Anyway, back to business! This week I wanted to share something a little different. I often get asked, “how do you encourage your kids to speak Spanish without stressing them out?” Very good question and one that I’ve thought about many times. Luckily, that hasn’t been a major problem with my son, but every child is different and it is something to be aware of.

The best advice I give is to make it fun and enjoyable by playing games, singing and dancing. I make up songs and encourage Matías to add on his own verses and then repeat. However, instead of telling you about our Spanish fun, we put together a video of us singing two songs that we composed ourselves!

We hope you like them and that you are inspired to come up with your own canciones. It’s amazing how well children react to them and it allows the second language to flourish with ease.

An article published earlier this week in The New York Times titled “For Young Latino Readers, an Image Is Missing” has created a flurry of commentary about the dire need for more children’s books with which our Latino kids can identify. In other words, more children’s books with characters that look like them and with storylines that speak to them.

While I would love nothing more than to see all Latino authors been given the opportunity to be published, I’m having a hard time accepting that to boost reading skills among Latino children the characters in the books available to them need to look like them, as implied by the article.

First of all, what does a Latino child look like? I thought that the recent brouhaha with Disney’s Princess Sofia reminded us that Latinos come in all shades and colors. At least that’s what we were trying to prove when we asked you to share a photo of your princesa with us. If you visit our #LatinaPrincess Pinterest board, you’ll see that, in effect, our children come from all races, backgrounds and heritages. So, to say that there are not enough books out there for our Latino children to identify with is a lie because there are plenty of books with light-skinned, light-eyed, light-haired protagonists that look just like many Latino children I know — including Camila, Ana’s daughter.

Same thing goes for the Latino experience. What exactly is that? Well, it depends on whom you ask. My Puerto Rican husband’s Latino experience as an American citizen who grew up in La Isla del Encanto is nothing like my Latino experience as a Peruvian citizen who was raised in four countries in three continents before moving to the United States as a teenager. Nor is it anything like that of our own two children who were born and are being raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. With that I’m trying to say that if my 6-year-old daughter reads a story about a Mexican-American child making tortillas with her abuelita, she won’t be able to relate to that at all because she’s not Mexican-American and her abuelita doesn’t even know how to boil water! That, however, doesn’t mean she won’t enjoy the book.

Secondly, whoever thinks children’s love of reading comes solely from whether or not they see themselves reflected in the books they’re reading is completely delusional. As a bookworm who grew up to be a journalist in part because of my love of reading, I can tell you first hand that one thing has very little to do with the other. Let me explain why. I fell in love with books at a very young age because I felt transported to other worlds without having to leave my room. Later on, my love of books continued growing when I saw myself in the characters I read about, not because they looked like me, but rather because I identified with their stories, their hardships, their triumphs. In the end, it’s not about the color of the characters’ skins or their ethnicities, but about the authenticity of their experiences.

Truth be told, though, most of what I’ve always enjoyed reading is stuff I don’t identify with at all. Stories that enrich me and open up my mind to possibilities I didn’t even know existed. Books that teach me about the world around me and expose me to experiences I would not be privy to otherwise.

Now, a lot of people would say I’m lucky — and even unusual — because I grew up in a household full of book lovers, and they’re probably right. I honestly don’t know one single person who loved to read more than my own father who had a book or some other reading material in his hands at all times. I know for a fact that my own love of reading and literary curiosity comes directly from him, which brings me to my next and final point.

While there should definitely be more children’s books written by Latino authors, we should be more worried about whether we’re leading by example when it comes to instilling a love of reading in our children and whether we’re exposing them to all kinds of literature — not just the kind with characters that look like them.

The reason why SpanglishBaby exists today is because more than four years ago, as we were looking for bilingual and Spanish children’s books for our daughters, we realized there weren’t a lot of options. Or those that existed weren’t readily available. We weren’t necessarily looking only for books with characters our children could relate to, but rather for quality bilingual and Spanish-language ones we could enjoy with our girls to help them in their bilingual journey.

While there are not a tons of those out there, we have made it our mission to go in search for them so we can share them with all of you. Hopefully, you can help us spread the word and children’s books by publishing houses like Cinco Puntos Press, Arte Público and Children’s Book Press (now an imprint of Lew & Low) can make kids’ bookshelves more diverse — regardless of their own background and ethnicity.

