Tag: Spanish at home

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The Best Spanish Language Advice (Episode 3)

We have gotten in touch with book authors, bloggers, curricula writers, and other important characters that share a passion for raising future generations bilingually. They will bring you a breath of fresh air into the world of Spanish language education through their story, their experience, and their advice.

The BEST Spanish advice comes from families that have spent their efforts figuring out what works for them and their families, adjusting, and continuing to move forward. The best advice is that that comes from real-life experience and involvement with the language for many years in the past.

Last week we interviewed Jenna from Bilingual Balance and this week we are interviewing latina mama, award winning writer and cultura advocate Mrs. Maritere Bellas.

Maritere is an award-winning author, bilingual-bicultural parenting expert/mentor, speaker, writer, podcast & IG Live host, and parenting influencer.  A language and cultura advocate, Maritere combined her devotion to motherhood and her passion for writing to create a diverse platform of resources for parents raising bilingual, multilingual, multicultural children long before online resources were available. She is the author of 4 books for parents, published in English and in Spanish, and two bilingual children’s books. 

Mari, it truly is an honor and pleasure to chat with you today. I am very glad we’ve crossed paths as I’ve truly enjoyed getting to know the terrific influence and presence you have in the world of bilingual education and multiculturalism.

I would love to hear a little bit about your background. Who is Maritere, and where does she come from?

I have fond memories of my childhood and upbringing in Puerto Rico. Frankly, when I traveled to California for school, it was not my intention to stay.  I wanted to grow old close to my family, but life intervened or shall I say fate? I met my husband in Los Angeles and we made Southern California home. We will be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary this year. Life out west hasn’t always been peaches and cream, is it ever? But I have learned many lessons and when I have failed, I still got back up!  Having a supportive family has helped.

Well, guess what? We have this in common. I came to the U.S. to study English and here I am 15 years later, with my american husbands and my three bicultural children. I never intended to stay nor to have a family here as I was coming to work on my second language skills and learn more about the culture! I guess this was the predetermined path we were meant to be in.

Tell us a little bit about your children

My children are my everything! A boy and a girl. Raised with two languages and three cultures: Hispanic, Greek and American. They have traveled extensively since they were very young and now, at 30 and 27, I’m convinced that this upbringing has contributed to the young adults they are today: embracing diversity with a deep appreciation of others.

Why is bilingualism important to you (your family)?

I was bilingual and bi-literate when I graduated from high school. Then I went to study abroad and met families whose kids spoke four-five languages without batting an eye. That was fascinating! I learned firsthand the benefits and advantages of communicating in different languages and learning about other cultures.  I was 18 and vowed that my kids would be bilingual and multicultural!

I do think multilingual people are incredibly talented and fortunate. Not only are they able to communicate with so many more cultures and races; but the worldview and fruits of diversity they have is extensive and rich. And, that’s not even touching about the career advantages they will get in life. It is wonderful that you chose a bilingual path for your family!

What are/were your favorite tools when you are/were teaching your kids a second language?

Puerto Rican music was a staple in my house when my children were growing up.  As was the food. I enjoyed making my favorite Puerto Rican dishes and sharing anecdotes and stories about my own upbringing while I was cooking “habichuelas, “ (beans “arroz con pollo,” (rice and chicken)  “asopao,“ (soup) among other dishes—typical dishes from the island.  We also listened to Greek music and ate Greek food. 

Awe, how special! Nothing beats the comfort and love shared through food and music. HEre at our house, we have Colombian food every Sunday. Abuelita comes over and we make easy, simple yet delicious traditional meals like Ajiaco (Chicken soup), and Empanadas. The kids look forward to it and have learned to cook a few of those dishes themselves. I love that you were intentional in preserving your Puerto rican roots while raising your kids bilingual!

What were some of the biggest challenges your family faced during the journey of teaching your kids a second language, and how did you overcome them?

Two decades ago, bilingualism was not as popular as it is today. There were little or no resources available. My husband and I used our instincts.  We used the OPOL (One parent, one language) method BEFORE it was called OPOL!  Now there are many methods parents can choose from and the science behind them!  I also had to explain my choice of raising bilinguals everywhere I went!  In the park, people would either ask me why I was talking to the kids in Spanish or roll their eyes at us.  The mental load was real but no one was talking about it, and we didn’t have much information to back up our choice. Today, we know so much more and can be more intentional, committed, and determined. 

Wow. I can only imagine how challenging it was to keep pursuing your family’s language goals and hard it must have been to feel judged and somewhat isolated. We are fortunate in this aspect nowadays. And truthfully, it is because of people like you that we can now count with support, encouragement and resources to continue working in our bilingual goals.

Sounds like you enjoy staying busy. Tell us about your writing journey

I always knew I wanted to write, it wasn’t until I became a mom that I really pursued it. At the time, there was no information for Latino immigrant parents who were raising bilingual and bicultural children in Los Angeles. It was the early 90s and the internet wasn’t that popular yet. Resources were not readily available. I became the voice for Latino parents that were grappling with the challenges and rewards of raising children with the new culture they had adopted while still preserved their native culture.  My parenting column ran in La Opinión newspaper for twelve years, and to this day, I visit Spanish language media regularly imparting my parenting knowledge, including television and radio. Today, you can also find my work in many online publications including my own blog. Quite often, you can find me at conferences and/or book festivals. In addition to writing about parenting issues, I enjoy featuring Latinas who are making a difference in their communities, and around the globe.  

That is wonderful. Good for you and thank you for supporting other latinas!

Share a little bit about the books you have written

My e-book, Raising Bilingual Kids is an easy, user-friendly, how-to guidebook for the new and technologically savvy immigrant parent. This is the book that busy parents will go to when searching for advice and direction about the everyday joys and challenges of raising a bilingual child. It is published in English and in Spanish.

