Share the sentiment of Valentine’s Day with your children and family by incorporating some Spanish language love! For Clever Parents who are looking for some new ideas to the traditional Valentine Day activities, here are a few bilingual ideas:

• Make maracas out of two small paper plates, popsicle sticks, and some rice. Decorate plates with stickers or markers. Staple plates together with rice inside. Be sure to attach the popsicle stick as the handle. Have fun shaking!
• Host a Valentine Day Dance Party: go to your local library and look up children’s music in the international section. Some good suggestions are Jose Luis Orozco music, Sol y Canto, Latin Playground, La Vida Mickey. Invite some friends over for a Latin dance party. Shake your maracas and move to the beat!
• Read Te Amo Bebe, Little One by Lisa Wheeler
• List of Valentine theme words in Spanish:

Amor- love

Amigo- friend

Te quiero- I love you

Te amo- I love you

Tu eres especial- you are special

Tu eres preciosa- you are beautiful ( feminine)

Tu eres guapo- you are handsome

Eres mio- you are mine

Corazon- heart

Rojo- red

Rosado- pink

Blanco- white

• Use the words listed above to make your Valentine cards a bilingual surprise for the recipients.

Visit www.bilingualfun.com for more information about early langauge instruction.

Top Ten Reasons for Your Children to Learn Spanish

10. Exposure to multiple languages at an early age enhances their speaking and cognitive skills.

9. Learn words and phrases that can be useful in everyday situations.

8. To give them a chance to actually retain the language, rather than learning it later in life and losing it (until age 13, children’s brain retains it’s plasticity, allowing them to easily absorb and retain languages).

7. To have a head start in their required language education in school.

6. To communicate with classmates, store clerks, friends, neighbors, etc……. as Spanish is being heard more and more everyday in the U.S.

5. Unlike adults, children learn languages without prejudices or inhibitions.

4. Beling bilingual opens up a multitude of doors for their furture educational and professional careers.

3. To allow them to keep up with the adventures of Dora and Diego.

2. To facilitate the restaraunt ordering experience on your next trip to Mexico (or your local authentic Mexican restaraunt).

1. To open their minds and worlds to the multicultural environment we live in today!

Whether it is Spanish or any other language, kids love to learn how others communicate. Young children have the fortunate ability to learn and retain languages much more easily than adults. Early language education is essential in the world we live in today. Being bilingual is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child! Expose them to a second language today! Second language books, videos, music, games, online activities, or travel allow children to hear and learn the language while having fun! Visit www.bilingualfun.com for more resources and information about second language acquisition. Happy Holidays!

¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? Estoy bien y ¿tu? Muy bien, gracias. How many of you are having flashbacks from sophomore year in high school? How many of you took French, but can generally understand these phrases? How many of you never took Spanish at all, but are familiar with these phrases just because Spanish is so commonly spoken and heard in our country? The answer is probably many of you! As a former “high school Spanish student” myself, I can clearly relate to learning the language later in life.

Learning a language after the age of 13 is a difficult challenge and if you are not in a situation where you will continually use it, language retention is often lost. My language education came mostly from the immersion method, as I lived and worked in various Latin American countries. My husband and I made the choice to begin our children’s language education very early (from birth), so that their development in a second language happens naturally as they are growing.

If you are fans of Dora and Diego, the fact is that you probably have some Spanish floating around your home. These shows have certainly hit the mark with engaging children to actively learn the language. Exposing children at a young age to multiple languages benefits their cognitive skills, as they easily have the ability to absorb and retain languages. For more information and resources about early language instruction, visit The National Network of Early Language Learners, www.nnell.org.

In each article, I will present new words and phrases, so that you may introduce or reinforce the Spanish language at home with your children.

· Hola: Hello
· Adiós: good bye
· Buenos dias: good morning
· Buenas tardes: good afternoon
· Buenas noches: good night
· Rojo: red
· Azul: blue
· Verde: green
· Amarillo: yellow
· Blanco: white
· Negro: black
· Morado: purple
· Rosado: pink
· Anaranjado: orange
· Café: brown
· Gris: gray

Considering this is National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15- October 15), I wanted to share some interesting facts from the US Census. Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long event that celebrates diversity and focuses on the contributions and achievements of Hispanics.

42.7 million: the estimated Hispanic Population in the US as of July 1, 2005, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority, 14% of the nation’s total population.

