Yoga in Spanish for Children- Review & Giveaway

***Giveaway Closed**** Winner from random.org was #4 Tricia.

I am always searching for genuine, real-life experiences for my children in Spanish. I like to use products that aren't particularly designed to teach them Spanish, but used to live in Spanish.


I was so excited to try Umbral Yoga by Lina Navia. I went to her website and saw this wonderful preview of the yoga class for children in Spanish from her DVD.




Lina's soothing voice instantly captured the attention of my children. She takes them on adventures to the beach, flying to visit Africa and the farm. My girls favorite part is acting like a lion and then putting him to sleep. The DVD uses sound effects to help the kids imagine (roaring lion, trumpeting elephant, waves at the beach, etc). It has the perfect variety of fast and slow movements, soft and loud sounds, that kept my girls full attention for the 26 minute class. My girls were all trying each pose even if it was difficult. They practice balance, focus and strength.


At the end of the DVD, I was amazed how my children relaxed completely. I have never seen them lay so still (except when they are asleep!). I did the class beside them and I even felt a little sore after doing this exercise with my children (la bicicleta y remando el barco gets your abs!). The adult work-out of 49 minutes is another bonus with the DVD. I highly recommend this product for children learning Spanish. Children who are just learning Spanish will be able to watch and follow her simple instructions. They will learn animal vocabulary, colors and be able to follow instructions.


I loved interviewing Lina and understanding why she decided to create yoga in Spanish for children in the US. She felt that there is so much offered in English, but not in Spanish. She mentioned why she feels yoga is important for children. She said, "What I like about yoga is that it is a non-competitive way to exercise and an opportunity to connect with themselves. Yoga gives them the chance to relax in a way because it connects them with their own bodies and their breath." We talked about how important it is for children to build confidence in themselves and their bodies. This will especially be important as they grow older and become teenagers. I plan on doing this exercise with my girls at least weekly. Learn more about Lina Navia by clicking here.


Want to win a Umbral Yoga DVD by Lina Navia?


Here is how to enter this giveaway contest:

*Go here and come back to this post, make a comment telling us one thing you learned about Umbral Yoga or Lina Navia



Want additional entries?

After submitting your first entry you can do the following:
-Become a facebook fan of Wanna Jugar with Migo page (you must already be a part of facebook). Click on the Become a fan button on the right side bar. Come back to this post and make another comment saying you are a fan.
-Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post and receive 2 more entries in the contest. Remember to come back to this post and make 2 more comments with a link to your blog entry.
-Become a follower of this blog. Make a comment telling us that you follow our blog (even if you are already a follower)

Giveaway ends Sunday, April 11th at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. After I announce the winner , the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours to get the prize. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

*If you think you will not check back when we announce winners, please e-mail me at wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com with your e-mail or include your e-mail with your comments so I can send you an e-mail that you win. In the past, winners have lost out on products they win because they didn't respond.

Sing-A-Lingo Review and Giveaway

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED****

Winner from random.org is Adriana #13. Congratulations!

Kids love to sing, so why not sing about everyday activities in Spanish?


Sing-a-Lingo has created an upbeat music CD for children to learn Spanish. Each song narrates regular activities like opening the refrigerator to eat, washing your hands, getting dressed, eating breakfast, getting ready for bed, etc. The music is so catchy and repetitious, my kids immediately start dancing and singing along when I put the music on.
Here is a cute video clip of the creators, Piña and Michael Madera, dancing along with their song, "Hola, Amigos".


"Hola, Amigos" is our new favorite song to sing in the morning while we eat breakfast. It's a perfect reminder for my children to speak in Spanish (on our Spanish days). My youngest who is only 21 months can sing the words "Como estas?" and it is adorable. This would be a great way to introduce Spanish for anyone with small children. It would naturally flow with your normal routine!


Things I love about Sing-a-Lingo:
-music is catchy
-easy to dance to
-very simple and repetitious, perfect for learning fast
-completely in Spanish with no English

Sing-a-Lingo has created an all-day program which includes 2 CD's one for home and one for the car (great idea!), Singable Book for Bedtime, Lyric Cards, & Word Notes to put around objects at your house. What a great way to introduce children to Spanish all day long!

Want to win a copy of the CD En Mi Casa by Sing-a-Lingo?

Here is how to enter this giveaway contest:

*Go here and come back to this post, make a comment telling us one thing you learned about Sing-A-Lingo (awards, songs you listened to, etc.)