Arroz con Pollo and Apple Pie: Raising Bicultural Children provides a no-nonsense guide to raising bicultural children in modern times.  It includes real-world experiences from the writer and others who shared their adventures in multicultural parenting.  The book is published in English and Spanish in paperback and e-book formats.

Luisito’s Island/La Isla de Luisito (not for sale) is the story of a six-year-old Puerto Rican boy that leaves the island with his family after Hurricane Maria. In his new school, he meets new friends, and he shares with them all the places he misses from the island.

I have a secret/Tengo un secreto – the first in Yunito Rodriguez Series, tells the story of 6-year-old Yunito confronting the challenges of bullying and cultural assimilation in a fun and engaging story for families, ultimately delivering an inclusive and inspiring message on the love of language and the value of friendship.¡Soy Unica!  The Spanish edition of the book I Am Unique was written by Jennifer Vassel. A story about inspiring kids (and adults) to overcome their insecurities so they can share their unique gifts with the world.

I have read tengo un secreto and I really enjoyed it. A very heartwarming title! I love the title of your book about raising bicultural children! I recently just ordered it and I can’t wait to ‘dig in’ so-to-speak. I am in that very same journey currently with young children and I am very curious to find any insight that you can provide through this book.

When did you decide you wanted to write books or create material about bilingual or multilingual education?

Before my first book was published in 2014, when I wrote for the column for La Opinión newspaper in Los Angeles. The column was directed at parents raising bilingual and bicultural children.  It ran for 12 years. That led to my writing books. To provide information, suggestions, tools, resources, motivation, and inspiration for parents as they navigate their bilingual and bicultural journey.

It sure takes bravery and dedication to write a book or more. That shows of your character and commitment to the topic!

What encouragement would you give to families with low income or limited access to teaching resources?

There is a lot of free information out there. A huge bilingual parenting community in social media, Instagram, and Facebook that offer daily tips, and strategies. There is also a big community of teachers that are always sharing free material.  Talking to other parents and asking for referrals is also helpful.

That is so true! Families now are fortunate. This is why I create educational resources at very low cost and are constantly offering free products. I always think about families having the drive but perhaps not the resources.

If you could give a piece of advice to families that are considering teaching their kids a second language, what would you tell them?

Do it!! Today, so many studies and so much research have proven the benefits and advantages for a child and so much support for parents.  There is no excuse not to do it!

There really is no excuse. It sure takes a lot of work, dedication and commitment, but the fruit that it will reap is worth every second!

Thanks for your time, Maritere. It’s been a pleasure.

Thank you for reading our interview with Maritere! We hope you were able to catch glimpses of her drive and passion for the Spanish language and preserving her culture.

To win a copy of Maritere’s book:

  1. In the comments section of this blog post tell us what part of the interview did you enjoy the most and why
  2. Share this blog post in your social media channels, follow and tag @spanish.atcedarhill and @latinaboomermom

That’s it. ¡Buena suerte!

Maritere’s Website: Maritererodriguezbellas.com

Remember to check next week as we will be talking with Charlotte Mason en Español advocate and resource creator Ana María Kim from Pequeños Lectores!

See you next Monday!

Dayana.

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The Best Spanish Language Advice (Episode 2)

We have gotten in touch with book authors, bloggers, curricula writers, and other important characters that share a passion for raising future generations bilingually. They will bring you a breath of fresh air into the world of Spanish language education through their story, their experience, and their advice.

The BEST Spanish advice comes from families that have spent their efforts figuring out what works for them and their families, adjusting, and continuing to move forward. The best advice is that that comes from real-life experience and involvement with the language for many years in the past.

Last week we interviewed Rachel from Seven in All and Wheredyoulearnthat, thank you to those who read the interview and provided feedback via Instagram or Facebook. Especially thanks to those who messaged us with questions that you would like to see us asking our guest! This is a collective effort so keep the comments coming!

But we are eager to present our next guest, so without further ado, here she is:

Jenna is a bilingual teacher and mom passionate about helping families raise bilingual kids.  She has teaching experience in dual language immersion programs (Spanish and English) in three different states, has a Master’s degree as an elementary reading specialist, and is raising her own three children bilingually.  Jenna shares bilingual parenting tips, language learning ideas, and fun Spanish resources for families on her website, Bilingual Balance.

Jenna, thank you so much for taking the time and chatting with us today. I know working moms have limited time so I appreciate having you here.

Why don’t we start talking about your heritage. What is your background?

I grew up in an English-speaking family in the United States, with relatives originally from several European countries.  I’m a Midwest girl and have lived most of my life in Iowa and Minnesota.  My parents instilled in me a love for learning and an appreciation of my own cultural background – among many other things.  But people often ask me how I learned Spanish!  When I was able to take my first Spanish class in high school, I absolutely fell in love with the language and learning about different cultures around the world!  Hosting a foreign exchange student, going on a Spanish language trip to Central America, and studying abroad in Mexico all helped solidify my decision to pursue a career in bilingual education.  And as a teacher, I had the amazing opportunity to work with students, families, and teachers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, and beyond.  I love Spanish and feel blessed that learning a second language has allowed me to raise my own three kids bilingually!

WOW, you’ve had such wonderful connection and experiences related with the Spanish language! So neat. I love it that Spanish learning is not limited to any type of background and whoever wants to go for it can pursue it. Your kids are lucky!

Why is bilingualism important to you (your family)?

Bilingualism is so much more than two languages!  Teaching my kids both Spanish and English, for me, means helping my kids become positive and kind global citizens.  I want them to be able to build relationships with more people around the world, learn about other cultures, and respect and appreciate diversity.  It’s making a new friend because you speak their language, value someone else’s cultural background, and connect with more people.  Bilingualism is a lifelong gift that I choose to prioritize every day for my children!

I love that. One time at the bus stop, there was an older lady that only spoke Spanish, and she wanted to get off the bus but the driver didn’t hear her. My daughter turned to me and said “momma, that lady asked the driver to stop here but he didn’t hear her”…so I got up and helped her…such heartwarming experience.

