Bilingual Avenue's Facebook Live Event: Raising Bilingual Children

I get lots of questions from MommyMaestra readers about how to start homeschooling, how to raise bilingual children, what bilingual homeschool materials are available and so on and so on. I certainly don't claim to know all the answers, but I do try my absolute best to GET the answers that my readers are looking for.

So when Marianna Du Bosque of Bilingual Avenue asked me if I would consider sharing my own journey as a mom trying to raise bilingual children, I told her right off the bat that my kids weren't poster children for being bilingual. Because the truth is, I certainly have my own struggles trying to raise kids who can speak Spanish when I am honestly the ONLY one around who can speak Spanish. But Marianna was gracious and still enthusiastic, so TONIGHT at 8:30 pm ET, I'll be on a Facebook Live Event with her (and will try to share it on the MommyMaestra FB page, too!) talking about our bilingual journey.

In addition, I'll be talking about homeschooling - how to start and where to find support - as well as bilingual homeschooling. You'll hear which programs I really love for teaching children Spanish, too.

So if you've been thinking about homeschooling your children (especially now with all the upheaval in our country), or if you are struggling to raise bilingual kids, or if you just want to chat with me, I hope you'll join us!

The coolest part, I think, is that Marianna has created a free reflection guide that you can download and keep notes or write down questions.

Oh, and you can send in your questions, too, before (or during??) the event and we'll do our best to answer them. Or just stop by and say "hola" and share one of your struggles or successes! They inspire us, too.

So sign up here to download your free reflection guide and even have a reminder sent to you.

I'm looking forward to connecting with all of you!

The First Ever Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros Blog Hop

Just in case you missed the big announcement this weekend, I'm happy to share the news with you about the first Día Blog Hop. I am so excited to be a part of this extraordinary event! I hope you'll follow along every day, starting this Wednesday on the Latinas for Latino Literature website.

WE JUST LANDED ON MARS!!

BIEN HECHO, NASA!!

2012 National Spanish Spelling Bee

I am super E-M-O-C-I-O-N-A-D-A to say that MommyMaestra is a sponsor of the 2nd Annual Santillana National Spanish Spelling Bee!

Hosted by the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) in Albuquerque, this year's spelling bee will take place on July 21st.

Twenty students from across the country are participating in this year's event. The participants range from 4th through 8th grade. They will be representing their home states of California (1), Colorado (3), New Mexico (6), New York (2), Oregon (3), Texas (3), and Wisconsin (2). Students whose mother tongue is Spanish or who are learning the language are eligible to enter in the spelling bee.

(One of the participants is from my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas! WOOOT!!!)

I am SO excited for these kids! What a wonderful opportunity to show off their bilingualism, and gain confidence in their own self-worth. Bravo to the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education (NMABE) and the Alliance for Multilingual Multicultural Education (AMME) for organizing this event and supporting bilingual education.

I watched the video below and was hooked. And you will, too. Madre mia! La señora who says, "Incorrecto!" had me biting my nails.

Perhaps I should have said that I am muy N-E-R-V-I-O-S-A for this year's participants!

Buena suerte to all of this year's participants!

Celebrate Día with Peep

It's no secret that Día is one of my favorite holidays. I love the idea of celebrating kids, books, and diversity. In years past, I've celebrated Día on the Latin Baby Book Club with guest posts and giveaways and special resources. This year, I've moved that celebration here to MommyMaestra. I'm excited about the giveaways and guest articles on literacy I have scheduled between now and the 30th. In fact, I have so much to share this week that I am going to have to double up on posts, so starting tomorrow (Monday) each day there will be at least two posts shared here, one of which will be a giveaway, so please bookmark MommyMaestra and visit us daily.

So you may be wondering why I have chosen the above picture for this piece. Well, the reason is that the characters from Peep and the Big Wide World have been selected as the official mascot of the National Latino Children's Institue's Día celebrations around the country. (Over 100 cities around the country are registered as official El Dia de los Niños sites, holding celebrations such as parades, book festivals, hands-on activities and other entertainment. Find one near you here.) This Emmy Award-winning, preschool science series is a production of WGBH out of Boston. While most of you may be familiar with the show on PBS, it is also aired in Spanish on Vme. Peep introduces children to basic science and math concepts in a format that they can understand. And I really love their bilingual website which offers activities, games, videos and other resources in both English and Spanish. Parents of children ages 3 to 6, you especially will want to visit their website to download their free Explorer's Guide, handouts, and other printables.

