I was just looking through my son’s Highlights magazine (www.Highlights.com) and I came across a fantastic game that can be effectively adapted to help kids practice numbers in Spanish, French, Chinese . . . any foreign language.  In the March 2010 issue there’s an activity on pg. 38 by Jennifer Coleman called “Make 11.”  Two players count to three and extend any number of fingers.  Count the total number of fingers between the two players in the target language.  See how many tries it takes to equal 11.

11 ELEVEN

onze (French)

once (Spanish)

elf (German)

undici (Italian)

ju-ichi (Japanese)

shí y? (Mandarin)

I’m going to play with an entire classroom of children this afternoon, but I’ll make it a wee bit competitive by seeing which set of players can be the first to make eleven.

Have fun playing!  Thank you, Highlights, for another fantastic idea.

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/935146

My preschooler and I made the following video in English just for fun.  The 4 year old chose the characters and dictated the script.  Enjoy!

I’ve recently become a fan of the award-winning Little Pim language learning dvd’s for children.  They are cute, eye-catching, and age-appropriate for the littlest language learners.  The short segments are just right for holding my 4 year old’s attention. He repeated some words in Spanish with no prompting, and then he asked to watch the dvd again. Yay!

The web site contains some free little gems, too: coloring pages, other printables, and my favorite–the Talking Coloring Book.  Check out this video by Little Pim’s creator, Julia Pimsleur Levine:

Little Pim DVD’s are available in these languages:

Spanish

French

Japanese

Mandarin Chinese

Italian

Hebrew

English/ESL

Introduce your baby, toddler, or preschooler to another language with Little Pim!

Today’s post is a completely self-indulgent excuse to show you my other two children–the furry ones.   I used to take pictures of my cats all the time BK (Before Kids,) but the kitties have been photographically neglected for years.  Tonight, I was surprised to discover several cat videos on my Flip camera.  My son’s been busy!  He took this picture of the feline matriarch of the family, Gina.  She’s a spry 17 year-old who loves, loves, loves people.  My Madeline isn’t pictured, but she looks exactly the same.  She’s Gina’s ornery 16 year-old daughter.   Can’t blame old age, she’s always been a grump.  (Love her anyway!)   Madeline is named after my favorite children’s book character . . . the girl who lived in that old house in Paris, covered in vines . . . 

They say a cat has nine lives, so today let’s learn nine ways to say “cat” in foreign languages:

1.  French:  le chat

2.  Spanish:  el gato

3.  German:  die Katze

4.  Portuguese:  o gato

5.  Italian:  il gatto

6.  Norwegian:  katten

7.  Polish:  kot

8.  Dutch:  de kat

9.  Hungarian:  a macska

Want to add on to the cat list?  Feel free to comment with your favorite world language.

Speaking of Siamese cats, I’d like to recommend the children’s book Minou, by Mindy Bingham.  (Minou means Kitty in French.)

I’ve read this book (in English) to my French students for years and years.  It’s an empowering story of a cat’s independence on the streets of Paris.  I use the gorgeous watercolor illustrations by Itoko Maeno as a culture lesson.  It’s great for identifying monuments, and I personally love looking at that gorgeous Minou who looks so much like my babies!

If my own two boys are any indication, kids looooooove dinosaurs!  Use these fascinating creatures to teach children about languages.  Sir Richard Owen, an English biologist, used Greek terms to give dinosaurs their name back in 1841:  deinos means terrible or fearfully great, and saurus means lizard.   The Latin term for dinosaur is Dinosauria.  Most species of dinosaurs are named using Greek and Latin terms.  Want to talk about dinosaurs around the world?  Here’s how:

Spanish: el dinosaurio

French:  le dinosaure

Italian:  il dinosauro

Portuguese:  o dinossaurio

Dutch:  de dinosaurus

German:  der Dinosaurier

Know some more?  Leave a comment and keep this dinosaur list from going extinct!

Image Credit:  by scol22 at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/865320

For years, I have recommended Concordia Language Villages to my students. These summer immersion camps are absolutely amazing. A number of years ago, I had the good fortune of participating in Concordia’s Teacher Seminars and earning graduate credit. I spent three weeks in Minnesota learning about immersion techniques and visiting the Villages. I came home with a treasure trove of games, songs, and hands-on activities that I observed at the French Village, Lac du Bois. I also spent a day in the Norwegian Village, experiencing the life of a camper who does not know a word of the language. (THE most fun! When I wanted to eat, I learned fast.)  In all, there are villages offering instruction in 15 different languages.  While in a village, campers are completely immersed in the target culture.  Villagers go through customs, exchange their money, and are surrounded by language.  Don’t even get me started on the authentic cuisine . . . soooo delicious!

