decorate eggs and fill up baskets with treats and other pastel-colored goodies, you can add to the list to print these adorable ¡Felices Pascuas! greeting cards that our amigas over at Viva Greetings created just for you. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD VIVA GREETING’S ¡FELICES PASCUAS¡ PRINTABLE CARDS ...

I truly am bummed we weren’t able to make it to any of the advanced screenings of RIO, a new animated family movie distributed by 20th Century Fox which hits theaters nationwide this Friday, April 15th. I usually give you my impressions of the movies I screen, but this time I’ll have to paste the description, as shared by the publicity team: From the makers of the hit ICE AGE series comes RIO, directed by Brazilian-native Carlos Saldanha, a comedy adventureRead More ...

Begin this activity by reading the children’s book El Piñatero/ The Piñata Maker by George Acona. Piñatas are found at almost every Mexican celebration. Traditionally they were in the shape of a six-pointed star and were filled with fruit, candy, and small toys. Today you can find them in all shapes, including animals, flowers, and popular characters. At fiestas, the piñata is hung in the air and children are blindfolded and take turns swinging at the piñatas.  Kids often singRead More ...

I’ve become a big fan of Barefoot Books for several reasons. First, I love that the variety of topics their books cover: from world cultures to monsters & magicians. Then, I love how they have a growing selection of books in Spanish and French. You might remember I wrote about their Bilingual Bear series at the beginning of the year. Navegamos a Galápagos: una semana en el Pacífico by Laurie Krebs falls under their category of travel and adventure. AsRead More ...