This week we present a bilingual bedtime story for your reading enjoyment. The Going to Bed Book is one of our favorites by Sandra Boynton, and we frequently read it to Maya and Mateo before they drift off to dreamland, so when I found the Spanish translation, I knew we had to have it!  This is a story of some furry friends who are getting ready for bed on a boat in the middle of the ocean. They bath, brush their teeth, put on pajamas, exercise, turn off the light, and fall asleep. It is perfect for establishing a bedtime routine (well, except for the ill-advised placement of the exercise regime!) and helps reinforce that young ones must brush their teeth before bed.  We love to laugh at the funny antics of Boynton's animal characters, and we hope you enjoy this bedtime story with us! Buenas noches a todos!

 I just became a consultant for the children's book company Usborne & More , because I was enticed by the prospect of free books and 25% commission on book sales. I attended a Facebook friend's online virtual book party about a month ago, and I was hooked. The company impressed me because along with an extensive catalog offering of interactive and engaging children's books geared towards little ones birth through adolescence, they also offer over 130 titles in Spanish. Finding good quality, well-translated books in Spanish is actually quite difficult, so I jumped at the chance to expand Maya and Mateo's library!  Here are Maya and Mateo showing off some of their favorite Usborne Books in English and Spanish from the "That's not my..." series: Este no es mi tractor ... and That's not my unicorn ... Since we are raising emerging bilingual readers, the availability of bilingual books in our home is a necessity. I share this with you today, because if ...

 This week we're going to do a little dance during Storytime Bilingue--a barnyard boogie! In the next installment of our august's author study, we read Danza del corral!  by Sandra Boynton. Led by the barnyard cow, the book reads like a song itself and you might not be able to stop yourself from clapping or stomping along. So get ready to ... Gira con el cerdo o tal vez con el gallo. Brinca con el conejito. Pasea con el pato. Baila con los pollos locos. Galopa con los caballos. Corre con los ratones. Queda con el burro. Desliza con los corderos. Enloque con los pollitos. Trota con el pavo. Salta con la rana. Y dale una vuelta al perro de la granja. 

As a mom during COVID-19, I am paralyzed with decisions this year. It's as if every decision is a life-or-death situation, because although we are 159 days into social distance quarantine, the end is still not yet within sight.  We have been so lucky that nobody in our immediate family has contracted the virus, and I think it is due to my stringent social distancing of our family. No parties, no gatherings, no carne asadas, no unnecessary outings anywhere. But as our country and our world begins to open up just a little bit... parents are facing some big and some little decisions. Should we return to work? To school? To church? To shop? Can we attend that baby shower or birthday party? What about soccer games? On the surface, each of these activities seem safe enough, if we can maintain six feet of social separation and proper personal protection equipment. But no matter how much we try to protect ourselves and our little ones, as soon as we step beyond the safety of our social dis...

Ever struggle getting dressed in the morning? It's a developmental milestone for toddlers as they gain the confidence and coordination to put on their clothes independently, and I can attest that as our little emerging bilinguals grow, they also become much more opinionated about what they want to wear! Not only does she like to pick out her outfit for each day, Maya also enjoys picking out what her little brother is going to wear. And now that she knows which shoes go on which feet, it definitely makes getting out of the house easier. Join us for our Storytime Bilingue this week to read the funny chronicles of a crazy little turkey who is trying to get dressed, but having a lot of difficulty! This week, we continue our author study and read another Sandra Boynton board book in Spanish for our Bilingual Storytime. The book is titled Azul Sombrero, Verde Sombrero  and teaches/reinforces colors and articles of clothing in Spanish. So follow along and learn how to say hat, shirt, shoe...

Cultural relativism is a term often used in social sciences to define the idea that a person’s beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person’s own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another. Although its usage stems from anthropology, the idea framework is something everyone in today’s world should be aware of and make a commitment to follow.  Referring to the United States as a melting pot dates back to 1908, and although our country is even more diverse today, discrimination and enthocentrism still permeates our society. As I’m raising our emerging bilinguals, I’d like to instill in them a commitment to cultural relativism, and teach them how to have cross-cultural relationships, as they are bicultural beings themselves.  A cross-cultural relationship is the idea that people from different cultures can have relationships that acknowledge, respect, and begin to understand each other's diverse lives. By fostering cross-cultural...

One of my favorite children's authors of board books is Sandra Boyton. I never appreciated the value of board books until Maya was an infant and taught me babies don't just like to read books, they also like to gnaw on them, stand on them, stack them, throw them, and of course, look at the pictures and hear the stories over and over and over while snuggled in Mami's lap. Board books are the best because they are built to withstand all the love an emerging infant reading doles out! A friend of ours gifted us with a small collection of Boyton board books when Maya was little, and they are some of her favorite. The stories are short, playful, and fun, and the rhyme scheme and meter to them make them enjoyable to read over and over. The characters are animals and often there is instructional value to them too, as young readers learn colors, counting, feelings, animal sounds, and animal names. Because the story is brief and the images are enticing, it leaves a lot of room for in...