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We mentioned it several weeks ago, but now we can finally confirm that the iphone and ipad app based on the Marina and the Little Green Boy series si now available. For now you can download this bilingual app in English/Spanish and the French version will also be available in the near future. The app works for iPhones, iPads and iPodTouch. The price is 1.59 € or $1.99. We hope you like it, and we can’t wait to hear your feedback. Each comment will help us improve this and all of our products. Enjoy!

Keith Kelly, an education consultant specialized in multilingual education programs, shares his views on how “trilingual children develop more cognitive skills” in a recent interview in Diario Vasco. Check it out here!

Today is September 1st, the day which officially marks the end of our summer holiday. We had an amazing time in Portugal and we were even able to enjoy some down time here in Madrid. And even though the scorching heat in Madrid would suggest otherwise, fall is just around the corner. It’s always sad for summer to end, but we’re also extremely excited about all of the new books and activities we have planned for this fall. Over the course of the next week or so, we’ll be giving you a sneak peak of what’s in store over the next few months, so be sure to stay tuned!

And the lucky winner of a copy of Marina and the Little Green Boy: In the City (drumroll please):

¡Laura Villegas Merediz!

Laura, please send us an e-mail with your address so that we can send you a copy of the second title in the Marina and the Little Green Boy series right away.

Congratulations, and we hope you enjoy your copy of this fabulous picture book!

We’re thrilled to announce the publication of the latest title in the Two Little Libros collection. This beautifully illustrated box of two 16 page board books by Mike Lowery is the second title in this collection. This time the box contains books which focus on two aspects of the human body: Body Parts and Move Your Body. As you may know from the previous set of Two Little Libros (Sea Animals and Jungle Animals), this fabulous collection is designed to teach young children basic vocabulary in Spanish and English, as well as reasoning skills.

You can find all the details here.

As always, this new title is available in our on-line shop and in bookshops throughout Spain.

We hope you love it as much as we do!

Description:
Title: Body Parts and Move Your Body
Author: Mike Lowery
ISBN: 978-84-937273-7-6
Pages: Slipcase with two 16 page board books
Collection: Two Little Libros
Size: 20 x 20 cm
Specifications: Cloth binding
Price w/VAT: 14.95

image credit: school bus school bus school bus, via flickr

My husband is Spanish and I am from Australia. At home we always speak to our son in English because we feel it will be easier for our son to learn Spanish since we live in Spain. We are starting to consider options for when he starts school next year. Would it be best for us to send him to a foreign (American or British) school? Would he feel obligated to correct his classmates’ English? Could he have similar problems in a Spanish school?

Dear Parents,
From what I understand you have chosen the ONE HOME, ONE LANGUAGE (OHOL) model: only one language is spoken at home by all family members. This system has the great advantage of providing an important stimulus for the non-community language (the language which is not frequently spoken in the community you live in), which usually becomes weaker over time and often disappears from the child’s productive range (some children stop speaking this language with their parents on a daily basis when they feel more secure communicating in their “stronger” or dominant language).

You are right about one fundamental thing: your son will receive enough linguistic input to learn Spanish from the community outside your home (in the park, with his grandparents and cousins, on tv, in shops…). You are also right to be concerned about the next phase: the school you choose is a very strong linguistic stimulant so it is important to bear this in mind.

Your question addresses one of the most frequent matters affecting OHOL homes: Should we continue to give priority to the non-community language? How should we stimulate Spanish? What kind of repercussions would sending my child to a primarily English or bilingual school have on my child’s social development?

The first thing you need to know is that there is no “right” answer to this question, and there is no obligation to make a decision and stick with it no matter what. I always use a graphic example to illustrate this matter: achieving a balance between both languages. All bilingual parents want their children to develop a balance between both languages, so that they feel just as comfortable using both their languages. In order to achieve this goal there is just one secret: to design a scale on which the linguistic needs of each child in both languages balance one another out. Imagine a scale with weights for English on one side and for Spanish on the other. The weight we give to each language should depend on two variables: the time your child spends on activities in each language and the need for active communication during these activities (Watching TV does not require your child to speak, so it is just a source of passive input, while playing soccer with Spanish neighbors does require your child to speak and games like “Who’s Who” are even better for this sort of active language use.) The more balanced the scale, the more balanced your child’s linguistic activity will be.

Your child’s education is a major source of weight for this scale. Your child will not only spend many hours a day in this environment, but the school you choose will also define many of his social relationships, which are one of the strongest communicative stimulants, since a child truly develops his linguistic abilities when he has to convince others, negotiate, complain, show confidence, etc. A school where more than 60% of classes are given in the non-community language (this is not always the case in so called bilingual schools, but it is the case in schools like The American School, King’s College, British Council, etc.) are a great opportunity to preserve this language. This sort of education also helps with the development of literacy skills, which are of the utmost importance when defining linguistic abilities in any language.

At this point, your son has a lot of weight on the English side of the scale. For a few years longer (until he is around five), one of the most important weights is the communication in your home (repetitive activities like bathtime, eating, reading…), but soon your child’s friends and after school activities will become more important and it will be harder to maintain this balance. It can be difficult to gain admission to some bilingual schools when a child is older so, although you may not have an immediate need for this sort of extra English input now, you may want to consider looking into this option.

