Summer time struggles....

Languishing in Languages? - Keep Going!

The summer is quickly coming to an end...How hot it is outside, and how run-down we start feeling. Where did the summer go? We were going to do SO much this season! Not to worry - a languishing reprieve is here for you!

Keep it Short

This week, we'll focus on a few SHORT ways to include your foreign language study without bogging down the family with too many high expectations. Think of little five minute explorations using word you already know.

Today we played CandyLand. As the kids called out their colors for their next turn, I called them out in German. Within a few turns, they were using German only, and any visitors could begin picking it up as well!

Keep it Real

As we were setting the table, we named plates, cups, and napkins in German. Each child got a chance to say their words, and before I knew it, they were counting them out in German, linking two or more words together. 

Keep it Fun

Maybe most importantly, be sure your children are smiling while they practice. If you see frowns or hear sighs, something is wrong. Remember: this is not the time to pile on lots of lessons or practice. Lessons in persistance and endurance can wait until the temperature drops! Just remind them that yes, they DO know Spanish, or German, or French, no matter how little. At one point they knew less, and in another month or few weeks, they will begin to know more. 

How can you get them to smile? Surprise them! My children wanted to color on their legs with markers. I really despise that.  But I DO have washable markers, and a back yard with a sprinkler... so why not? I can take advantage by saying YES, and let them be a little silly, and draw animals on their legs... all while practicing German!

Enjoy these few fleeting months, and keep it short and upbeat before more serious study starts in just a couple of weeks.

Buena Suerte - Good Luck!

conversations with another mom

I had a fellow homeschooling mother ask me a few questions, and she gave me permission to share our conversation with all of you.

Hi, Senora Gose,

I've just purchased your Flip Flop Spanish - Level 1 workbook and I'm
eagerly awaiting its arrival. I'm planning - hoping - to introduce our
children - ages 5 and 3 - to Spanish this summer. I'm a bit intimidated by
the prospect since I'm not fluent in Spanish, though I am latina and have
studied it some in high school. 

In addition to Flip Flop, I've purchased flash cards and have the Eeboo
bingo game and the Beth Manner's Fun With Spanish CD. I also plan to label
with index cards items around the house - fridge, stove, couch - so we can
begin to use Spanish in our daily lives. (My little ones are not independent
readers so the index cards are more of a prompt for me!)I'd like to
supplement my resources with:

1. a DVD. We rarely watch TV but I like the idea of having another tool.
2. a CD. 
3. a game or two in addition to bingo. 

I've been searching through amazon.com and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. If
you have just a moment to offer some suggestions, I would be grateful.

Hola Christina!
Thanks for your vote of confidence - you will find Flip Flop Spanish to be nice and simple for you.
If you check out the website, you can find tons of games for Flash cards that will help you after you make your index cards.

http://www.flipfloplearning.com/flashcard_games/
As far as other CD's, I haven't been impressed with too much - I do like the ones by Ana Lomba, but I think they're a bit to old for yours - my 6 year old just now got into them, and he's been exposed to Spanish his whole life, so I'm not sure if the others are just too young, or I'm the only one that likes it!

The Spanish Champs DVD's and CD's on the shop are also quite good for your 5 year old, but they're more class-type learning, and I think you're looking for something a little more fun, am I right?

Unfortunately, everything out there is pretty.... cheesy, that I've seen. I do like watching a small chapter of a movie they like already in Spanish - just choose Spanish from the DVD menu. This idea and more are listed in the teaching tips:

http://www.flipfloplearning.com/teaching_tips/

You could do Dora the Explorer of course, and Go Diego Go has a bit of Spanish in it as well. - But it's just a few words each time, rather than real good immersion. My kids like Professor Toto, but it drives me CRAZY... the music and animation just is so silly.

Perhaps you can send me a few games or CD's that you were looking at, and I can let you know what I think, if I've reviewed them or not.

I'm afraid I haven't been much help.... You can also look at my weekly article for more information.

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HSBCompanyBlog/Languishing%2Bin%2BLanguages%3F/

The mom asked me about a few more resources, here is my response:

I do like all of Rebecca Emberly's books, although there are some that are obviously mis-translated. I think she may have just used a Spanish dictionary, rather than being bilingual - (check the reviews, and you'll see mine in there most likely.) So it's neat, and for something that you REALLY want to get in their heads, it's great, but I would think flash cards are just as helpful.