Raising global citizens is vital. Teaching our kids respect, open mindedness, empathy, a sense of community, will help shape a new generations with a little bit more kindness and grace for others. So important

What are/were your favorite tools when you are/were teaching your kids a second language?

Books, books, and more books!  They’re my very favorite tool to help kids learn the language.  We plan regular trips to the library for new Spanish books and have built our own Spanish home library as well.  Through books, we dive into new vocabulary, connect and talk together, and can read about any topic that interests my kids!  Books are also an excellent tool to focus on literacy skills and try to develop a lifelong love of reading and learning.  After books, we love to use Spanish music, Spanish language TV programs, and Spanish podcasts or audiobooks.  Games, puzzles, and playtime also help me make Spanish language learning fun at our house!

That is so true, books are just such wonderful learning tool in general.

Since you hold a Master’s degree as an elementary reading specialist, how do you use your expertise in reading to help your kids become good readers in Spanish?

That’s a tough one because it’s important to remember that learning to read starts with a foundation in pre-literacy skills (in any language).  Starting to lay down the building blocks for reading can begin at birth!  We spent a lot of time talking and interacting in Spanish at home to develop my kids’ oral language skills.  I had short, silly songs I sang to my babies for daily routines – like going for a walk in the stroller or changing diapers!

My kids probably got sick of all the songs, poems, and little rhymes in both languages – but it expanded their phonological awareness (or ability to recognize and manipulate different sounds in words).  We also read aloud and still have dedicated book time every day – learning concepts of print (how to hold a book, how to turn pages, that we read left to right), developing new vocabulary, and starting to understand that letters have sounds that make up the words we say and read.

From word play to syllable songs, fun reading games and plenty of quality reading material, I’ve used a variety of resources and strategies to support them as they’ve gained independence in reading.  But most important for me has been trying to instill in them a lifelong love for reading!

I love this! It’s so important to not only teach such foundational concept but a passion and interests as well. Here at our house our favorite is to play active and/or board games that would support our reading skills! The kids love it, and honestly, it feel less than work for me as the educator. So, I’ll take it!

In parallel, how do you use your dual-language teaching experience at home with your kids?

While I don’t homeschool my kids, their Spanish language input has been almost entirely on my shoulders until kindergarten (my husband doesn’t speak Spanish).  That’s a lot of responsibility!  So our home is absolutely a bilingual “classroom” and I’m always looking for ways to make Spanish fun and meaningful.  For us, that looks like having a consistent family language plan (we use a schedule for Spanish and English days during the week).  We surround ourselves with the target language through books, music, and environmental print.  And we have fun together by playing games, watching shows, cooking, or going on outings together – all in Spanish!

Sounds like you guys also have a lot of fun with the language, that’s fabolous!

What are/were some of the biggest challenges your family faces/faced during the journey of teaching your kids a second language, and how do/did you overcome them?

Finding the right balance of input to meet our own family’s language dynamics and our goals for our kids’ language proficiency has been the biggest challenge.  It’s why I named my blog Bilingual Balance!  My husband and most of our family don’t speak Spanish, and we live in a community where Spanish is not very prevalent, either.  So Spanish has had to become a bit of an obsession of mine!  I choose to prioritize it in my parenting and am always searching for fun, interactive ways for my kids to develop the language.  A consistent language schedule at home as well as surrounding my kids with engaging Spanish resources, has been incredibly helpful.  When my kids started school, we also searched high and low for a dual language program.  Our school has been an amazing asset in helping our kids gain exposure and have a need to use the language on a daily basis.

I am glad you guys found a good match for the kids school. I can relate to what you said about feeling isolated based on the region where you live and or the rest of family not necessarily sharing the passion we have for the language and raising bilingual children. I recently started a bilingual hiking group just to keep our journey going during the summer months!…Sometimes you just have to get creative, don’t you?!

Please tell us about your business or what you do for work currently.

I am a full-time mom at the moment but have spent my professional career as a dual language teacher working with bilingual learners.  Most of my career was spent in first and second grade because I love teaching reading in both languages.  I decided to get my master’s degree as a K-6 elementary reading specialist and spent a year as a literacy intervention specialist for a first-fifth grade bilingual school.  Now, I enjoy staying involved in bilingual education through the work I share on my website.

First and second grade is sure a special time.

It is wonderful to see moms using their skill and professional background to bless their own kids at home and other families through informational material and resources. It is a neat collaborative effort!

Share with us about your blog. What is your drive to create content for other families going through the same language journey?

Through my website, I offer recommendations for quality language learning resources, fun activity ideas for teaching kids Spanish, and helpful printable resources.  I create fun and interactive resources to use with my own three kids and to share with others raising bilingual kids!  You’ll find printable scavenger hunts in both languages, home object labels, daily routines, chore cards, and more.  I also create and sell bilingual resources through Teachers Pay Teachers.

Good for you, Jenna. I think parents are in the constant lookout for new resources and fresh ideas to keep moving forward with their kids language learning. We can call ourselves colleagues in this aspect since we also focus our attention on creating educational material for families pursuing bilingual education. Let me ask you…

What is your drive to create the resources you offer to families on your website.

I’ve been creating resources since my first year of teaching about 15 years ago!  I create resources to fill a need, make a learning topic more fun or interactive, or to develop an engaging product that is in BOTH English and Spanish.

I really like that. Those are specific goals and I’m sure that helps you stay focused when creating material and offering diverse and helpful material in your shop.

If you could give a piece of advice to families that are considering teaching their kids a second language, what would you tell them?

Bilingual parenting is a marathon, not a sprint!  Stay inspired, keep up your daily, consistent efforts, and always keep your language goals for your child in mind.  Surround yourselves with Spanish language resources – books, music, games, and activities – to make language learning fun and meaningful.  Remember why you’re giving your child the incredible gift of a second language!