Want additional entries?
After submitting your first entry you can do the following:
-Become a facebook fan of Wanna Jugar with Migo page (you must already be a part of facebook). Click on the Become a fan button on the right side bar. Come back to this post and make another comment saying you are a fan.
-Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post and receive 2 more entries in the contest. Remember to come back to this post and make 2 more comments with a link to your blog entry.
-Become a follower of this blog. Make a comment telling us that you follow our blog (even if you are already a follower)



Giveaway ends Thursday, March 25th at 10 pm Central Time.



Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. After I announce the winner , the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours to get the prize. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

*If you think you will not check back when we announce winners, please e-mail me at wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com with your e-mail or include your e-mail with your comments so I can send you an e-mail that you win. In the past, winners have lost out on products they win because they didn't respond.

Giveaways!

I wish I could update this blog more. I have so many ideas of topics to share and discuss, but so many things have come up! Life is getting busy.

I didn't want you to miss out on two fabulous giveaway going on right now on Mama Latina Tips blog. Click here to win a Spanish music CD for children from 123 Spanish Together. I love how the songs have fun rhythms and have a variety of topics.

I'm also hoping to sin a copy of this fabulous yoga DVD in Spanish. It is completely in Spanish and includes a work-out for children that looks adorable! Click here to enter the contest. Good luck!

'Tis the Season...

for giving and giveaways! I didn't want you to miss out and me to miss out on extra entries. All are giveaways that can help your child learn Spanish...

El Baile del Sombrero CD here until November 22nd

Table Topics for a box full of conversation starters here. They have a family version in Spanish/English!

Little Pim Spanish Bop and DVD here.

$10 gift card to Baskin Robbins here! Make it a special outing in Spanish with your kids.

El Baile del Sombrero Review and Giveaway

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Winners are: #8 Adriana, #1 Queen to my 3 boys
and #6 Tricia

The biggest smiles come on my daughters' faces when El Baile Del Sombrero comes up on our CD changer in our car. They almost want to leap out of their seats to dance along. This has become our latest favorite children's music in Spanish to listen to.

Although it is created for children in mind, I think adults will enjoy the variety and fun lyrics on the CD. Charles and Fati, a couple raising their two children bilingually, decided to create children's music since they already sang and danced with their children during the day. Fati, a native from Argentina, always speaks in Spanish to her children. Charles from Washington D.C. and Brooklyn always speaks in English. Charles and Fati have always communicated this way, even before they had children. What a natural way to raise your children bilingually! They have loved performing in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Lujan, Argentina to other families who speak Spanish or want to learn. Learn more about their story here

The name of their website, Abbasubi, captures the fun, playful style of their music. In Charles' family, his mother would say "Abbasubi" instead of "No!" if the children were getting into mischief. This would usually result in giggles from the silly word instead of getting upset.

Like our last giveaway, this music goes beyond the simple Spanish vocabulary in countless Spanish children's music. They don't teach colors, shapes and parts of the body. They use the Spanish as you would naturally use it in everyday life. I love this!

Things I love:

-Song lyrics talk about the everyday experiences of a child

-The songs teach vocabulary beyond simple words and phrases, so they are perfect for children that have had some exposure already to Spanish

-Each song has a different style, salsa, lullaby, reggae feel and mariachi. We love to dance to the songs after dinner :)

-The songs encourage hand and body movements. My kids know what the songs are about because we dance whatever is being sung. La esponja goes to your head, your nose, etc. You have to move the sombrero between your legs and put it on again.

-Fati and Charles have more Argentine accents. My children haven't really met any Argentine people and so at first they noticed the different accent. I think it is wonderful to expose children to all the varieties of native Spanish accents. Then when they travel or meet people from all over Latin America or Spain, they can easily communicate with them.

By far, our favorite song is La Pulga y Su Familia. A song about a little flea who invites her family to come with her to visit different animals on a rainy day. My girls know every word and love to itch all over as the animals itch in the song.

You have to check out this music. All the creative lyrics to the songs are on their website. You can listen to samples of all songs on their CD by clicking here. You can also listen to full versions of several songs by visiting here.


Fati and Charles are giving away 3 El Baile del Sombrero CD's to 3 lucky readers of this blog!

How to enter:
Go here to listen to samples of songs from El Baile del Sombrero CD's. Come back to this post and make a comment telling us the name of your favorite song you listened to. That's it!

Want more entries?
Blog about this giveaway giving them a direct link to this post and receive 2 more entries. If you don't have a blog, you can e-mail 6 people and cc a copy of the e-mail to wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com. Please come back here and make 2 additional comments so this can count!

You can have up to 3 entries in this contest (this will increase your chances of winning, although you can only win 1 CD)

Contest Ends November 22, 2009 at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to three times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends Sunday, November 22th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on November 23rd and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

*If you think you will not check back when we announce winners, please e-mail me at wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com with your e-mail so I can send you an e-mail that you win. In the past, winners might lose out on products they win if they don't respond.

