Back to School

It’s that time of year! We are getting ready to send our children back to school. We are enjoying the last few weeks of summer, getting that back to school list together, and look for clothing and supply deals! This is another unique year! We are still living in the times of COVID. Two years later. We have to prepare our kids the best way we can. We have our checklists, supplies…check…..clothes…check, room assignment…check…Let’s not forget the most important part of all. Let’s make sure our children are emotionally ready. Don’t forget to check in with them. Ask them how are they feeling? What are they most excited about? Are they scared? If so, why? Plan something fun right before school starts. If you haven’t already, start those back to school routines. Get to bed early, early rising, have breakfast planned out, and get them out the door. The sooner you do it, the easier it will be for you.

Don’t forget to read some fun books with them! I am including some back to school books along with a bilingual book titled Basquiat coming out soon from https://lillibros.com/collections/fall2021. If you haven’t learned about him, you must get this book. It’s also a great opportunity to support a Latina owned book publishing company.

Isabel is starting school and she doesn’t speak Spanish. She shares her language with her classmates through her artistic work.

It’s about a little girl who feels like an outsider and isn’t sure where she fits in. She stays strong through it all.

Children learn about a Brooklyn, New York based artist and how he changed the world through his masterpieces.

ENJOY!
XOXOXO

Leticia

Advertisement

Reading Nook

I wanted to give my son a space where he can enjoy his reading time. I really want to give him a sense of ownership and responsibility when it comes to putting his room together. He is a vivacious reader, so he asked for a special reading nook. I wasn’t sure what that would look like in his room, so I had to think outside the box. We looked around his room and tried to pick a quiet space where he can focus and read without distractions. We chose a corner of his walk in closet!. I know it sounds outrageous, but it’s even more outrageous that a child would need a walk in closet, so it will be part walk in, and part reading nook.

We started with going to Home Depot and picking out a color. He chose green, I had to bite my tongue! I know that means letting go as a mom and allowing him to make choices on his own. I decided I will add some neutral decals to it to balance out the bright green.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

He really enjoyed painting the wall and learned how to paint up and down instead of side to side. I decided to let him paint as long as a he wanted to and then even out the paint when he tired out. That happened very soon. I could see the pride on his face as he painted his wall. Once he gave up, I took over and finished the painting project.

Next, I ordered some hot air ballon decals from Amazon and my friend sent inspirational quotes to put on his wall. It all came together well. He is so happy with his reading nook. This is an easy and simple way to give your child space to enjoy reading without the outside distractions.

Summer Learning Activities

As summer comes to a close I want to share some of the fun activities I did with my son. I provided some days where he was able to sit around, play, and watch a little TV. Sometimes we take fun day trips that include visiting friends or going to the beach. I created a short schedule for my son that includes some academics and afternoon playdates. This seemed to be the best mix for him.

I really love the Learning Bridges books! They are a great review of what he learned and he is introduced to new concepts for the upcoming school year. He completes about 2-3 pages daily and reads two chapters of Magic Tree House (he also has to write a reading response). This takes him about 1-1.5 hours to complete.

I decided to invest in two programs this summer. The first one is Kallpachay. Please read my prior post about my son’s experience. The next one I chose to invest in is KiwiCo. I’ve heard so much about them. You can have a monthly subscription, or every 3 months, or a yearly one. KiwiCo provides all the materials for your child. The directions are easy to follow and it has a lot of visuals. My son is a lego lover so following these directions is very simple for him. He needed minimal help from me. I chose a Science based subscription with some art activities. It is very much STEAM driven.

In his first subscription he made a claw for a game. He was so excited and it was wonderful to see his face light up as the claw came together. He even went as far as making a box to hold toys in it. Then, he asked me to take him to the 99 cent store so he can buy small toys to put inside the box and he made some fuzzy dolls with the KiwiCo materials. Now when his friends visit, they can grab a small toy using his claw. This is hands hands-on learning, literacy, science, and art all in a fun box!

Happy Learning!

XOXOXO, Leticia

• 

• 

• 

• 

Summer Camps in Spanish

Following directions in Spanish.

