Free Customizable Picture Book Apps

A quick post about a set of apps that is free... for now at least. They are the "I Like" Picture Books apps from Grasshopper Apps.

They're in English, but and this is a big BUT, you can customize the photos, text and the sound recordings. I downloaded the "I Like Colors" book and yes, I was able to customize it using my own voice and text turning it into a Spanish picture book. (I haven't tried changing the photos yet, because I wanted to get the word out as quickly as possible about this app!)

From the site:

All “I Like” Picture Books contain engaging stories written by Miranda Paul and stunning crisp photographs. Words are highlighted as they are being read to optimize the learning curve. Literally everything is customizable; add your own voice, your own photos and even your own story line!

There are other free ones as well such as I Like Numbers, I Like Grandpa, I Like School, I Like Planes and several more. 

Caramba Kids by José-Luis Orozco

Just saw on Spanglish Baby’s Facebook page that José-Luis Orozco has a new site:

Caramba Kids is developing a new and innovative education program based on the music of renowned bilingual educator Jose-Luis Orozco. Our team consists of award-winning experts in animation, music, technology and early childhood development who are committed to the development of exciting educational content for children 8 and under.

You’ll find printable activities in both English and Spanish. They already have a YouTube channel as well as a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

This is great! I remember using his songs all the time when I taught preschool Spanish.

Pocoyó YouTube Channel

After our Spanish lesson, my younger son and I watched a few episodes of Pocoyó on YouTube. It was nice to see that they have their own channel now. What’s really funny is that he wanted to watch an English version “just to see what it was like.” After less than a minute, he said he didn’t like it nearly as much.

Free Spanish homeschool/classroom lesson plans

Today the folks at the Foreign Language House posted a great resource on their Facebook page. Whistlefritz, which produces immersion-based, award-winning CDs and DVDs now have made lesson plans available for free on their website:

Whistlefritz® DVDs teach Spanish using a multi-sensory approach: children hear, see, speak, and move to, Spanish. As every parent and teacher knows, repetition is the key to learning a language. Our new Lesson Plans pick up where the DVDs leave off. The Lessons give children more opportunities to practice the words they are learning in our Spanish DVD programs.

Where to go:
Whistlefritz - homeschool lesson plans
Whistlefritz - About Us
Foreign Language House Facebook Page

Free thematic units in Spanish and other languages

I was just reading through my CASLS newsletter that I receive once a week via email, when my mouse stopped in its tracks. Here is the article in its entirety:

K-12 Thematic Units Available for Download

The National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center is pleased to announce that they have now made available on their website as free Adobe PDF downloads all of their K-12 standards-based thematic units: six in Spanish and three in French, as well as their teacher’s guide to the national Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. Each may still be purchased at cost in paper format.

Additionally, a new publication, A Thematic Unit: Let’s Go to School in Japan! (Jessica Haxhi, Author), is now available for downloading. DVDs of the accompanying five, one-hour Japanese demonstration classes for fifth and sixth grade students also can be purchased.

Access all of these resources at http://wayback.archive-it.org/855/20101103145624/http://nflrc.iastate.edu/pubs/units/unitsList.html 

WOW! As soon as I saw this, I had to share. Enjoy!

(Edited 3/6/2011 - updated link)

Over at the Foreign Language Fun Blog…

This evening I was reading through my blog list when this review at the Foreign Language Fun blog caught my attention. Diane, a French teacher, who is encouraging her sons to learn Spanish as well, wrote a post about Sing-a-Lingo. To me her review has clout because of her background in education and foreign languages.  So, I decided to click on the video:

And I have to admit, I was hooked as well. This music is fun and I could definitely see young children learning Spanish by listening to it.

