The Mysteries of Bilingualism II on Psychology Today — Prof. François Grosjean delves into aspects of bilingualism that remain an enigma. In this case, he writes about language choice, code-switching and language interferences — topics that have been researched at the linguistic level, but not at the cognitive and neurolinguistic ones.

¡Aprender español está de moda! on El Sentinel — A look at how more and more people are realizing the importance of learning Spanish as a second language.

New Fort Worth program will graduate bilingual students on the Star-Telegram — Parents in Fort Worth whose children are attending dual language immersion elementary schools won’t have to worry about what’ll happen to their kids once they move on to middle and high school thanks to a new school, World Languages Institute, that will be open next fall.

Constant need for bilingual volunteers, more so during holidays on Journal and Courier — Interesting read about the need for bilingual volunteers to serve as translators in charitable organizations like the Salvation Army.

We are excited to share our favorite bilingual and bicultural Holiday gifts with you! As we do every year, we’ve gathered some of the best regalitos of the season to feature in our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide for Bilingual Kids. This very unique gift guide includes Toys with English and Spanish features, our Favorites (De todo un poco) and Ana and Roxana’s Picks - our co-founders and experienced bilingual moms share their must-haves. Plus, check out the non profit organizations we’re featuring, spread the love this holiday season and donate to those who need it the most.

Click here to check out (and share!) SpanglishBaby’s 2013 Holiday Gift Guide for Bilingual Kids!

The Giveaway!

You know we love to share the love, so to celebrate the holidays we have a huge giveaway of some of our favorite items from our  2013 Holiday Gift Guide for Bilingual Kids!  ONE lucky winner will get one of each of these gifts featured below. The total value of this prize is over $450 USD!!

Looking for a decorative, yet educational and classy gift? Customizable World Maps by Children Inspire Design are perfect for a child’s room or anywhere in the house, really! Place your heart anywhere in the world where your’s belongs… (ARV $60.00)

Baby Alive Baby All Gone Bilingual by Hasbro - By holding her wrist down for a few seconds you can switch from English to Spanish! Doll comes with an outfit, bananas, spoon, bowl and a sippy cup. So sweet! (ARV $36.95)

The Dual Language Translator by Ingenio is perfect for your preschool aged kid. It includes 17 double-sided cards with useful everyday words including numbers, shapes, weather and much more. ¡Vamos a aprender español! (ARV $16.99)

We just love MamaYala’s creations! With the MamaYala Flash Cards  the whole family can play and learn vocabulary from Latin America and Spain. Includes a 100% cotton & customizable carrying bag, ¡Qué cute! (ARV $15.95)

You and your familia are going to love the Celebrations Around the World Activity Box by Lakeshore. You will have materials to celebrate five holidays: Cinco de Mayo, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Chinese New Year and Independence Day.  How cool is that?! (ARV $34.99)

The Orphaned Earring is a non-profit blog dedicated to bringing arts and crafts, school supplies as well as year-round festivities to four orphanages in Latin America, Nicaragua, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico through the sales of hand-made bracelets from donated orphaned earrings. The winner will receive a set of two bracelets. (ARV $15.00)

For kids ages 3-6 Ladybug en español is an excellent reading tool, plus your child will love the illustrations! Read our review A Magazine for Children: Ladybug en Español. The winner will receive a one-year subscription of both the print and digital publications of Ladybug en español, Ask en español and Babybug en español. (ARV of over $150 USD)

As soon as you arrive home from the hospital play Spanish lullabies to your sweet baby with  Twilight Turtle Tunes! With wireless Bluetooth technology you can get the Premium app (available for $1.99) and play your mix of canciones de cuna to soothe your precious bebé. (Prize only includes one Twilight Turtle Tunes, Premium app not included.) (ARV $51.95)

For ages 3-12 Baking Around The World Kit by Handstandkids is the perfect gift for kids who love to cook and bake (and for those who might like to!) With recipes from around the world, our young bakers will enjoy learning about other cultures’ sweets. Yummy! (ARV $25.00)

Lanugo — La Sinfonía de… includes a unique personalized CD with your child’s name sang in each fun & engaging song! Plus the CD comes with your child’s name printed on it, as well as with a set of stickers — we love it! (ARV $14.99)

Se habla Spanglish Tee by Dos Borreguitas - We can’t say the word Spanglish enough so we’d like to wear it as well! This makes a great gift for your mamá, hija, tía, or anyone in your Spanglish familia! (ARV $20.00)

Little Passports‘ mission is to inspire children to learn about the world. Kids can get a package every month with country-specific souvenirs, stickers, photos, activity sheets and much more! Recommended for ages 5-10 years old. Yes, you can raise a world traveler and explorador! Winner will receive a 1-month subscription. (ARV $10.95)

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Since my kids aren’t lucky enough to attend a dual language immersion school, I have to figure out ways to expose them to Spanish in an academic setting at home. That’s why I’m always scouring the web for online resources that will help me teach them concepts in subjects like math, science and geography in Spanish.

