Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish! This is the last week, so you have until July 31 to enter.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

I’ve found some children’s books in Spanish that are so beautiful they take my breath away. I spend a small fortune on them…then many of them sit on the bookshelf, unread, until I eventually concede defeat and get rid of them in a fit of de-cluttering.

Froggy y su papá is not one of those books, but it fits neatly in my new philosophy when it comes to children’s books: I don’t care what my kids are reading, as long as they’re reading. And one of my sons has latched onto the Froggy series. I found this one at a yard sale, and it’s been such a hit I’ve picked up a few more of the books. If you’re familiar with the original, the text is repetitive (with lots of yelling, “Frooooggggyy!”), there are fun sounds — ¡toink!–¡ta-chán! — that we love to yell out loud together. It’s Father’s Day, and Froggy drops his father’s breakfast, bonks his father on the head while playing mini-golf, and makes a hole-in-one. It’s not one of those books I would covet if I saw it at the bookstore. But my son adores it — and what’s more, his Spanish reading skills have improved remarkably since we started reading this series. And that makes Froggy okay in my book.

   BOOK DETAILS

   Title: Froggy y su papá

   Author: Jonathan London

   Illustrator: Frank Remkiewicz

   Ages: 3-7 years

   Publisher/Year: Scholastic/2004

   ISBN: 0-439-76557-9

   Price: Varies (Used copies on Amazon; $3.71 in Scholastic’s Club Leo)

Mariana, who’s newest album of bilingual (English/Spanish) songs for kids Hola Hello is a must-have for your kid’s music library, wanted SpanglishBaby amigos to have a first peek at her “Father’s Day! Feliz Dia del Padre!” video. We hope all the papás in your families love it too!

If I could choose the one thing my husband and my father have the most in common it is definitely grilling. That is why when I was thinking of something the kids could create for dad and grandpa this super cute mini grill “Grilled Love”  keepsake tin was the perfect idea. Amor a la Parilla can’t get any cuter than this!

To create this Father’s Day craft here is what you need:

1-Toilet paper rolls(2- cut in half. You will only be using 3 of the halves)

2- Two Pie tins

3-Paint preferably acrylic paint

4- Foil Paper

5-Adhesive- We used glue dots

6-Paint sponge to apply your paint

7-scissors

Let’s get started!

1-Prepare your tins by painting them.

2-Do another coat of paint to make sure the color covers your tin completely

3-Let your freshly painted tins dry

4- Cut out pieces of foil paper long and wide enough to cover your roll. Secure it with your adhesive.

5-Make sure one side of your roll is closed off with foil. This will be the end that will adhere to your pie tin. To create legs

6- Using a strip of Foil folded a couple of times create a handle for your lid. Adhere it to the lid.

7-Using the same method for the handle, adhere handles to the bottom tin one on each side.

8-Adhere your legs to the bottom in a triangular form.

And flip it over and your’re ready to fill it up with dad’s favorites!

We used peanuts to create the illusion of coals and Marshmallows on a stick to create grilling kabobs!

All Done! Enjoy Father’s Day with your lucky guy!

Tip: This can also be a great table top piece for your next summer get together filled with condiments or silverware!

This is the perfect summer craft for kids!

El Día del Padre / Father’s Day is coming up this June 17 and I’ve been a little stumped at what creative gift Sofía will give her Papi.  Recently I read an article about how people who received gifts in fancy wrapping tended to like the gifts considerably more than people who received the same gift but not wrapped as nicely.  I think this is super-true and certainly applies to children’s art as well.  I think any piece of art, well framed or mounted, makes more of a difference than merely giving a piece of construction paper with gems and glitter (or screws and bolts) glued on!

It has been a while since Sofía has given her framed art to Papi as a present, and so we put on our Thinking Sombreros and thus, Toolbox Treasure Art was born!

Get ready to make your own personalized Toolbox Treasure Art!  Gather up your toolbox extras, some glue, a permanent marcador and a framed canvas.  (The framed canvas is by far the most expensive item in this activity.

The first two steps I recommend doing are things that I learned after our project was complete.  First, I recommend assisting your Little Picasso to creatively craft a visual “frame” on the canvas with something.  We used plastic cord ties, but I think that colored electrical or painter’s tape would work well also.

In step 2, decide where the byline and Felicidades will be written so that it will be seen amongst the treasures that will soon be glued on.

Next, place all the treasures from the tool box in a container.  I used a veggie tray container not only for easy access for Sofía’s little manos, but for its aesthetic properties as well!  Add another dimension to your craft by reviewing the material names en Español! (Planning ahead of time is really important for this step because, for example, some of the items I used, I didn’t know the name of in any language!)

Providing glue nearby, (I like to place the glue right on a small paper plate.) allow your Angelito to choose whichever tool box treasure she or he wishes to glue on the canvas.  And Mamás….resist the urge to direct your Angelito as to where to put the treasures on the canvass.   Everything doesn’t need to be perfect, straight, in-line, or balanced. Once your glue has dried, you may have to secure a few things here and there with a hot glue gun or more liquid glue.

The end result is a fabuloso piece of art that your Little Picasso will be so proud to give to Papi and Papi will be sure to show off and proudly display!

¡Feliz Día del Padre!