Where to go:
Foreign Language Fun Blog
Sing-a-Lingo
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Family Literacy Bag for The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Just received this in my inbox this morning from CASLS (The Center for Applied Second Language Studies at the University of Oregon):

From http://readingrockets.org

Eric Carle's classic picture book is celebrating 40 years of delighting young children and adults with its simple concepts and brilliantly colorful illustrations. Reading Rockets has created a new family literacy bag inspired by the Hungry Caterpillar — activities that invite parents and kids to explore together the book's themes (in English and Spanish).

Read about the Family Literacy Bags at http://readingrockets.org/article/27935 .

Download the activity kit in English from http://readingrockets.org/content/pdfs/literacybags/Caterpillar_English.pdf or in Spanish from http://readingrockets.org/content/pdfs/literacybags/Caterpillar_Spanish.pdf .

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Dinosaurs and numbers in Spanish

Funny how a teachable moment can evolve… The boys received their Easter baskets a week early from their grandma. Each one was packed with toys and lots of candy. Included in each was a 3-D foam dinosaur puzzle. In the package were two pieces of foam with the pieces precut and then a diagram of the pieces labeled with numbers. The directions were fairly simple… choose two pieces with the same number and construct the puzzle according to the numbers.

So, my little guy and I began putting together the tyrannosaurus which had about 25 pieces. As we were working on it, I realized that this definitely could be a teachable moment. So as we searched for the matching numbers, I started speaking in Spanish only. My son didn’t bat an eye! Then he started speaking in Spanish. I would ask “'¿Dónde está número once?” He would then look at the diagram saying over and over “once, once, once” until he found the piece. I honestly don’t think he realized he was doing this!

Oh, and we listened to Spanish language music in the background (Jarabe de Palo station on Pandora.com).

So, if you’re teaching your children Spanish at home, look out for those teachable moments. They’re everywhere!

Additional numbers activities:
OnlineFreeSpanish.com printable worksheets: http://www.onlinefreespanish.com/aplica/coloringpages/printables/numbers110/printnum110.htm

OnlineFreeSpanish.com activity: http://www.onlinefreespanish.com/aplica/lessons/numbers110.htm
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¡A Prepararse Para Kindergarten!

¡A Prepararse Para Kindergarten! (Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten!) is packed with information in both Spanish and English for your up and coming kindergartner. Some of the early childhood skills your child may acquire in both languages include learning the alphabet, recognizing your left and right hand, knowing the basic colors, shapes and numbers 0-20, using positional words and more.

Stacey Kannenberg is the co-author and publisher (Cedar Valley Publishing). According to her bio, she is a nationally renowned education expert and award winning author with an expertise in children’s education. For the Spanish translations, she enlisted the help from native speakers and educators alike.

As a Spanish-language teaching tool for someone who is a native speaker or someone who is very familiar with the language, I think this book could be quite useful. It covers many of the basics from numbers, the alphabet, colors, shapes, parts of the body, days of the week, months of the year and so on. Quite handy to have in one book. Another thing I liked is that you can use dry erase markers on all the pages, so that makes it more interactive for your child.

On the other hand, if you’re not very familiar with the language, I’m afraid this book wouldn’t be as useful. Some of the words have the phonetic pronunciations included, but not the majority of them. I realize space was probably at a premium, but I would’ve liked to have seen this throughout the book. Additionally, some of the pages were very busy with the graphics and text. For example, the frequently used words page is quite confusing. Perhaps if the words had been organized in a table, it would've been easier to digest.  Also, with the Spanish vocabulary, I would have liked to have seen the definite articles used where applicable.

Overall, I think it would be fine for a teaching tool for those who are knowledgeable in the language. Personally, I probably will not use it with my younger child only because I prefer the immersion method as opposed to translation.

Where to go:
Cedar Valley Publishing: http://cedarvalleypublishing.com/proddetail.php?prod=CV-SK
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Web site: Online Free Spanish

Go over to El Rincón Español for a review of the Online Free Spanish site. I’m very impressed by the materials and the quality of the site itself.

