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heather
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Posted 02/15/06
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#1
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Hi. I hope I am in the right place.
Me and my baby’s father are both American. I also speak moderately fluent Spanish, but am still learning. I own a restaurant and have been learning Spanish for three years with the help of my kitchen staff who are all Costa Rican. I plan on buying a second home in Costa Rica within the next five years. My son is two months old and I really want him to speak Spanish fluently. He is with me 24-7 and I speak English to him, however he does hear me speak Spanish throughout the day as well. I have asked mes professores en la cosina to only speak Spanish to my son although they all speak perfect English.
My questions are these;
I am considering having a Spanish speaking only nanny watch Skyler and do Spanish activities with him about 9-12 hours a week. Is this enough for him to pick up the language coupled with my conversations throughout the day?
I also play Erika Levy’s Spanish First Steps CD for him everyday.
Any advice or thoughts or similar experiences out there?
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Kimberly
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Posted 02/15/06
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#2
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Hi Heather. I think your idea of Spanish-speaking nanny is great, but you might try to get more hours, maybe 3 hours a day or something. It also depends on where you live. We live in San Diego, so the opportunities to hear Spanish are daily. You will also want to consider your future options. Do you have any immersion schools or bilingual school programs in your area? Because if you are serious about raising your child to be bilingual, you will want to find ways to continue this in the future. These are just ideas, to get you thinking about your options both now and in the future. ¡Suerte! Kimberly Bilingual Teacher/Parent
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ListModerator
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Posted 02/17/06
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#3
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Hi Heather,
Yes, a bit more Spanish would be good, but there is no hurry, per se. You can build it up over time. The rule of thumb is at least 30% of the child’s waking time should be in the second language to raise a bilingual child that is actively using the language (and not just understanding and then replying back in the majority language).
However, the race is long and if you plan on owning a house in Costa Rica and spend significant amount of time there you should be just fine. Also, don’t discount passive language knowledge. It is magnitudes easier to turn that into active use, compared to learning it from scratch. Joining a playgroup would be great for both you and Skyler. You can find more ideas on how to ‘supplement’ the minority language on our website.
Good luck,
/Christina
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Christina Bosemark
Founder & List Moderator
Multilingual Children’s Association
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Mark
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Posted 03/12/06
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#4
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I envy the start you’ve got, and the fact that you’re starting so early with your son. Our youngest is 1.5 yrs and oldest is 3.5 yrs. We are native-english speakers and have no spanish language ability. We both studied French in high school, but neither of us approach fluency in that language either. Here in southern Oregon there aren’t very many speakers of other languages, but the largest group is spanish-speakers, mainly a farm worker population. Our only exposure to spanish speakers is at the local mexican restaurant. In spite of all this, we’re still hoping to raise bilingual children. One thing we do have going for us is that our oldest has remarkable language ability (in english, of course), and we’re hoping this makes it easier for him to learn.
We chose spanish over french because we think it will be more useful and they’ll have more exposure to it living in the western US. Also, there is a bilingual spanish/english K-5 education program at the public elementary school two towns over. We’re leaning toward driving them the 15 miles each way to that school instead of enrolling them in the perfectly good kindergarten down the street. [Moderator, please tell us we’re not crazy in attempting this!]
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ListModerator
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Posted 03/13/06
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#5
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Hi Mark,
Congratulations! Yes, language talents in one language often carries over into to other languages as well. But, why wait? Is there no Spanish day-care or preschool you could start with — a few days a week, if nothing else? Or, a playgroup, perhaps? Children tend to really enjoy other kids at around 2 years of age, and it is excellent for their social skills.
Anyhow, since I’m not sure where you are, below is the full list of Spanish schools I have for Oregon. Maybe something here closer to you than 15 miles, but even so, that is not a crazy distance at all. More than 30 minutes away start to become a burden. BTW, these schools should also be able to help you find a daycare or playgroup close to where you live.
Good luck,
/Christina
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Christina Bosemark
Founder & List Moderator
Multilingual Children’s Association
Aloha Park School Two Way Immersion Program
Beaverton, OR
Contact: Edna Nicoli
Phone: 503-259-3800
Barnes Elementary School Bridges Program
Beaverton, OR
Contact: Sue Braithwaite
Phone: 503-672-3500
Vose Elementary Two-Way Immersion Program
Beaverton, OR
Contact: Michele Bell
Phone: (503)672-3590
Echo Shaw Dual Language Program
Cornelius, OR
Contact: Susan Rodriguez
Phone: 503-359-2490
Garfield Elementary Dual Language Strand of the School of the World
Corvallis, OR
Contact: Lynn Lahey
Phone: 541-757-5941
The Language Academy at Aiken Elementary School
Ontario, OR
Contact: Mark Hinthorn
Phone: 541-889-5584
Phoenix Elementary School Dual Language Program
Phoenix, OR
Contact: Charlie Bauer
Phone: 541-535-3353
Atkinson Dual Language Spanish Immersion Program
Portland, OR
Contact: Lilian Sarlos
Phone: 503-916-6333
Beach Elementary Dual Immersion Program
Portland, OR
Contact: Paige Fox
Phone: 503-916-6236
Grant Community “Creating An Effective School Community for the 21st Century”
Salem, OR
Contact: Lin Crimshaw
Phone: 503-399-3258
Language Academy at Nellie Muir
Woodburn, OR
Contact: Sherrilynn Rawson
Phone: 503-981-2670
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Frank Humiston
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Posted 07/03/10
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#6
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Kim, You sound like just what i am looking for.
I have amassed about 250 Bilingual English/Spanish kids DVDs (Disney, etc.) with the idea of exposing kids to two languages early in life. (Advantage; more vocabulary than just home ).
Now my circumstances have changed and I need to get rid of them all (+ others. I am NOT interested in giving them to someone who would just sell them, but to someone who would use them. A school or somebody REALLY interested.
As I have no car the recipient would need to pick them up. Santee in San Diego County
Frank Humiston (619) 449-2937
Quote: Originally Posted by KimberlyHi Heather. I think your idea of Spanish-speaking nanny is great, but you might try to get more hours, maybe 3 hours a day or something. It also depends on where you live. We live in San Diego, so the opportunities to hear Spanish are daily. You will also want to consider your future options. Do you have any immersion schools or bilingual school programs in your area? Because if you are serious about raising your child to be bilingual, you will want to find ways to continue this in the future. These are just ideas, to get you thinking about your options both now and in the future. ¡Suerte! Kimberly Bilingual Teacher/Parent |
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