This Week in Espanol (May 16)

Estimados Padres,

We are fast approaching the end of Spanish!

Noah's Ark did not have Spanish today due to end of the year rehearsal for their school recital.

This week in Spanish class we practiced some new opposites as well as reviewed others. Our review was "night" and "day" and we also learned "hot" and "cold." The children had to tell me items that were hot or cold, using the Spanish words.

We also played a fun traditional Mexican game/song called "Vibora de la Mar." (Sea snake). We talked about the word for snake in Spanish and they acted out being a snake. We made a long line forming a snake and formed a bridge using myself and one other child. I sang the song and at the end of the song one child gets caught under the bridge!

This is a well known children's song in Mexico and also a game that is played at weddings. It can get kind of crazy sometimes! Usually the person at the end falls down (we did not do that in class) :)

See Youtube videos below (good for your child to see):

Children Dancing to Vibora de la Mar

Adults Playing the Wedding Game Vibora de la Mar

If you want some great entertainment, search the following on You Tube (Caidas en la vibora de la mar- Falls during Vibora de la Mar). You will see many Mexican weddings!

Focus Words:

Hot: Caliente (ca-lee-in-tay)
Cold- Frio (free-oh)
Night- Noche (no-chay)
Day- Dia (dee-ah)
Snake- Vibora (vee-bore-ah)

Words to Song:

A la víbora, víbora                  To the snake, snake
de la mar, de la mar                 Of the sea, of the sea
por aquí pueden pasar              You can pass through here
Los de adelante corren mucho  Those in front run fasta
y los de atrás se quedarán     Those in the back get left behind
tras, tras, tras, tras.                Behind, Behind, Behind

Atentamente,

Senora Mellor
Best Amiogos Preschool Spanish
910-231-3514

This Week in Espanol (May 2nd)

Estimados Padres,

Last week we talked about Spain and Mexico, how far away they are, where they are located and how people speak Spanish there. I brought in hats from each country and we learned the Spanish word for "hat" and compared hats.

Since Cinco de Mayo is coming up this Sunday, this week in Spanish class we focused on Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is not really an official Mexican holiday, so I don't focus on that but thought it would be nice to compare flags.

I showed the children the American flag and we talked about the colors in Spanish. We did the same for the Mexican flag.

The children got to make a Mexican flag with stamp ink and their thumbs. The ink is washable; I hope no one got any on their clothes. I was careful and told them to be careful but just in case, the ink should wash off easily.

Focus Words:

Flag-  La Bandera
Green- Verde (vair-day)
White- Blanco
Red- Rojo (row-hoe)
More- Mas (some groups learned this word and had to use it if they wanted more ink).

We also reviewed past material, rehearsing for our end of the year performances. Please continue to play the CD for your child, as it helps them keep Spanish fresh in their minds throughout the week. All performances are group performances; the only part each child will say individually is introducing themself, so you may want to practice that with him/her so he/she is comfortable. (Hola, me llamo or if they just want to say "me llamo" that is fine, too).

See performance dates below:

Noah's Ark- Thursday, May 9th at 11 a.m. in the Chapel Building

CLC-Darlington- Children will be performing at the annual CLC recital (I do not have the date in front of me but your child's teacher should have it)

CLC- Medical Center Drive- Thursday, May 16th at 4:30 p.m. in the gym/activity room. Children will be performing for the 4 and 5 year old classes. Parents invited.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me! Hasta la proxima semana! (Until next week!)

Senora Mellor
231-3514

This Week in Espanol- (April 18th)

Estimados Padres,

This week in Spanish we learned people words- boy, girl, man and woman.

We played a game similar to duck duck goose where the children had to touch each other's heads and say "boy" or "girl" in Spanish.

We looked at magazines and pointed out men or women.

Finally, we made a booklet with labeled pictures of a man, woman, boy and girl. I recommend reading this with your child and asking questions such as "Show me el nino." Or "donde esta el nino (where is the boy) if you are comfortable using more Spanish. Advanced: Ask "Quien es" (who is it) and point to a photo and have your child tell you the word in Spanish (Es el nino- It's the boy). You may have to remind him/her a few times. Making it relate to you is always fun- ex. Is Daddy an hombre or mujer (man or woman).

As always, I incorporated counting and colors into the class, letting them say which color they wanted of different items. We also practiced our opposites of big/little, up/down, hard/soft. Some classes learned day/night although this was not our focus today.

*Tip- In Spanish the "H" is silent. For example, the word for man is "hombre" but you do not say the letter "h." Simply pretend it is not there.