I'm terribly excited to start off this week by inviting you to join me this Tuesday, April 24th, at 1pm EST/10am PST for a Twitter party celebrating Día de los niños, Día de los libros. All you have to do is follow the hashtag #PEEPDia.

I´ll be co-hosting this Twitter party along with six other fabulous Día advocates. And at the end of the party we´ll be giving away three sets of prize packs, each with a $50 Amazon gift card and a PEEP series DVD with the Spanish-language option included! (Did you get that? Amazon gift cards!! *Drooling*) To RSVP for the Twitter party, get a reminder before it starts, and check out the co-hosts to follow, go to this link here.

I so hope to talk to you then!

Con mucho cariño...

The Hope Tree Project

Last Friday I mentioned that author Meg Medina had won the 2012 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. Today on our sister blog, the Latin Baby Book Club, I've shared a review of the Libro del Mes (Book of the Month) for March: The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind.

This young adult novel is Meg Medina's third book to hit the market and it releases today. You can read the review on the LBBC, but I wanted to share with you one of the ways that Medina is creatively launching her newest title.

The Hope Tree Project is a celebration of art, reading, and culture. About 500 high school students will be working with Medina and The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia, to create their own milagros "that symbolize a hope or dream that they have for themselves or for the community." Milagros are religious folk charms commonly used in Latin America as an offering or a gift to a particular saint, or to symbolize a specific need, wish, or problem.


photo by Urban Woodswalker

Medina wants the project to encourage the young adults to think about their future and what they want out of life. By creating a small charm that reflects their wishes and goals, she hopes the kids will be motivated to make their dreams a reality. On her blog, Medina says, "If you don’t make a dream for yourself, others are only too happy to rush in and fill in the vacuum."

The milagros that the high schoolers create will be used to decorate five crepe myrtle trees in the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. On April 30th (Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros), at 5 p.m. the trees will be unveiled in a celebratory event, and visitors are encouraged to add their own milagros to the display. This project will be featured through July 4th, and afterward, certain milagros will be chosen to be placed on display in the City Hall for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Con mucho cariño...

Read Across America

Every year on March 2nd (the birthday of Dr. Seuss), the National Education Association celebrates Read Across America, an annual reading and motivation program. On this day, the NEA shares the activities they've developed to encourage families and children to read 365 days a year. On their website you can find free, printable calendars, activity books, sticker sheets, certificates of achievement and appreciation, posters, and even a variety of booklists.

Their Spanish/English Bilingual Booklist has an excellent list of bilingual books grouped according to grade: K-4, 5-8, and 9 and up. (It even includes some of the banned titles in Arizona - gasp!).

The NEA has partnered with many organizations across the country. One of those is Target, who will be hosting a Dr. Seuss Storytime: Reading of THE LORAX this coming Saturday, February 25th. From 9 to 11 a.m., Target stores will be having live readings of The Lorax, and children attending will receive goody bags, fun activities, and more. If you visit their website, you can download a Lorax Reading Guide, free Dr. Seuss inspired activities, and even take their online quiz to find out which Dr. Seuss character your are.

More to come...

This Weekend: Coro Hispano Celebrates Día de los Reyes

Last year, I told you about Coro Hispano's annual concert. This year is no different. In fact, this year they are celebrating 25th annual concert celebration in honor of Día de los Reyes. This weekend, if you are anywhere in the area, I hope you make time to attend. Their performances take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Admission is free on Friday and Saturday, and the latter's performance is a concert created specifically for children. You can find more information on their website.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Met!

I want to go to New York this weekend. Want to know why?