13: the number of states with at least half a million Hispanic residents (AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL NJ, NM, NV, NY, NC, TX, WA).

4.6 million: the Hispanic population of Los Angeles County, CA., the largest of any county in the nation.

1.6 million: the number of Hispanic owned businesses as of 2002.

31 million: the number of US Households with residents age 5 and older who speak Spanish at home.

1.1 million: the number of Hispanic veterans of the US Armed Forces

If you are looking for some fun activities and craft ideas to do with your children to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, visit www.crayola.com/calendar/detail.cfm?event_id=161&year=2006

Also, if you love the food, culture and music of Latin America, check your local event listings, as many cities have some fantastic events and festivities for families during Hispanic Heritage Month. ¡Adiós!

As she was making the transition from Spanish teacher to full-time Mom, Jennifer Manriquez inadvertently fell into the perfect business opportunity for her. Knowing that Jennifer and her husband, Mark, were raising their child in a bilingual household, friends would constantly ask for an informal ‘Spanish playgroup.’ After enough requests, Jennifer figured she had the makings of a nice business that would enable her to stay home with her children and keep one foot in the educational world.

So Jennifer founded The Bilingual Fun Company, initially starting in her living room with 5 classes a week and a curriculum she designed for children age 18 months to 3 years. The classes proved so popular and word of mouth spread so quickly that she had to find rented space to accommodate demand. Jennifer has since had to hire a second instructor to keep up. Classes have expanded to include Bilingual Toddlers and Bilingual Kids 1 and 2 and Jennifer and Mark created a Spanish for Children DVD that has won several National Awards. The company’s success has also been noted by Redbook magazine which selected The Bilingual Fun Company as a creative mom owned business.

Clever Parents: What are the key benefits of teaching a child an additional language when they are in the 0-60 months age range?

Jennifer Manriquez: The key benefits of beginning language instruction: There is much research on the many benefits of early language learning. Children are able to absorb languages at this young age because their brains are pliable, allowing them to easily acquire a second language. Young children learn languages without inhibitions and prejudices, thus the learning happens in a natural manner. Exposure to multiple languages at a young age has a positive effect on their speaking and cognitive skills, and often enhances the facility with their first language.

CP: How do you respond to some people who are afraid that introducing a second language during the first years of life may slow language development (in the first language)?

JM: Parent’s questions about confusion or language delay: According to researchers, it has been determined that bilingual children exposed to two languages early in life are not language delayed, nor are they language confused. When children are beginning their language development, they have what is called a ’silent period’ where they are listening and absorbing the sounds of the language. Sometimes bilingual children may have a longer ’silent period’, but overall exposing children to a second language early in life does not have negative effect in their development of their first language. Brain research is so fascinating, and incredibly the way the young child’s brain is wired allows them to absorb the languages without confusion. I tell parents to be patient and allow the children to absorb the language, and I have heard wonderful stories of children easily speaking both languages at home weeks after our class is done.CP: What class length and frequency do you recommend for young children?

JM: Class length and frequency: Second language instruction is most beneficial when there is a significant amount of reinforcement and exposure offered. The philosophy of our program is to educate the parents as well, so that they have the tools to practice at home and continue reinforcement. I offer classes that meet once a week for 45 minutes. Ideally I would like to have a twice a week meeting; however with toddlers once a week is often best. Parents are encouraged to use our practice materials at home in order to enhance the language development.

What’s it like having her own business? In Jennifer’s words: “As an educator and a mom, this business is allowing me to do experience the best of both worlds. I am able to keep my foot in the door of the education world, be at home with my children,do something I am passion about, and use my skills and experience to educate families of the benefits of early language instruction. My children have been my inspiration, as they are true examples of what we are all about. It has been an enlightening experience as I have learned the business side of things, from web designers, CPA’s, to juggling mom duties and completing outstanding business tasks ( often a challenge for me, since my toddler’s favorite activity is to turn the CPU off!).I love my status as a mompreneur and I am so glad I followed through with my business idea.I am motivated by the continual interest I receive from parents about their children learning Spanish, and I plan to continue to brainstorm educational materials, and expand my parent/child classes.”

For more information about The Bilingual Fun Company or second language acquisition visit www.bilingualfun.com.
Help your children learn the language through music, chants, movement, and familiar objects with this interactive and upbeat DVD. $14.99 from Bilingual Fun.