At Home, Classroom, Community Support, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Schools,

THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT: ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT BOOK SHARING

August 26, 2014

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photo credit: Mary Ann @ flickr.com “Come here, little huggy bear!” “Are you ready for bed, my little coconut candy?” “Let’s put your coat on, my flea!” If you’ve ever used any of these terms of endearment with a child, English probably isn’t your first language! And if English is your first language, you probably can’t imagine calling your baby a “tiny elephant”, like they do in Thailand, or “breadcrumb”, which is popular in Finland. Whether you are used to calling your loved ones “pumpkin”,............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Dual Language, Families,

5 (FUN!) IDEAS TO INCORPORATE LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL LEARNING INTO YOUR FAMILY’S PLANS THIS SUMMER

July 24, 2014

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    photo credits: Jens Nink, Heather West, both @ flickr.com With summer here, many parents have a challenge ahead of them:  keeping kids productively entertained until school starts up again. Whether you or your partner is a stay-at-home parent, or you just want to make the most of these warm, sunny summer nights and weekends, there’s no reason you can’t make language and cultural learning part of your routine! Here are 5 ideas on how you can make learning about a new culture............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Dual Language, Families, Libraries,

YOUR BILINGUAL STAYCATION STARTS HERE!

May 27, 2014

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This summer, are you looking for a vacation that’s easy, cheap, environmentally friendly, relaxing, educational and fun no matter what the weather?  Give up the hours you’d normally spend trawling the internet looking for the perfect spot and instead opt for a Bilingual Staycation!  You’ll be able to spend these sweltering months bonding with your child and learning more than you ever would poolside at a resort. To take a staycation, you simply need to stay put and enjoy your hometown and its............. CONTINUE READING

Book Reviews, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Giveaways, Libraries, Schools,

SMILE! YOU’RE ABOUT TO GET A FREE BOOK!

May 20, 2014

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With spring finally here, it’s hard not to SMILE! And did you know that NATIONAL SMILE POWER DAY is just around the corner on June 15th, 2014? (Yes, this is also Father’s Day… another reason to smile!) With this in mind, we’ve decided to GIVE AWAY our favorite bilingual book about SMILING: Augustus and His Smile. This award-winning book – available in over 20 languages* – teaches children that happiness can be found all around and within us (see review............. CONTINUE READING

Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, International Folktale Characters, Libraries, Schools,

INTERNATIONAL FOLKTALE CHARACTER: MAMY WATA

April 16, 2014

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    Woohoo!  It’s almost summer!  Let’s go SWIMMING! Did you bring your bathing suit?  Oh yeah…um…I totally left it at home…plus you know, I ate less than half an hour ago…I don’t want to get a cramp… You’re looking decidedly shifty. What’s the real reason you don’t want to go swimming?  Ok, to be honest, it’s because I’ve been doing some reading up on popular African deity Mamy Wata. Who?  Mamy Wata, which means “Mother Water”.  She’s a water entity worshipped by many people in............. CONTINUE READING

Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs,

TIME TO CELEBRATE YOUR DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS!

March 12, 2014

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It’s snowing – again.  Inside your classroom, the three and four year olds you teach are restless and frustrated.  Their little noses are pressed up against the windows where paper snowflakes, which looked magical in December, now wilt miserably.  “So much snow,” says a little girl who is growing up learning both English and Korean, her home language.  The boy next to her, whose parents speak only Spanish, nods and says, “I want to play outside.” The children have been working (and............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Libraries, Schools,

OUR PERSONAL SHOPPERS ARE AT YOUR SERVICE!

March 5, 2014

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We are pleased to announce that Language Lizard is now offering a complimentary Personal Shopper Service to simplify ordering of bilingual books, multilingual posters, and teacher resources. You gave us your feedback, and we heard you!  Many of you are trying to support language learners but don’t have the time to look through our site to select specific titles. Now you can make your life easier by working with one of our Personal Shoppers, who will listen to your requirements, find the right products,............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Book Reviews, Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families,

MAKE 2014 YOUR YEAR OF THE STRONG WOMAN

January 7, 2014

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  It’s New Year’s Eve in Times Square, and who’s that woman with the big grin leading millions of Americans into 2014?  It’s Justice Sonia Sotomayor, with a commanding view of her hometown and her hand firmly on that all-important crystal button. Why did organizers choose Justice Sotomayor?  To put it simply, she is an inspiration.  From humble beginnings, she graduated from Princeton and then Yale Law School.  Her law career went from strength to strength, and she rose through the ranks to become............. CONTINUE READING

Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Schools, Teaching Resources,

TOP TEN GAMES TO PLAY WITH BILINGUAL CHILDREN’S BOOKS

December 4, 2013

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  Using flash cards and rote learning to teach an additional language is like looking at pictures of a turkey dinner instead of sitting down to eat the wonderful meal.  There are so many more interesting ways to experience learning and using a new language! And bilingual books are a great place to start. In April of this year, ScienceDaily.com ran an article supporting what we already know: “playing simple games using words and pictures............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Community Support, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families,

3 WAYS TO CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING…BILINGUALLY!

November 26, 2013

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    Thanksgiving is one of the only times during the year when we can all come together and celebrate the beauty in our lives that we experience for free.  We can enjoy our friends, neighbors, and families while avoiding the stress of some other holidays.  Best of all, everyone of all faiths and backgrounds can participate in this truly American holiday. So how can you use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to promote bilingualism? Reconnect Thanksgiving is such a special time, perfect for getting back in touch............. CONTINUE READING