Paris ne c'est pas fait en un Jour (or "shoe", if you're my 2 year old)

Music is one of the best (and fastest means of getting your children excited about a second language).  The trick is to make it easy on the ears (your children's and your own).

I use my daily commute to and from school as "language learning time" for my kids.  I have a small collection of really great music CDs in Spanish (and French) that my kids love to listen to.  A few, I merely tolerate, but there are several that I LOVE.

Putumayo Kids puts out a variety of multicultural and foreign language music CDs for kids that are very "easy on the ears" for adults and children alike.  Their French children's CD, "French Playground"  is so much fun.  No sooner than I have her buckled in her car seat than my 2-year old daughter begins her daily chant, "Can I hear the French songs?  PLEEEEASE!"  And it is certainly a delight for me when I hear her singing- she knows all the songs by now, including my favorite, "Lutece," where my daughter belts out about how Paris wasn't built in a shoe ("Paris ne c'est pas fait, en un Shoe!!!")

What are your favorite children's music CD's in Spanish? French? Other foreign languages?  Share your favorites, we'd love to know!

-Consuelo Bova
CEO, SmartMouthLearning.com 

We are LIVE! There is a new home for bilingual parents & foreign language (fun)loving kids online!!

I am so proud to announce that our site, SmartMouthLearning.com has gone LIVE!

SmartMouthLearning.com is OPEN for fun language learning!

Our new store has so much to offer bilingual families and children in the midst of learning a new, foreign language:

• TOYS, DOLLS, & Other fun accessories for language learning- everything about teaching children a foreign language should be fun, accessible and not over-bearing.  What a better place to start than with toys!!  The holidays are around the corner- give your child the gift of a second language!
  
• BOOKS:  Bilingual and foreign language additions of your child's old favorites (and some soon-to-be favorites)!  We feature books in Spanish, French, & Chinese- with more languages coming soon!  
• Music, DVD's, Computer Media- it's all coming soon

The goal for us is to make sharing a second language with your child easier and more fun.  Please let us know how we're doing- if there are products you'd like to see, let us know!  We're adding new products all the time and we certainly want your feedback about what new products you would like to see.  Leave your comments below, join our Facebook community, or send us email to CustomerService@SmartMouthLearning.com

Please visit us soon & join the language learning fun!

Thanks,

Consuelo Bova,

CEO, SmartMouthLearning.com

The World by Mouth: Cook with your kids!

I love to cook, but as a busy working Mom, most of my best "work" in the kitchen comes to life on  the weekends, cooking for my family.  I involve the children as much as I can (in the cooking and the eating).  Cooking with children is a goldmine of opportunities for teaching- math, science, and culture lessons abound.

This weekend we visited France and Italy.  Saturday morning we made crepes- yogurt & banana for Dylan, chocolate and almond with bananas for the boys, and a savory ham & swiss for me.  I talked to the kids about their favorite ingredients, we reviewed the words for their favorites in French and the y all enjoyed sampling their creations!

Last night I left short ribs braising in red wine and star anise, so that this morning we could work on some fresh pasta for a Sunday lunch.  Jack LOVES pasta with pesto sauce- it's his favorite meal.  This was a chance to show him how pasta is made.  I started with the dry pasta from a box, letting him touch and feel and explaining that today we would learn how pasta "comes to be" if you will- from a fresh dough to the dry stuff in the box.  We worked on numbers as he helped with measuring flour and counting eggs (and of course kneading and getting your hands dirty is as much fun as any afternoon with PlayDoh would be.  It's resting in the fridge now and in a few hours- we'll enjoy our pasta lunch feast.  I'm thinking it's time to introduce a few words in Italian (we have a trip to Italy in the works for next year- it would be nice for the kids to know a few words when we get there).

What better way to introduce the Italian language?  Homemade Pappardelle w/ Red Wine & Star Anise Short Rib Ragout

Talking and laughing around the table, enjoying a delicious meal- this is the universal language understood around the world.  So whatever language you are working on with your children- take a moment to cook something delicious from that culture together, and savor your work- talk about it, laugh about it - you'll so how fun, easy (and delicious) it can be to teach kids a foreign language!

Enjoy your weekend,

Consuelo Bova,
CEO of SmartMouthLearning.com

Is your child obsessed with Disney Pixar Cars2? Great! It's a language learning tool, too!

If your kids are, well, kids- they probably dragged you to see Cars2 this weekend & haven't stopped talking about it since.  Going to the store should be fun, too- what with Cars2 toys, cereal, t-shirts, candy and other goodies on display at every turn.   So what is a parent to do?  Well, one good move is to take these little "obsessions" and turn them to your advantage!  Many of your children's favorite characters and series are featured in kid-friendly, bilingual products.  Books and DVDs are somewhat available, but for a change- check out this cool toy from V-Tech!  It is the V-Tech Disney Pixar Cars 2 McQueen Learning Atlas.  Selling for an average retail price of about $20, it is a reasonably priced, super fun way to indulge your little Cars fan, while achieving your bilingual education goals!  It features a "foreign language" game, where the child presses points on the globe, and hears common phrases in the native language of that country- French, Spanish, and others are featured (retails for about 19.99).  The interactive world map features all of the continents, major capitol cities, and landmarks (and the all important Cars characters, including McQueen himself spouting fun phrases).  Other games teach geography, landmarks, and more.

So go on- indulge them!  Besides, you know you enjoyed the movie, too! 

-Consuelo Bova, CEO of SmartMouthLearning.com