Soy una taza - I am a cup

Awesome way to practice table setting vocab, and appealing to older kids who are too big boy / big girl for the kiddie finger plays! To say "put out the _____" you just say "Pon" before any of these items ("Pongan" if you are talking to more than one person.) Play both of these for full effect:

Con mi dedito / With my little finger

¡Qué preciosa esta cancioncita! How precious this little song! Can you year the Castilian Spanish accent from Spain? Think of it as a lisp...



Con mi dedito, digo: sí, sí (with my finger I say yes, yes)
Con mi dedito digo: no, no
Digo, digo: sí, sí
Digo, digo: no, no
Y este dedito se escondió (and this little finger hid itself)

Con mi piecito, digo: sí, sí (pie= foot, piecito=little foot, piececito=footsie wootsy!)
Con mi piecito, digo: no, no
Digo, digo: sí, sí
Digo, digo: no, no
Y este piecito se escondió

Con mi cabeza, digo: sí, sí (cabeza=head, cabecita=little head)
Con mi cabeza, digo: no, no
Digo, digo: sí, sí
Digo, digo: no, no
Y esta cabeza se escondió.

How to make tortillas in 10 minutes

Corn tortillas are naturally sweet, fat-free, sugar-free, and gluten free. Everybody should know how to make them! Once you get the hang of it, you can turn out a little pile of steaming tortillas in just 10 minutes. They go with almost anything.

Ingredients and equipment:

1) Corn flour / masa harina (most common brand is Maseca, found in most large supermarkets in the international / Hispanic / Mexican aisle)

2) salt

3) a tortilladora (optional but much faster than flattening by hand)

Procedure / tips:

1) Follow the directions on the back of the masa harina bag, but use it only as a guideline--I always have to add more water than indicated. You have added enough water when the dough is moist but not soaking wet, and when you can make a ball without little crumbles remaining on the bottom. Practice makes perfect.

2) You need a very hot, ungreased skillet.--med-high to high heat. A seasoned cast iron skillet is best. Make sure it is hot enough so that each side of the tortilla browns in about a minute.

3) Do NOT try to use regular corn meal / corn flour from the baking section. It is not the same.

Online Spanish Games and audio vocab

Videos and online game are not the key to achieving Spanish fluency, but it is a fun way to reinforce vocabulary and continue exposing them to the sounds of the spoken language. Here are some good sites I found with kid-friendly games and audio flash cards:

http://www.123teachme.com/kids/spanish_flash_cards/list (this link is audio flash cards of body parts, there are others themes too)

http://www.123teachme.com/games/click_n_say/shapes (Great for practicing shapes and colors)

http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/fun_and_games (requires reading, varying levels)

http://www.hello-world.com/Spanish/games/memory.php?topic=colors (colors memory game with audio!)

tortillitas

Until I can post a video of my own students doing this song, here is a YouTube link along with lyrics. This song is also in the Pío Peep book and CD (see the 'recommended products' link).

Tortillitas para Mamá, tortillitas para Papá

Las calentitas para Mamá, las doraditas para Papá

Tortillas for Mommy, tortillas for Daddy

The warm ones for Mommy, the golden ones for Daddy

fall 2011 session vocab review

¡Levantate! - Get up! (to one child)

¡Levantense! - Get up! (to more than one person)

Ponte la ropa - Put on your clothes

Ponganse la ropa - Put on your clothes (more than one person)

Me pongo la ropa - I'm putting on my clothes

Me pongo los calcetines / el vestido / la falda / la chaqueta

Quiero desayuno - I want breakfast

Quiero comer - I want to eat

Pan tostado - toast

frutas - fruit

jugo (de naranja) - (orange) juice

Es hora de desayunar / almorzar / cenar - It's time to eat breakfast / lunch / dinner

Otro vocabulario:

¡Que lindo! (el perrito) / ¡Que lindos! (los globos)

¡Que bonito! (el gato)

¡Que bonita! (la camisa) / ¡Que lindas! (las ninas)

¡Que linda! (la nina)

oco kandelikas - Hanuka stá aki

Spain and Latin America tend to be Roman Catholic, but there is a significant Jewish population in many Spanish-speaking countries. This song is sung in Ladino, quite close to Spanish but reflecting the history of the Jewish peoples living in Spain. Sing the refrain of the lovely song with your little ones, in Ladino or in Spanish!