Giveaways for Christmas

I love giveaways! I love hosting them and I love winning them :) I have recently won Ice Age 3 DVD, Dora DVD and an incredible picture book in Spanish. What am I going to do with them? Wrap some up and give them to my kids for Christmas!

I didn't want you to miss out :)

Adriana at My Bilingual Boys is giving away a $25 amazon.com gift card here
SpanglishbabyFinds is giving away An Easy Alphabet by Bilingual Readers here
SpanglishbabyFinds is giving away Up! DVD/Blue Ray pack here
CafeMom is giving away Little Pim DVD set here

Good luck!

Juguemos en Español CD/Book Giveaway!

******GIVEAWAY CLOSED********

The winners are: #8 SIMONE AND #3 ADRIANA

As I search for materials to help my children learn Spanish, I find numerous songs and books that teach numbers, colors and body parts. But what can I give my children if they are beyond simple vocabulary. I want them to have a broad vocabulary in Spanish.

I was so excited to try out Susy Dorn's products. We received Sal y Pimienta DVD and CD to review. Let me start telling you about the CD.

Things I love about Susy's music

-Fun, catchy music that covers a wide variety of topics (beyond colors and shapes!). Some of the topics include what foods you put salt and pepper in while you cook, a crazy lady who does all the chores in her house, a song about all the insects and animals with spots, and a space exploring all the different planets. These are all on the CD I reviewed.

-There is a lot of rhyming, great for getting my girls to recognize rhyming in Spanish, preparing them to start phonics in Spanish. I love the song about all the animals playing instruments that rhyme with their names.

-They use more advanced vocabulary, but there is repetition and simple wording, so it is easy to learn and remember the lyrics.

-My children have memorized the songs very quickly. I was surprised when my daughter could sing an entire song (using gestures) after hearing it only 3 times.

The Susy Dorn DVD Sal y Pimienta uses the same techniques she uses in her immersion program. She uses puppets and exaggerated gestures to communicate only in Spanish. I have to admit that the clown nose, mime and exaggerated gestures seemed a little strange to me at first. But I was so impressed with how effectively they teach! My girls memorized the music so fast after watching the DVD, especially my 3 year old. It really captures their attention and they love it.

The same immersion technique works with the books. The book that goes along with each CD/DVD shows the children what is sung. They don't need translation because it is all shown to them through pictures.

Susy Dorn is giving away 2 CD/Book sets, La Marcha de Las Aves and Rimas y Mas Rimas to 2 different readers of this blog!

Here is how you enter:

Go to Susy Dorn's website or listen to the song previews in the box below. Make a comment on this post telling me which song you liked. You have entered!



Want additional entries?
-Become a facebook fan of Wanna Jugar with Migo page (you must already be a part of facebook). Click on the Become a fan button on the right side bar. Come back to this post and make another comment saying you are a fan.
-Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post and receive 2 more entries in the contest. Remember to come back to this post and make 2 more comments with a link to your blog entry.
-Become a follower of this blog. Make a comment telling us that you follow our blog (even if you are already a follower)

Giveaway ends Sunday, November 8th at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends Sunday, November 8th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on November 9thand the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

*If you think you will not check back when we announce winners, please e-mail me at wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com with your e-mail so I can send you an e-mail that you win. In the past, winners might lose out on products they win if they don't respond.

Moving Picture Books Review & Giveaway

***Giveaway Closed***

Winners are: #9 TRICIA, #12 SUSAN, #6 ADRIANA. Thank you for entering!

I am always on the look-out for materials that my children can listen to or watch to add to the Spanish they hear from my husband and me. It gives them a wider range of vocabulary and motivates them to speak more Spanish. One of the most important aspects for me personally is that it is a native speaker reading or narrating, since I am not a native speaker :)

Moving Picture Books takes adorable children's picture books and then animates, adds sound effects and puts music to them. They have them in English, English with read-along text and Spanish! The animation is well-done and perfect for kids to help them understand even if they know only a little Spanish.

Here is one preview of "On Top of Spaghetti" in Spanish:




My girls love watching them and giggle as they see the stories come to life. My oldest daughter was fascinated with the "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." "Como puede tragar un caballo?"

Things I love:
-how children see what is spoken so they understand it
-you can buy individual episodes for only $1! I can pick out my favorites that weren't on the DVD I reviewed :) Very Affordable!
-they are short and could be digitally downloaded to an video MP3 or iPhone easily (imagine waiting in a doctor's office and showing your child a quick clip)
-they have adapted some of my favorite books.