{Photo by cesarastudillo}

Can you believe Christmas is less than three weeks away? I can’t — especially because I haven’t done ANY shopping at all. ¡Auxilio! If you’re anything like me, then you’ll like what I’m about to tell you…

For a couple of years now, we’ve been wanting to put together a gift guide and I’m happy to announce we’ve finally done it! The thing with our Ultimate Gift Guide for Bilingual Kids is that it’s really not only to get gift giving ideas during the holidays. It’s really for any time of the year when you’re looking for that special something to give to a bilingual kid or family.

In our gift guide, you’ll find our favorite picks in terms of book, music, clothing, toys and a few other things we love and feel they best represent our Latino culture or are worth having if your child is growing up bilingual. I must say I’m very happy with how much things have change and how much we have available today in comparison to when we first launched SpanglishBaby four years ago. This is particularly true when it comes to book choices, but others are noticing the need to have products that speak to Latinos and I love that!

So head on over to our Ultimate Gift Guide for Bilingual Kids and take a peek! We hope you too will love what we’ve picked, that you find the perfect gift for #BilingualKids and that you share the guide with others!

¡Felices Fiestas!

{Photo by asenat29}

Our family was fortunate to have had the opportunity to once again immerse our children in Spanish by traveling abroad. You may remember that last year we spent the summer in Peru. This summer was spent in Costa Rica. There really is nothing like travel to enhance your child’s language skills and to provide them with global and cultural understanding. Such trips require planning and effort, but the work is well worth it.

Since I do not have family living in a Spanish speaking country, a lot of research is involved with putting together an adventure that will be both fun and educational for the entire family. Months prior to the trip, I am looking at schools, possible homestay arrangements, and tourist destinations that will be interesting. Having now been through the planning, traveling and living abroad experience twice, I feel that there is some advice of value that I can pass on to families that would like to embark upon similar journeys.

Homestays

In both Peru and Costa Rica, we lived with local families. The homestays in both countries were arranged through the schools that we attended while abroad. There is no better way to be immersed in the language and culture of the country than to actually live with a local family.

Be careful! Our experience in Peru was wonderful! We ate with the family daily, and they went out of their way to help us get to know the city where we were living. The family enjoyed having students come to get to know their country and culture.

Unfortunately, we did not have a similar experience this summer. It was obvious that our Costa Rican family had us only to make money. The television was on constantly, and there was very little interaction with the family. The single mother was gone three nights a week, and we were left with the three children and a teenage babysitter. The house was also dirty, and we were often hungry because there was not enough food during the meals. Although my husband complained in writing at the school, nothing changed.

No matter what country you are visiting, homestay experiences will vary enormously based on the family and their motivation for taking in students. Have a back-up plan if the family does not work out. Be sure that you can either change families or living arrangements, if you find yourself in a situation that is just not the right fit. Try to avoid paying for the entire stay so that you have the freedom to make a change if your living arrangements are less than ideal. It is also a good idea to have a back-up plan to avoid being stuck in a home that makes you uncomfortable.

School

In Peru, my children studied Spanish with a Peruvian teacher. They learned songs, read books, played games, and did art projects with their teachers. While in Costa Rica, they attended a Waldorf School.

Working with individual teachers was far more conducive to the language learning of my sons. The teachers were able to specialize their instruction to best meet the needs of my boys. They were also exposed to excellent Spanish and were required to speak with their teachers without using English.

The Waldorf School provided very little teacher directed instruction; rather the kids were encouraged to play. While the boys did use Spanish to play with their peers, since they were only 2 and 4 years of age, the Spanish was limited and not very complex. While peer interaction is important, we were easily able to meet other young children by just taking a soccer ball to the park with us. There is nothing like having a teacher work with your child individually to further their linguistic skills.

Activities

In Peru, I arranged play dates with other Peruvian children, but in Costa Rica, I signed them up for music classes and Tae Kwon Do. The structured martial arts and music classes were so much fun for my children, and they were a great way for the boys to get to really know other Costa Rican children. These enrichment classes enabled the boys to both further their language skills and to experience different activities that they can continue to pursue in the future.

Travel

We did travel while we were in Peru, but I wished that we had done more. This year I scheduled extra travel days into our Costa Rica adventure.  The boys loved exploring the rainforests and beaches, and they were particularly interested in the animals and wildlife. To make our travels even more educational, we would hire guides who would take us on nature walks helping us to spot animals and telling the kids about what we were seeing, all in Spanish. We would have the guides use Spanish with the kids and us. While learning about the animals and nature around them, the kids, my husband and I were also hearing and using our Spanish.

An immersion experience in a Spanish speaking country is a great way to reinforce the Spanish language. Not only will your child gain linguistic skills, but they will also acquire a greater understanding of some of the different customs and cultures of the world. Planning a trip abroad can be challenging, but the efforts are worth the time and research.

