My daughter is at that stage when she actually thinks helping is fun—well, at least most of the times. When we come back from the doing groceries, I usually ask her to help me carry some of the less heavy bags from the garage to the kitchen. Once we’re there, she helps me put away some of the stuff in both the fridge and the pantry. Not only does this make her feel useful—and big—which is great for her self-esteem,Read More ...
ReadMe: Let me Help!
Entertaining Curriculum for Teaching Spanish to Kids {Giveaway}
On the second day of our week-long exploration of bilingual homeschooling we bring you another amazing giveaway of products that are an excellent tool for parents on this alternative educational path. Boca Beth herself and her award-winning program for teaching Spanish to kids requires little to no introduction to those avid SpanglishBaby readers. Beth Butler is a relentless activist and promoter of bilingualism with years of experience as a bilingual educator. Her award-winning language learning series, Boca Beth, includes aRead More ...
Educational Toys for Bilingual Homeschooling {Giveaway}
Today is the first day of a week-long adventure into the ins and outs of bilingual homeschooling. One of the major components of homeschooling, and probably the most difficult to achieve when incorporating bilingualism, is to find educational toys and products to teach children a language through what they do best-play. Ingenio, the first bilingual and educational toy brand in the U.S., has a catalog of 10 toys and games that are meant for preschool and early elementary children. LastRead More ...
An Authentic Fiesta Mexicana for Kids
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Mexico´s independence (no, it´s not celebrated on 5 de mayo!) and we’re already preparing for it. Living in the U.S. it´s nearly impossible not to be influenced by one of the myriad elements that make up the rich and diverse Mexican culture. It imbues or food, our TV screens, our slang and our music. Mexican music has influenced genres across the board and still continues to be predominant on the scene. But fewRead More ...
Speaking in Tongues: A Must See Documentary Film
As soon as we finished watching Speaking in Tongues, an inspiring documentary film which follows the journey of four children as they become bilingual while immersed in dual language programs, my husband turned to me and declared: “We have to do the same for Vanessa.” The award-winning film, produced and directed by the husband-and-wife team of Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, showcases the stories of four kids—and their families—from completely different backgrounds as they struggle and triumph at becomingRead More ...
Lover Boy: A Bilingual Counting Book
I come from a family of besucones. In other words, I’m surrounded by those who love to give and receive tons of kisses. I’ve never been too much into it myself, that is, until my daughter was born almost four years ago and since then, I haven’t been able to stop showering her with kisses every chance I get. She’s a besucona too, so this has not been a problem. I still remember the first time she gave a “real”Read More ...
Chakuchukuchá-Bilingual Latin Beats {Giveaway}
If you are really into authentic Latin rhythms and beats like salsa, cumbia and bachata and your kids share your musical taste, then you will definitely be into the Chakuchukuchá vibe. This CD was created by Gloria Rojas, a bilingual speech/language pathologist, who, based on her own experience as a child immigrant having to quickly learn a new language, created a program to teach children a second language through the effective use on songs, sign language and movement. And whatRead More ...
Giggle, Giggle, Quack {Giveaway}
Ducks, pigs, cows and chickens that are too hilarious and mischievous for their own good, are the main characters in Doreen Cronin’s beloved children’s stories. Scholastic Storybook Treasures, the DVD that brings books to life, has just released a new DVD titled Giggle, Giggle, Quack…and more stories by Doreen Cronin, featuring five of Cronin’s most popular stories. As soon as I found out that they included a Spanish version of both “Giggle, Giggle, Quack” and “Duck for President” on theRead More ...