Things to watch for:
-the Spanish translations are direct translations. The ABC stories or The Day Pigs Fly don't translate so well. But you can preview all of them and decide which ones your children would love the most!
-Most of the stories are narrated by native speakers. There are a few stories read by children which is adorable. But there are also a few read by someone who Spanish is their second language. She has a great accent, but I am picky and I notice even the slightest accent. To some this would be an advantage, because the speaker's Spanish might be easier to copy.

Moving Picture Books has generously offered to give away 3 DVD's to 3 different readers of this blog!! You may request which DVD you would like and they will send you that DVD depending on availability. The DVD's have English, English with read-along text and Spanish versions on them! Isn't it wonderful!!!

Here is how to enter:
- Go here to look at their previews. (All previews are in English and Spanish!) Come back to this post and make a comment telling us which was your favorite story that you previewed.

Additional entries:

-Become a facebook fan of Wanna Jugar with Migo page (you must already be a part of facebook). Search for Wanna Jugar with Migo. Come back to this post and make another comment saying you are a fan.

-Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post and receive 2 more entries in the contest. Remember to come back to this post and make 2 more comments with a link to your blog entry.

-Become a follower of this blog. Make a comment telling us that you follow our blog (even if you are already a follower)

Giveaway ends Tuesday, October 27th at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to four times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends Tuesday, October 27th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on October 28th and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

*If you think you will not check back when we announce winners, please e-mail me at wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com with your e-mail so I can send you an e-mail that you win. In the past, winners might lose out on products they win if they don't respond.

Little Pim Review and Giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Winner from random.org is #12 Jessica. Congrats! I will send you an e-mail asap to get your address!

I have to say that I love how cute this little multilingual panda is! Little Pim is a well-done DVD series for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. They don't just have these in English and Spanish, they have the series in French, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese and Chinese.


I love how the DVD's use full immersion. Many of you know that I am a big believer in complete immersion. There is no translation needed with all of the pictures and repetition. My girls and I enjoyed watching the first DVD Eating and Drinking in Spanish. Each clip is about 5 minutes long with video clips of children using the real objects or doing the real actions with Little Pim saying the words in Spanish. So many times children learn single words in Spanish classes, but can never put them in a sentence. I love how in this DVD, they say words and then use complete sentences. At the end of each clip, there is a quick review over the words learned. There can never be too much repetition!



The vocabulary taught in the DVD was easy for my children since we speak at home, but they still loved watching it. I would have them say the words before Little Pim said them. It was a great way to practice speaking more. This DVD is a perfect way to introduce children to Spanish or review those who are starting to learn. It definitely captivates even the youngest viewers. My 16 month old daughter almost leaped out of my lap when she saw the dogs and cats on the screen (there is a cute episode on pets in the 1st DVD). It gave me a great opportunity to talk with her in Spanish and introduce the new words.




I also tried out the Little Pim Spanish Bop CD. It has become our recent favorite. You have to listen to the samples. The girls and I have been doing a lot of dancing to it! It has classics from Jose-Luis Orozco, but also includes Cantare, Milkshake and Dan Zanes & Friends. I love the mix and highly recommend this CD. Listen to the samples here, my favorite is Son Borinqueño.

The Giveaway:

Would you like to win Little Pim DVD 1 Eating and Drinking in English or Spanish along with an adorable Little Pim plush Panda?

Here is what you have to do:

-Go here to Little Pim's homepage and sign up for the newsletter by entering your e-mail where is says Sign Up and Free Discount Coupon. Then come back to this post and make a comment letting us know you signed up for their newsletter. You get great coupons when you sign up :)

For additional entries:

- Follow Little Pim on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/little_pim then come back to this post and make another comment telling me you follow them on twitter.

-Blog about this giveaway by linking to Little Pim's website at http://www.littlepim.com/ and linking to this giveaway post on Wanna Jugar with Migo. Come back here to make an additional comment on this post with a link to your blog post.

-Become a follower of this blog. Come back to this post and make another comment telling me you follow :) You can make a comment if you are already a follower.

Giveaway ends Tuesday, October 13th at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to four times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends Tuesday, October 13th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on October 14th and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

*If you think you will not check back when we announce winners, please e-mail me at wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com with your e-mail so I can send you an e-mail that you win. In the past, winners might lose out on products they win if they don't respond.

Ingenio Toys Giveaway Part 2!

***Giveaway closed. Winner from random.org is #11: simone/ thebubbledies said...
I like the Alphabet Learning Cards. Thanks! thebubbledies(at)gmail(dot)com
September 18, 2009 3:37 PM

Ingenio wants to give away another toy! Did I mention they have incredible bilingual toys for affordable prices? Now I think that it is a rarity.