In any case, all bilingual families should bear in mind that  there are other ways of adding weight to the scales: after school activities (especially small group activities and team sports), contact with the community of origen (feel free to contact us if you need contacts in Madrid) and hiring an English speaking nanny are other alternatives. It’s hard to predict which way the scales will tip, so we should always be open to changing our strategy as we go along, putting more emphasis on one language or the other according to each child’s needs.

Of course we should also realize that creating this sort of linguistic environment for our child and even for ourselves as parents will define us to a certain extent as a different sort of family, and a unique child. Like it or not, our extended families and neighbors will have an opinion about this, and we will have to do our best to make this situation feel as natural as possible for our children so that they don’t feel awkward. If you begin to notice that your son’s Spanish level is affecting his social development, there is always time to move the weights around a bit and this can be done as you go along.

As to whether or not your son will feel obligated to correct his peers’ English, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Young children don’t tend to correct one another because communication generally takes priority over correct speech and each child tends to correct himself in order communicate with others. Also, if your child begins to correct his classmates’ English, he opens himself up to criticism of his Spanish, so that sort of situation generally works itself out.

On the other hand, I believe there are other factors to be considered when choosing a school for your child, such as your economic situation, proximity, day to day quality of life, the specific needs of each child and family, whether or not you plan on moving to another country at some point, etc. I’m sure you are keeping all of this in mind, but it is just a reminder for all those bilingual families out there who are faced with similar issues.

If you do decide to choose a primarily English school, it would be a good idea to include a few extra curricular activities to reinforce your son’s Spanish skills, although that will be easy if you live in Spain. If you decide to send your son to an all Spanish school or a bilingual school with 30% of classes in English (we’ll include a more detailed analysis of this option in a later post), you will have to make more of an effort to encourage your son’s English language development. Whatever you choose, you’ll be successful if you make sure to keep those language scales balanced. Good luck with your bilingual family. You already have two of the most important tools for success: intuition and the will to succeed.

Dr. Orlanda Varela is a Child Psychiatrist and the Coordinator of the educational project for Bilingual Families at SINEWS Multilingual Therapy Institute in Madrid. SINEWS organizes bilingualism workshops for parents in Madrid, as well as personalized speech therapy sessions to bilingual families with specific language development problems. For more information, please visit sinews.es.

image credit: the world is made up of different cultures, via flickr

Knowing how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is important in many areas of life, but a recent study has shown that feeling empathy for other cultures also makes it easier to learn a language. According to  a study by the University of Haifa which was recently published in the International Journal of Bilingualism, “The more empathy one has for another, the lighter the accent will be when speaking in a second language.”

This study was carried out among a group of university students who were divided into three groups: native speakers of Hebrew, those who learned Hebrew between the ages of 7 and 8 and those who began to study Hebrew after the age of 13.

The authors of the study explained that “Israel is a perfect lab location for testing the topic of second languages, because of the complex composition of its population. This population is made up of immigrants who learn Hebrew at an advanced age; an ethnic minority of Arabs, some of whom learn Hebrew from an early age, and others who learn the language as mature adults; and a majority group of native Hebrew speakers.”

This social and personal reasoning seems to be directly related to the pronunciation of a second language, although speaking a second language with an accent is generally explained away by ” the difficulties of pronouncing sounds in a different linguistic system.”

While we believe there are many diverse linguistically based reasons why second language learners and even some bilingual children tend to speak with an accent, this study does raise an interesting issue for bilingual families. Whatever languages we decide to teach our children, we should also try to teach them about the cultures of the people who speak these languages. It’s important to bear this in mind , since by teaching our children about the cultures associated with each new language we are helping them to feel more emotionally connected with those languages.

image credit: dog intelligence, via flickr

We’ve all heard the old saying that dogs are man’s best friend. But could our furry pets also be a great reading ally for new bilingual readers? A new early literacy campaign sponsored by Target, Purina and the Animal Rescue Foundation has set out to get pets involved in family reading strategies. All Ears Reading is based on the premise that children who are learning to read need to practice in a judgement free environment, and pets make great non-judmental listeners. According to their website, “this philosophy encourages reading by creating a supportive environment for children that fosters an eagerness to read…Creating a special time to read together will help build the bond between children and their pets while growing personal confidence and skill.”

The All Ears Reading website includes pet inspired games, cartoons and printables for kids. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include any information, games or resources in Spanish at this point, but the idea is fairly basic and could be applied to any language combination. Here’s some advice from the experts on calming down an excited dog if you plan on trying this reading strategy with your kids:

• Ask your dog to lie down on the blanket. Use a treat to guide your dog into a down position by holding it to his nose and lowering it to the ground.
• Reward your dog for lying down and being calm with a treat or a belly rub.
• If your dog enjoys chew toys, such as Kongs or Nylabones, give him a yummy treat to keep him occupied.
• If your dog is still excited, begin with short reading sessions so he can practice listening quietly.
• Give your dog lots of praise after you’re finished reading.

Remember that every effort your family makes to develop early literacy skills will be well worth it, so if you think getting your pets involved will help get your child more interested in reading don’t delay!