Hippity-hoppity Easter’s on its way!  Make it international by teaching your kids ways to say “bunny” in many languages:

Bunny = English

Lapin = French

Coniglietto = Italian

Conejito = Spanish

Häschen = German

Króliczek = Polish

Coelho = Portuguese

Thanks to my favorite online multilingual dictionary:  wordreference.com This is the only online translator I recommend to my students.

Happy Bunny Day!

Image credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1247592

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!

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

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

Meeting interesting people is by far the best part of blogging.  Let me tell you about a new email acquaintance of mine—Dulce Rodrigues.

Dulce, a native of Portugal, is the author of plays, books, and a CD-rom for children.  This talented, award-winning writer has been published in both French and Portuguese (English coming soon!)  Her books include:  Le Père Noël est enrhumé, Le Théâtre des animaux, A Aventura do Barry, and L’Aventure de Barry.

Check out this excerpt from her web site:

“I believe the language is the soul of a people, and the best way to understand other cultures is by learning their own languages and practising them whenever possible in their native country. I speak six living languages and I already lived in four different countries.”

“. . . the soul of a people.”  The second I read this quote I knew that Dulce Rodrigues is a kindred spirit!  For a little international treat, I encourage you to explore her web site.  In her travelogue, you’ll find lovely photos from Portugal, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Canada, and Egypt.  (One day I will be so well-traveled . . . one day!)

Dulce also introduces her internet readers to Portuguese gastronomy and poetry by French school children.  Your kids can explore Barry4Kids.net, a site designed especially for them.  Barry is a Portuguese dog living in Belgium.  (See?  So international!)  Look for The Adventures of Barry to be published in English later this year.

Dulce, c’est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance

July 1:  Burundi (Kirundi, French, Swahili)

July 1:  Canada (French, English)

July 1:  Rwanda (Kinyarwanda, French, English, Kiswahili)

July 3:  Belarus (Belorussian/White Russian, Russian)

July 5:  Cape Verde (Portuguese, Criuolo)

July 5:  Venezuela (Spanish, et al)

July 6:  Comoros (Arabic, French, Shikomoro–Swahili/Arabic blend)

July 6:  Malawi (Chichewa, Chinyanja, Chiyao, Chitumbuka, Chisena, Chilomwe, Chitonga)  All new to me!

July 7:  Solomon Islands (1-2% English–official language!?, Melanesian pidgin, 120 indigenous languages)

July 10:  Bahamas (English, Creole)

July 11:  Mongolia (Mongolian, Turkish, Russian)

July 14:  France (French)

July 20:  Colombia (Spanish)

July 21:  Belgium (Dutch/Flemish, French, German less than 1% but still one of official languages)

July 23:  Egypt (Arabic official, French and English widely spoken)

July 26:  Liberia  (20% English–official language, 20 ethnic-group languages)

July 28:  Peru  (Spanish, Quéchua (both official); Aymara; many minor Amazonian languages)

Photo Credit:  Kevin Rosseel  http://morguefile.com/archive/?display=207440&