Hope you find these resources helpful! And please feel free to add any others ones you and your children use so we can make this list even more comprehensive. ¡Gracias!

READING/WRITING

1) COLORIN COLORADO

2) EL RINCON DE LOS CUENTOS

3) READING IS FUNDAMENTAL (¡LEAMOS EN FAMILIA!)

4) BIBLIOTECA DIGITAL INTERNACIONAL PARA NIÑOS

MATH/SCIENCE

1) AAA MATH

2) PBS PADRES — MATEMATICAS A TEMPRANA EDAD

3) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

4) BRAIN POP

5) CURIOSIKIDS

6) MUY INTERESANTE JUNIOR

SOCIAL SCIENCE

1) EDUCAPEQUES

2) MAPA HUMANO

3) MI GEOGRAFIA

GAMES/ACTIVITIES

1) CHILDTOPIA

2) PBS KIDS: MAYA Y MIGUEL

3) DISCOVERY FAMILIA

{Photo via C.C. Chapman}

This week’s round-up of Spanish activities and resources features a little bit of everything to get our bilingual kids in the school spirit. The activities feature printables and projects that are similar to projects they might do in school with the added benefit that they are in Spanish.

Back to School en Español // School Supply Flashcards in Spanish

Kali of For The Love of Spanish is ready for the new school seasons and has shared theses back-to-school  flashcards in Spanish to help us all prepare. The cards feature school materials and include the name in Spanish along with the pronunciations and English words for the materials. Click here for the post featuring the printable versions of the school supply flashcards.

Dollar Store Inspiration

Bitty Bilinguals shared their dollar store finds along with printables for their readers in Spanish. Click here for a squiggle story printable and to read about how these templates work in the classroom and at home.

Como Hacer Un Volcán

We’ve all had to do the volcano project at some point in our elementary school years. That’s why we love this DIY volcano project by Adriana of Hogar Mujer. The instructions and materials needed for this project are in Spanish which adds another educational element to this project, the opportunity to practice Español !

The Letter M Counting Book in Spanish {Printable}

Monica of Mommy Maestra shared these awesome Spanish printables featuring the letter “M” which encourages kids to count. Click here to find Mommy Maestra’s post featuring the Spanish printables.

Spanish Listening Practice – Adivina la palabra

Spanish Playground shared a fun and simple game to practice spanish vocabulary in which kids guess the word being described. Click here for a list of Spanish vocabulary and clues to play.

Imagine we could survey every bilingual adult in the world and ask them two questions.

Question #1: Do you regret becoming bilingual?

What do you think the response would be?

Of course, it wouldn’t be unusual for people to mention how hard it was, at times, during childhood: keeping up with two languages, perhaps with twice the homework; suffering episodes of embarrassment when speaking the minority language in public; and enduring other difficulties. A few of the respondents, it’s true, might even answer, “Yes, I regret it. It was just too much trouble.”

But my guess is that the percentage of people responding “No, I don’t regret becoming bilingual” would be very, very high. Despite those struggles of childhood, I bet it would be well over 99%.

Question #2: If you hadn’t become bilingual, is it something you would have regretted?

If we then turned the question around and asked people to imagine how they would feel if they hadn’t become bilingual, what sort of response would you expect? Though there might be a handful who express no regret, wouldn’t most people feel just the opposite? Wouldn’t most people, over 99% once again, express real regret at not becoming bilingual?

Here’s my point: Your gurgling baby, or your growing child, may not be aware of this yet, but they want to be bilingual! And they will regret it if they don’t become bilingual! That’s the truth, and you have to keep that fact in mind throughout your bilingual journey together.

It’s particularly important to remember this during those tougher times, like when your child seems to rebel and refuses to speak the minority language with you. When these difficulties arise, it’s natural to feel discouraged, but you can’t let yourself get trapped in that moment. You have to think bigger than the resistance at hand.