But first let me finish reviewing the wonderful toys we received. We also received a large animal puzzle with the animals' names in English and Spanish. In all honesty, I didn't think that it would be the best tool for teaching, but I was wrong. It provided me with an opportunity to speak in Spanish as we put the puzzle together (Donde esta el leon, donde esta la cabeza del leon, etc.) As she gets older and can read, I know it will make a difference to have games and puzzles that are actually written in Spanish. I think that she will value Spanish more knowing that there are games and puzzles in Spanish and not just in English.

The opposite learning cards we received are not your normal flash cards. They are magic motion cards, so depending on how you look at the cards, they flip between opposites like day and night. What a fun way to review opposite vocabulary.

Now for the product you could win. The Cross Word Blocks game is definitely on my wish list! What an incredible teaching tool! It has blocks with letters and then has a picture that needs to be spelled. It comes with 20 bilingual blocks and 6 English and 6 Spanish crossword puzzles. I'm trying to introduce Spanish letter sounds to my oldest daughter and this would be so fun!



Want to win Crossword Blocks?

How to Enter:

Go here to Ingenio's website and look at their products. Come back to this post and make a comment telling us another toy that interests you (other than Crossword Blocks). You're done, unless you want a better chance of winning....

Additional Entries:
-Grab the banner for this week's giveaway's Learning Spanish Together here. Post the banner on your blog with a link to http://www.wannajugarwithmigo.blogspot.com/. Come back and make 2 more comments, yes this is 2 more entries.

-Become a Follower of the this blog by clicking on "Follow" on the right side bar. Come back and more 2 more comments, yes, this is 2 more entries. If you are already a follower, make sure to make 2 more comments :)

Giveaway ends Sunday, September 20th at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends September 20th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on September 21st and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

Want more giveaways?

Head on over to http://www.spanglishbabyfinds.com/ to enter a contest for a Dancing Dora Doll. Dancing and speaking in Spanish- what could be more fun than that? They are also giving away a Little Pim DVD set and CD! Wow!

Ingenio Bilingual Toys Giveaway

*****Giveaway closed. Winner from random.org is #4 Diane said...
My boys love puzzles! This would be a great activity to get them speaking Spanish. Animals puzzle is really cute, & I always love maps.
September 17, 2009 9:36 PM

Sorry for the later post. I had to teach my immersion Spanish class this morning (I'll post the lesson plan when i get a chance).

It felt like it was Christmas when I received a big package from Ingenio filled with bilingual toys for my kids to review. I knew I would love toys that teach Spanish and English, but would they? The ultimate test as to whether a toy really teaches is having the kids play with it. My kids loved the toys!

Ingenio is a great new company that is "the first bilingual educational toys and games brand in the USA. Every Ingenio product is designed to be bilingual, innovative and fun." How fun is that! I love bilingual toys and now there is a website where all the toys, games and puzzles are bilingual.

We received a Smart Projector that projects pages for the children to trace. All you do it put a paper under and turn on the light (so easy to use!). It teaches how to write all the letters and numbers. My daughter loves coloring the 24 animals and then the animals names' are written out in English and Spanish. She loves tracing now!! This is such a creative product. It's my favorite!

Ingenio wants to give one of their toys to someone reading this blog! Spellable is a unique product where children can spell 3 letter words in English and Spanish. What a great way to learn sounds in Spanish and English!



Want to win a Spellable puzzle?

How to Enter:
Go here to Ingenio's website and look at their products. Come back to this post and make a comment telling us another toy that interests you (other than Spellable). You're done, unless you want a better chance of winning....

Additional Entries:
-Grab the banner for this week's giveaway's Learning Spanish Together here. Post the banner on your blog with a link to http://www.wannajugarwithmigo.blogspot.com/. Come back and make 2 more comments, yes this is 2 more entries.

-Become a Follower of the this blog by clicking on "Follow" on the right side bar. Come back and more 2 more comments, yes, this is 2 more entries. If you are already a follower, make sure to make 2 more comments :)

Giveaway ends Sunday, September 20th at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends September 20th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on September 21st and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

Come back each day this week for reviews and giveaways!

Bilingual Fun Giveaway

****Giveaway Closed. Winners from random.org are
#13 Bunsy said... I posted the banner, and am posting it again.
#27 Cristina said... I follow this blog, it's so much fun!


I'm glad I can have this week to do giveaways that anyone and everyone can enjoy! I focus so much on complete immersion, but I hope all parents will let their children learn some Spanish, even it is just a few words.

Today's giveaway is Bilingual Fun's DVD series Spanish for Children. Mark and Jennifer Manriquez Jen created the Bilingual Fun company. They not only have classes in Michigan, but have created an award winning DVD series Spanish for Children. It received the 2008 Preferred choice award for Creative Child Magazine.

