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 […]
Comparison of SEVEN homeschool Spanish programs
Is comparison part of your process for shopping for a homeschool curriculum for any given subject? It is part of mine! As a homeschool mom, I have two go-to strategies when I’m hunting new material: Ask other moms in online communities, and read reviews. In homeschool parent groups online, I often see questions about Spanish curricula […]
Maximize time limits, Part 2: Leverage library time
It’s undeniable: when it comes to contact time with students in world language classes, elementary teachers have the short end of the stick. (Don’t miss a post; follow us on Bloglovin’!) (This GIVEAWAY is CLOSED.) In part one of this brief series, we shared some tips on how you can partner with your school’s computer […]