Focus Words:

The Boy- El Nino (neen-yoe)
The Girl- La Nina (neen-ya)
The Man- El Hombre (om-bray)
The Woman-La Mujer (moo-hair)

This Week in Espanol (April 11th)

Estimados Padres,

This week in Spanish class we counted, sang our opening songs and practiced some opposites (hard/soft), (big/ little), (up/down). Our songs for today included "If you're happy and you know it," "El Baile de los Colores" (the colors dance) and our Spanish ABCs.

With it being spring, we learned the Spanish words for bee and butterfly. They had to act out the parts as I called the word. When I said "bee" in Spanish they had to  buzz. When I said "butterfly" in Spanish, they had to flap their wings. We also focused on the color words, "yellow" and "black."

Focus Words:

Butterfly- Mariposa (mah-ree-pose-ah)
Bee- Abeja (ah-bay-ha)
Black- Negro (neh-groe)
Yellow- Amarillo (ah-ma-ree-yoe)


The children got to make a butterfly or bee craft. They had to tell me in Spanish which one they wanted- either bee or butterfly. They decorated it and put it on a stick with the Spanish word written. *One class, the 3 year olds ran out of time so we will make our craft next week.

Please let me know if you did not receive the brown envelope that I sent home last week with your child's music CD in it. I will track it down or make another! I hope they (and you) are enjoying practicing with the CD.

Hasta la proxima semana!

Senora Mellor
Best Amigos Preschool Spanish
231-3514

This Week in Espanol (April 4th)

Estimados Padres,

This week in Spanish class we sang our opening songs (Spanish ABCs, If you're happy and you know it, and a new color song).

We played with balloons and said the colors and danced to a song called "El Baile de Los Colores," the colors dance.

Our focus word of the day was balloon. Some groups also learned the opposites, "hard and soft."

Focus Words:

Balloon- Globo (globe-oh)
Hard- Duro (dure-oh)
Soft- Suave (swav-eh)

Today I sent home a CD with music for your child to listen to. Music is a great way to learn grammar and complete sentences in Spanish for children. They sing and do not realize they are actually learning what sounds correct to their ears for the foreign language. Please play it as much as you can bear (think in car or at bedtime or while you're cooking dinner). Some of the songs we will sing at our recital so the more he/she hears the songs the more comfortable he/she will be.

Hasta la proxima semana! (Until next week)

Senora Mellor
Best Amigos Preschool Spanish

This Week in Espanol (March 21)



Estimados Padres,

This week in Spanish class we celebrated Spring by learning the Spanish word for "flower." We also learned the words for "pink" and "purple" in Spanish. We made a flower craft and I wrote a sentence on each child's paper describing the scene (The flower is pink or The Flower is purple). They got to choose which color they wanted and had to tell me in Spanish. We talked about how pink and purple rhyme in Spanish (but not in English).

The first half of class we did our usual circle time songs which today included "If You're Happy and You Know It" in Spanish as well as "El Abecedario" (Spanish ABCs.). The children's CDs will be ready in April and will come home with each child. Those will be a great tool for your child and should help him/her practice Spanish at home and also familiarize you with some of what we've been learning.

We will not have Spanish class next week as it is Spring break for most schools.

Remember that payment is due for the spring session. Please drop it off at the front office if you have not yet already. Gracias!


Focus Words:

La flor (The flower) la floor
Morado (Purple) more-ah-doe
Rosado (Pink) rose-ah-doe

Other Words Used Today:

Sol- (Sun) soul                              Some children drew a sun on their papers.
Verde- (Green) vair-day               Some children drew green grass.
Conjeo- (Rabbit) cone-eh-hoe      Our focus word from last week.

Feliz Primavera (Happy Spring)!

Senora Mellor

This Week in Espanol (March 14)

Estimados Padres,

This week in Spanish we sang "Si Tu Estas Contento" (If you're Happy and you know it) in Spanish as well as our Abcedario  (Spanish ABC) song. We also continued practicing our opposites, counting and colors. We reviewed the Spanish word for "star" from last week.

The children learned the Spanish word for rabbit and we did a counting song called "Has Visto Los Conejos" (Have you seen the rabbits?). It will be included on the CD that I send home in a few weeks.

They made a rabbit craft with Peeps. Those are always a hit :) I wrote the word "conejo" on the stick for them to remember. I told them to eat them at home after they show them to their parents.

Focus Word:

rabbit- conejo (cone-nay-hoe)

Note: CLC Darlington did not have class today due to a field trip but we will make the class up tomorrow.

Reminder that payment is now due for the Spring Session. Payment is $8 per class and there will be 9 classes counting today, so the total is $72. This will carry them through the end of the year in May.

Hasta la proxima semana!

Senora Mellor