Tell yourself: “Yes, my child, I know it’s hard sometimes. But I also know that deep down, in the adult that lies within you, you really do want to be bilingual and you would regret it one day if you weren’t. So I will continue to support the development of your minority language with all the patience and persistence and perseverance that this tired old parent can manage.”

And you go on. And you do the best you can, day after day, while you have the chance. Because, finally, you know you’re not the only one who wants your child to be bilingual.

Your child wants to be bilingual, too.

Adam Beck is the blogger of Bilingual Monkeys, the home of “ideas and inspiration for raising bilingual kids (without going bananas).” Based in Hiroshima, Japan, he is a former teacher at Hiroshima International School and now a writer for the Hiroshima Peace Media Center. Adam is the father of two children who are bilingual in English and Japanese. You can also find Adam on Twitter and Facebook.

Interactive US Census Map Pinpoints Foreign Language Speakers on Voice of America — Check out the languages spoken at the homes of more than 60 million people in the United States.

Signing Foreign Phrases Makes Learning a Second Language Easier on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation — More proof that music is a great way to expose your children to Spanish. Here’s a list of some of our favorite children’s music in Spanish.

96 Things You Can Do Today to Boost Your Child’s Bilingual Ability on BilingualMonkeys.com —  This is an excellent list full of great ideas that all parents raising bilingual kids should keep handy.

Who, Exactly is a Gringo? also on NPR’s Code Switch — How do you define the word “gringo”? Do you find it offensive? Where did the word come from?

The Latino Children’s Summer Reading Program from Latinas for Latino Literature — I am so happy that our friend over at L4LL have put together this program and I can’t wait to get started with my two kids. Besides summer reading lists divided by age groups, there are also several useful resources and printables. The challenge is for your kids to read at least eight books from now to Aug. 12. To reward them, L4LL will be giving away prizes such as picture books and tablets. So get on over there and register!

Arne Duncan Touts Advantages of Bilingualism from Education Week — U.S. Secretary of Education makes very clear comments about the importance of bilingualism and why educators should not forget that English learners “come to school with a major asset” — their native language, which needs to be maintained so they can become bilingual.

North Carolina school a standout for bilingual education from La Prensa — I love reading about successful DL programs. In this case,  it’s a North Carolina school which has become a national model for its bilingual program and curriculum. Bravo!

The Questions People Get Asked About Race from NPR’s Code Switch — Funny, ridiculous, surprising, ignorant, frustrating, insulting… just some of the adjectives that come to mind when reading about the questions people get ask about their race, culture, ethnicity, etc.

Living In Two Worlds, But With Just One Language from NPR — I’m sure a lot of you can relate to Elysha O’Brien’s story about being a “Mexican white girl who doesn’t speak Spanish.” The college professor’s parents made a conscious decision not to pass on their native language to avoid discrimination. Sad, but very real for so many Latinos.

WISD Shutters Dual Language Program — A school district in Texas decides to end the dual language immersion program in two of its elementary schools, and the parents are rightly shocked, confused and angered. Many say they moved to the area to get their kids into the school and had to sign a contract saying they would commit to staying for six years in order for the program to be successful. What are they supposed to do now?

Dual Language Program Has Parents Camping for Days — The length parents who understand the importance of bilingualism will go to to get their kids enrolled in a dual language immersion program. ¡Qué bien!

Will y Jaden Smith llegaron a Despierta América hablando español — This is a must watch! I was actually surprised by how much Spanish Will Smith speaks and I have to congratulate it for how hard he tried to stick to Spanish during the entire interview. Good for him¡! (Hat tip to the awesome Tracy of Latinish. Gracias, amiga!)

For almost two years now, I’ve been taking Vanessa to a monthly Spanish children’s book club started by a bilingual mom I’m lucky to call my friend. While I’ll never get tired of raving about the benefits of joining a Spanish-speaking playgroup, once kids get a bit older and start school, it’s not as easy to participate in weekly meetups for the kids to be immersed in Spanish. Enter the idea of a Spanish children’s book club.

If your kids are already in school and you want a more structured way of exposing them to literacy skills in Spanish, a book club is the way to go. But how do you go about doing something like that? In my case, I got really lucky because my friend Sisi — who worked 16 years as a bilingual kindergarten teacher and is one of the original members of our Spanish-speaking playgroup — was the one who came up with the idea and took the lead. Truth is, though, that you don’t have to be a teacher to do something similar.