This coming Saturday, September 24th, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will be holding the special event, ¡Fiesta! Celebrating Hispanic and Latin American Cultures. The all-day, Museum-wide festival celebrates the richness of Hispanic and Latin American art and cultures. Take the whole family and enjoy gallery experiences, performances, art-making activities for all ages—and more! The event will run from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The event will begin on the front steps with a procession led by performers from the band Mariachi Real de México into the Great Hall of the Museum. From there visitors can join a number of different Family Programs taking place throughout the day, including intergenerational How Did They Do That? demonstrations focusing on both Spanish armor and Andean featherwork; Storytime in Nolen Library featuring books written in Spanish and in Spanish and English; and artist-led Drop-in Drawing workshops for all ages in the Vélez Blanco Patio, the Met's Spanish courtyard.

In addition to these activities, there will also be an Early Music Foundation Performance of 17th-century Spanish music and dance at 12:30 p.m., which will be set against the Museum's dramatic Spanish Choir Screen in the Medieval Galleries, and a Salsa Dance Workshop at 2:30 p.m. with dancers and an instructor from Ballet Hispanico. At 3:30 p.m., Mariachi Real de México will lead a second procession, this time from the Great Hall to the Museum's Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium for Mexico in the Heart, a two-hour musical performance led by Jeff Nevin, featuring soprano Mónica Abrego, tenor Jose Luis Duval, The Villalobos Brothers, Mariachi Academy of New York, and Ballet Folklorico Raíces de México.

While you are there, you should stop in and see their Andean Tunic exhibit that features around 30 beautiful tunics! A great way to study South American culture and traditional costume. Make it a field trip!

Also, learn more about their programs for Spanish-speaking families. (How exciting is that?)

Now, how many of you live in the New York area?
 
Con mucho cariño....

The World Science Festival Is Coming to New York

The 4th Annual World Science Festival will take place in New York City June 1-5, 2011. The world’s leading scientific minds will be joined by renowned artists and influential thinkers for a celebration of science through discourse and debate, dance and theater, film, music and the visual arts.

There are so many fabulous and intriguing sessions! 50 events will take place during the five-day festival, including several youth and family events.  I would love to go to the Women in Science - especially to hear Jean Berko Gleason speak. She is one of the world's leading experts on children's language. And I'd also love to attend one of the BIORHYTHM: Music and the Body events.

If you live in the area and can only attend one event, then I would suggest taking your children to the 2011 Youth & Family Street Fair on Sunday, June 5th, from 10 am - 6 pm, in Washington Square Park.

If any of you go, I hope you will share your thoughts with us!

Con mucho cariño...

Doodle 4 Google Contest for Scholarship Prize

Is your student an artista? Then here is another opportunity for you! The annual Doodle 4 Google contest has been taking place every year since 2008 and it is an opportunity for ALL children to show off their remarkable artistic talents with a chance to win scholarship money. Be sure to check out my post on Annual National Contests for Students to see what other scholarship contests or challenges run each year.

This post contains affiliate links.

What is the Doodle 4 Google contest?

The Doodle for Google is an annual art contest centered around the Google Doodle, which appears at the top of the Google homepage. The contest issues a different theme each year and students are challenged to create an image - or doodle.

This contest is open to U.S. students in K-12 - including homeschoolers. Parents or guardians can register their students directly, and if a school registers, there’s no limit on the number of doodles they can submit. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Girls Scouts of the USA are also invited to participate.

The deadline to REGISTER is 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) at the beginning of March. 

The entries are divided and judged according to the following grade groups:

Grades K-3

Grades 4-6

Grades 7-9

Grades 10-12

The 2010 winner in the Grades 4-6 category was Raymundo Marquez, Grade 6, from Nellie Mae Glass Elementary in Eagle Pass, Texas. (His winning entry is pictured above.) To see the other winners, click here.


The 2011 theme is “What I’d like to do someday...” - the creative possibilities are endless! If your child is interested in participating, then go here for more information. Afterwards, you can download the Google templates, break out the crayons/markers/paint/etc., and then let your kid's creativity loose!

What is the prize for winning the Doodle for Google contest?

The National Winner will be awarded a $15,000 $30,000(!) college scholarship to be used at the school of his or her choice, a trip to the Google New York office, a laptop computer, a Wacom digital design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it. We'll also award the winner's school or After School Program a $25,000 technology grant towards the establishment or improvement of a computer lab or technology programming. The National Winner will also have his or her doodle featured on the U.S. Google.com homepage.