I also have some listmania's on the Amazon.com site that'll help you. Look for "Fun with Spanish" or "Spanish for Toddlers"

"This isn't my cat" books in Spanish are neat, or just choose a book they already like in English, and find it in Spanish - Buenas Noches Luna (Good Night Moon) is precious in both languages, and Green Eggs and Ham is a pretty good translation (Huevos Verdes con jamón) but probably are a bit over their head still. Check the library - a lot of times they have books on tape in Spanish.

DVD's are there too - maybe give them a call and get them to pull it for you first. (I know it's hard to go to the library and actually LOOK when you have little ones in tow.)

I had forgotten that Professor Toto was so expensive - I got it from a friend who wanted us to review it for her.

Try the memory game, too, in Spanish.

After you do a few lessons in Flip Flop, try the Spanish Fun Activity calendar - I think you'll see a lot of games will work for you from there, and you don't have to look or think about it.

I am working on Flip Flop Spanish for Families too - and hope that will be out by next Spring (I'm testing the curriculum this summer) so next year they'll be primed and ready for some more fun that way with really specific ideas for you along the way for games and such.

You're doing a great job! Just getting started is a HUGE step!!

Now what?

For the summer, I have a few fun activities planned, and you can adapt them for your own students or family!

Spanish Bingo: I present the students with 20 words that are illustrated in a grid, with the Spanish word beneath each one. They will color and repeat the words, and then cut out the squares (you can use index cards, cut outs from magazines, or stickers, or even The Memory Game, just look up the words beforehand.) On a separate grid or BINGO Cards - we do 4 x 4 so there are only 16 spaces, and no free spot - we place each picture. As the word is called out (in Spanish), the student flips the card over as his "marker." Four in a row wins! Of course, the student must name the items in Spanish to get the prize!

Spanish Activities: Remember, the key to acquiring a second language is motivation. So, keep this summer nice and light - we're making piñatas, maracas, and  other instruments, as we learn some simple words (even one a day!) and phrases to go along with each activity. To reproduce this simplicity, you can use  Spanish Fun Activity Calendar, 
Flip Flop Spanish Flash Cards: Verde (Cards), 
Spanish: Level 3 (Skill Builders (Rainbow Bridge Publishing)) , 
or Let's Learn Spanish Coloring Book (Let's Learn Coloring Books) 

Remember, the key is fun and light! Just using CD's over the summer will also help it all to stay fresh in your head. Have fun this summer with Spanish!

 

El día de las madres!

NOTE: In this post, I'll translate many of my words to Spanish, along with pronunciation. Perhaps it's a review for you, or you can make flash cards and use them today yourself  in your speaking!

Today (okay yesterday; ayer ah-yehr) was Mother's Day! So what am I doing awake at 4 am? Well, cleaning up the bathroom of course! (claro! klah-roh)

I had a FABULOUS Mother's Day. I didn't wash a dish (un plato, oon-plah-toh), sweep (barrer, bah-rehr) the floor even once (I usually sweep after every meal and snack time, which is five times per day), change a diaper, make a single crumb of food for ANYONE (including myself!), or fold a stitch of laundry. My sweet hubby really outdid himself! He went to bed early tonight, hee hee! 

My children gave me a bud vase to hold all the flowers (las flores, lahs-floh-rehs) they pick for me daily. Of the four children, the only little girl, Gertie, 3 years old, is the most avid flower picker. She is very opinionated and strong-willed and we often butt heads, but today was different. She continually told me, "Happy Mother's Day, Momma" and if I was lounging on the couch, or swinging in my new hammock (la hamaca, ah-mah-kah)- how my husband was able to get that, I'll never know (no sabré nunca, noh-sah-breh-noon-kah) - sweet little Gertie would stand by me and stroke my forehead cooing, "Sweet sweet Momma, you just rest."

We did have one mishap: toothpaste all over the toilet seat. No problem, I just tossed the cover in the laundry room for cleaning on a non-mother's-day-day. Well, PROBLEM. Precious Gertie is accustomed to getting up at night, feeling her way down the dark hallway to the dark bathroom, lifting the fuzzy toilet seat lid, and doing her business and heading back to bed, no assistance necessary. Apparently, the uncovered top of the toilet lid feels just like the seat rim. So she hoisted herself up there, just find that there was nowhere for her business to go! Imagine what happens when you plug up the end of a water hose with your thumb. YEP. Lots of tears, 8 month pregnant (embarazada, ehm-bah-rah-sah-dah) Momma flinging myself out of bed to find out what's wrong, and slipping (but not falling!) on the wet wet wet (muy mojado, moo-ee-moh-hah-doh) floor.

