Today I would like to honor my mother, Sharon Kathleen Spellman, with this post.  It is the two year anniversary of her passing after her long, painful struggle with breast cancer.  I love you, mom!

This post goes out to all of our mothers, especially those living apart from us in other countries and continents away.  Let us never forget how important our mothers are in our (and our children’s) lives!

By Corey Heller
This post first appeared at An American Between Worlds

One cold evening in December in 1968, a woman named Sharon gave birth to me. She was young and vibrant and wanted me more than anything in the world.

On November 16th, 2008, at age 65, she let go of this world while I sat next to her, holding her hand, telling her how much we loved her and that she could go home whenever she was ready.

I miss her terribly.

Things weren’t always easy between my mother and me. We had our share of arguments (my journal is a testament to the details). But she was my only mother and I was her only daughter. We shared a bond which our petty differences couldn’t destroy. And now, without her, I feel raw and exposed, confused and floundering. What I wouldn’t give for one more chance to forgive and forget with a hug.

Life goes on but memories have their way of taking hold of our hearts and minds when we least expect it. Every now and then, a gentle sensation or a vivid reminder of my mother will bring me to my knees and fill my whole being with tears of sorrow.

The Grandchildren

Oh my children, I cry out for your loss. Grammy is no longer alive. She is no longer alive!

As my 7-year-old told his younger siblings: “What this means is that Grammy won’t say, ‘Oh, is that the dollar you got from the tooth fairy?‘ when we loose a tooth.”

No, Grammy will never say that ever again.  Never.

To my three-year-old: Will you even be able to remember your Grammy’s warm breath against your golden-red hair?

Photo Credit:  Steven Deplo

We are delighted to introduce a fantastic new contributor to Multilingual Living: Maria Hawkins!

Maria is a former public school teacher who now homeschools her children in English and Spanish.  We asked Maria if she would be willing to share her teaching and language knowledge to create Spanish language lessons for us to utilize at home (or the classroom) with our children.  She agreed!

Here is her first series of lessons titled, Las hojas estan cambiando (“the leaves are changing”).  A perfect series of lessons for this time of year in the northern hemisphere where things are getting chilly and the leaves are definitely falling.

Las Hojas Estan Cambiando (The Leaves Are Changing): Part One

As the weather changes this time of year I find even my homeschooling kids are ready to reinvigorate our daily rhythms and routines.

Lucky for me the approach of fall brings with it a plethora of subject matter for us to jump into.  And what better way to practice your Spanish than to use the changes happening all around to learn and have fun along with us.

One thing we all notice this time of year is all the changes in the environment and weather.  The leaves start to change colors and fall off, the weather gets cooler and farms all around are filled with the bustle of the fall harvest and two of our favorite crops: apples and pumpkins.

Throw in Halloween/Day of the Dead as winter approaches and there is lots to discover.  For each of these themes there is new vocabulary, books to read, and poems and songs to enjoy.

Overall suggestions:

1. Write each new word you encounter on a 3×5 card and have the kids help you illustrate the opposite side.  This will give you a working set of flashcards to use as you work through the activities.
2. Songs and poems are also a great way to practice your Spanish as they often involve a fun rhyme that makes them easy to remember.  Try writing out your favorites on large paper, have the kids add picture clues, and leave them up on the wall.  You can start each meal with singing your favorite song or reading your favorite poem.

Go to the next page to jump into the activities!

Activities:

Otoño esta aqui/Fall is here

For the first activities we’ll start with the season of fall and all the changes it brings to the world around us.  The weather changes, the fall harvest arrives and its time to use a whole new set of clothes.

Activity#1 – un dia de lluvia/a rainy day:

pocoyo un dia de lluvia – pocoyo a rainy day (video)

In this video Pocoyo is trying to figure out what to do with an umbrella.  Its a fun way to talk about how the weather is changing and some things you might use in the fall because of the rain and cooler weather.

After you watch the video let your kids imagine that its raining just like in the video and play with botas de lluvia, impermeables and paraguas while they practice their new vocabulary.

Some helpful vocabulary:

el viento – the wind
la lluvia – the rain
los nubes – the clouds
nublado – cloudy
las botas de lluvia – rainboots
el impermeable – raincoat
los pantalones/los pantalones largos – pants
el suéter – sweater
la camisa con mangas largas – long sleeve shirt
el paraguas – umbrella

Activity #2 – las hojas estan cayendo/the leaves are falling:

the leaves are falling (video)

In this video you learn a fun song about fall leaves and some new vocabulary.  Using the leaves you collect outside (or using paper leaves you make at home) see if you can follow along with her.

Start by just following the actions and then see if you can follow along with the song rhyme as well.

Some helpful vocabulary:

lanzar – to throw
arrugar - to crumple
crujir – to rustle
esconderse – to hide
el arbol – the tree
las hojas – the leaves
seca - dry
caer – to fall

Activity #3 – dar un paseo – take a walk

To practice your new vocabulary after watching the two previous videos head outside, to a park, or just around your neighborhood, and see what signs you can discover that tell you fall is here.  Now is a great time to play a game of “veo veo” or “I spy”.

Some example sentences:

Yo veo una hoja amarilla. I see a yellow leaf.
Yo veo una nube gris. I see a gray cloud.
Yo veo hojas secas en el piso. I see dried leaves on the ground.
Yo veo un hombre con un paraguas. I see a man with an umbrella.