Finding a Spanish camp for my son is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I am sure many of you can relate! The list of quality Spanish classes for kids is very limited. There are a lot of great song, dance and story-telling classes for babies and toddlers, but very few conversational classes for school-aged children. After many conversations with my best friend about Spanish camps, she tells me about a class her children attend virtually during the school year.

I sat at the edge of my seat as she shared her experience with https://www.kallpachay.com. She said her children are engaged and eagerly participate. My friend said the teachers are creative and animated. Her children always participate whether in person or online. I decided my son will participate in a virtual or in person camp. I enrolled him in a one week in person camp with two other children!

From the very first day his teacher Margarita was warm, welcoming, nurturing, and animated. She led children through a series of hands-on learning experiences which included movement games, planting flowers, and talking about stories in Spanish. Margarita did a great job with providing a balance of interactive lessons that include listening, oral responses, reading, and writing. She encouraged my son to speak in Spanish and helped him when he was stuck. My son also worked on grammar such as, identifying nouns and verbs in Spanish. The 1:3 teacher-student ratio really helped my son feel comfortable and stretch his oral language skills. I was impressed with the level of fun and rigor Margarita provided for the children. Margarita always met my son with a smile and enthusiasm like everyday was the first day. My son ended each day telling me all the fun things he did with Margarita and he couldn’t wait for class the next day. At the end of the one week camp, his teacher gave him a special gift that included Spanish books (not translated in English…YES!), an activity book, along with other things. It truly meant a lot to my son. He completes pages in his activity book everyday and often talks about Margarita. Thank You Margarita and https://www.kallpachay.com for emphasizing the importance of maintaining his Spanish language skills and helping him feel proud of his culture! My son looks forward to attending Kallpachay classes virtually during the school year.

Parents I highly encourage you to consider taking classes with Kallpachay. If you are looking for a virtual or in person Spanish class for your children, register with https://www.kallpachay.com you will not regret it. Use discount code- 21bgprm for 10% off your in-person/virtual registration. This code is valid through August 31.

• 

• 

• 

XOXOXO- Leticia

Always keep learning!

Covid Chronicles. . .Yes Day!

I’m always trying to change it up and do fun things as family. We were watching TV and learned about the movie “Yes Day.” If you haven’t watched it, it’s a must see! It’s silly and over the top. The most important message is let your kids have a voice, don’t forget to be silly and have fun with them.

As we are watching the movie, my son and I look at one another and start laughing. He excitedly asks me if he can do it. I wonder oh gosh what crazy things are my husband and I going to have to do? He creates a list of activities: card games, running around the backyard, visiting the playground, and having play dough fun. We laughed so much together. It turned out to be a wonderful day that included running around and laughing. We ended our day with pizza at the beach.

This year of COVID has taken a toll on my son. He’s had frequent nightmares, cries a lot and asks for a lot of hugs. My husband and I give him as much of a normal life as we can, filled with outdoor fun and special family time. Having Yes Day isn’t just about letting a child have his/her way, it’s about providing new experiences and making memories. I hope that he will one day look back and remember all the fun things we did as a family.

Keeping Kids Motivated While Remote Learning

It’s summer and camps are closed! What next . . . ? Read my blog post on Multilingualkidblogs! I give great tips on how to survive the summer with your little ones. Click the link below

https://multiculturalkidblogs.com

Talking Race With Our Children

In light of recent events, I keep thinking about what can I do as an educator and activist? What can I do to support and change the systemic racism that exist in our society. Racism is all around us, just open a magazine, shop online, and look at billboards. Too often, I look for story books that depict lives of children that look like my son, I come up empty handed. Thank goodness for the movie Coco. Not only is my son excited to see a little boy that looks like him, but also speaks Spanish! You better believe I bought every book about Miguel!

Racism is real, it does exist. What happened to George Floyd is one of many stories that unfortunately happens in the black community on a regular basis. There are so many things that anger me in all of this, the most important is that this still happens. What also angers me is that I think the media takes advantage of these situations and causes a lot of anxiety with their round the clock reporting. I also cringe when I hear that certain people are taking advantage of this situation and organizing looting and hate crimes.