I cleaned her up, found another TURTLE (la tortuga, lah-tohr-too-gah) pajama shirt (thank you to Oma for getting the little ones the same shirts and sizes!) and carried her back to bed. As I laid her down, she sweetly said, "Sweet sweet Momma, Happy Mother's Day." It helped my knees (las rodillas, roh-dee-yahs) to not hurt as much as I scrubbed the floor a few moments later.

Makes me cry even now. What a blessing, cleaning bathrooms at 4 in the morning!

I would LOVE to read about your mother's day blessings, language related or not. Enjoy this pic of our little girl - We have learned so MUCH from her... mostly patience!

Fence Learning!

We did math in the back yard the other day, but this can be used for Spanish too!  I had the kids color in the big numbers first (you can have them say the Spanish numbers as they color), and they had a GREAT time. 

 It was fun, and I'll be doing it more and more with algebra and multiplication and all kinds of stuff. Nothing like running and thinking at the same time (not Jake's, 4 years old, strong suit!) - He would actually stop in the middle of the yard, think, run two steps, think again, look at his fingers, run a little more, and then realize he was nowhere near the answer, and dart over there. Mitch, 6 years old, had to always be moving. I've never seen someone jog so slowly! Hilarious, but he did it! Only missed one question. Gertie, 3 years old, not pictures, giggled and giggled as she touched the numbers I called out. No mistakes at all with her either! Wow! And she didn't stop! She saw the answer, and ran to it without hesitation. Wonderful!

So, take this idea, and change it up - use pictures of animals to practice Spanish vocabulary, and apply the same differences for different ages. Having the children create their own cards or pictures first builds confidence and helps them to "own" the activity. You can use flash cards, if you don't run from too far away, and you can practice Spanish numbers all the way up to as high as you can count. 

Enjoy! I would love to hear how this fun outside activity works for you!

Me despertó

It woke me up! (meh-deh-spehr-toh) - I actually want to say He or she woke me up (same verb structure as in the title) but I'm too sleepy to begin playing the gender game right now.

So, the baby that's due July 14 is kicking like crazy, I've been laying in bed since 3 am with my insides getting pummeled by a teeny little person who will complete our family. Baby number 5 is what he/she is called affectionately around here. All the kids say it will be a girl and want us to name her Rosie. Rosie Gose? I don't think so! Maybe it'll be an endearing nickname.

So I figured, at 4:45 am, I'd get up - and what else do you do when the baby kicking inside wakes you? Why, you BLOG of course!

This entry isn't too Spanish oriented ... but I can at least mention that today I get to go give the okay on the paper weight for the Spanish Fun Activity Calendar, and ship some samples hopefully by May 1! I'm really excited about the teaching possibilities in the lesson plans for that. I'm also looking forward to trying out a new BINGO Spanish game for the summer, which may turn into a product, depending on the progress I see in the class room!

I hope you'll be able to NOT use Me despertó today - and wake up on your own. If you want to tell your spouse or child "You woke me up!" Change it to "Me despertaste" (meh-deh-spehr-tah-steh.)

Check out the Calendar on currclick.com (You can already down load it there) or just get a preview on Amazon.com. Also, I'm collecting words for the next flash card set - are there any words you wish would be in a set, but you've never seen? Post a comment, and if your word is used, I'll send you a free set when they come out in August!

teaching foreign languages to elementary through early junior high

This article is the second of a four part series on how to teach a foreign language to your children (even if you don’t know the language yourself!)  

Ages Kindergarten through Early Junior High

Good news! You still are in the realm of brain development where language is concerned. Children that are in the age range of 5 to approximately 10 or 11 are still learning words, developing language style, and even forming accents in their first language. With all this development, the brain is ripe for acquiring a second language as well.

Motivation is Key

You will see this heading in each of my series’ articles. At this age, your child has a definite opinion on activities and items he likes or dislikes. Does he dislike reading? Avoid those Language Readers like the plague! Does he enjoy games? Be sure to grab a memory game with animals, and learn those animals in the target language. Whatever takes up space in your child’s brain CAN be translated to another language (and may already exist!)

Best Method

Immersion again, is the best method for acquiring a language, but it MUST be premised with a foundation - at least 20 to 30 useful words or phrases on which to build. To “fake” immersion in your own home, do NOT use just CD’s. Use something the child can SEE while hearing, and preferably something that elicits a response or emotion. Animated movies usually have a choice to choose a language. Use that DVD feature, and ask your child to learn three specific words. For Tarzan, see if he can listen for Gorilla, Different, and Jungle. Or choose a specific chapter, and watch first in English, then in the target language. 

After learning to look and listen, add those CD’s into the mix with fun music, or some simple conversations. Repetition is good!

