Spanish Tip: Reinforcing Spanish with "Hot or Cold"

We hope you have enjoyed some of our suggested games with your family over break.  Here is one last idea for reinforcing Spanish at home while school is closed.
 
Caliente o Frio/Hot or Cold

Secretly identify an object in the room and have your child guess where/what it is by saying hot or cold (caliente o frio) while they look for it. When they are close to the object, say “caliente”. When they are far from the object, say “frio”. If they are approaching the object, say “calientita” (or warm).

If you have played any of these games with your family, leave us a comment to let us know how it went.  How did you adapt these games and really make them your own?

Spanish Tip: Reinforcing Spanish with "Red Light, Green Light"

Here is another game to help your family practice Spanish over school break. You don't need to know Spanish yourself to play this game with your family!

Luz Roja- Luz Verde/Red Light- Green Light
 
With your children running around outside, call out to them “Luz Roja” (red light) or “Luz Verde” (green light). When they hear “Luz Roja” they must stop or PARAR (“PARA, por favor”).  When they hear “Luz Verde” they must run or CORRER (“CORRE, por favor”).

What other things have you been doing to practice Spanish with your family this week?  Leave us a comment to let us know.  Stay tuned for another game suggestion on Saturday (12/29)!

Spanish Tip of the Week: Practicing Over Break

We're posting a little early this week due to the holidays.  If your child is in an immersion or bilingual school, you may be wondering how to help reinforce Spanish while the school is closed for winter break.  Here are a few simple games anyone can play in Spanish- regardless of your own level of Spanish proficiency. 

Simón dice (Simon Says)

Start with a simple phrase and rotate in different body parts! For younger children the challenge is to find each part of their body.  For older children, you can start alternating whether or not Simon says to do something.  Here are some words to get your started.
 
Simon dice... toca tu… 

• cabeza (head)
• boca (mouth)
• orejas (ears)
• nariz (nose)
• pie (foot)
• rodilla (knee)
• pierna (leg)

 

Dance Party Fiesta

Dance to upbeat Spanish-language music.  When the music stops, your child must count to a certain number in Spanish (uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez, once, doce, trece, catorce, quince, dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte).

Comment here to let us know how you will be reinforcing Spanish over vacation.  Stay tuned this Wednesday (12/26) and next Saturday (12/29) for more games to play over break. 

Spanish Tip of the Week: Words for Winter

Winter will officially arrive next week, and it looks like we may get some snow here in Boston before long.  Get ready for the cold weather with these fun winter words and phrases.  Practice your Spanish skills indoors and out!  For extra fun, see if you can master many different ways to say "snowman" en español!

Español	English
El invierno	Winter
La nieve	Snow
Frío	Cold
Hace frío.	It’s cold.
Un copo de nieve	A snowflake
Un hombre de nieve	A Snowman
Un muñeco de nieve	A Snowman (literally doll of snow)
Un mono de nieve	A Snowman (literally monkey of snow)

What other winter words can you think of to practice?  Leave us a comment to let us know what you and your family are working on at home.

The anguish of what happened today touches us all deeply.  Our hearts, prayers, and deep sympathies are with the children, their families, and teachers and staff of the Sand Hook Elementary School. 

Spanish Tip of the Week: Cooking

Last week we suggested having mealtimes in Spanish as a way to encouraging bilingualism at home. Why not take it one step further?  Cooking a simple recipe with your children could be a great way to practice. How about some scrambled eggs?   

¡Utiliza las siguientes expresiones y vocabulario mientras cocinan!

Use the following expressions and vocabulary as you all cook! 

Juntemos los ingredientes (let’s put the ingredients together):

·         Huevos {way voz}(eggs)

·         Sal  {sal} (salt)

·         Queso {que sew} (cheese)

·         Cebolla {say boy ah}(onions)

·         Jamón {ha mon}(ham)

·         Pimentones {pee men tone ace}(peppers)

·         Champiñones {champe een yone ace}(mushrooms)

·         Jugo de naranja {who go day nah rahn ha}(orange juice)

·         Leche {lay chay}(milk)

·         Agua {ah gua}(water)

·         Aceite {ah say tay}(oil)

·         Tomates {toe mah tays} (tomatoes)

·         Corta la cebolla (cut the onion)

·         Rompe los huevos (crack the eggs)

·         Bate los huevos (scramble the eggs)

·         Agrega la sal (add the salt)

·         Sirve la leche (serve the milk)

·         Toma tu leche (drink your milk)

·         Come tus huevos (eat your eggs)