Play as long as you can and then head home and enjoy a warm cup of chocolate (hot chocolate).

Libros/books to support your learning:

El libro de las Estaciones por Alice Provensen – This is a great book to use to talk about the changing seasons.  The story leads the reader through the seasons by following some children as they work and play through the year.  The illustrations are filled with details and great to use to talk about the different activities and changes that go with each season and go even beyond what is covered in the text.

The weather/El tiempo por Gladys Rosa-Mendoza – This bilingual board book teaches words related to weather.  Although it is just one or two words per page it is an easy way to introduce the subject.

El otoño por Nuria Roca – A simple book about fall with colorful illustrations.  Great way to support and continue immersion in fall vocabulary.

Mi Pequena Enciclopedia de Estaciones – This is part of a series of mini-encyclopedias which focuses on the seasons.  The text is approachable and the pictures are clear and helpful.

El Primer Otono de Clifford por Norman-Bridwell – This story follows Clifford as he experiences fall for the first time.  A fun way to practice colors and all the fall vocabulary in a different way.

Veamos el otono por Schuette This bilingual book looks at fall from a scientific lens and walks you through all that happens during the season.

Otoño por Tanya Thayer – This book has colorful pictures of all the characteristic changes of fall and has simple text that is easy to follow and understand.

Songs and poems to add to your learning:

Play music in the background when you are busy around the house and practice these songs and poems  together when you start Spanish time.

Songs/las canciónes:

Que llueva (audio)

Que llueva, que llueva
La Virgen de la Cueva
Los pajaritos cantan,
Las nubes se levantan.
La luna se levanta.
¡Que sí, que no,
que caiga un chaparrón!

Cae la lluvia (mp3 audio)

Cae la lluvia alrededor
en los techos, en la flor
Cae la lluvia en mi nariz,
manos, pies y estoy feliz.
Brilla el sol alrededor
en los techos, en la flor
Brilla el sol en mi nariz,
manos, pies y estoy feliz

Poems/ los poemas:

El otoño ya comienza otra vez, by Viviana Lasover

¡cómo me gusta saltar entre las hojas
que poco a poco comienzan a caer,
sentir al viento haciéndome cosquillas
en la cabeza, las manos y los pies!
Ya no me mojo, no juego más con agua
y un abrigo me tengo que poner,
porque termina el verano y el otoño
con su aire fresco ya comienza otra vez.

Otoño, by Cristina Muscarsel

Otoño llegó marrón y amarillo
Otoño llegó hojas secas derramó
Otoño llegó marrón y amarillo
Otoño llegó y el frío nos dejó

Keep an eye out for the next section when we’ll explore the farm in fall and especially focus on the harvest of apples and pumpkins.

Maria Hawkins grew up in New Mexico immersed in both Spanish and English. She has her National Teacher Certification in early childhood education and has taught in both bilingual and monolingual public schools. She currently keeps busy homeschooling her three bilingual children, teaching weekly Spanish classes for kids, and leading a Spanish Playgroup to support local bilingual families.

Did you like this post?
Subscribe to our RSS FEED (via favorite reader or your email address)!
Stay up-to-date, win prizes via our EMAIL LIST!

1,000+ pages of information and tips in Multilingual Living Magazine!

It is with pleasure that I introduce a new regular contributor: Sarah Dodson-Knight. Many of you know Sarah from her blog Bringing up Baby Bilingual and from her insightful columns in Multilingual Living Magazine where she shared her experiences teaching her nephew French and preparing to raise her own newborn in non-native French!  Welcome to Multilingual Living, Sarah!  We are delighted to have you.

Here begins Sarah’s 4-part summer series which both native and non-native families can enjoy. Let us know what you think!

Learning French in and Around the Garden

Maman:

Qu’est-ce que tu as planté aujourd’hui?

(What did you plant today?)

My two-year-old son:

Vers de terre!

(Worms!)

In celebration of summertime and its bounty, let’s play and learn in the jardin!

This is the first of a series of posts for Multilingual Living about using French with children via music, art, literacy, and kinesthetic activities.  In July and August, we’ll explore some activities centered on plants, growing, and spending time outside which you can use to introduce new words and concepts and then practice them in a rich and meaningful context.

Part I (Music, Rhythm, and Rhyme) is below; parts II through IV will follow in July and August.

Part One: Music, Rhythm, and Rhyme

The French folk song for children “Savez-vous planter les choux?“ serves as an ideal introduction to this month’s theme.  “Do you know how to plant cabbages the way we do at our place?” the song asks, before telling us about the various body parts the narrator uses when gardening – the hand, yes, but also the foot, the nose, and anything else you want to include.

Sing this song with your child (you can hear the tune here) and talk about the growing cycle, from planting a seed to watering and fertilizing to watching the plant grow and finally harvesting it.  You might need the following vocabulary in French:

Verbs and expressions:

Planter = to plant

Pousser = to grow

Jardiner, faire du jardinage = to garden

Arroser = to water

Nouns:

Le jardin = garden

Le potager = the vegetable garden

Le jardinier, la jardinière = the gardener

La graine = the seed

La racine = the root

La fleur = the flower

La plante = the plant

Le ver de terre = the earthworm

(For a substantially more extensive list, including names of garden tools, different types of gardens, and plants typically found in gardens, see Bright Hub.)