Ms. Ani (Dominican Rep.) & Ms. Sandra (El Salvador)
Hispanic Culture Night
Ms. Nathalia (Colombian-Medellin) and Ms. Gloria (Colombian-Medellin)
Hispanic Culture Night
How We Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month At Our School
How We Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month At Our School
Make Traditional Foods
Teachers are welcome to bring and share traditional dishes from their home country in their classroom with the families. Some teachers make simple foods with their children, like corn tortillas and frijoles molidos, black beans mashed with a pinch of salt; a teaspoon of sugar, milk, ketchup; and a dash of Salsa Lizano, a popular Central America condiment.
Read Books by Hispanic Authors
Celebrate diversity at story time with books that highlight the Latino experience. Bilingual books are also an excellent way to teach kids a few words of Spanish. These popular stories are great in our library:
“Bright Star” by Yuyi Morales
“Chicano Jr’s Mexican Adventure” by Raúl Jiménez
“Paletero Man” by Lucky Diaz
Dance to Hispanic Music
The school brings Folkloric music bands to build cultural bridges through music. Son Del Sol-Boston is a local Folkloric music band that plays lovely Andean music with Peruvian/Bolivien musical instruments such as flutes and panpipes made of bone, reed, and fired clay, shell trumpets called pututos, ceramic whistles, ocarinas, trumpets, and drums, as well as rattles made with a variety of materials.
ABOUT BILINGUAL (OR MULTILINGUAL) EDUCATION
ABOUT BILINGUAL (OR MULTILINGUAL) EDUCATION
Several studies have been conducted on the effects on the human brain for children that speak more than one language. Studies aim to determine if children who speak 2 or more languages tend to learn English grammar more slowly than monolingual children and have shown that bilingual children are better at multitasking and focusing their attention on a crowded or noisy environment and are not delayed or slower in learning the English language and grammar. Some studies have also found that bilinguals have similar advantages in memory and attention as musicians. Bilingualism enriches and enhances the development of the brain, in particular the executive function which is affected by the memory and attention of the individual.
Elizabeth's Daycare and Preschool Center creates lesson plans that are designed to ignite the curiosity of children in a fun and guided environment, allowing the acquisition of the Spanish language to be an effortless experience. Our teachers use inquiry based learning through two different languages which may have a greater number of positive effects on the development of the brain than traditional learning.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
There are some common misconceptions one may believe regarding their child learning a second language or third, at school. One misconception is that learning a second language will confuse a child and impair their cognitive ability (their ability to learn and think). However, in many countries around the world children grow up learning two or three languages which does not have a negative effect on their learning. In fact, learning a second language can improve a child's cognitive flexibility, these children are able to see things from more than one perspective and also have improved auditory skills.
It has also been thought that learning a second language will only delay the child's learning of the English language. There is an emphasis on both the English and Spanish language in our lessons ensuring that students are fully proficient and literate in both languages. Our students are assessed, as any program, to ensure that their English as well as Spanish language skills are at the appropriate level and improving each year. There is not a delay in learning the English language, research shows that students who are exposed early in life to two languages achieve their milestones on the same timetable as the other language as well as on the same overall timetable as a monolingual child. Learning a second language young also improves reading abilities and general literacy in the first language and a student's communication skills are only strengthened through the acquisition of a second language.
Parents may also worry that if they are not fluent in the Spanish language they would not be able to help their child at home with the language, they worry that if they mispronounce any words they will do more harm than good. This is another misconception since the students exposure to the native speaker teachers out-weigh any imperfections at home. It is important for parents to provide support and to be enthusiastic about their child learning the language at home, even if their knowledge of the language is at a basic level or nonexistent!
Colombian Culture from Medellin, Cartagena, Bogota, & Cali
Hispanic Culture Night
Peruvian Traditional Cuisine
Hispanic Culture Night
Son Del Sol (Peruvian Folkloric Music)
Hispanic Culture Night
ADVANTAGES OF SPANISH
ADVANTAGES OF SPANISH
The Spanish language has become one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Learning additional languages will only help your children later in life to succeed in their endeavors. They will become strong communicators and be able to connect with and develop a greater appreciation of different cultures around the world. A student who is bilingual or multilingual will have many more opportunities open to them in the world throughout his/her life. In addition to added communication skills and a way to connect with more people in the world, learning a new language can greatly increase a child’s confidence! A bilingual education is something we find to be valuable in the connected world we live in today.