There is nothing that makes a teacher happier than really involved parents and I have to say that I feel really lucky to have parents that are not only involved, but also really supportive. I am confident to say that many teachers feel the same way. Having parents that are well informed about their child’s academics and day-to-day schooling is crucial in order to have a successful school year.

This week, I held my back-to-school night at the dual language school I work and I was pleased to see the majority of my parents attend. However, what I loved the most were the great questions they had for me. In this post, I want to address some of those questions and at the same time encourage you (parents/guardians) to ask those types of questions whether your child attends a dual immersion program or not. Here are some of those questions:

- What reading level should my child be in both languages at this point in the school year and where should he/she be at the end of the school year?

This is very important! My school uses reader’s workshop where each student reads a different book depending on their reading level (not the ‘one book fits all’ model), so parents are always wondering where their children should be. Regardless of your child attending a dual language program or not, as a parent you want to know his/her level. While there are many variables and things to consider, in average there is a ‘letter or Lexile Level’ for each grade (in other words a ‘benchmark’ that he/she should be at). What is fascinating is that children in dual language programs can be at two different levels. For example, a fourth grader may be a level Q in English, but a level S in Spanish. Therefore, ask your child’s teacher about this so that he/she can read books that are really accessible for him/her.

- What type of classroom management do you use in your classroom?

There are a plethora of classroom management approaches and this definitely varies from teacher to teacher. Yet, keep in mind that many schools have a certain ‘culture’ to how they handle behavior issues. I personally do not use/post behaviors on the walls or on a pocket chart (I don’t like shaming children). What I have found throughout the years is that children who were on red were ‘always on red.’ And if you are a parent that knows what I am talking about, is probably because your child was probably one of them…and you hated it. Again, this is my personal and humble approach and by no means I am criticizing other teachers. It is just that classroom management is something that goes hand in hand with a teacher’s personality and tolerance for certain behaviors. This is usually addressed on back to school night and at the beginning of the year on a letter sent home by teachers, but you want details and as a parent you should know how the ‘system’ works.

-What are some different ways to volunteer in the classroom?

I could not make it without parent volunteers. And let’s be honest, you would love to ‘spy’ on your child every once in a while and see how he/she interacts with other peers in the classroom (and yes…you want to spy on the teacher too). Most teachers would have a volunteer list/sign up. Just remember that there are many-many ways to volunteer and help and you don’t necessarily have to come to class (especially if you are a working parent and your job requires you to be at work during normal school hours). I rely on technology for this. I have a classroom website through Shutterfly and send text messages to parents who do not have access to the Internet using Remind 101 (and of course paper for those who request it).

Therefore, SpanglishBaby parents, I know this is a rather small example of great questions I got asked this week. Please make sure you ask them too and if you have any questions you may want to ask me, I would be glad to help. Have you had your back-to-school night? I would love to hear how it went.

Much love and happy questioning,

Kelly

Photo by Woodleywonderworks

My son starts kindergarten this year! We received a letter from his teacher  excited to welcome him to class and his face lit up!

He immediately wanted to write back with a picture much like what he does with his snail mail pal but instead I told him how about we make her something super special.

We came up with these cute potato stamped bilingual art tea towels. Each stamp means something to my son. The apple is his favorite fruit. The ABC stamp shows he knows his alphabet and the Hola is to share with his teacher that he is bilingual.  He can’t wait to hand it over to his new teacher.

To make some bilingual Art Tea Towels too here is what you’ll need:

1-Brown paper bag- to cover your area and use for pain mixing

2-Fabric Medium to mix with paint

3-Acrylic paint in your favorite colors

4-potatoes you can carve 2 stamps out of 1 potato

5-a napkin or tea towel to use as your canvas

6-Knife, Carving tools* and paint brushes. (dull pencils, wooden craft sticks, craft knife, piercing tool, etc.)

* parents, please help children with the carving and always handle carving tools with caution.

Cut potato in half and start carving your shape. Use a dull pencil to trace or sketch your image on potato.

 Continue cutting potatoes and carving until you have created all the shapes you would like to use.

If you are carving words, there are two ways to do so — you can carve directly into the potato and not shave any thing surround letters or you can create actual letters be sure to shave down at least half an inch.

Also, all words must be spelled and written backwards.  It helps to write it out first, write out again backwards, and then carve.

