Mamá, ¿de qué color son los besos?

This is certainly a favorite of ours for bedtime. 

Check out this video on Youtube to listen to this book read aloud! 

Mamá, ¿de qué color son los besos?

está escrito por Elisenda Queralt, ilustrado por Carla Pott.

Pablo goes to his mothers bed to snuggle every night before bed time. One night he asks his mother what color kisses are. Red kisses are like cherries she explains. Orange kisses are bright and we use them when we greet "Good Morning!" There are also yellow kisses that are warm and intense. There are blue kisses that are soft and spongy...and so it goes through all the colors of the rainbow.

I love reading this book with my boy because I snuggle him just like Pablo's mom snuggles Pablo and I practice on him all the silly sweet or comforting kisses described in the book.

I love teaching my sweet boy that he can obtain comfort and affection from his mom no matter what the occasion. This book teaches emotional intelligence which is: the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. Sometimes this isn't the cultural norm taught to our little boys. So this book that shows a little boy talking about emotions with his mom is a great example. 

It can be bought here https://www.amazon.com/MAMA-QUE-COLOR-SON-BESOS/dp/8497801768

Check out this blog post https://www.aprenderjuntos.cl/mama-de-que-color-son-los-besos/ about how we can use our words to express our emotions. Crafts and science activities included!

"How was your day?"

HOW WAS YOUR DAY?

"How was your day?"
"Fine.."

"Como fue tu dia?"
"Bien"

That's how the conversation usually goes, right?

When I worked in the daycare that Walter attended, I knew exactly how his day was. Now that I am sending him out the door to Kinder for the majority of the day, I find myself anxious to know what he did, who he played with, what problems he solved etc!

Well let me arm you with some great phrases to use when your babies come in the door from school.

I myself have really needed to up my game. I hope these help you too!

• Hi, how was your day? : Hola ¿Cómo fue tu día? 
• What made you smile? : ¿Qué te hizo sonreir?
• Can you give me an example of kindness that you saw today? : ¿Puédes darme un ejemplo de hamabilidad que hayas visto hoy?
• Was someone mean to anybody? : ¿Alguien se portó mal con otra persona?
• Does everybody have a friend during the break? : ¿Tódos los niños tienen un amigo durante el recreo?
• What was the book your teacher red about? : ¿De qué se trataba el libro que te leyó la maestra?
• What is the word of the week? : ¿Cuál es la palabra de la semana?
• Did someone do something silly to make you laugh? : ¿Alguien hizo algo tonto para hacerte reir?
• Did someone cry? : ¿Alguien lloró? 
• What did you do that was creative? : ¿Qué hiciste que fue creativo?
• What is the most popular game at recess?  ¿Cuál es el juego más popular en el recreo?
   What was the best thing that happened today? ¿Qué fue lo mejor que pasó hoy?
  What is the best thing that happened today? ¿Qué fue lo mejor que pasó hoy?
  Did you help anyone today? ¿Ayudaste a alguien hoy?
  Did you say Thank You to anyone? ¿Le dijiste a alguien las "gracias"?
  Who did you eat lunch with? ¿Con quién te sentaste en el almuerzo?
  what made you smile? ¿Qué te hizo reír?
  Did you learn something new? ¿Aprendiste algo nuevo?
  What imspire you today? ¿Quién te inspiró hoy?
  What was your least favorite part of the day? ¿Cuál fue la parte menos favorita del día?
  Did you feel unsafe at any time? ¿Alguna vez te sentiste inseguro?
  Did you hear something that surprised you? ¿Escuchaste algo que te sorprendió?
  What did you see that intrigued you? ¿Qué es lo que viste que te intrigó?
  Who did you play with today? ¿Con quién jugaste hoy?
  Tell me something you know today, that you didn't know yesterday?  ¿Dime algo que sabes hoy que no sabías ayer.
   Did you like your lunch? ¿Te gustó tu almuerzo?
  On a scale from 1-10, how would you classify your day? ¿En una escala del 1 al 10, cómo clasificarías tu día?
  Did someone have a problem today? ¿Alguien se metió en problemas hoy?
  Did you do anything brave today? ¿Hicíste algo valiente hoy?
  What questions did you ask at school today? ¿Qué preguntas hiciste hoy en la escuela?
  What are you looking forward to tomorrow? ¿Qué esperas para mañana?
  What are you reading? ¿Qué estás leyendo?
  What was the most difficult thing about today? ¿Cuál fue la regla más difícil de seguir hoy?
  Teach me something that I don't know! Enséñame algo que no sé.
  If you could change one thing about your day, what would it be? ¿Si pudieras cambiar una cosa de tu día, ¿cuál sería?
  