This is great advice. It reminded me of a quote from the Book Maximize your Child’s Bilingual Ability by Adam Beck:

It has been a pleasure to chat with you today. It was lovely to learn more about you, your reasons for bilingual education, and your passion for teaching children and equipping families through your blog and digital store.

I hope to have you back sometime soon!

Would you like to provide a gift to our readers?

Yes, of course!I’d love to share my new bilingual daily routine and chore cards with your readers!  They are in both English and Spanish and just the right size for parents to create their own routine poster or checklist to help with getting ready in the morning, after-school chores, and more.  I hope they can help families add in more Spanish to their everyday moments!

Download Jenna’s cards here:

Bilingual-Daily-Routine-Chore-Cards-Jenna-VisliselDownload

Thank you for reading Jenna’s interview! We hope you were able to catch glimpses of her story her whys and the things she does to support and nourish her family’s language learning journey!

Next week we will be back with another wonderful interview. This time we will be chatting with award-winning book author, mentor, speaker and podcast host Mrs. Maritere Bellas. Stay tuned!

Dayana.

Jenna’s Website: Bilingual Balance

Jenna’s TpT Store: The Bilingual Balance

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Understanding Different Bilingual Parenting Strategies

At the end of this post you will find a Freebie that we hope helps you organize your bilingual goals!

If you are reading this blog post is probably because we have the same goal: to work towards teaching our kids a second language. In other words, to become a BILINGUAL FAMILY.

The reason behind this goal, however, is different for each of us but based on several studies realized in the United States, we have have come to the conclusion that some of the most common reasons to raise bilingual children are:

  • Better job opportunities
  • The United States is becoming increasingly multilingual at a very fast speed
  • Children can help past generations learn the language
  • Bilingual children offer different points of view than monolingual children
  • Bilingual children become more empathetic and sympathetic with others
  • To communicate well with relatives 
  • Language and culture are intertwined. To understand the community you are living in better.
  • Preservation of family’s heritage, and connect with older generations
  • To understand and become aware of cultural differences to respect them and appreciate them better.
wood people woman coffee
Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Now, the way we approach our bilingual goals are unique for each family and there are several ways to teach the target language to the next generation. Let’s look at different ways how we can accomplish it.

Language Learning Strategies:

1.Minority Language at home (MLAH):

In this strategy the whole family uses the minority language in interactions with each other and the child is exposed to the majority language in the community. Keep in mind that, while this strategy is called “Minority language at home” is inferring to using the target language within family interactions and not necessarily the place where the language is used.

Both parents are usually fluent in the target language. An example of this approach is a family where both parents are from Brazil but live in the United States. They speak entirely in Portuguese at home and when they are together without other people like when they are out in nature or at a park. Parents may choose to speak the majority language in the neighborhood, at school, with friends, and in other community activities.

photo of woman holding flag
Photo by Alana Sousa on Pexels.com

Because the majority language is a dominant force in kids’ lives, parents use their native language at home daily to continue working towards their language goals. There is a significant exposure to the target language and learning might happen effortlessly. It also promotes the strengthening of everyone’s language skills.

Tip: It is important to not only focus on speaking but also taking the time to work on reading writing and comprehension. Watching movies, having dinner dates with friends that share the same language goals, library story time are some ways a family can seek out more opportunities to practice the minority language.

Educational Resources: families in this category benefit from translating any book or any material for their children into the minority language if they have a hard time finding material already in the language. They can use printables, unit studies and other material available with the benefit of knowing both languages.

2. One parent One Language (OPOL):

This strategy involves one parent speaking one language to the child and the other parent speaking a second language. This can be a successful method if each parent is a native speaker of a different language. for example, mom is a native Spanish speaker from Perú and dad is a native English speaker from England. This strategy might have one minority language and one majority language; or, two minority languages. The child knows exactly what to expect and knows which parent will speak which language.

photo of happy family
Photo by Migs Reyes on Pexels.com

Tip: You can get the most out of this strategy by using your language to communicate no matter the place, time, or activity when you are alone with the child. At the same time be sure to have an initial conversation as to which language will be used when the whole family is together so everyone knows what to expect. A workbook, textbooks and other aids can be used to improve grammar, reading and writing skills in the minority language.

Educational Resources: Families in this category benefit from having one parent translate anything into the target language to diversify the material used at home to learn if they lack material in the language. They can use printables, unit studies, and other material available with the benefit of one parent knowing both languages.

3. Time and Place:

This strategy allows families to decide when, where, and how long they use the minority language. Using the target language can either be determined by a planned schedule or a contextual opportunity. This strategy is optimal for families with one monolingual parent and one bilingual parent; it is a method where everyone comes together to plan do they want to use the language depending on their goals, and the family decides it within the boundaries of time, space, and activities. My family uses this strategy, for example. Dad only speaks English, and I am bilingual. We use Spanish mostly when he is not around to practice core language competencies. I use this time to teach the kids vocabulary and grammar; I read to them in Spanish and help them read books to me. Spanish is added to our homeschooling days and I make sure to include into our daily rhythm. During Lunchtime, we try our best to only speak in Spanish. When he is home, we practice some in a more laid-back way, making it fun and inviting for dad to learn some, encourage the kids, and for him to be part of our family’s bilingual goal. We try to make it less academic and more fun and I think bringing that into the picture adds up significant value for the kids to understand this is simply who we are and what we do. It is part of our family life.

brown wooden desk
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Tip: A clear plan is essential for this strategy to work. The plan should be consistent and steady. Also, remember that for a child to learn a language they need constant interaction with the minority language. So, if it’s needed, consider using external material and resources to supplement their learning and for them to have diverse opportunities to practice. You might want to invest in an online program, a tutor or virtual classes. Books, videos, educational apps, and unit studies will be aids that you also want to have always available.