Review: Foreign Language Friends

Foreign Language Friends is a web-based learning program geared towards young children and I’m pretty excited about it… no, actually I’m very excited about it. From the site:

Foreign Language Friends is a complete multimedia experience designed to help your children learn a foreign language easily and successfully. Through unique and entertaining activities, your children will discover their unique ability to learn a foreign language almost effortlessly. 

The theme-based program covers shapes, body parts, zoo animals, sea animals, family and more. (New themes are added on a regular basis.) With each theme there are seven activities such as Vocab Builder, Memory Match, Animation (completely in the target language) and several others finishing up with a printable booklet that can be used to reinforce the new vocabulary.

Even though your children could use the program independently, they recommend involving the entire family. I would as well. I think it’s very important to reinforce the language at home. For example, after doing the exercises for the shapes section, you and your children could go on a “shape hunt” in your house using the new vocabulary. (In fact, my head is buzzing with ideas for this.)

My six-year old was reluctant at first, as he is when it comes to almost anything that has to do with Spanish, but even this program hooked him. Yes, it did. His favorite parts are the matching game, the animation clip and the vocab builder activity. When I asked what he thought about Foreign Language Friends, he said enthusiastically, “I like it, I just like it!”

Monthly subscriptions are $9.95 a month or save and pay $99.95 for the year. But right now, Foreign Language Friends is offering a 7-day free trial for individuals and families so that you can try it out yourself. (For educational institutions, click here for information on pricing.)
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Childtopia: Online games and more for children

Quick post to share with you this site that I ran across thanks to the Ñandu email list. The site is called Childtopia and is available in Spanish, French, Catalan, Basque and English. You’ll find the following activities:

I can’t wait to explore it more!
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Book: First Spanish Words

First Spanish Words
Illustrated by David Melling, Compiled by Neil Morris
Oxford University Press
November 2008
48 full color pages
Ages: 4-8
ISBN: 978-0-19-911004-9

 

 

From the publisher:

"… each volume takes the reader on a picture-book journey through a child’s typical day. There is a bird’s eye view of an early morning at home. the journey to school, inside the classroom, at a birthday party and even a trip to the museum and the beach. Aside from the useful everyday items, these books also incorporate many children’s favorite things; airplanes, dinosaurs and even fairy tale characters… These books also include supplementary material—a picture/word matching game, a learning to count page, identifying shapes, opposites, the weather, time, and a comprehensive index.”

When I looked through First Spanish Words my initial thoughts were that this book was doable and not so overwhelming. On each page you’ll find a large, two-page spread illustration based on a theme with vocabulary words on both sides. For example on the Nuestra clase page there are only 18 vocabulary words. In similar books I’ve seen as many as 35-40 which can be quite overwhelming to a child learning a new language. (In total there are over 400 words with English translations.)

Also, I really love the illustrations which invite you to use the new vocabulary—either make up stories about the characters and scenes or play games. For instance, I could see a parent and child playing ¿Dónde está… ? (Where is… ?), ¿De qué color es… ? (What color is… ?) or Veo-veo (I Spy). For more advanced students, you could even make up an entire story to go along with the illustration… Había una vez…

In addition to Spanish, Oxford Press offers the First Words Series in French and German as well.
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Tips from TLSB readers – bilingual book for preschoolers

 
From Rachael:

I just started reading a bilingual book to my preschoolers. They love this book "Tim and Kim" by Kay Linda Nord. It is really cute. Anyway, with the book we have made a new game. Whoever can use the words we learned in Spanish the most in one day, gets to pick the story to read at night. I love it when learning tools are so much fun! And this will be perfect!

Since we are sharing, here is where I found the book - http://kaylindanord.com. It is great because it has cute illustrations and both English and Spanish (Mexican not the traditional Castilian) on the same page so you can follow along.