Worst Method

Drill and memorize - the way we used to have to teach (and learn) foreign language in the schools is actually the worst way to do it. We put those few words that we drill into our short term memory, because they have no consequence. Follow the MEANING your child wants to express. After mastering a few manners, and some nouns he likes, he will most likely bombard you with “How do you say..?” Stop what you’re doing, look it up, write it on a sticky note, and use that new word before bed time that day. He will most likely OWN that word forever because you chose to harness his excitement.

Not bad...

Now lists of words are not inherently bad. After all, what is language made up of? WORDS! Just be sure there is meaning behind them. A child who loves going to the zoo and discussing the habitats of wild animals will thrive on a list of those animals in Spanish. A child who is more into arts and crafts will look at the same list and would rather learn “los animales” to refer to the whole bunch and be done with it. 

How do I find my child’s motivation?

Ask him or her! Ask would you like to color these pictures while we say the German words? Or do you want me to act some of the words out and see if you can guess what I’m saying? Do you want to learn a new song? etc.

Abandon lessons that bring frowns. If your child says, “This is hard!” or “Why is Spanish, or German, or French, or Latin, so boring?” STOP. STOP. STOP. Don’t mention the subject again for a few days. You will be in danger of creating a barrier to all foreign languages. You can revisit it when you see something that is easily translatable, or some tool that you know will peak his/her interest.

Try a class, if available. If there are other children learning the same language, the child will WANT to make use of the words in order to communicate. The environment of a classroom is invaluable at this age, to confirm in his mind that language is FUN, USEFUL, EASY, and POPULAR!

Beware of: 

-Workbooks without phonetic spelling

-CD’s or books that are aimed at an older audience - build confidence, don’t destroy it. Better to get a preschool book that’s “too easy” - (Hey! German is EASY!)

-Drill and regurgitate. Is there meaning behind the word? 

-Grammar heavy programs. Focus on MEANING, not formula, at the beginning.

Enjoy your language learning journey!

Article on Teaching Early Foreign Language

How to Teach Foreign Language Through the Ages
Ages Birth to Five

This article is the first of a four part series on how to teach a foreign language to your children (even if you don’t know the language yourself!)

Ages Birth to Five Years Old
For many children, this age range is the best time to start. Before you spend a lot of money on DVD’s, CD’s, “language learning systems” and masses of extra flash cards, take some time to think about your child and your goals for the language.

“They’re like little sponges”
From ages birth to 5 years old, this commonly heard phrase is extremely relevant when applied to acquiring a second language. You may not hear or see or “feel” like your child is progressing in the target language, but if you’re using steps listed in this article, just know that the introduction and exposure IS getting through, and it IS sticking, whether or not you can squeeze it back out of your little sponge!

Motivation is Key
You will see this heading in each of my series’ articles. Without motivation (real or imagined!) your child will not succeed in learning the language, and quite possibly could develop a barrier. But that’s the bad news. Read on for the good news!

Enthusiasm is Catching
The momentum from the very first lesson will carry you on, or not. If you are excited about learning new words, and find ways to use them, your child will be too! If you drag out a DVD, hit play, and then wash the dishes, your child will see the value (or lack of) of the language lesson, and will also lack a partner with whom to practice. If you learn the word “thank you” in German and then use it at snack time, with a smile, you may get the perfect response or at the very least a big grin! Either one lets you know progress has been made! You communicated in the target language!

What about Immersion?
Most experts agree the best method at this age is complete immersion in the language. I agree, within context. If you just toss a child into the middle of Mexico, he will most likely tune out almost all the Spanish, except for the moment someone is offering him a cookie, or he wants or needs something. However, within context, any single word or phrase will stick with him, as long as it is meaningful.

Keep it simple!
In general, learn words your child is interested in! Look for curriculum or workbooks (inexpensive ones are fine - just be sure there is phonetic spelling along with the new words, or a CD) that include coloring, drawing, speaking, but few words in each list. Too many will overwhelm you both.

Still wondering? Follow these steps:
1. Say the new word three times aloud. While you say it DO something - color the picture if it is a noun, or act it out, or touch the item in the room, if possible. Be very clear on the meaning of the word, but without translation.
2. Use the new word(s) again within the day.
3. Reinforce the words with the activity that fits your child best. Many books have pages to color, or suggestions for activities such as flash card games.
4. Move on, if just a word at a time, even if you feel the lesson’s word list hasn’t been completely mastered. Just review regularly by using the words you’ve learned.

Beware of:
- presenting too many new words at once.
-CD songs or DVD’s without any other form of learning (present the language in as many forms as possible)
-books without phonetic spellings
-drilling and memorizing (and then forgetting)
-anything that seems “hard” for your child. Focus on Fun!

