At Home, Classroom, Community Support, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Holidays, Lesson Plans, Schools, Teaching Resources,

CHINESE NEW YEAR & DENTAL HEALTH MONTH: DISCOUNTS & RESOURCES

January 13, 2015

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Plan early – the month of February brings two great events to enjoy with the kids: Chinese New Year and Dental Health Month. Read on for discounts and free resources that will add a bilingual twist to your celebrations! (Read about other New Year celebrations around the world here.) Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is on February 19, 2015. Also known as Spring Festival, Chinese New Year is the country’s most .......... CONTINUE READING

At Home, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Holidays,

A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION FOR LANGUAGE LEARNERS

January 1, 2015

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If your plans for the new year include learning a new language with your kids, or passing on your native language to them, there is one New Year’s resolution that will help your kids learn faster and also make the process more fun for the whole family. Bilinguals: “Brain Bodybuilders” In addition to the many and varied benefits to being bilingual, new research has found something new: bilinguals have more efficient brains that filter out............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Families, Holidays,

CELEBRATE WITH HOLIDAY FOODS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

December 16, 2014

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photo by Anderson Mancini via Flickr Your little ones are home for winter break, perhaps stuck inside because of bad weather. Or you have out-of-town guests visiting, and many meals to plan. Don’t let holiday stress get you down! Take a culinary journey by trying out these winter holiday dishes from all around the world. Use it as a creative potluck theme, and everyone can join in the fun! Follow up each meal with a storybook from............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Families, Holidays,

LANGUAGE LIZARD’S BILINGUAL GIFT GUIDE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

December 3, 2014

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Research has shown there are countless benefits to growing up with more than one language. Better higher-level brain function, and improved communication and problem-solving skills are just a few. If you’re searching for a bilingual holiday gift, we can help you pick just the right item for that special language learner in your life. Bilingual Families Families that already speak a second language will love the gift of a dual-language book. Language Lizard offers hundreds of............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Classroom, Community Support, Families, Holidays, Language Lizard Announcements,

NOW THROUGH #GIVINGTUESDAY (12/2/14) GET 10% OFF GIFT CERTIFICATES! GIVE THE GIFT OF LANGUAGE & CULTURE FOR LESS

November 25, 2014

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Most of us are preparing to give thanks for our blessings on Thanksgiving.  We at Language Lizard are grateful for all the work you do to promote language learning and multicultural education in the classroom and at home. This year, we are thinking beyond Thanksgiving and the Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping deals that follow. We are proud to be joining the many organizations around the world celebrating #GivingTuesday.  We’d like to help you get involved too! What is #GivingTuesday? #GivingTuesday was............. CONTINUE READING

At Home, Classroom, Families, Holidays, Teaching Resources,

5 KID CRAFTS THAT ADD MULTICULTURAL TRADITIONS TO YOUR THANKSGIVING

November 19, 2014

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Bring cultural diversity and international flavor to your Thanksgiving with these five easy kid crafts. The best part? They can all be made with materials you probably already have. Plus, they involve minimal mess and are simple enough for most kids to complete on their own. (You can also check out our previous posts for ways to celebrate a bilingual Thanksgiving, at home or in the classroom.) Thanksgiving: Here and Around the World The first Thanksgiving............. CONTINUE READING

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

CELEBRATING THE BILINGUAL CHILD MONTH – $100 GRANT AVAILABLE!

October 1, 2014

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photo credit: Katherine Dykstra @flickr.com October is “Celebrating the Bilingual Child Month”! To help you celebrate, Language Lizard is offering a $100 Gift Certificate for Bilingual Children’s Books! Books are available in over 40 languages and it’s easy to enter. Simply go towww.LanguageLizard.com/bilingual-book-grant-2014.htm to submit the form for entry.  And don’t forget to let your favorite teachers and local librarians know about the giveaway! If you’re looking for other ways to celebrate this month, read 10 great ideas in our blog post: Celebrate the Bilingual............. CONTINUE READING

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

Families, Giveaways,

NEW GIVEAWAY: READ TO ME!

August 8, 2014

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Would you like to receive a free reading guide for young children? The Read to Me! Program in Nova Scotia, Canada recently put together a wonderful month-to-month Guide to Reading with Your Baby in the First Year.  Each month gives information about a baby’s development, tips, recommended books, and rhymes.  And the guide is even provided to children in Arabic, Chinese and French! The Guide is a wonderful resource for early childhood educators and new parents alike, and now you can win a FREE copy.............. 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