Educational Resources: Families that use this method have the same advantages when talking about resources for home as those using the OPOL strategy. They can use printables, unit studies, and other material available with the benefit of having one parent that knows both languages and can translate material for the children.

4. Outsource Family:

This method is for families who have agreed on investing their time, efforts, and money toward helping their children become bilingual. These families understand the numerous benefits of bilingualism. Once the family has agreed on a target language, they seek external help since neither speaks the target language. In this approach, families rely on outside help and material to provide that bilingual education for their children. For example, a family has their kids in a mandarin after-school class or a Spanish immersion school.

Tip: While this is more of a long-term commitment where a budget must be designated towards it, Immersion programs are the most effective type of world language program currently available in the united States. Consider also a bilingual school where the children learn normal academic subjects like math, science, and social studies in two languages.

This strategy is very successful. However, just as the ones above, the support of the parents is as important; they play an important role at home and must have an intentional approach to support their children in their bilingual journey.

Educational Resources:Families that use this strategy will have to outsource the material used at home but count on the benefit of finding a significant amount of material available for printing at affordable prices.

group of students sitting inside a classroom
Photo by Max Fischer on Pexels.com

So, what do you say? Which category does your family fall in?, What method do you think would work best for you?

Final thoughts to consider:

Remember, the strategy used does not matter as much as our nurturing support towards our kids’ language learning. I am including a free questionnaire in this post that will help you jot down your ideas and determine the goal for a second language for your family. Having a clear overview of what methods others use and why provides helpful insight to decide your family’s needs, what goals you have, and the best way to go about it. Keep in mind there is no one-size fits all approach and the success depends on each individual family and their unique goals and language experience. But having the need to use both languages and raising happy kids matters most!

Enjoy the journey, read to your children or find ways others can read to them in both languages, whether it be through unit studies, printable material, a video, storytime at the library or a native speaker friend, playing games, listening to music, and dancing are great ways to connect with the kids and turn language learning into a fun family affair. Seek out support for you as parents, your child, and at home. Last but not least, talk to your child about your bilingual goals, make sure they are on board and up for the challenge!

To download and print your FREE questionnaire click on the button below:

Free Bilingual Family Goals- Questionnaire

Thank you so much for reading! We hope this post helped you organize your ideas some, and most importantly, it helped you get excited about the future of your family’s language adventure!!

Be sure to let us know if you have any questions, thoughts or suggestions in the comments.

“Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.”

– Oliver Wendell Holmes

https://www.british-study.com/en/blog/inspirational-quotes-for-language-learners
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Welcoming a bilingual lifestyle

Languages have always been my passion. I was born and raised in Colombia but came to the US in 2007 at the age of 19  with the desire to experience American culture with my own eyes. I found love and a family on the way. I now spend my days at home with my children, our animals, our garden, and our books. I have been married to my husband for almost 12 years and together, we decided home-education was the path we wanted to take for our three children.

The intent behind that decision was to create a safe space for our kids to be who they want to be, seek their passions, and preserve their childhood; but also, and of the same level of importance, was to have the time to work on their second language. We felt the desire to preserve their roots, my husband’s as well as mine. Most of my family only speak  Spanish, so it was essential for us to have our children learn the language. At the same time, raising bilingual children not only has cognitive and academic benefits, but it also supports a greater sense of openness, empathy, and appreciation for other cultures; it opens doors for our children’s futures and they acquire a broader world-view. All in all just what we want our children to grow up having. 

In addition to home education, I knew I needed some accountability. It all sounds beautiful on paper but from there to the actual execution we can find a big gap. Taking on a second language can be a beautiful thing for the family but just like any other thing it requires a level of commitment and you must put effort to be able to reach your goal.  That is when I decided to open the doors to our house to other homeschooling children to come and learn with us. Opening the doors to our house has made the learning of the language a more interactive experience for our children and those that are wanting to learn alongside us. My kids have made some good friends and have gotten real life practice in the process. Something that once sounded like an unreachable idea, is now something that we all look forward to every week at our house.

There is a quote by Gandhi that I love and think about often: “The future depends on what you do today” and today means every day. Learning a second language is something that you need to work on daily. But that is the beauty of homeschooling, you have the freedom to adjust things to make it work. And as advised by Charlotte Mason, the sooner you can start, the better -as long as our children show interest and are encouraged by what we are presenting to them.

Whether that means adding some things to your daily rhythm, creating a library for reading aloud, or practicing saying a few sentences during lunchtime in the target language. Being at home with your children will facilitate the time that you need to be successful. You can certainly form a  great language foundation in your children and even yourself.

It is important to keep it simple and find practical ways to bring your kids in contact with the language.

With this in mind, here are some of the things that we do at our home:

  • Label as many parts of the house as possible. Making an effort to repeat and ask the children what each of those words mean often. Translating our children’s chore charts or schedules and placing them in a visible place.
  • Have a hanging whiteboard in the bathroom and start writing one word per day/one sentence, etc. (This is a method called “Captive Reading” in case you want to look into it)
  • Create a list of 5 to 10 daily commands, translate them, and practice until you feel comfortable saying them to your children. Then use them every day. (Adding a second language should be a family affair and the more your children see you excited about it the more they will feel the same).
  • Read at least one book per day in the target language. 
  • Create a playlist and dance to it. Have fun with it! The more they see Spanish as a fun thing, the more they will want to practice it often.
  • If your kids have a favorite movie, let them see it often but set it up in the target language.
  • Go out to eat! Visit restaurants that speak the target language and practice ordering together.
  • Lastly, finding a community of families that share the same goals is always a great idea!

The only two things that you need to start teaching your children a second language are the desire to do it, and the discipline to keep at it. Small steady efforts each day will add up to consistent progress over the years.

Even if you don’t have previous knowledge, I assure you there is no one more equipped than you to teach your own children anything you want. And that includes a new language. On this website, you will find labels for the house, schedules, free printables, and even the daily command cards that I mentioned above, along with a video, so you can hear the pronunciation of those from a native speaker.