Here’s a look at how our book club is structured: Sisi starts by reading the book and interacting with the kids at all times by asking pertinent questions and making sure everyone understands new vocabulary. Once she’s done with the book, she goes through a series of reading comprehension questions regarding the characters, the setting, the problem, the solution, etc. to make sure every kid got the story. Then, there’s always some kind of activity or craft related to the theme of the book. Sometimes it involves food and the kids love that. Before we’re done, all kids get a copy of the book and a stamp in their “passport” so they can keep track of all the books they’ve read.

I highly recommend starting something similar for your bilingual kids and so I wanted to share some ideas on how to get started:

1. If you already belong to a Spanish-speaking playgroup, talk to the other moms to see if maybe one of them is interested and has the abilities to lead a book club for children. Maybe you can help organize all the little details, but someone else can be the “teacher.”

2. Keep in mind that for a Spanish book club to be successful it should be for a smaller group of kids who are a bit older and are already fluent in Spanish.

3. On that note, choose a book that you feel all kids will understand, but that hopefully will teach them new vocabulary words. The theme of the book should lend itself to fun activities and a lively discussion.

4. The club shouldn’t last more than 1 1/2 hours, including snack time and an activity that includes movement.

5. You can alternate who’ll be hosting the club every month to make it easier on everyone.

6. A fun way for kids to keep track of the books they’ve read is through a passport. Kids really enjoy the challenge of filling it up with stamps.

¡Buena suerte!

We dedicated all of last week to explore the topic of immersion travel and its amazing benefits in terms of your children’s bilingualism and biculturalism. But if traveling with your family for an extended period of time to a Spanish-speaking country is not an option for you right now, you can always send your kids to a language summer camp without having to travel too far.

Language summer camps are run the same way a regular summer camp is: a bunch of activities both in and outdoors so your kids don’t get bored during the long, lazy summer months, except that everything is done in a language other than English. In other words, not only will the kids be entertained, but they will also be immersed in Spanish or the target language you’re trying to teach them.

I was actually surprised with the amount of options out there and although they are not cheap, some of the programs offer financial assistance in the form of scholarships — particularly the ones where your kids get to sleep over. But maybe I should start by explaining the differences.

A day summer camp is exactly what the name implies. Your child attends camp daily for however many weeks you’re interested in (or you can afford.) Obviously, the longer your child attends, the better the end result. As far as I understand, the daily curriculum is taught in the target language, which depending on the program you choose, can range from Spanish to Arabic. Normally, age requirements are a bit more lax in this type of setting. A couple of summers ago, for example, I sent Vanessa to the language summer camp at Denver Montclair International School, which accept kids as young as 3. By the way, their Spanish program is so popular, it’s pretty much sold out for the entire summer!

Then, you have camps like Concordia Language Villages, which offers both options — day and regular summer camps — and it’s the kind of place that I would love for my kids to go to  when they get older. Concordia has been around for over 50 years, their curriculum is truly impressive and they firmly believe in immersion as the best method to learn a language.

“We communicate with the children almost exclusively in the target language,” according to Carl-Martin Nelson, the director of communications of the Minnesota program. ”There is very little translation going on.”

Children must be 7 years old to attend one of their summer camps in any of the 15 different languages they offer. Each camp can last anywhere from one to four weeks. This means your child is actually away from home for that period of time, just like the thousands of other summer camps that abound in this country, except that they spend their time immersed in the target language.

So how much can your child actually learn in one or two weeks? The truth is probably not much. But if you’re already raising bilingual children, it can be a great way to reinforce the second language— especially when kids get to the bilingual rebellion stage.

“We not only teach kids the language, we improve their attitude about learning the language,” says Nelson. “Our primary goal, our job, is to make it the coolest thing in the world to speak the target language.”

Nelson also brought up the fact that this type of program is perfect for families using the OPOL method because it helps to reinforce the language that the child may only get from one of the parents in a fun and completely different way. The same goes for children who already attend dual language schools. In other words, it’s a great way for them to brush up on their language skills in a non-school setting before the new school year because the emphasis is not only on the physical aspect, but also on the academic one.

“Our experience has been that these kids go back to the classroom excited and enthused about the language they’re learning,” Nelson says.

Sounds like a win-win situation, right?

If like mine, you’re children — or their parents — are not yet ready for sleeping-away camp, look around because in the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in the amount of language summer day camps available in cities across the nation. A great place to start searching for those options is in our bilingual education directory where you can find programs by city and state. If you know of a program that’s not in our directory, we’d really appreciate it if you include it as it’s user-generated. You can also check SpanglishBaby Playground in case anyone has posted about summer camps in their area.

{Photo by ScienceWorldCA}