I hope that my experience and advice helps with your plans to take your kids to another country to speak Spanish, become familiar with the culture, and to get to know another country and its people.

{photo via marinakvillatoro}

We’re in our second week of school and I still haven’t brought myself to give my daughter the allowance I had thought I would be giving her as soon as she became a kindergartener. Just last week I shared an article over at Babble titled “7 Tips for Teaching Young Kids About Money and Managing an Allowance” where I mention:

I recently had the chance to join a webinar titled “Moms Talking Money,” presented by Women & Co, a service of Citi that is dedicated to helping women strengthen their financial futures, where Linda Descano, President and CEO, told us that kindergarten is actually an ideal time to give kids their first allowance and introduce them to the concept of money beyond knowing their coins. Best practice, according to Descano and other experts, is to give them one dollar per year of age. In this case, my girl will get $5 dollars each week. Some parents decide to do it bi-weekly, and that’s fine too.

This advice really resonated with me and sounded logical because more than teaching my daughter about how to earn money, I’m interested in her learning what to do with it once she has it. I’m a strong believer that we must first focus on developing our passions and finding out what we’re good amazing at and encourage our kids to do the same by going after that with no regret. Yes, that means developing more than a work ethic, it requires a go-getter attitude and abundance will follow.

So, unlike most, I won’t make my daughter “work” for her allowance. She’s only five. That doesn’t mean that she’s not expected to do her share around the house, but she will do it because she’s part of the family and we all take care of each other together.

Her allowance will be something else that she will need to take care of and decide if she will spend it, save it or donate it. She has those options and I want her to learn money management that way.

Now, why haven’t I done it yet? I think it’s because there’s been too much coming her way in the last two weeks. As soon as I feel she’s settled into her new life, I will have the allowance and money management talk with her and she’ll get $5 every Sunday. We’ll use that time to talk about what she plans to do with it, how it can stretch further or help others, and in turn help herself by giving.

How do you tackle the issue of allowance and money with your kids? Is giving an allowance to a 5-year-old too soon or just right?

Would love to know what you think and will give a $50 Citibank gift card* to two of you who answer in the comments below and to two who share in the forum at SpanglishBaby Playground.

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*Redemption of gift card is governed by gift card terms

{Photo by chris.vandyk on flickr}

I’m tired…culturally exhausted. I could speak Spanish all day, no problema. But lately, it seems like that’s not enough for me to be accepted by Spanish speakers. I can’t change my deep-seated values or my general way of being, but I am feeling pressured to do so in order to just be part of my extended family.

I’ve had some minor clashes with my mother-in-law and stepdaughters recently that are making me reevaluate how I’m really seen by the Latino people around me. Worries are racing through my mind: Do they view me as a fake, just adopting part of their culture to try to fit in? Do they think I speak gringa Spanish and do they laugh at me when I’m not around?

A large part of the conflict has been due to the fact that my husband’s not here; he’s in Basic Training for the Air Force. I never realized how much of a middle man he was — between me and his family — until he left and our communication was virtually cut off. I’ve been here, taking care of the kids (when I have them) and holding down the fort, while he’s gone. It hasn’t been easy for many reasons, but one that I didn’t expect was this sudden feeling of being an outsider with his kids and parents.

There are huge differences between the Latino parenting style and the American parenting style. I grew up in a middle-class American world, in which I was awarded independence at a young age. My parents valued self-sufficiency, and my brother and I became responsible very fast (because we knew there was an OR ELSE and we wouldn’t be handed everything). I treat my 4-year-old as though he is much older, and he rises to meet my expectations, for the most part. With my stepdaughters (10 and 12 years old), I try to do the same. I expect them to act the same way that I did at their age: much more mature than they truly are. In my eyes, maturity is not just an extra; it’s a survival skill.

What I have found, though, is that the girls have been sheltered by their culture, protected from all the “what-ifs” and prized as many Latina daughters are. While they are truly sweethearts, we’ve had quite the struggle when I expect them to be responsible. The problem of late is that I’ve been halted by their abuela, who is a huge influence in their lives, in my quest to help them grow up. She insists that I do not understand their culture, and implies that I must bend and baby them. I stand my ground firmly, not least of all because I know their father would stand with me. But, alas, I cannot just call him up at the moment and say what I’d like to say: “¡Ayúdame!”