I was able to review both DVD's. What cute teaching videos! I learned great activities, songs and games that I would love to use in my class and with my children. They alternate between showing a classroom setting with children and real-life pictures and videos of the vocabulary taught. I love how they ask children questions and they have to respond. Volume 2 even includes a practice quiz to see if your children can remember the words they learned. English and Spanish are used throughout to make this a very comfortable way to introduce Spanish to children.

My favorite song was using 1, 2, 3 Chocolate to practice counting. My children love singing that song. Mark Manriquez plays the guitar during the singing. My favorite activity was how they taught colors and fruit. They had the children sort the fruit by their color by putting them in colored bowls. Parents can do the easy activities with their children.

Lastly, I have to mention, Maestra Jen has a blog and I love reading her ideas and games she uses as she raising her children bilingually.


Maestra Jen will be giving away 2 award-winning DVD sets. 2 people will receive the DVD set of both volume 1 and 2.



Volume 1 includes:
Los Colores (colors)
Los Numeros (numbers)
Los Animales (animals)

Volume 2 includes:
Los Saludos (greetings)
El Cuerpo (Body parts)
La Comida (food)

How to Enter:
Leave a comment on this post telling us why you want your child to learn Spanish.



Additional Entries:
-Grab the banner for this week's giveaway's Learning Spanish Together here. Post the banner on your blog with a link to http://www.wannajugarwithmigo.blogspot.com/. Come back and make 2 more comments.

-Become a Follower of the this blog by clicking on "Follow" on the right side bar. Come back and more 2 more comments.

Giveaway ends Sunday, September 20th at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends September 20th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on September 21st and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

Come back each day this week for reviews and giveaways!

Giveaway: Boca Beth

****Giveaway Closed. Winner from random.org: simone/ thebubbledies said...
My fav is the Me Gusta Contar / I Like to Count. I love this CD! Thanks! thebubbledies(at)gmail(dot)com


Hi everyone! Make sure to enter Whistlefritz Spanish Immersion DVD's. Today is the last day to enter.

I'm excited to offer a lot of giveaways this week! We're going to start it off with a giveaway from Boca Beth.

Boca Beth sent us First Songs in Spanish and music videos now seen on the Education Channel in Tampa, Florida. The music is very catchy and easy to memorize. Every word or phrase is paired with the English equivalent. This helps parents that don't know the language understand and learn along with their children. My children loved playing with the mini maracas and I love using puppets that only speak and understand Spanish!

Boca Beth has generously offered to give away a child-sized backpack full of fun!

It includes:

-Our first music CD My First Songs in Spanish
-Our recently revised DVD I Like Animals
-BOCA the lovable puppet
-Our bilingual coloring/activity book with more than 40 pages of Spanish & English fun
-A How To Guide for second language instruction
-Spanish fun learning for kids all conveniently packaged inside our Boca Beth see-thru vinyl child-sized backpack

What a fun way for children to be introduced to Spanish! They will love having their own backpack with Spanish toys, music and videos. This backpack is on sale for $49.99 right now. Even if your child speaks Spanish fluently, this would be a great gift to friends that want to learn.

It's wonderful to meet educators who love the Spanish language and want to share it with children. Boca Beth recently read a story on Cody's Cuentos called El Sandwich de Carla. My kids loved listening to this story and her wonderful Spanish accent. If you sign up for her newsletter you will get tips on teaching your children languages, games and activities.

How to enter:

Go here to listen to My First Songs in Spanish CD. Come back to this post and tell us your favorite song that you listened to.

Additional Entries:

-Grab the banner for this week's giveaway's Learning Spanish Together here. Post the banner on your blog with a link to http://www.wannajugarwithmigo.blogspot.com/. Come back and make 2 more comments.

-Become a Follower of the this blog by clicking on "Follow" on the right side bar. Come back and more 2 more comments.

Giveaway ends Sunday, September 20th at 10 pm Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends September 20th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on September 21st and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

Come back each day this week for reviews and giveaways!

Learning Spanish Together Week

There are so many parents out there that don't speak Spanish but want their children to learn. As I have mentioned before, I am a believer in complete immersion. But what about parents that want to expose their children to Spanish and don't care about how fluent they will be. There are many benefits to learning even a little bit of a foreign language. I believe children are more confident when they can speak even if just a little of a foreign language. They are aware that there are different cultures and people speak different languages.