The panel of famous judges will also select three (3) National Finalists, forty (40) Regional Finalists, and four hundred (400) State Finalists. For a complete list of prizes, go here.

For more details about the contest, visit the Doodle 4 Google site.

Art Supplies You May Need to Create Your Doodle

Watercolor Brush Pens 
(Watch the video - you'll want them right away!)

Arteza Colored Pencils

Junior Artist Oil Pastels

Arteza Woodless Graphite Pencils

Dual Tip Art Markers Permanent Alcohol Based Markers

You May Also Enjoy...

• Annual National Contests for Students
  
  
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund Makes College a Reality for Latinos
  
  
• Top Five Reasons Why Latino Children Need to Go to College
  
  
• Design Squad Nation’s Build It Big Contest
  
  
• Scholarships for DREAMers

World Maths Day Starts Tomorrow - March 1st!

(Note: I am publishing this early to give you as much notice as possible!)

I don't know why I am finding out about things at the last minute lately. I feel like there's too much going on for me to keep up with. But at least I have time to share with all of you about World Maths Day. Have you already heard about it?

On Tuesday, March 1st, students all over the world will be competing in real time against other students from around the world playing mental arithmetic games on the World Maths Day website. With math, communication is fun and easy - no translation needed! It is a universal language that allows people to connect around the globe. In 2010, there were 56,082 schools that participated in this global education event. In fact, there were 2,403,526 students who participated from 236 countries - and a new Guiness World Record was set!

This year there are four age categories: 4-7, 8-10, 11-13 and 14-18. Students can play up to 100 games during the 48 hour period. Each game lasts exactly 60 seconds. There are five levels of play, each of which contains 20 games.

The best part? It is 100% FREE! Your student just needs internet access.

My daughter is excited and is "practicing" as I type this. I hope that your children or students get excited, too!

You need to register by February 28th (TODAY!) to be able to play. In fact, the event starts at 6:00 a.m. EST today - which happens to be 12 a.m. tomorrow in Auckland, New Zealand.

To add to the education madness, this year, for the first time, World Spelling Day will be held in addition. It will take place on March 3rd, 2011. And next year, they will be adding a World Science Day, too.

So here's your chance to make math fun and get your kids excited!

A sumar! (O a restar?)

Con mucho cariño...

2010 Events Celebrating Día de los Reyes Magos

There are a number of events taking place this week and weekend in honor of Three Kings Day. Here are a few of the celebrations going on around the country that have caught my eye. Be sure to check with your local newspaper or community center to see if there are any events taking place near you!


HOUSTON
This Thursday, January 6th, the PlazAmericas will be celebrating Three Kings Day from 5:30 to 8 pm in the Food Court. Free king's cake and Mexican hot chocolate will be available, and a grand prize drawing for a $100 gift certificate will take place. For more information, click here.


PHILADELPHIA
Also this Thursday, the Mexican Cultural Center in Philadelphia will be hosting a "3 Kings Day" Piñata Workshop at Casa Monarca. This is a free event where kids between 5 and 11 years old will learn how to make piñatas and decorate them. Snacks and prizes will be provided. For more information, or to register your child, click here.

In addition, Taller Puertorriqueño will also be hosting a Three Kings Celebration at the Julia de Burgos Books & Crafts store. Music, presents for children, a theatrical presentation and a parade with the Three Wise Men.   Pre-registration required. 3 pm. For more information, click here.


WILLIAMSBURG (NEW YORK)
Thursday, January 6th, New York's only Latino children's theater, Teatro SEA, is having a Día de los Tres Reyes Magos celebration from 3 pm to 5pm. For more information, click here.

And this Sunday, January 9th, is the 14th annual Three Kings Day Parade in Williamsburg. Children may participate in the parade and dress up as shepherds, monks, kings, angels, animals and more. The Three Kings will distribute gifts to children under 12 years of age who have participated in the parade. To purchase your tickets, or for more information, visit www.tresreyesmagos.org

Con mucho cariño...