Suzanne Gose (known by her students as Señora Gose) is a homeschooling mother of almost five children - baby number five is due this July. A former public school teacher, she currently teaches over 80 homeschooling students in weekly Spanish classes at Key Curriculum in Bryan, Texas. She is also the author of the Flip Flop Spanish Workbooks and other language teaching tools. You can see them at www.flipfloplearning.com

Spanish for Spring Break!

Here we are at another Spring Break! Today is a BEAUTIFUL day in Central Texas, and the four children and I are playing in the backyard, running around naming the things we see in nature. If they find something they don't know how to say (my four year old came up with LEAF-O for LEAF! - made my ears hurt!) We made a flashcard for it. So, on a blank index card, he drew the leaf he was looking at, and I wrote una hoja on the back (pronounced oh-hah.)

After we find about ten words that they don't know, we'll put them in a baggie labeled "Afuera" - outside (ah-fweh-rah)

I also ask them to say something about their new word. My four year old, Jake, came up with "Me gusta la hoja" - I like the leaf - and my six year old said, "Venga Jake, puedes decir más - como la hoja es verde y bonita o algo como eso." (Come on Jake, you can say something like the leaf is pretty and green, or something like that.)

Jake responded with a frown - La hoja es fea. (The leaf is ugly) so - turn out there's sibling rivalry in any language!
Hah!

Ten un buen día. Have a great day!
Sra. Gose

www.flipfloplearning.com

First edition almost sold out!

Just a quick note - Amazon.com has a few copies left of the first edition of Flip Flop Spanish Level 1 and they've discounted them to under $9 each!! Holy cow! 15 weeks of lessons, plus a CD for less than $10!

Order them fast, I know they'll go quick!
Sra. Gose
www.flipfloplearning.com

Learning Spanish with the Shell Game

Here's a great game to spice up any vocabulary lesson!
For any list of three or four new words, use the age-old "shell game." But there's a twist - instead of finding which shell (or plastic cup at our house) has something under it, the child or student is simply having to remember the Spanish word (or any language) for the item that is uncovered. Here's an example:

We studied animals one week:
el gato - cat (gah-toh)
el perro - dog (peh-roh)
el pájaro - bird (pah-hah-roh)
el pez - fish (pehs)

After studying the words and doing our weekly activities, we took little people (fisher price, I think) and placed one animal under each of four cups (be sure they're not see-through!) If you don't have actual figures, a half-index card with the picture on it - from a magazine, or sticker, or draw it yourself, should fit under fairly easily.

Slide the cups around rapidly, trying to follow them with your eyes. Then one partner uncovers an animal. The other person has to say it in Spanish in order to keep it. Switch turns. The person that guessed now gets to move the cups. The guesser chooses a cup - hopefully there's an animal underneath! If there is, you must say the Spanish word. If there is no animal, or the wrong word is guessed, the turn passes to the opposite player. Keep taking turns until all four animals are gone. The player with the most animals wins. To make it more advanced, add a fifth cup, to make it easier, take one cup (and one word) away.

Have fun and good luck! Buena suerte!
For more games and teaching tips, as well as a free PDF lesson, check out the flipfloplearning.com website.

Sra. Gose

Teaching Tips - Spanish for Preschoolers

Well, happy new year! My students have been back to class for three weeks now. We started off learning animals "El gallo dice kikiriki..." "The rooster says cock a doodle doo" - and what they say in my conversation classes, and my advanced classes learned how to be bossy, but polite, in Spanish. "Que les parece..." (keh-lehs-pah-reh-seh)- what do you say we.... was the phrase for the week - they had a lot of fun bossing their brothers and sisters around, but in a round about way, and in Spanish to boot!

The key is to be sure the students can use the phrases at some point during the week. I only see everyone one hour per week, so it's imperative that they WANT to learn and that they practice between lessons.

We do have baby number five on the way now - due in July. We're very excited about completing our family, and the four older kids (ages 6, 4, 3, and 1) are all betting on whether it will be new brother or sister (we always do surprises!)

So the year has been kicked off to a great start, and my husband and I are even endeavoring to learn German together. So, between French with the kids, Spanish (from birth!), and now German, I figure a European vacation will be in order soon! Maybe in a decade or so - I can't imagine doing diapers while we're there!

Feliz año nuevo to everyone. I'll post some more tips soon. Or you can visit my website to receive a free PDF lesson you can print at your house - it's about the animals!
Sra. Gose
www.flipfloplearning.com