I hope those help you get started!

Thanks for reading, mamas.

– Dayana

Interested in my daily commands and words of affection cards? Get them here

To get my Free parts of the house labels and other fun resources, click here

Want to start adding a couple bilingual unit studies to your homeschooling days? Check our shop here

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2021-2022 Curriculum Choices!

Disclaimer: This is not your average blog post, so I apologize in advance for the length of it. I have separated it by red titles so you can get to what interests you in a timely manner. But there is a LOT of good information in here in case you can make time to read the whole thing. So grab a cup of your favorite drink and read on, mama!

crop woman with cup of coffee on table

One of my favorite things to read when I started home educating my kiddos was reading about other mama’s curriculum choices. At that point in life, I felt very much overwhelmed by the plethora of resources, books, curriculums available. All I wanted was for someone to tell me “This is what we use, and here’s why we decided to go with that”

Don’t get me wrong, it was clear from the very beginning that what worked for my neighbor, might now work for me. I knew I needed to find my family’s own material, especially because we have a bilingual homeschool, so the material needed to be customized to fulfill our family’s values and goals.

But boy was I thankful for the moms, bloggers and friends who shared with me their choices, and were kind enough to explain the why behind them.

Fast forward 4 years, and here I am, typing this blog post for all of you, new to homeschooling, mommas! With this post I hope to share in hopes we can provide some clarity in some of them, describe exactly how they work and provide some feedback so you can decide whether they will work for your family, you want to find something similar or if you want to do something completely different.

My husband and I chose the following material keeping in mind the age, grade, and skills of our two older children. Our daughter is an August birthday who will turn 11, going into 5th grade and loves languages, enjoys reading, does great at math even though she must work hard at it at times and struggles with Spelling. And for our son who is 9 years old, going into 4th grade, avid reader, does great at math but struggles with spelling.

Just to make our lives easier and for them to have a buddy tow work with, we chose one level curriculum for the two of them regardless of their age and grade difference. We slow down things a notch when needed for one or speed them for the other. It is also so fun to watch how they help each other when one is struggling with certain subject or topic.

After all, that is the beauty of homeschooling– You can adjust it and mold it to fit your exact needs.

Without further ado, here it is:

Our Curriculum Choices

(For a 9 and and 11 year old)

Language arts and History. Our efforts to raise culturally aware children with a worldview biblical perspective.

  • My Father’s World: Creation to the Greeks

We will be traveling back in time to Old Testament days to see God’s hand throughout ancient history. We will be learning how the biblical account fits in with other civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and Babylon. We are going to be learning and acting out Old Testament stories making celebrations from the past come to life, we will also review science from a Christian perspective God’s design including dinosaurs and other discoveries.

To say that we are excited for this material is a total understatement! I cannot wait to introduce all these lovely topics to my children and learn alongside them as the Egyptian and Greek culture is quite new to me.

With this curriculum you will follow a four-year chronological study of history and I think is important to mention that we will pick and choose what material we are going to use and what we are just simply going to skip.

For example, we will be using a different kind of science material so we will skip that. We also use a different book for heritage studies so we will be adding that on top of this book but is certainly not necessary.

The titles pictured above: Streams of civilization; Milk and Honey: A year of Jewish Holidays; Aesop Fables and English from the Roots Up, are all books we will be reading from as part of MFW curriculum-so Exciting!!

Website: https://www.mfwbooks.com/item/95201/

  • Writing Rhetoric: Narrative II

This is the culturally rich and beautiful curriculum we use for most of our Language Arts. This fun book exposes students to new genres of story, including historical narrative and legend. It includes a variety of culturally important examples. All of the skills practiced in the previous book Narrative I are extended, and new skill sets are introduced, including identifying the difference between fact and opinion and learning to ask the five W’s of a historical narrative: who, what, when, where, why. We have loved the previous two books, one was on Fables and the last one, like I mentioned was about narrative as well.

These are wonderful books full of history, and classics. they are simply delightful books to learn with.

Website: https://classicalacademicpress.com/collections/writing-rhetoric/products/writing-rhetoric-book-3-narrative-ii-program

  • The Logic Of English: Essentials A spelling pack

This is a new one we are adding this year. You see my kids are avid readers. They comprehend quite good and write the same, but the struggle has always been spelling. We keep finding out every time they write things down, and their test scores confirm it. So after reading the wonderful book written by Denise Eide, we made up our minds that this was just what we were looking forward to help our children become better spellers.

Reading this book was like the biggest ah-ha moment in my teaching homeschool journey and being English my second language, I am grateful for it and totally looking forward to trying the system out with my kiddos. We shall see!

Website: https://essentials.logicofenglish.com/volumes

Last but not least…

  • BJU Press: Spelling 5

No long explanation here other than it is important and vital for children to have nice handwriting. As Mrs. Mason said:

“It is sometimes objected that this elaborate and beautiful handwriting will interfere with a characteristic ‘hand,’ but it seems to me that to have a beautiful, instead of a commonplace, basis for handwriting is a great gain.” (Mason, vol. 1)

I have absolutely loved to see how one or two pages a day has improved my kid’s writing tremendously. Especially for my nine-year-old boy since writing doesn’t come in him as naturally as it does for my daughter. He has a long way to go but it’s nice to see his improvements. especially since they both write in cursive or script. (Note: I do not buy a teacher’s manual for this, just the student workbook. This is something that takes them about 15 minutes a day.)

Website: https://www.bjupress.com/product/271411

Nature, Science and Math

  • BJU Press: Math 5

The beauty of any book by Bob Jones is that is Christian based. However, it does not mean this math book has any biblical content like perhaps their science book does. We simply chose this book for math because we like their lesson layouts, all the fun activities that it includes for kiddos to get a lot of practice and it’s also neatly organized and colorful which is fun for the kids. Math is (ah-hem) my least favorite) and after trying Math-u-see and other math curriculums we decided this one catered the best for our family. We did find lots of value in their teacher’s manual, so we bought it along the student workbook.

