Kids learn Spanish every day. They learn it in elementary classrooms, in play groups, and in day cares. They learn it with Pepe the brown dog in Stories Online. But kids learn Spanish in specific ways, under specific conditions, and if those conditions aren’t met, language acquisition simply won’t happen. That’s the science. Still, myths swirling […]
Doña Ana: culturally authentic (musical!) game for Spanish class
We recently told you about Pañuelito, a culturally authentic game for reviewing vocabulary in Spanish class. Here we share Doña Ana. We incorporated this game into Calico Spanish Stories Online Level C (“I Live Here”), together with the song that inspired it. The many names of “Doña Ana” The children’s song “Doña Ana no está aquí” […]
Meet Pedro and María… as finger puppets!
Role play for young learners? Yes, please! It’s no secret: in early language education (and even in middle and high school!), finger puppets are a win! Somehow, sometimes, it seems less intimidating to pretend you’re a puppet speaking Spanish rather than be yourself speaking Spanish. Of course, young children usually love any kind of role […]
“What can I share with parents?”
Are you a teacher who has recently subscribed to Stories Online and wants to know what content you can share with parents at home? We often receive this question – time for a blog post to answer it! Rewind… Stories OnWhat? Calico Spanish Stories Online is our all-online program developed to fill a need for […]
Real Spanish in the preschool jungle? Yes.
Once upon a time, I thought I’d figured out how to teach elementary Spanish. Then, they asked me to teach preschool. Preschool is a different sort of animal. Standing in a line is a fluid concept. Rules my son’s 3-year-old class worked on last year: – We do not lick the wall. – We do not […]
Free Sing & Color Activities Download to celebrate TEN MILLION VIEWS
TEN MILLION VIEWS. In elementary schools, kindergartens, preschools, and homes around the world, children have joined us in singing in Spanish about everything from colors to animals on the farm. Kids are singing about how to answer “What’s your name?” and introduce someone to a friend. They’re showing someone around the house and commenting on the […]
The best Spanish weather & seasons song for children
Has it seemed to you that the topic of weather and seasons has been the hardest to pin down in a catchy, effective song for early Spanish learners? It has for us. So, we made our own. “Las estaciones” weather/seasons Spanish song The weather and seasons are so interconnected that it was natural to put […]
Mother’s Day Spanish printable activity celebrates Mamá y Abuela (free)
Happy Mom’s Day! We recently saw an adorable Mother’s Day “My mom and I” printable activity in English. We love these activities and thought it was such a great idea we’d do something similar in Spanish. In ours, we’ve featured some of our Stories Online characters with their moms and grandmothers. Here at Calico Spanish, we are […]
NEW Spanish music for time, house, feelings, activities: Meet Doña Ana!
What do you get when you update a 100-year-old Spanish children’s ronda with a peppy country beat and lyrics related to time, the house, feelings, and activities? We can’t wait to show you. I know we’ve been releasing a lot of new music lately (see Pañuelito, and Amiguito, and Así me gusta a mí, and Todo mi […]
Prepositions of location + Twinkle, twinkle à la Brooks & Dunn = new music magic!
Is there anywhere a fun song for early Spanish learners that targets prepositions of location? We couldn’t find any. So we did it ourselves. What phrases, exactly? We call this song “Pañuelito” (little handkerchief). It accompanies Level C of Calico Spanish Stories, themed “I Live Here.” In this level, several of the Video Stories feature our characters […]