  
  (Para niños mayores): ¿Te sientes preparado para tu examen de historia? ”O,“ ¿Hay algo en tu mente de lo que te gustaría hablar? ”(En mi opinión, la clave no es solo la forma en que una pregunta es redactado, pero respondiendo de manera solidaria.)
  ¿Con quién compartiste tus bocadillos en el almuerzo?
  ¿Qué hizo sonreír a tu maestra? ¿Qué la hizo fruncir el ceño?
  ¿Qué tipo de persona fuiste hoy?
  ¿Qué te hizo sentir feliz?
  ¿Qué te hizo sentir orgulloso?
  ¿Qué te hizo sentir amado?
  ¿Aprendiste algunas palabras nuevas hoy?
  ¿Qué esperas hacer antes de que termine el año escolar?
  Si pudieras cambiar de asiento con alguien en clase, ¿quién sería? ¿Y por qué?
  ¿Cuál es tu parte menos favorita del edificio escolar? Y favorita?
  Si cambiaras de lugar con tu maestro mañana, ¿qué le enseñarías a la clase?
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NO ES UNA CAJA

NO ES UNA CAJA

Walter got really excited to read this book to me tonight.  NO ES UNA CAJA! Its about a bunny who plays in a box and insists that it is so much more than only a box. We have read it together a few times before, but he now knows it well enough that he can "read it back" to me. 

Kids, of course, start reading at different ages. My 5yo is right between knowing the sounds all the letters make and recognizing how they blend together. This book is a great way to encourage reading because the same words reappear on every page (words like NO and CAJA) while the illustrations help the reader to predict unique words. Walter can point out the word NO and the word CAJA in this book and in other stories. This is where reading starts. You can get NO ES UNA CAJA here  https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/no-es-una-caja-9780545228596.html



This book and other early reading books will be going with him to school. Every morning at Walter's school they have Early Bird Reading. The parent that drops the kid off can stay and read with the child 15 minutes before the bell rings. The idea is to choose books that help budding readers to read independently. For example, books that repeat words or sounds, and pictures that aid children with the story. The books his elementary school has are all in English. But I will be providing him with some in Spanish so he can do it with dad every morning. Walter has expressed frustration that his school isn't in Spanish. I have the feeling that will wear off pretty soon as his community language of English gets stronger. My goal is to keep everything else outside of school as Spanish as possible.

First THOUSAND words in Spanish

First THOUSAND Words in Spanish

Sometimes W likes to read stories. Sometimes he likes to play games. This is a little of both. With this book, we turn storytime into game time. The First Thousand Words in Spanish is more than an illustrated dictionary for kids. It is an I SPY game for us. The margins are full of mini images of what is found in the center illustration. They are labeled so I can read the name and ask W to locate it in the center. This is a great book to beef up vocabulary that you likely didn't study in Spanish 101. As a Spanish speaker with 'conversational abilities,' introducing my kids to this kind of vocabulary takes effort and is important. Want to know the words to use in a workshop? there's a page for that. Want to know the names of everything you encounter at the beach? There is a page for that too. The book has pages on transportation, the garden, the toy shop, the doctor's office, school, the park, the hospital, and the city.

My kid isn't a reader yet so I have the advantage of reading the word to myself silently. So I start by asking him to recall the name of a  picture I'm pointing to. Sometimes I point to it and tell him the name if it's a new word. Sometimes I say the name and just have him locate it. It's a great way to help keep his vocabulary broad. He loves to make it a race. He also loves it when I show surprise and excitement and how many words he remembers. 

You can get the book on amazon ( look, lots of used versions for just a couple bucks!)

https://www.amazon.com/First-Thousand-Words-Spanish-Internet-Linked/dp/0794502849/ref=dp_ob_image_bk

BEDTIME MATH

BEDTIME MATH

So are you left-brain or right-brain dominant? 

Don't know? 