Aside from worrying that I will always have this in-law clash, I am preoccupied with the future for these budding teenagers. How will they deal with all of life’s inevitable tough moments when they have been practically raised by a different generation, from a different country, who wants to protect them from said moments? And what if their parents have beliefs that conflict with those of their grandparents?

Perhaps it’s just my own insecurity or inexperience with the inner workings of Latino life, but I’d love any advice from the SpanglishBaby community about being a white American girl in the middle of a Latino American family.

What do you do when cultural and generational differences stand in the way of your daily parenting tasks? In your opinion, what is the “proper” role of abuelos in a Latino American child’s life?

{Image by Daquella manera}

Photo credit: the00rig

It’s happening. My worst fears have been realized: my son is now answering me in English when I speak to him in Spanish.

Maybe he just forgot a few words and it’s easier for him to explain this subject in English.

Yes, he understands every word of Spanish. Yes, he can translate flawlessly upon request. Yes, he speaks Spanish with those who do not know English.

But why does he answer ME in English, when I’ve used 90% Spanish with him for 3.5 years??

This stresses me out to the extent that, every few days, I give Isaías a little test. Sometimes, we call his father or another Spanish speaker and I breathe a sigh of relief when he switches to Spanish automatically. Other times, I purposely say things incorrectly in Spanish so that I can feel reassured when he corrects me.

Ok, he knows Spanish. So why is he not using it?

What I realize, but can’t seem to fight, is that this worry is all about me and not at all about my son’s ability. It’s not as though he has a deficiency; if anything, he’s leaps and bounds ahead of most 3-year-olds in his communicative skills. Everything I wanted for him when he was born has happened. He’s a happy, healthy, bilingual child who makes me laugh every day. So why am I searching for ever more fluency? I must have impossible expectations and irrational fears.

Now, I’m paranoid about being one of those helicopter parents who is never satisfied!

Clearly, this thought process – which I create several times a day – becomes a proverbial slippery slope. I can fall so far into the abyss of self-doubt that I start thinking about decades into the future, when I’m reminiscing about the first few years of my son’s life, those long-lost times when he spoke Spanish beautifully. It’s a classic case of inventing my own reality, like a body-image delusion.

If I step back from what I’m thinking and pay attention to what I’m feeling, I know that a lot of my fears are about my own aptitude. No matter how often or how well I speak Spanish, I will never be a native speaker. I can’t change my culture or language, but I can always add to it. The additions will never be complete: I could never learn enough vocabulary or understand enough nuances to BE of Latino origin. I am just a speaker, not truly a member of this intimidating group. Part of me doesn’t want my son to ever feel this exclusion, this constant challenge of never truly sounding like he belongs with Spanish speakers.

The truth is: he is already better at Spanish than I am. He has a perfect accent (no accent) and understands idioms and subtleties. I will never keep up with him, and he will likely be one of those members of that group that I look upon from a distance. Instead of being afraid of his leaving me in the dust, I should relish his free will and broad proficiency. He can CHOOSE which language to speak from moment to moment, and that is the greatest freedom there is.

CG: (R) & (C) 2010 Universal Studios and/or HMH. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PBS KIDS (R) Public Broadcasting Service. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY

Growing up, Spanish was my native tongue and I was learning English at a bilingual school and during trips to Houston to visit my dad.  For some reason, I always preferred reading in English. I clearly remember spending hours reading and reading the classic Curious George book. There was no TV show or George movies back then, he only existed as an illustration by H.A.  and Margret Ray.

Over 30 years later, my daughter is now also a Curious George fan, but, not only can she see him in a book, she can now interact with him and watch him come alive on the screen on thanks to WGBH and PBS KIDS GO!

Our favorite mono is now celebrating Latina moms and our heritage with a special episode airing this Friday, May 6th called “Mother’s Day Surprise.” In this episode we get to see George and his Latino friend Marco learn how to make a piñata, or as close as they can get to one, to celebrate Marco´s mami. My daughter was actually surprised when she saw the show and heard Marco say “Mami.” She turned to me with a proud smile and said: “¡Dijo Mami!” That right there proved to me how well she can already separate both languages at 3 years of age and how proud she is of speaking español.

“This Mother’s Day, we’ll continue Season 5’s exploration of the social sciences by showing kids how Marco and his family celebrate El Dia de la Madre,” says WGBH Executive Producer Dorothea Gillim.  “We hope that through George’s adventures, kids will be inspired to explore their own family’s customs.”

Here’s a preview of the “Mother’s Day Surprise” episode where George and Marco are trying to figure out how to make a piñata.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N4h-mtaPfc&feature=player_embedded

Visit pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/ for showtimes, fun videos, printables and games, including a new piñata game coming very soon!