 Mix your paints with medium. For every quarter size blob of pain add 3-4 drops of medium you want your paint to be thinner but not runny.

 Apply paint onto the potato stamp and have your kids go wild!

We only stamped once for every time we applied paint. If you want a washed look you can definitely get two stamps out of one application of paint.

 Let them dry. All done!

Fold and attach a cute note with some ribbon for your child’s teacher!

Greet this year’s teacher with a big ¡HOLA! May your kids have a great school year!

As always, I would love to hear from you and read your comments/suggestions.

Remember these?

Now…the BIG reveal:

I am working on a more detailed description of my classroom on my blog. If you are interested in learning more about it, check out my page at Learning In Two Languages .

Much love,

Kelly

{This is a sponsored post}

My kids will be going back to school in 10 days, which means I’m going crazy getting everything so they can be ready for their first day. Besides all the required materials, I also need to get back into gear in terms of lunches and snacks.

I’m not the most creative mom when it comes to packing their lunch boxes and, in all honesty, mornings are so crazy that I normally don’t have all the time in the world to put something awesome together. That’s why I rely on stuff that makes my life easier.

So when I was asked by Walmart if I was interested in checking out the new Lunchables Jr. line of snacks for children 3 and older, I said yes immediately. My kids are no strangers to the regular Lunchables and I figured it’d be a great idea to try these ones out.

The snacks come in four varieties including Blueberry Bonanza, Teddy Bear Picnic, Very Beary Crunch, and Ants on a Log and the best part is that they’re all made with real dried fruits like raisins and apples. Once I gave them to my kids to try out, it was very clear that each one had a favorite. 

Here’s my 7-year-old snacking on hers: Teddy Bear Picnic, which comes with Teddy Graham cookies, peanut butter and tiny pieces of dried apple. I know the snacks are supposed to be for them, but I had to give them a try and I agree with my daughter that this one is the best one. Meanwhile, my 3-year-old son’s favorite is the Very Beary Crunch.

We have already taken the snacks to the pool and on a recent hike, so I know they’ll be a hit when I put them in their lunch boxes in a couple of weeks. If you’d like to try them out, here’s a coupon you can use to get them at Walmart for just a little bit over one dollar!

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While the majority of children in the United States will be going back to school this week, Vanessa just finished her third week in first grade. Recently, my husband and I were invited to a sort of parent/teacher conference so Vanessa could get an assessment in terms of her reading, writing and math skills. It was an opportunity for us to let her teacher know about Vanessa’s learning style, her likes and dislikes, and also for us to get to know her teaching style.

Vanessa was acting really shy when we entered her classroom and sat across from her first grade teacher. Mrs. R started by asking her a few questions about her reading, but  my daughter barely looked at her, and kind of hid behind my arm. I know Vanessa can be shy when she first meets somebody, but this was different since she’d been in Mrs. R’s classroom for nearly two weeks. Prior to the assessment, I had explained to Vanessa what we were going to be doing and how she’d be asked a few questions. So when she started acting like that in her classroom, I gently reminded her the purpose of the meeting and asked her to please answer her teacher’s questions.

Vanessa then started to nod “yes” and “no” as her teacher continued with her questions and gave barely audible answers to simple questions. Honestly, I was pretty confused because Vanessa is so talkative and she loves school. My husband kept making faces at me to leave her alone as I desperately prodded her to answer in full sentences. (By the way, Mrs. R didn’t seemed fazed by any of it. I guess that comes with 21 years of experience!).

And then, Mrs. R asked Vanessa a question about a math problem they had done in class a couple of days before. She told us Vanessa was very good at math — no idea who she got that from! — and asked her to explain to us how she came up with the solution to the problem. Vanessa just kind of looked at us and then Mrs. R said, “Go ahead! You can tell them in Spanish if you want.” Vanessa turned to look at me and told me exactly step by step what she had done to solve the math problem… in Spanish!

Long story short, when we left the assessment, I couldn’t help but ask my husband if he thought Vanessa had acted like that because she lacks the vocabulary necessary to communicate in English. He, of course, thought I was absolutely out of my mind. “She’s just shy,” he assured me. “You know how she gets.” But I’m not so sure and I’ve been left wondering if we need to change our bilingual strategy a bit.

