Spanish Tip of the week: Estar afuera

Estar Afuera!

(Being Outside!)

Some days it feels like Spring- and some days it feels like the groundhog must have seen quite the shadow, because we are clearly in for several more weeks of winter. But no matter how it feels, the fact is that we’ve almost arrived. It’s almost that time of year when when sunshine, flowers, and raindrops on roses replace snow, sleet, and "wintery mix". Lots of time will spent outside, and the places we go, the games we play, and the toys we use will change. You're creating memories every day as a family... why not create them in two languages?! Here are a few phrases to help you prepare and to keep your spirits up, even if the mercury isn’t. (Again, we’re almost there!)

Let's go/we're going… 

Vamos…

to the beach	to the pool	to the park	to the sprinkler park
a la playa	a la piscina	al parque	al parque de los   aspersores

Do you want to play...

¿Quieres jugar...

with sand	with water	in the sprinkler	in the back yard
con arena	con agua	en el aspersor	en el jardín

Diviértanse!  
(Have fun!)

Spanish Tip of the Week: A game to try at home

If you are looking for more opportunities to practice Spanish with your children, repetitive games, songs, and rhymes can be a great way to build vocabulary and increase your child's comfort level while using Spanish. Try this game at home to practice syntax and color names. Remember, in Spanish we usually put the adjective after the noun, such as in camisa azul (blue shirt), pantalones rojos (red pants), or zapatos negros (black shoes). This game will help you practice.

“¿Dónde está el osito?” 

Cover some paper cups with colored construction paper, or have your child color or paint white cups.

Hide a small object under the paper cup (like a small bear) and have your child guess where it is by asking them...

 “Where is the bear?”
“¿Dónde está el osito?”

(Dohn-deh eh-stah el oh-see-toe)

Only the person who hides the object can touch the cups so they HAVE to practice their Spanish to figure out where it is!

Encourage full sentences like...

“The bear is under the blue cup.”
“El osito está bajo el vaso azul.” 

(El oh-see-toe eh-stah bah-joe el vah-soe ah-sool)

Keep guessing in Spanish until they find it. For more variations, label the cups with letters, numbers, or shapes instead of using colors.  Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!

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)!