We are all angry, we have to find ways to come together to make a change and not participate in a broken system and cycle of hate and tension.

In addition to our children having to deal with COVID, they now have to witness, experience, and process what racism means. That is a lot to take in! How do we explain to our little ones that they might be looked at differently, singled out because of the color of their skin, or told a stereotype about their culture. I read a quote from a friend on Instagram that basically states that children of color do not get the privilege of not talking about racism at a young age. I couldn’t agree more.

I’ve collected a list of resources that I plan on using to teach my son. I am listing them below in hopes of helping parents of color naviagte their way through these conversations.

1. Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum talks about teaching her toddler son about race and identify. She is the author of Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria?

https://tedx.stanford.edu/lineup/beverly-daniel-tatum

2. Life Kit For Parents: NPR has a great 20 minute conversation about how to talk to children as young as 4 years old about race. They provide concrete examples on what to say to children.

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/24/716700866/talking-race-with-young-children?fbclid=IwAR262i36JkNreR2lYg0pPPHDPL9u6iyHSVkMV2vrR3Ehdl-1oG-0ZlXKMrY

3. Sesame Street and CNN partner up to explain to children about racism and how it currently affects the black community. Wonderful job Sesame Street! They really provide kids with clear and child friendly language.

4. The Conscious Kid blog provides so many resources for children of all ages. They post articles about social justice and how media influences children. I really love the layout. I recently found a list titled 41 Children’s Books To Support Conversations About Race, Racism, And Resistance. I highly recommend it! You pay $1 and you can access their articles and resources.

https://www.patreon.com/theconsciouskid

5. If you are like me and constantly looking for books that represent diversity, I highly recommend The Tutu Teacher and Vashti Harrison websites. They have fantastic recommendations.

http://www.thetututeacher.com/

https://www.vashtiharrison.com/books

With Love & Solidarity,

Letty

xoxoxo

Home Schooling Online Resources

Hi Families,

There are so many wonderful online resources for our children. Here are some that I’ve collected along the way. They provide learning experiences for questioning, exploration, and discussion.

Here are some fun online resources you can do with your children at home.

Enjoy!

XOXOXO-Leticia

Facebook live Farm Sanctuary

http://www.farmsanctuary.org

Facebook Live Cincinnati Zoo

https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/

Museum Virtual Tours:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

Friday Kahlo Museum Virtual Tour! La Casa Azul-Mexico!

Happy Numbers-math games

https://happynumbers.com/?redirect=no

Raz Kids-reading books online with questions and children can record their reading

https://www.raz-kids.com/Kids

Suzi Shelton– She is an incredible singer! She is an award winning singer and song writer. Tune in everyday.

https://suzishelton.com/

Museum of Natural History Smithsonian and New York Location

https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour

https://www.amnh.org/

Live Read Alouds on PBS Live Youtube/Facebook with Michelle Obama at 12:00 pm E.T.

https://www.youtube.com/pbskids

What does home school look like during a pandemic?

The pitter patter of kids running through school hallways has come to a halt. As families are readjusting to this new life of working full-time and teaching their children, education is taking on a new form. Children have limited outdoor resources due to social distancing.

Although I am a teacher with over 15 years of experience, even I am shaken up by the rapid change of quarantining and scrambling for an online classroom experience.

So what does home school look like in the middle of a pandemic? Home school is taking on its own life in our home. In traditional home schooling, parents create a schedule that fits their child’s need, families meet up with other children throughout the day, and parents use the outdoors for memorable learning experiences.

Now parents are faced with developing a schedule that fits their work schedule. Everyone is scrambling to work from home while watching their children. Children can’t go outside and learn through nature, they can not met with friends, and babysitters can not come over to help.

I am fortunate enough to have some flexibility when it comes to my son’s school schedule. My son completes work during small blocks of time. He is offered a lot of breaks that include play time and art projects. It’s a transition for everyone, but we try to focus on the positive. We are healthy and together!

Yes learning is important, but my priority is his social-emotional well being. He can be the smartest child in his group, but in this situation, it doesn’t matter. It takes a toll on our little ones. Children show stress/anxiety/sadness in different ways. They might yell or cry a lot. Their sleep cycle can change or they might not make it to the bathroom on time. They might feel angry too. It’s important for parents to recognize any signs of stress their child is feeling.