You have probably heard this theory on TV and in books for years, but guess what... it's a myth!  According to the theory, each side of your brain controls different types of thinking. It says that artistic people are more "right-brained" and logical thinkers have a stronger left side of their brain. But the truth is, the brain isn't as dichotomous as once thought.  Mixing logic and creative tasks is where the real magic happens. When the brain works on, for example, story problems in mathematics, foreign languages, or music, it uses both sides of the brain which in turn helps with other brain functions.

So what do you get when you mix mathematics and language learning? A lot of good exercises for the brain, that's what! Check out this great book we got at the local library that we have been using with our 5 yo before bedtime.

Matematicas antes de Dormir: Una Buena Excusa para Acostarte Tarde

Mathematics before Bed: A good excuse to go to bed late.

In English it is sold as " Bedtime Math"

Laura Overdeck along with her husband began to solve math problems with their kiddos before bed. Soon Bedtime Math was born and Laura decided to share their family tradition and make a book. https://www.amazon.com/Matem%C3%A1ticas-Antes-Dormir-Bedtime-Spanish-ebook/dp/B00ILYYOZO

So why do I love this book? Every 2 pages there is a little history given (for example Blue whales are X big. Elephants are also really big. They are Y big.) Then a little of mathematics is presented (You would need Z amount of Elephants to reach the weight of one blue whale), and then a little bit of practice! (If you already have 5 elephants, and you need 18 to reach the weight of a whale.. how many more elephants do you need?)  My son loves working out these problems in his head (and on his fingers). Each story presents an Easy, Medium and Hard math challenge based on the information given. So this book will definitely grow with your child or work as a bedtime story for different ages and abilities.  The topics are interesting and silly, The illustrations are quirky and provoke curiosity as well.

I love that we can use Spanish while learning math with this book. The more often you can study other subjects in the foreign language, the more frequently your children will start using the language in regular problem solving and thinking. 

Happy Reading!!

The Book of Emotions for Girls sand Boys: Stories From the Fairy "Mint"

The Book of Emotions for Girls sand Boys:
Stories From the Fairy  "Mint"

Gemma Lienas wrote this fantastic book that I wish I could give to every parent everywhrrrr!

We picked up this gem at our local library and went out and bought it on Amazon later cause we hadn't even scratched the surface.

The book has over 2 dozen stories ( each takes me a short 6 minutes to read) wherein a child is met with some sort of problem like jealousy, lack of patience, taking criticism, or lying. Then comes a little fairy... who smells like mint 🤷🏼‍♀️ who shows the children a new perspective so they can discover answers to these dilemmas by themselves.

The illustrations are colorful. The characters are diverse 😍 and the stories are relatable to 3-7 year olds and have great nuggets for parenting, too!

Books like this are so important for non-native parents to introduce interesting topics with a Spanish vocabulary and dialogue that could never really come out organically, for me at least. Walter and my conversations have more depth and I learn to use more natural syntax. And I'm giving him tools to better express himself when he's with other native speakers.

Let me know if you find it at your local library or if you buy it. It's a favorite over here!

Libro de las emociones para niñas y niños / The Book of Feelings for Girls and Boys (Spanish Edition) https://www.amazon.com/…/8416712603/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PT…

Content and Language Integrated Learning

Content and Language Integrated
 Learning

What activities can you start doing in a foreign language? Comment below!

At our house we love cooking! Content and Language Integrated Learning is using foreign languages to teach non-language subjects. It's super effective because it is applied language learning that's often fun, memorable, and in this case RICO! We love cooking with our kids not only to keep the culinary traditions of the family alive but to teach them unique language that comes from performing tasks in person. Phrases unique to cooking are introduced and solidified. And it's a fantastic way to spend time together. My kids love it! 

Diez Deditos

DIEZ DEDITOS

a great book of songs and actions for your littles!

This was one of our first purchases to support Spanish at home. Our kids love its illustrations, the actions for the songs are illustrated, and if you read music--the guitar chords and music notes are there! If you're unfamiliar with reading music, there's a CD or you can download the songs. José Luis Orozco, the one who selected, arranged and translated the songs in this book, is the voice on the CD and he's delightful. My 5yo considers him a friend. (He can be found on youtube!)

Diez Deditos and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America https://www.amazon.com/…/014230087X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8V…