Starting September 15-18th, we will be presenting ideas and giveaways for parents who want to introduce Spanish to their children. The parent will learn a little Spanish along the way :) We have some great giveaways of artists and teachers that have contacted us or that we have contacted. We hope you will spread the word, so everyone can join in on the fun! Copy the banner above and link it with http://www.wannajugarwithmigo.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Whistlefritz Review & Giveaway

I am so excited to review one of my favorite Spanish language products for kids! I highly recommend their products! They are wonderful! I normally don't go on and on about products, but I really must when talking about these DVD's and CD.



Whistlefritz has 3 DVD's and 1 CD out that are completely in Spanish. It's complete immersion, but even children who have not been exposed to any Spanish can understand it! I love how they have plenty of repetition, sing songs that gets the kids dancing and show silly skits that get the kids giggling.


My kids love the DVD's! They remember what they watched and even try to re-enact what happens in the pictures. In Vamos a Jugar, they cover parts of the body and clothing. There is a cute scene where Maria tries to put something on her head. After putting on a sock, a skirt, and pants, she finally realizes she needs a sombrero. Without fail, my girls giggle when they see this part. I caught my daughter repeating what Maria did while she was getting dressed the other day. I love how it gets them talking!


Los Animales DVD covers much more than animals. They learn how to say "Que dice el perro?" and other phrases. They count dogs, see dogs chasing cats and much more! They also integrate in traditional songs like Los Pollitos and Vegan a Ver Mi Granja. I love the burro skit when the donkey is kicking things and Maria doesn't know what is happenning. The kids love it and it catches their attention.


I had already purchased the first DVD's and Whistlefritz sent me the newest DVD to review: Adentro y Afuera. It covers rooms in the house and where something is while trying to find a cute little mouse. It covers yummy food and even getting ready for the day. My favorite part is a skit where Maria counts cookies, but then some are missing as the kids take them away. They count multiple times- what a great way to practice counting!


I also received the wonderful A Bailar CD by Jorge Anaya. Someone asked what music I liked to use with my children and in my immersion classes the most. We use this CD probably the most. They are wonderful and are lively enough to dance to. The clear, easy-to-understand singing reminds me of Jose-Luis Orozco, except the accompaniment is more lively and fun! I love El Baile de Las Manos with its simple wording. All the kids in my class love this song!


The giveaway

Want to win the newest DVD Adentro y Afuera by Whistlefritz?




Here is what you do:
Go here, then click on the green button "View DVD Clip" to view a sample clip of one of their products. Come back to this post and leave a comment telling me what you liked about the clip.


After your first entry, you may do the following for additional entries:

-Go to Whistlefritz and find out what awards they have won. Come back to this post and make one comment telling me an award they have won.
-Become a follower of this blog by clicking on "Become a Follower" on the right side bar. Make one comment telling me you did.
- Blog or e-mail 5 friends (cc to wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] come) about this giveaway giving them a link and come back to this post. Make 2 comments for blogging or e-mailing.


Giveaway is now closed

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. Contest ends September 15th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly by random.org. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on September 16th and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

***Random.org found commenter #20 as the winner- Bunsy!

Spanish Rap Giveaway

What could be more catchy and fun than listening to rap to learn Spanish? I came across a sample video of Spanish rap by John de Mado and my kids loved it. I have to admit I enjoyed it too! The great thing about this CD and DVD it is for all ages. Kids and teenagers will love it the same!

From his website:

"John De Mado has been a vocal advocate for language acquisition in the United States for many years. John De Mado is fluent in English, French and Spanish. He has co-author of various foreign language textbooks published by Holt McDougal and McGraw-Hill, Inc. Since 1993, Mr. De Mado has directed John De Mado Language Seminars, Inc., a full-service consulting firm dealing exclusively with language acquisition issues. He has also been the Foreign Language Instructional Leader to Shepaug Valley Regional School District #12 in Connecticut where his primary task was to articulate a K-12, content-related language program. "

Here is a clip with family vocabulary:

I learned a lot by interviewing John De Mado. It helped me understand the language acquisition process better. It made me feel better about teaching my children Spanish and the mistakes I make. He talked about how we think language is "fossilized" like set in stone and never changes, whereas, it is constantly changing. If my children or I make a mistake, it doesn't mean they can't change it later.

Want to win an incredible Spanish rap DVD and CD called Festejemos?

This is what you need to do:

Click here to read the interview. Come back to this post again and comment telling me one thing you learned from about language acquisition from the interview.

For additional entries:

After reading the interview and making a comments you may do one or more of the following things to increase your chances of winning!

*Go to John De Mado's website here and come back and make a comment telling me one thing you learned about him.

*Become a follower of this blog. Click on the Follow button on the right side bar. Come back to this post and comment saying you are now a follower. (Comment even if you are already following :)

*Blog about this giveaway, come back, comment and give me a link to your giveaway post. Or e-mail 4 friends about this giveaway with a cc to wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com. Come back and make another comment telling me you sent e-mails.