We are also not fully done with math 4 so we will finish that one and jumped into 5 as soon as we can (One of the reason why homeschooling rocks!)

Website: https://www.bjupress.com/category/grade-5-math-curriculum

***Math add-on: The Life of Fred books are just funny, and smart stories that teach math. they are designed to be used in alphabetical order in it teaches math concepts effortlessly and brings them to life!

  • BJU Press: Science 6

Science is very special to us.

Here’s why: we share teaching with another homeschooling family and dear friends of ours. We started this a year ago and cannot wait to do it all over again this year. We go to their house every couple of Thursdays a month and she graciously teaches my kiddos along with hers, science; she is a science teacher that taught in public school a while back for several years. I, in the other hand, teach their kids along with mine sewing, arts and crafts.

Again another reason why homeschooling is so beautiful. We can decide whether a grade is too young, too advanced, or just right and adjust accordingly, and we can have an awesome time learning together with friends!

We love Bob Jones Science 6 because it teaches kids about the incredible intricacies of cells and organisms, matter and energy, astronomy, heredity, the nervous system, and the immune system all with a biblical perspective. They also do easy and fun experiments which a great to do when you are in a small group or with several siblings!

Website: https://www.bjupress.com/category/grade-6-science-curriculum

  • Nature studies: Exploring Nature with Children

This is our second year using this lovely curriculum and we really enjoy it. Multiage includes art, poetry and gets your family’s sense working with every theme. The only thing that I don’t love is that it was created in the United Kingdom, so a couple of the themes do not match with our Minnesota weather or season. Other than that it is simply exceptional!

We use it as a guide as to what we should like for when we are out and about in our hiking experiences or when we go out with our Wild and Free nature group.

Website: https://raisinglittleshoots.com/buy-exploring-nature-with-children/

Faith, Ethics and Values

  • The Gospel Project: Home Edition Semester 2 

Can I just tell you how much we love this curriculum? Let me start by saying it includes a student workbook for K-2nd grade and a student workbook 3-5 grade which is perfect for my five-year-old to join in and feel part of the lesson and for the little ones to do older work more appropriate for their age. It also includes a DVD that introduces the lesson with an 8-minute video plus an application video about 5 minutes long that leaves you and your kids thinking and analyzing what was learned. It brings concept to life with down to earth applications. The illustrations and graphics throughout are exceptional too.

I did order the teacher’s manual for this, and I totally recommend doing so. In every chapter, it will show you an overview of the lesson for you to jump right in and know from the beginning what is the theme, the lesson, the Bible verse to memorize and any other simple materials you need to gather. Usually nothing more than a couple index cards a picture of the family, a roll of tape, etc. Just simple things that you probably have around the house.

Website: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1535936789?tag=onamzdayanafr-20&linkCode=ic5&ascsubtag=amzn1.infl.us.product&creativeASIN=1535936789&ref=exp_cedar_hill_kids_homeschool_dp_vv_d

  • Heritage Hymns by dear mama Amber O’neal Johnston, Heritage Mom

Hymns have always been so interesting and beautiful to me. Growing up in a different country, I didn’t know they excited until I married my husband at age 21. And I truly fell in love with them, every time we sign them at church I get teary eyed. To me they mean more than any other worship song, they feel like they provide a deeper connection with the Lord, and I am all about whatever bring my family closer to Jesus!

I met amber through Instagram, and I was simply thrilled when I found out she was releasing this wonderful guide.

This guide includes 15 hymns along with links to the sheet music, lyrics and audio or video of multiple versions of each song. We cannot wait to dig in and spend some time studying the meaningful lyrics of the hymns included. My goal is for my family to memories at least a couple of them if not more. This is again a new resource, and I am expectant to see how it goes so be sure to check back for a review!

Website: https://heritagemom.com/index.php/downloads/heritage-hymns-a-curated-collection-of-multicultural-hymnal-studies/

The rest of the titles pictured above: They are just a bundle of books that were borrowed to me by a dear mama friend that just got done going through Creation to the Greeks with her kiddos. I plan on using them as guides, and to educate myself during this year of learning. I don’t anticipate reading them entirely because…life. But they are already sounding and looking so good that I might just have to!

The David C. Cook Journey through the Bible: This book will help me better understand favorite Bible stories so I can teach their purpose better. I might even read some of the chapter’s out loud with the kids.

Celebrating Biblical Feast (in your home or church): We will be recreating several feasts during the year and this book will serve as our guide, so we do them properly.

Bruchko: This book tells the story of a nineteen-year-old that heads into a south American jungle to evangelize a murderous/savage tribe, the Motilone Indians as well as other islands in the Pacific, etc. His decision meant capture, disease, terror, loneliness, and torture but what discovered has revolutionized missions. I might start this one tonight! 🙂

The Narrow Road: This book features true stories of Brother Andrew and other believers who risked their lives smuggling Bibles into countries where Scriptures are outlawed; with an aim to raise awareness of the persecuted Church. This one looks great but it might be a little deep for the kids, so we might just skim through it and save it for when they are older. I included in here because I have heard wonderful things about it and it has been recommended by several friends. It is packed with dangerous adventures and high drama, testifying to God’s miraculous provision for those who follow where He leads.

Lastly,

The Story of the World Vol.1 DVD set: We are starting to watch these with our kids every Sunday evening to get us ready for the year ahead! This is a series of 8 hours on 7 CDs where Susan Wise Bauer brings to life the stories and records of the peoples of ancient times. Written in an engaging but straightforward manner. Sunday here we come!!

Audiovisual arts

It wouldn’t be Cedar Hill homeschool if we didn’t add music and art!

  • History of Art: This will be our third year using this lovely guide that comes with the flashcards picture above. We take it slow but every time we get a chance to do a little bit of this book we fall in love with it all over. Usually the kids would say something like: “Mom, we should really do this book more often” Totally recommend.