Could it be that Vanessa is not as bilingual as I thought? To be sure, she excelled in kindergarten and is currently reading above grade level. I’ve heard her interact in English without issues when I’ve volunteered in her classroom, and with her little friends during playdates and birthday parties. I know she can obviously communicate in English, but I also know her Spanish vocabulary is way more extensive.

I probably shouldn’t worry about this, and I know lots of parents raising bilingual children wish they could say the same about their children’s vocabulary in Spanish. But I’m not going to lie, I am a bit concerned. I’m thinking I need to do something about it, but what? Should I start speaking English to her? Or am I worried for no reason? What would you do?

It’s that time of the year again when routine must kick back into gear because school is back in session.

I’ve been working with the kids on our own routine here at home. I learned early on how kids loved to know and to pick what activity would be next as well as letting others know what they were up to.

This activity sign is the best thing yet especially if you have other kids in the neighborhood who may want to come over and play before your little one is ready to.

To make an Activity Sign of your own here is what you need!

Supplies:

1-Scissors

2- A picture of your kiddo

3-Adhesive- we used photo splits

4-Markers and a pen

5-Patterned card-stock

6-a small gift bag

7-a brass fastener(or brad)

Let’s get started!

1-Cut your picture out and adhere to a piece of cardstock. Cut around to outline the picture.

2-Using another piece of the card-stock in a rectangle shape. Size will depend on your bag and image. This will create the pocket for your picture.Fold the sides about 1/4 inch on the sides and bottom

3-Cut the bottom corner square so that it makes folding and adhere easier and finish your pocket.

4-Adhere the pocket to your bag in a place where your picture can slide in and sit well. Preferably in the lower portion of the bag.

5-Cut out speech bubble shapes they don’t have to be perfect and make a tiny hole on the same side of each shape. Make a hole on the picture as well. The whole needs to be big enough for the fastener to fit.

6-Customize your speech bubble messages.

7-Attach the message bubbles behind the picture and secure with fastener. Add a name to the pocket and all done!

Now choose a message to display and  hang your sign where it can be seen.

We hope this makes homework time and play time fun! Have an awesome school year!

We all need a little help during this back to school season. As we try to get our kids ready and excited about leaving their lazy summer days behind for the hustle and bustle of school a lot of us also worry about how our kids will stay connected to their culture and continue to thrive bilingually.

This year Nestlé has taken note and is stepping in. Recognizing the importance of staying connected with our culture and language, Nestlé has created various contests and resources which aim to get our niños excited about school and about staying connected with their roots, something we can totally get excited about! Nestlé is inviting you to visit their El Mejor Nido’s Facebook page, “like” it and be eligible to participate in various exciting activities. Just by “liking” the page and entering the giveaway, you may be able to win one of 700 backpacks filled with school supplies, Nestlé products, and the new bilingual book Poppy’s Best Day Ever!

Another great way to participate is by taking part in the Healthy Lunch Box Contest. Simply submit your favorite lunch box menu ideas for a chance to win $1,000 for yourself and another $1,000 for your child’s school! To enter visit Nestle’s El Mejor Nido Facebook page after August 27th.

Like any bilingual parent we are always on the lookout for bilingual books. Nestlé has designed and produced a series of bilingual books, and they are offering a FREE downloadable PDF copy of “Poppy’s Best Day Ever”

.

We love that Nestle is taking bilingual families into consideration during this back-to-school season. There are many great  prizes and resources for us over at the El Mejor Nido site.

The Giveaway!

We are giving away one Nestlé backpack filled with $50 worth of products here!

The backpack includes: one container of Nesquick, Nestlé La Lechera Sweetened Condensed Milk Squeezable Bottle, Box of Nerds candy, can of media crema, two single packs of Nescafé Memento, coupon valid for a complimentary bag of Hot Pockets Snackers, coupon valid for a complimentary bottle of Juicy Juice, coupon valid for a complimentary pack of  Nestlé Purelife Water, pencil case, pack of pencils, box of markers, box of crayons, notebook, Nestlé Coupon Booklet, a bilingual children’s book, and five recipes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Picture credit: premus on flickr}

Now the time has come for us to expand that vision a little and so Ana and I are super happy to announce the new addition to our SpanglishBaby venture: SpanglishBaby Playground, a space for parents raising bilingual and bicultural children to connect and interact directly with each other.

We’re hoping this new space will help all of us make the kind of connections so that together we can have a ripple effect in this movement towards a truly bi/multilingual nation.

