learn

My husband was prepping for a presentation for one of the classes he takes at the local university when I happened to ask him how he felt about speaking in front of a group of people. He said it had gotten much easier with time, but that it would be even easier if he didn’t have to do it in English. That was surprising! I’ve always considered him just as bilingual and biliterate as I am. Both of us attendedRead More ...

Although sometimes I long for a few minutes of silence, the reality is that I love the fact that my three-year-old daughter, Vanessa, talks non-stop. Her vocabulary in Spanish is extensive and I know it has to do with the fact that I’ve talked to her since she was in my belly. In fact, many studies show that the amount of conversations and the variety of words that children listen to have a direct influence on the pace at whichRead More ...

I was recently talking to somebody of Hispanic descent who wasn’t taught Spanish at home, but learned it later on in life. She vowed she wouldn’t follow her parents’ footsteps, but ended up doing exactly the same thing with her kids who are now elementary school-aged. “And, now it’s too late!” she lamented. I immediately reassured her that it’s never too late – that’s just a common myth. It is, however, definitely much easier the younger they are. If you’reRead More ...

While I was registering to get the H1N1 vaccine this weekend at the local high school, the lady who was taking in the forms very politely asked if I’d rather get the information in Spanish. (I guess she’d overheard us while we were making the line.) I, also very politely, answered that it didn’t matter because I was bilingual. I don’t know if, at first, she didn’t understand me because she asked the question again. So, I repeated that eitherRead More ...

Little Pim–Eating and Drinking httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcSAkZrea-g&feature=channel I had heard of the Little Pim foreign language immersion DVD´s and had made a note to learn more about them soon.  This week I found clips of their Spanish language series on YouTube and I´m now fascinated with the quality of the videos, the cute panda and their method of immersion, repetition and relatable images to teach babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers another language. ...