Moms Celebrating Moms Twitter Party #CuriousGeorgeMoms

Check out this fun and prize-filled Twitter party to celebrate  moms and this special Curious George episode.

• What: Bilingual Twitter Party brought to you by Curious George

• When: Thursday, May 5th

• Time: 1pm EST/10am PST

• Topic: Moms Celebrating Moms

• Where: On Twitter with the Hashtag #CuriousGeorgeMoms. You can also use this customized TweetGrid (or TweetChat, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, etc) to follow all the action from the 6 co-hosts at once.

• Hosts: @Ohmariana, @mamalatina, @thoughtsofamomy, @Tracy_Iglesias. Moderated by @LBConnect. Special Guest: @DorotheaGillim

• Prizes: Three winners will pamper themselves with a $100 gift certificate from Aveda.com

Click here to RSVP and send a tweet to invite your friends to join!

Disclosure: SpanglishBaby did not receive compensation to write this post. However, I do have a client relationship with WGBH as Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions expressed here are my own.

DreamWorks presents the sequel to Kung Fu Panda … Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom! (in 3D!)

Po, now “The Dragon Warrior,” along with his friends and fellow kung fu masters, must protect the Valley of Peace from a new villain with a secret, unstoppable weapon which threatens to conquer China and destroy kung fu.

Kung Fu Panda 2 stars the voice talents of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Victor Garber.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z59PQWjjWkE]

Coming out: May 26, 2011

Want some fun Kung Fu Panda 2 activities for the niños? Click here to go download!

More information about the film can be found at: KungFuPanda.com.

We got back from our trip to El Salvador just last week, and it already feels like it was so long ago.  Yet, the memories and benefits we gained from this trip are still well alive.  Some weeks ago I shared about Camila’s cultural immersion with her familia, and promised I’d be back to tell you more about her experience at a local, Spanish-language preschool.

I made the decision to enroll her to a local preschool for two reasons:

1) Strengthen her Spanish.  I had a couple of friends who had done the same thing when they visited their families in Latin America and said their kids benefited from it.

2)  Even though we were away “on vacation,” I had to continue working my part-time job from home. So, I needed to have some time alone to work.

My sister helped me find a preschool that was run by two friends of her’s who allowed Camila to come in for only a month. School starts in El Salvador the second week of August, right after a week-long National holiday known as “Las Fiestas Patrias de Agosto.”  Camila was able to be there the first day of school, so that eased the transition a bit because the other kids were more welcoming to her being there, and not be singled out as the “new girl.”

It also helped a lot that, at the moment, she speaks mostly Spanish.  She still goes back and forth with certain words and phrases she totally prefers in English. Such as her infamous “Wha happen?!” that she can repeat and repeat for any little thing all day!

Camila really didn’t have a hard time adapting to the actual school setting.  I think it all happened so fast and so many new things, faces, foods and situations were thrown her way in a span of four weeks that she didn’t have much time to react. She came back home to her abuelita’s every day singing new songs in Spanish, talking more and more in full sentences in one language and mentioning names of new little amigos.  The same little amigos created this card for her on her last day. She was so, so proud of it and still smiles when I read out the names on each hand to her.

Do I recommend this full-immersion method in a new school and a new country to all?  Depends.  It can be a tough transition and a lot to assimilate at once. It’s a method that worked for us because of my daughter’s age (3 YO), the timing (first day of school), the length of the visit (one month), my sister’s help in finding the right place, and Camila’s fluency in Spanish.  If you have an adaptable child in the preschool years and a support system in the country you are visiting, then I absolutely recommend it.

During the preschool years children absorb like sponges all the information around them, specifically language.  A full immersion experience like this will cement the language foundation you’re already building every day and will make the language even more relevant and special to your child.

Now, I’m facing a new language challenge.  We’ve decided it’s time for her to go to a more formal school setting, instead of the fabulous family daycare she’s at right now. At the daycare, she gets a lot of Spanish spoken to her, per my request.  There’s a ridiculous lack of dual language preschools in Los Angeles, and mostly in my area, so we have to enroll her at a great little Montessori in our neighborhood.

Now that her Spanish is beautiful, I’m faced with the *fear* of her not being understood at her new preschool!  This is when the fun begins in this bilingual journey as the real input of English will start flowing in and she will have to decide whether to continue speaking in Spanish to her mamá and papá or not.  We surely won´t stop doing so!

Have you ever formally immersed your children in a language while visiting another country?  Do you plan to one day? How?