SpanglishBaby Playground is the community where you can connect with other parents in your area to coordinate playgroups, playdates, reading clubs, story times, etc.

It’s also a place for you to ask direct questions and get answers from other parents who get you.

It’s a perfect spot to find info about immersion and/or bilingual schools, daycares, preschools, etc., in your area.

In short, SpanglishBaby Playground can be whatever you want it to be because you have the power to start your own groups (which can be private or public), ask questions on the Forum, create your profile page, write a blog post, upload pictures or videos of your familia or anything you love. So, feel at home — this is your Playground!

To motivate you to sign up and participate in this new community we’re having a huge Back to School giveaway courtesy of Target. One lucky winner will take $250 worth of school supplies which include: backpacks for young boys and girls as well as teens, lunch boxes with accessories and a myriad of supplies from notebooks to crayons. Whoever wins this amazing giveaway should be completely set for Back to School.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is create an account on SpanglishBaby Playground before midnight, August 26th. Use the nifty Rafflecopter widget below to make it easy for you to participate and also get extra entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I love summer and being able to spend time off with my children, but I’m actually ready for both my kids to go back to school… and I think they are too! Luckily, we already got all of Vanessa’s back to school supplies — with plenty of time since we have to go drop them off tomorrow at her school — and earlier this week we went shopping for clothes.

We were given $100 by Walmart to see how many clothes/accessories we could get from their Back to School apparel section. I knew we were going to do great because of their amazing prices, but we actually did much better than I expected.

I spend about $97 and I was able to get all the following:

For Vanessa:

• 2 T-shirts
• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 jean dress
• 1 short
• 3 skorts
• 2 outfits with leggings and cute top
• 2 cargo pants

For Santiago:

• 3 long sleeve T-shirts

We got most of the stuff on sale and what wasn’t on sale cost no more than $13. How can you possibly beat that? Check out our haul video, so you can see Vanessa modeling most of the back to school clothes we got a Walmart.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUrXq9_DlXY

Where do you go back to school clothes shopping? How much do you normally spend per kid?

Disclosure: As part of the Walmart Moms program, SpanglishBaby received compensation and the products to facilitate this post. As always, all stories and opinions are our own.

Like most little kids, my daughter Vanessa loves to go Back to School shopping. Since she learned how to read in kindergarten last year, my soon to be first-grader made shopping for her school supplies super easy this time around because she was able to read from the list and keep track of what was missing all by herself.

Just like we did last year, we headed to the Back to School section of our local Walmart, but this time around we had a challenge. To fill two backpacks worth no more than $25 each with as many school supplies as $25 would buy for each one. We’re staying with one backpack and donating the other to United With Migrants, a non-profit organization run by an amazing nun who works with Colorado’s agricultural workers and their families.

Instead of going crazy and just getting whatever school supplies for the backback we’re donating, I figured we’d just fill it with the same ones from Vanessa’s first grade list. Most of the stuff on the list is pretty basic, so I’m sure whatever first-grader gets it will be able to go to school with all the supplies he or she needs.

The thing I love the most about Walmart’s Back to School section is how easy it is to find all the supplies my daughter needs. Plus, the prices are pretty much unbeatable! We were actually able to get the majority of the supplies on her list for under $25. Check out what’s going in her backpack (and in the one we’re donating):

• 1 Crayola Crayons — 24 ct.
• 2 Crayola Washable markers, wide
• 2 Crayola Washable markers, fine
• 24 Pencils #2, sharpened
• 1 Crayola Colored Pencils — 12 ct.
• 2 Crayola Watercolor Paint Set
• 1 Dry Erase Markers, set of 4, fine
• 2 Folders w/pockets
• 2 B&W Composition Notebooks
• 1 Pencil Box
• 1 Elmer’s Glue — 8 oz.
• 4 Glue sticks — small
• 1 Scissors, pointed
• 1 Post Its — 3×3
• 2 Sharpie — Fine Tip

I liked having the opportunity to explain to Vanessa that not every child is able to go back to school with a new backpack, let alone all the supplies on her list. The older she gets, the more I’m able to talk to her about the importance of helping those who are not as fortunate as we are. I now plan on taking her with me to drop off the backpack filled with school supplies.

Disclosure: As part of the Walmart Moms program, SpanglishBaby received compensation and the products to facilitate this post. As always, all stories and opinions are our own.