tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51558927294028373742011-07-08T01:48:18.188-07:00Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-49162807354218176722010-02-08T15:26:00.000-08:002010-02-09T14:49:37.184-08:00

This is by far one of the most common questions I get form parents: Will teaching my baby to sign delay his speech?As a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) I love to answer this question! A good deal of research has been done to address this and has shown us that babies who sign do not have an increased risk of delayed speech/language. In fact, research indicates that many babies who sign

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12372148289971588074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-49129180402699980712009-11-10T11:44:00.000-08:002009-11-10T11:52:47.727-08:00

An increasing number of families are realizing the benefits of introducing their children to second (or more) languages from an early age. In this day in age it is becoming more and more possible to raise children bilingually. What an incredible gift!Choosing and sticking with a plan for what is best for your family in regards to how to go about creating a bilingual home life can be quite

Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12372148289971588074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-53246847296971316632009-10-29T07:34:00.000-07:002009-10-30T22:33:27.617-07:00

The ultimate goal of learning Spanish is to indeed use it outside of class time! It can seem like a long wait, and getting "nothing" to the question of "What did you do in Spanish today?" can be so frustrating and worrisome!However, seeing Spanish move out of class and into the rest of your child's life is truly just a matter of time, which varies from child to child AND with the kind of

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-54481010721133848552009-10-29T07:04:00.000-07:002009-11-21T09:04:37.601-08:00

Once in a while, I get a parent who mentions that their child doesn't seem to use Spanish outside the classroom and no matter what they try to prompt him/her with, they can't get anything out of them.One reason for this "nothing" answer is the same reason your child answers "nothing" to many other questions such as "What did you do at Mary's house?" OR "What did you learn at school today?" OR "

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-27372827457411424662009-10-27T17:36:00.001-07:002009-10-29T07:03:55.240-07:00

Today, I taught a small group of five elementary school girls at The Madeleine School. We gathered in the room and the girls got out their pre-lesson snacks. While they ate, they updated me on their day at school, whose birthday it was, the Halloween candy their teacher had given them, etc. All of a sudden, the following conversation took off with no input or participation on my part. To

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-12050826615811092032009-10-16T14:13:00.000-07:002009-10-19T09:54:38.432-07:00

Monday, Monday....It's always a bit hard for me to get out of bed in the gray morning hours and go up to my computer. But this week, I'm starting with a smile on my face, reading some positive emails parents sent us last week. Just 4 lessons into the school year, I'm delighted that our families are delighted!Yesterday, Maia told my mom “suave” when she was working on a project with her. So

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-50486672977375655472009-10-14T16:28:00.000-07:002009-10-14T17:58:43.413-07:00

Today, I taught a group of 10 K-3rd graders at Opal School. This is an active, eager group of children and today was class #4.As we finished class and walked down the hall to the space where parents pick up the students, Eliza spontaneously started saying "Caminando, caminando, caminando..." (This means "walking, walking, walking" and is part of a game we've played at every class -- a kind of

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-39736247283860459912009-10-12T10:53:00.000-07:002009-10-12T11:13:10.697-07:00

Tantrums are inevitable. There's no way around it. They are a part of the developmental process, and something most children must go through in order to grow. I used to work in a great preschool years back. I started my career in the 2 year old room. WOW. WOW. Yeah, multiple tantrums with multiple children... daily. It wasn't always a constant, but only by developing some understanding of the

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-54946819751891419212009-10-09T10:28:00.000-07:002009-10-13T17:46:54.966-07:00

As many of you know, we "lost" 2 of our Spanish Language in Play teachers this summer. Both Lauren and Nina become mothers, giving birth to Lucy & Jude. Here are a few pictures of the adorable moms before AND their beautiful newborns.Aren't they so sweet?!!Nina on left, Lauren on rightNina & Matthew's son Jude Marley Horn:Born June 9th8 lbs, 1 oz.Lauren & Dustin's girl Lucy Fitzgerald Weaver:

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-91829353214835392642009-07-15T22:33:00.001-07:002009-08-28T21:52:19.336-07:00

Sarah & I had such a marvelous time during our Pasaporte a Guatemala summer camp. More than half of our campers were Guatemalan-born & adopted by American families, and we thus heard lots of interesting stories about moms (birth moms & life moms), kinds of families (rich/poor, big/small, single moms/same sex partnerships/moms&dads), and the state of affairs for Guatemalan people today and

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-71622889537413542702009-06-28T19:45:00.000-07:002009-06-28T21:20:42.695-07:00

So, I'm back with another video! Here you get a quick little view of how eager these 3-5 yr olds are to participate in active reading (in Spanish!).This is a traditional Panamanian folk tale ("Conejito" - Little Bunny) that we read during our Spanish Immersion camp last week. Aside from participating in group reading, some children would "read" this book to each other, retelling it with key

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-37183876863711472882009-06-21T09:46:00.000-07:002009-06-21T09:57:34.825-07:00

I know... I'm a little out of control with the videos... But just look at this brief video of the kids singing a Panamanian folk song!Lorena - one of our great teachers this past school year & who lived in Panama while working for Peace Corps - came to sing some songs on our last day.¡Gracias Lorena!

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-32058914977752375892009-06-17T15:08:00.000-07:002009-06-21T09:58:15.899-07:00

So, I just have to say that it's the 3rd day of our 6-9yr old Spanish Immersion Camp, and I am just amazed by these children! We've got a variety of levels and experience in this small camp, and they are all speaking so much Spanish I can barely stand it!That said, you'll note in this video how ATTENTIVE the kids are. They enjoy hearing each others' Spanish, understanding it, and then using it!

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-51098375570480389432009-06-13T11:19:00.000-07:002009-06-13T11:33:24.057-07:00

So, my husband, Dominick, went in New Seasons NE 33rd on Wednesday or Thursday of this week, and came home practically breathless with excitement. He told me that by the soups and deli counter, he heard the Spanish Language in Play theme song:Hola, hola¿Cómo estás?Bien, bienGracias.(to hear this one, click here and scroll all the way to the bottom post)Dominick turned to see a dad and his son

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-90372092671316104872009-05-29T08:56:00.001-07:002009-06-21T09:59:06.423-07:00

Well, this week & next mark the end of Spanish Language in Play classes for this school year, and I am so pleased and satisfied and proud of our students and teachers!And I have a serious pang of that bittersweet feeling...Joyful Noise CDCs were our very first preschools that we offered Spanish classes to, back in Fall 2006. This week, I said goodbye to children who have been in my classes

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-73039019259560724702009-05-13T10:39:00.000-07:002009-05-13T10:55:54.771-07:00

Kara here!So, one of "our" moms is a small business owner here in Portland. Perhaps you know her or her business: Grasshopper on Alberta?I buy some of our best toys there and am on the mailing list. This came in today from Kara (her name is Kara too!). A great family fun opportunity!Bring the family...its art hop on Saturday 11-6 on alberta st. The street will be closed to traffic There will

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-28149736536471932492009-05-12T11:24:00.000-07:002009-05-13T10:30:59.985-07:00

Christina here!...I want to share something that happened in our Series C class today (well, it was "today" when I wrote this post, but it's taken us a bit to get it up here!).First of all, let me say that it is a fabulous class to teach because a) all of you families are amazingly fun to spend time with and b) all of the kiddos are signing. It's really powerful to be in a room full of signing

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155892729402837374.post-82069153370878192822009-05-12T09:42:00.000-07:002009-06-21T09:59:49.680-07:00

Soooo, Christina and have been talking about a blog for... well... a long time, let's just say. Finally we are here and excited to have a place where we can post some things we think you all might find interesting, and we're even more excited to see the comments, advice, and questions you all post.So WELCOME! ¡BIENVENIDOS! Come on in, throw some words up here, and let's get started!(Here's a

Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253886899835415662noreply@blogger.com0