My students who have spent a few weeks at Concordia Language Villages return to school in the fall with improved language skills and enthusiastic stories to tell.

Scholarships are available to send some lucky campers to Concordia Language Villages this summer.  The photo and essay contests are open to students ages 7-18, but the deadlines are quickly approaching.  (Most end on May 15.)  Visit this link to find out how to apply for  scholarships worth $500-$1300 to the French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, or Danish Villages.

Good luck!

Photo Credit: clarita at http://morguefile.com/archive/display/231612

This Mother’s Day, let Mom know she’s the best in the world!  Learn how to say Mother in these twelve world languages:

Moeder, Moer (Dutch)
Mère, Maman (French)
Mutter (German)
Màna (Greek)
Ma, Maji (Hindi)
Anya (Hungarian)
Madre, Mamma (Italian)
Okaasan, Haha (Japanese)
Matka, Mama (Polish)
Mat’ (Russian)
Madre, Mamá (Spanish)
Mati (Ukranian)

Please post to keep the list growing!  Consider using these phrases to create a unique “Best Mom in the World” craft, card, or keepsake.  Visit this article for ideas:

Read more: “International Mother’s Day Gifts: Crafts for the Best Mom in the World”

Want to make a French or Spanish Mother’s Day card?  Homemade is best!  Check out these downloads for vocabulary lists, French and Spanish quotes, and card templates:

French Mother’s Day Card

Spanish Mother’s Day Card

Happy Mother’s Day!

 
Image Credit:  by Adrian Yee at  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/698517

Amazing deal on an effective tool for language classes. Only $59.99: Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 30-Minutes (White)

French - Joyeuses Pâques

Spanish – Felices Pascuas

German - Frohe Ostern

Italian – Buona Pasqua

Dutch – Vrolijk Pasen

Please add more languages to the list and have a blessed Easter!

In honor of Valentine’s Day–February 14–let’s learn fourteen ways to say that magical word:  CHOCOLATE!

French:  chocolat

Spanish:  chocolate

Italian:  cioccolato

German:  Schokolade

Dutch:  chocolade

Portuguese:  chocolate

Esperanto:  cokolado

Danish:  chokolade

Polish:  czekolada

Swedish:  choklad

Indonesian:  coklat

Maltese:  cikkulata

Norwegian:  sjokolad

Finnish:  suklaa

Be sure to check out a unique download for Spanish Learners:  The History of Chocolate for Spanish I Students:  Spanish I students in grades 7 to 12 will love learning about chocolate’s fascinating history while they learn or practice preterite, past tense verbs. This unit fuses the ACTFL C’s of culture, connections, & communication. Included are a bililngual vocabulary & verb list, a short Spanish reading on chocolate’s origins, post-reading activities, student to student conversational activities, writing activities, and internet video and site recommendations.

Happy Chocolate Day!

Photo Credit: by Linnell Esler at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/452631

It’s hard to believe that it is almost 2009!  Time to bring out the party hats and noise makers to ring in the New Year.  Since having kids, my New Year’s celebrations have taken on a whole new vibe.  Instead of paying top dollar for a sitter and hitting the town, I like to stay home and let my little guys join in the fun.  But since I will NOT allow them to stay up until midnight, we celebrate in a different time zone.  Click here to read about my annual French New Year’s celebration.  We wish everyone a Bonne Année when it’s midnight in France, but still early here in Eastern Standard Time.  We feast on French food, as well as some original New Year’s cookies.

I’d like to wish you a Happy New Year in a dozen different languages.  Feel free to comment with a New Year greeting in other languages, too.  I’ll be taking a little blogging break until after the New Year.  May your 2009 be filled with blessings and happiness

French:  Bonne Année!

Spanish: Feliz año nuevo

German: Ein glückliches neues Jahr

Italian: Buon anno

Czech: Stastny Novy Rok

Finnish: Onnellista uutta vuotta

Portuguese: Feliz ano novo

Dutch: Gelukkig nieuwjaar

Hebrew: Shana Tova

Polish: Szczesliwego Nowego Roku

Thai: Sawatdee Pi Mai

Hungarian: Boldog uj evet

Photo Credit: by xymonau at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1123224