That being said, we do a lot of fun activities together. we bike ride, learn to draw different animals, tune into live zoo activity streams, and listen to music for children. Whatever we do, I try to create as many fun experiences for him. His happiness is more important than his academics. I know it sounds terrible, but I don’t want him to live in fear. I want him to look back on this time and say yes we were home a lot, but my parents taught me to cook, created art projects with me, and participated in imaginative play with me. I had lot of  fun! Children are perceptive and notice every change and stress in their parent’s lives.

I don’t have a concrete answer for what does homes schooling look like during a pandemic. What I can say is to make it special and memorable. As tiring as it can be, our children look to us for love, support and stability. Do we have tough days, of course we do! We have more special, memorable, and happy days. These are the days that matter.

Give your child a lot of hugs and kisses, that is the most important part of homeschooling. Parents we are in this together. I strongly believe that parents are the first teacher in their child’s life. Teaching them at home is a blessing, not a burden during this time.

 

Gift Recommendations For Kids/Bilingual Babies

It’s that time of the year! Here is a list of gift ideas for your kids. I am big on hands-on learning experiences. Children should be given the opportunity to explore and discover when they are not outdoors. They are easily hooked onto gadgets, so whatever you can do to provide engaging opportunities that do not involve an ipad or iPhone, the better.

Stem Bridge Building from Lakeshore Store- for elementary aged kids – For the kid builder, consider giving them something that challenges them, but also makes it fun. There are 8 picture cards and bridge building materials included. Children pick a card and try to create the bridge with the materials in the box. This helps kids problem, solve and compromise. They can work alone or with a partner, or a few friends.

 

Me Reader Kit-found on Amazon and Costco!- great for toddlers, pre-k-2nd grade kids- This is a gift given by a dear friend. L- loves this book set. It is a modern version book on tape/CD listening center. There are 8 color-coded books that match a recorder. The reader chooses the book you want, and presses that color on the recorder. The narrator starts reading the book to your child. When the narrator is done with the page, the reader hears a bell and they know to turn the page. On the top of the next page is a colored square. The reader presses that same color on the recorder and the narrator reads the next page. After a few tries, Lucas caught onto the color coded system for reading the books.

I can’t tell you how beneficial these books are to pre-readers/early readers. They are listening to model reading, they can point to the words as the recognize them. The stories are short and cute. My son can sit there for a long time and just listen to the stories over and over. I’ve seen other ones at Costco such as Frozen and Thomas The Train.

Osmo – If you are looking for an I-pad gift consider Osmo for children ages 3-11. This game hooks up to your I-pad. Young children can learn the alphabet, build words, work on matching games, and it offers coding and number activities. We don’t have one yet, but we are considering it for our son. Here is their website, you can also find them on Amazon.   https://www.playosmo.com/en/

Dollhouses- Kidkraft has great choices. They are wooden dollhouses that last a long time and they have quality roomsettings to add to the dollhouses. They are a bit pricey, I attached some Amazon choices as well. Amazon has Hape, which is also a great choice! What better way than to het your kids interested in imaginative play than through providing a setting for them.

https://www.kidkraft.com/us_en/dollhouses/dollhouses.html

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Hape+wooden+dollhouses&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Lil Libros are great beginner books for bilingual children. My son loves to read them over and over. I’ve shared then on my blog before. We recently purchased El Chavo. If you are raising a bilingual baby, consider these books. Their website is linked here. https://lillibros.com/ They can also be found at Target and Amazon.

They have a Loteria for children. We don’t own this because I bought a different version for my son a few years ago. This is a great way to make Spanish learning fun.

Spanish File Folder Game-Lakeshore- I am considering this game for my pre-reader. If your child is on the verge of reading in Spanish, this game looks like it will help your bilingual baby work on his/her conversational skills. You can find it here. https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/language/spanish-ell-materials/spanish-file-folder-game-library-pre-span-stylewhite-space-nowrapk-k-span/p/FF374

Here are some of my top picks. I hope you find them helpful.

xoxoxo