If you have any tips or advice for other TLSB readers, you may send me an email and I will post them. ¡Gracias!
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We Are Little Amigos CD Giveaway

 
The Foreign Language Fun Blog is giving away a copy of the We Are Little Amigos cd. This would be perfect for both the home and classroom. From the blog:

Fun is exactly what you’ll find in the We Are Little Amigos CD. I ordered my copy the other week, and my kids LOVE it. You should see them dancing away. Mirabel Suardy, a native speaker and the creative genius behind the CD, has put easy-to-remember lyrics to familiar, upbeat tunes. I know very little Spanish, but the bilingual songs are easy to pick up and remember. I even find myself singing little Spanish phrases throughout my day.

So, go over there for a chance to win!
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Scholastic's Club Leo

 
One of my readers, Tricia, sent me an email about Scholastic's Club Leo which is a great resource for Spanish, English, and bilingual books from the U.S., Latin America, and Spain.


By now your child's teacher has probably already sent home Scholastic book order forms or will very soon. My kindergartner came home with one on Friday. I'm going to ask his teacher if we can also order from Club Leo. The prices are unbeatable and parents do not have to pay for shipping and handling. Also, the teachers will benefit by getting points towards books and materials for their classrooms. It's certainly a win-win situation.

Thanks for the tip, Tricia!
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Pocoyó - New activities on web site

 
As I was exploring the Pocoyó site, I noticed that new printable activities had been added. Click on the characters at the top of the screen to access them. You'll find masks, coloring pages, and crafts for each character. Enjoy!


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Pocoyó - Exigente Pato

 


Keywords and phrases:

exigente - fussy, demanding

la mancha - spot, stain
la bañera - bathtub (Tina is more common in Latin America.)

pintar con los dedos - fingerpaint
Pinto - I paint.
Pintas - You paint.
Pinta - He/She paints.

estar limpio(a) - to be clean
estar sucio(a) - to be dirty

Estoy limpio. (For a girl - limpia.) - I am clean.
Estás limpio. - You are clean.
Está limpio. - He/She is clean.
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Pocoyó - Música Maestro

Keywords and phrases:

la orquesta pelota - ball orchestra
los instrumentos musicales - musical instruments
un par de platillos - a pair of cymbals
un tambor - drum
una trompeta - trumpet

necesitar descansar - to need to rest
Necesita descansar. - He/She needs to rest.
Necesitas descansar. - You need to rest.
Necesito descansar. - I need to rest. (so true...)

tener una idea - to have an idea
Tiene una idea. - He/She has an idea.
Tienes una idea. - You have an idea.
Tengo una idea. - I have an idea.

tocar la trompeta - to play the trumpet
Toca la trompeta. - He/She plays the trumpet.
Tocas la trompeta. - You play the trumpet.
Toco la trompeta. - I play the trumpet.

Es una lástima. - It's a shame.

La música está en todas partes. - Music is everywhere. (It's also correct to say por todas partes. I've heard por more often in this context.)
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Good site for some YouTube tricks: http://lifehacker.com/400630/top-10-youtube-hacks

Also, I use RealPlayer to download YouTube videos and watch them offline.
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Teaching parts of the face with a monster puppet

When talking about the parts of the face in Spanish, I know that many teachers use Mr. Potato Head in class. Well, about a year ago, I saw the Melissa & Doug Make Your Own Monster Puppet online and a lightbulb went off. Wouldn't this be great to use instead of or in addition to Mr. Potato Head?

I finally got around to buying one last week through Amazon. I laid out all the parts for you to see. (To enlarge, click on photo.) For $15 and some change, I really think you get a good deal.

Imagine using this in class. The children helping him find his eyes... "No puedo ver. ¿Dónde están mis ojos?" The child or teacher can place them in the right place. The puppet then could say Puedo ver. ¡Gracias! You could do the same with the nose, ears and arms even. You could also put them in the wrong place - such as placing the eyes under the mouth and then the students could tell you the correct place.

I have to say that I can't wait to use this little guy in class. I think the kids will love him!
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