Spanish Tip of the Week: High Frequency Phrases

As children begin to learn a new language, it is great to to encourage spontaneity and speed. The first step toward being spontaneous is to master the usage of a reasonable number of high frequency expressions used in conversation in these countries. Try these out!!

 

De memoria	By heart
Por lo menos	At least
Hasta la fecha	Up to now, to date
De todas maneras	At any rate, anyway
De nuevo	Once again
Desde hace	Over a period of, for (a period of time)
Sin querer	Unintentionally
Pasar un buen rato	To have a good time

DIY: Handmade toys for school and home

Many parents, relatives, and caregivers enjoy creating handmade toys for their children.  This is a really great way to continually give your children new materials to explore, without breaking the bank.  Re-using materials from your home also sets a wonderful example for children of how to use re-purposed materials in a way that is environmentally friendly.  Below are some examples of toys and games made by Pine Village's talented teachers.  We hope you enjoy looking through them and trying them at home!

In our South End school, teachers glued magnets to Popsicle sticks so that children could use them to construct designs and shapes! This activity is great for older preschoolers, and Pre-K children!  Though these sticks were bought new, this activity could also be done with any materials you have on hand at home! 

Reminder: Because this activity utilizes small magnets which could be swallowed,
it should never be done with children under 3 or any child who mouths objects! 

Children can use these new magnet sticks to
create fun designs and practice shapes.  In
order to create a square of just one color,
children also need to practice sorting
and matching skills.  The possibilities- and
the learning potential- are endless!

In our JP Revere Street school, one of our teachers recycled plastic lids to create colorful lacing boards.  This is a great way to build fine motor skills, and a wonderful example of reusing items you already have at home.  All you need is any plastic lid, a hole punch, and yarn, string, or even an old shoe lace!

If you try this with yarn, try taping the ends to avoid fraying.

Here are a couple of great uses for clothes pins!  Teachers at Pine Village in Needham made this fun number matching game using clothes pins and a paper plate.

Teachers at Pine Village South End made a similar game for color matching.

Lastly, in our Kendall Square school, teachers glued clothes pins to cork boards so they can easily change which projects are up on the walls. 

These are just a few ideas for materials that are inexpensive and fun, and also promote learning through play.  Leave us a comment and let us know- what are some handmade items your children enjoy using at home? 

Talking about the election

The White House
sent us this photo
of President Obama!

 

With all the talk about the presidential election, now is a great time to start talking to your kids about who the president is, what the president does, and how the president is chosen.  Even the youngest children can start to form the basis for an understanding of leadership and the democratic process, on their own level.  

Look at this letter we
got from the President!

Last year, for president’s day, children and teachers from our Brighton school wrote a letter to President Obama.  They waited patiently and were very excited to get a package in return.  The envelope included a signed photograph, a letter, and some informational materials about the White House.  Children practiced leadership by taking turns at “Follow the Leader”. 

There are many other ways to help your children understand the role of the president and the election.  Try having children vote for something simple, perhaps which game to play that day.  You can also read President Obama’s favorite children’s book: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  

What did our toddlers and preschoolers learn about the presidency?

• The President is the leader (líder) of the United States of America (Los Estados Unidos).
• The current president (presidente) is Barack Obama.
• The president lives in the White House (la casa blanca).
• Citizens have the right to vote (el derecho al voto). That's how we choose our president.  

Check out some of these fun ideas to help your child learn more about the president and voting!

Have your child or children practice voting.
Here, students voted for their favorite mode of transportation.

Have your child paint or draw
important leaders or candidates for office.
One of our oldest students, from our Pre-K classroom,
painted this portrait of President Obama.

A Spanish Tip from Pine Village

Trabajando Con Géneros Gramáticales
Working With Grammatical Genders

The Spanish language classifies nouns as either male or female which can be tricky especially when differentiating them in writing. Here is an informal shortcut to use when differentiating between both male and female nouns when writing:

To refer to both genders, simply end the word with the “@” sign (which can represent both the “o” (masculine) and “a” (feminine). 

For example:

Instead of writing: ¿Tienes hermanos y hermanas?

You can write: ¿Tienes herman@s?

Instead of writing: ¿Tienes muchos chicos o muchas chicas en tu clase?

You can write: ¿Tienes much@s chic@s en tu clase?

Instead of writing: ¿Puede llevar a su hija o a su hijo?

You can write: ¿Puede llevar a su hij@?

We hope this shortcut helps you at some point in your Spanish writing!

Pine Village Harvest Fest this Saturday

Looking for something fun to do this weekend?  Pine Village Preschool is holding a free Harvest Fest at our South End location.  This is a wonderful opportunity to spend a Saturday enjoying Autumn-themed activities together with your child.  Songs, art activities, and games will be presented bilingually in English and Spanish by Pine Village’s talented teaching staff. 

Looking for something fun to do this weekend?  Pine Village Preschool is holding a free Harvest Fest at our South End location.  This is a wonderful opportunity to spend a Saturday enjoying Autumn-themed activities together with your child.  Songs, art activities, and games will be presented bilingually in English and Spanish by Pine Village’s talented teaching staff. 

Fall is a great time to teach children about changes in season and the Harvest Fest can give you ideas for creating learning experiences at home.  We will have plenty of real-world materials on hand for children to experiment with and use creatively.  From corn printing with paint to peeling and mashing cooked apples in the sensory table, there is something for everyone.  Light refreshments will be served and each family will receive a mini-pumpkin to take home while supplies last.

Want to get prepared for Harvest Fest?  Try using these Spanish words and phrases at home now!

Autumn	El otoño
Leaf	La hoja
Pumpkin/Squash	La calabaza
Apple	La manzana
Corn	El maíz
Red	Rojo
Orange	Anaranjado
Yellow	Amarillo
Brown	Marrón

Pine Village has been part of the South End community for three years now.  The Harvest Fest is part of our continuing effort to give back to our neighbors through programming, events, and workshop opportunities.  For more information, email Myrna at pvpsouthend[at]yahoo[dot]com.  We hope to see you there!

What: Family Harvest Fest
Where: Pine Village Preschool at 700 Harrison Avenue, 02118
When: Saturday, October 13 at 10 am