Good luck!

Contest ends Monday August 24th at 10 PM Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. You can only win one signed book. Contest ends August 24th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on August 25th and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

Latin Baby Book Club Giveaways

5 incredible giveaways are happening at Latin Baby Book Club! Visit them- you have only until midnight tonight.

Here are a few things you could win:

I am hoping for the $50 gift card to their adorable shop. I have been wanting a Pio Pio Pio T-shirt for a long time for my girls, but it's just not in the budget :)

I'm also going to start posting more teaching games on the blog. I will be starting an immersion Spanish class for kids 2-5 years of age soon. I will share how it goes and the activities we do!

Build a Burrito Giveaway

Giveaways are back! We have a lot planned, so get ready!

I am thrilled to do this giveaway of one of my favorite Bilingual children's books, Build a Burrito. Shaped like a tortilla, it counts your way to 10 with different ingredients in a burrito. At the end one eager mouth eats the wrapped up burrito- yum! It teaches numbers, food and cooking :) My kids love it. It is perfect for beginners and has it printed in English as well as Spanish. I highly recommend this book, if you couldn't tell :)

The talented author, Denise Vega, wrote this book. At her website, she has wonderful teaching materials including visual aids, color graphs, food graphs to reinforce the learning with hands-on activities to do with your kids. They are very fun! I plan on printing up the cute ingredients and letting my kids color them to play games with. Click here to find the PDF with activities.

I have two signed copies of Build a Burrito to giveaway to readers of this blog.

Want to win one? This is what you have to do:

*Click here to read my interview with Denise Vega or click here to go to her website.
Then come back to this post, make a comment telling me one thing you learned about Denise Vega or her books.

Do you want a better chance of winning? Additional entries can be made by doing the following:

*Become a follower of this blog by clicking Follow on the box to the right. Make another comment on this post.

*Blog or Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Make one comment on this post. (Just one tweet or blog post :)

*Make another comment on this post telling me two books (in Spanish if you can:)) that you love to read to children.

*Subscribe via e-mail or subscribe via feed by clicking on the box to the right. (You may need to scroll down) Make another comment on this post.

*Take the poll on the right sidebar called "What should we blog about?" Make another comment on this post!

Contest ends Monday July 20th at 10 PM Central Time.

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to five times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. You can only win one signed book. Contest ends July 20th at 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on July 21st and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.

Summer Fun Giveaways

Make sure to visit Spanglish Baby every day this week. They will be having a giveaway everyday, but you must enter only on that day! If you haven't checked them out yeat, Spanglish Baby is an incredible resource!

Make sure to comment today to enter the giveaway for Bilingual Fun DVD! I have been wanted to try out this DVD for a long time!

I won the cute kid's cookbook that was posted yesterday! Yeay!

Jose-Luis Orozco De Colores CD Giveaway

Jose-Luis Orozco created a beautiful collection of Latin American Folk Songs for children. This is a wonderful way to introduce the Spanish language to your children.

To learn more about Jose-Luis Orozco, go to his website here or read my interview with him here.

He is not just giving away one CD, not just two, but FIVE De Colores CD's to five readers of this blog!

Do you want to win one of these CD's? You could be one of five winners! You have a great chance of winning!

How to enter:

-Go here, scroll down and listen to at least one of the songs on the CD. Post a comment telling us which song you listened to. You have entered!

Do you want to increase your chances of winning?
-For one extra entry, blog about this giveaway giving a direct link to this post: http://wannajugarwithmigo.blogspot.com/2009/04/jose-luis-orozco-de-colores-cd-giveaway.html Come back here and comment giving us a link to your blog post about this giveaway.
-For one extra entry, e-mail 5 people (CC our e-mail: wannajugarwithmigo [at] gmail [dot] com) about this giveaway giving a direct link to this post: http://wannajugarwithmigo.blogspot.com/2009/04/jose-luis-orozco-de-colores-cd-giveaway.html Come back and make a comment telling us that you e-mailed.

*You can enter multiple times to increase your chances of winning, but you can only win one CD. Five different people will get the CD's.

This giveaway ends Thursday, April 30th at 10:00 P.M., Central Time.

****Contest Closed ************************

Contest Rules- You can enter only up to three times for the contest by doing each one of the instructions above. You can only win one CD. Contest ends April 30th 10 PM Central Time. The winner will be chosen randomly. Comments must provide a name, no completely anonymous. Only USA addresses, sorry. I will announce the winner on Friday, June 1st and the winner must e-mail me within 72 hours. If you provide an e-mail, we will e-mail you.