This book is designed to give students a concise body of information that can easily assimilate. It includes 32 art movements featured in the cards in this series, it includes fun project suggestions (out favorite part), but you certainly don’t need to do those if they seem like too much for the time you have. They do vary to appeal different ages which is perfect for the homeschool setting.

Website: https://veritaspress.com/store/history-of-art-workbook.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwub-HBhCyARIsAPctr7xkOLnl2urIsC9sS5A3e663uomKMD4PRYjWTfCqaxGGNQXYEOCEpz8aAjVfEALw_wcB

  • Classical music CD’s: This part is suggested in the My father’s World curriculum and it sounds wonderful to have the opportunity to have a rich introduction to some of the most well-known classical music artists like Handel, Vivaldi and Bach.

You can get the three music CD’s plus 3 more with the story of each of the composers here

Spanish Education

As you may know by now, I am Spanish Immersion teacher so most of the language will be designed and put together by yours truly and we will be mostly using the unit studies that I create. In addition to that, we are going to be using two books from the Latin American editorial Santillana that are fully in Spanish one will be for Language arts and one for Math that we will alternate with our English curriculum so they continue working in their Spanish acquisition. But I think this part needs a full blog post on its own. I will link the website in case you want to take a look here. Now I am going to share about my two favorite and biggest allies when teacher my kids the language:

Rosetta Stone: Friends, this is the classical program that you have heard to learn a language for a long while, and I would say they have been around this long because they simply are that good. I really believe they are excellent, so we invested in an online membership for each of my kiddos and yes, unfortunately they each require their own membership, there is no sharing allowed in this, but, totally worth it!

Website: https://www.rosettastone.com/lp/ppc/sale/?lang=esp&gclid=Cj0KCQjwub-HBhCyARIsAPctr7xuZvDxBHLjIp7sHBTQw62SzpH1Ex4TUStSaftLBXjk6HaqD0WlzbcaAqcuEALw_wcB

Rockalingua Spanish: Friends, Rockalingua is so.much.fun! This is the program I use to get worksheets, videos, and songs from. They are exceptional and even though they have use European Spanish, it still works great for my students as well as my kids. You do have to pay a membership to get access to everything and I think it is totally worth the price, but also you can find some of their videos on YouTube and they do have some free content on their webpage. But again I would totally consider investing in the membership. And one membership gets you access to everything so that is always a plus.

Website: https://rockalingua.com/

***Rockalingua has graciously offered a 20% discount code for the readers that sign up to receive my email notifications. Use the code HOLA on their website once you sign up with your email here . Just scroll all the way to the bottom.

There you have it, friend, I hope I didn’t overwhelm you but rather gave you enough information to help you decide what would work for your family. And because you made it this far, I am going to gift you a printable of a Curriculum Planning Sheet so you have a space to neatly organize your ideas in 🙂 This file is part of my Homeschool Planner pack that will be available in my shop soon. You can download the freebie here:

CHK_Homeschool-PlannerDownload

Thank you for reading and happy planning!

XO,

Dayana

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Spanish Immersion at home

Incorporating Spanish in a consistent basis is an essential part of learning the language. This is why Spanish Immersion classes are the best approach you can take to learn a second language. It is only when you immerse yourself in the language, that you start to make internal connections of how the language works.

But how do we do this when we don’t have the time or can’t afford to spend a prolonged amount of time abroad?

There are actually several ways that you can approach a Spanish Immersion at home. To our benefit, the United States’ Spanish speaking population is growing at hyper speed and this is causing us to have a broad access to resources at our fingerprints. In addition to this, the internet now is as powerful and diverse as never before so it it should not be too complicated to incorporate Spanish on a more consistent basis.

Here are a couple ideas, that I try to do with my kids:

Coloring one of my Spanish coloring pages. Check them out here

  • Create a daily schedule and label it in Spanish (Make sure you include pictures). This is a fun way to see Spanish right from the start of your and your child’s day. The printable that I designed has pictures and is of course labeled in Spanish. I have also attached a couple ideas to hopefully help you get the most out of this resource. from playing a matching game to watching the video I created to practice correct with the correct pronunciation to laminated and creating your own schedule and taping it to the wall, etc. You can use the one I made here:
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  • Lastly, audiovisuals are great ways to support Spanish Immersion at home. What kid does not like “screen time”?! Perhaps you can use their screen time and make it educational by allowing them to do activities in Spanish. Here are a couple ideas:
    • Do they have an iPad or tablet? …then install a couple apps for them to practice vocabulary!
      • Gus on the go you’ll be able to get an intro to topics like colors, numbers, animals, and more. For iOS and Android. Recommended for ages 2-5 or for new Spanish learners. Only available version is paid, at $3.99
      • DuoLingo for Kids Through games, kids can learn whole phrases and sentences in Spanish. FREE
      • FabuLingua teaches Spanish through interactive storytelling. This one is a beautiful app. It presents the language in context instead of teaching selective vocabulary.
      • ABC Magico-Abecedario This app is designed to teach the sounds of the alphabet letters, with three game levels and images for each letter. It’s pretty neat, my kids really like it.
    • Do they have a favorite movie that they love and almost know it by heart? Then let them watch it but set it up in Spanish. (I use the library at least once per month to get their absolute favorites!) Make it fun by providing a yummy treat. Have popcorn and lemonade for example so it is a “fun” activity all around for them.
  • It is also important for your child to see you excited and engaged in learning Spanish too so try to model that for him/her whenever possible.

I hope you enjoyed this post and hope you are able to incorporate some, or all of my ideas to help you make Spanish part of your kids regular routine and you all feel that “Immersion” in the language right from the comfort of home.

If you have any ideas on how you we all incorporate Spanish on a regular basis please let me know in the comments and also let me know what you think about the ideas above.

Thanks for reading!

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