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Raising A Multi-Lingual Child *Giveaway*

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This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by. The winner is Sherri.  Congrats!

It’s not often that I talk about my cultural background.  I’m actually embarrassed that most of you probably don’t know I’m Puerto Rican. I grew up with parents who wanted to “mainstream” me.  They wanted me to have as many opportunities as possible.  It wasn’t until I entered high school that I even thought about learning our native language.  I’m 32 years old and disappointed that I had the opportunity to be bilingual, but am not (but I can still learn!).

Learning a second language can only help your child.  Having spent some time living overseas, I was surprised at how many children speak more than one language.  Because my husband is Caucasian, my children will have that much more difficulty learning a second language because they won’t grow up hearing it spoken.  This is why it’s so important to me to start teaching my son basic Spanish at an early age.

Many months ago, I learned about a program called Boca Beth.  I actually had no idea that I could start teaching my son Spanish at a very young age.  I thought he had to master English first. Boca Beth products offer parents a fun way to introduce Spanish AND English to their children.  This is one of the only programs that teaches language in this way.  Bilingual education is optimal for children learning their native language.

The program is fun…which is important to me.  I wasn’t always thrilled about learning a second language as a child.  I didn’t see the need for it (how ironic!).  My son loves to learn.  We read and complete mini phonics lessons, so starting this program was something exciting for him.  The program seeks to teach children in a variety of ways by tapping into many of their senses.  They can watch the DVD, listen to the CD, color and complete the activity book, and touch the puppet and maracas.  Best of all, I don’t have to know a single word of Spanish to teach my children with this program (did you hear that hubby?).

Boca Beth has won several awards and was created by a teacher.  It’s been used in preschools, public schools and homes for over six years. Some of the benefits of the program include early reading skills and advanced communication abilities.  And best of all, it’s very affordable.


My son received the Boca Beth Beginner Set, which includes their first bilingual music CD, their first bilingual DVD, BOCA the puppet, a coloring book, and an easy reading How to Guide.  We try to do something each day (whether it be listening to the CD, watching the DVD, etc.). The only basic Spanish my son had coming into the program was familiarity with Spanish numbers (up to number 10).  Right now, he’s imitating several of the words in the program. We still need lots of practice matching the English and Spanish words.

One of my questions was, why a puppet?  I learned that puppets help to bring out native and new language in children.

Boca Beth is an effective, easy-to-use program that makes learning Spanish fun for both parents and children.

Win It! One of you will win a Boca Beth Beginner Backpack (ARV $49.99).  Simply leave me a comment with something you learned on the site.  Comments will close on April 1, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

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I did not receive compensation for this post.  Product samples were provided to facilitate this review and giveaway.

Caryn Bailey
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110 Responses to Raising A Multi-Lingual Child *Giveaway*

  1. Time magazine reported “The ability to learn a second language is highest between birth and the age of six, then undergoes a steady and inexorable decline.” (Nash, 1997)

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  3. I agree that being bilingual is very important. I learned that

    “Our program and products have been created by a teacher, translated by native Spanish-speaking early childhood experts and used successfully in preschools, public schools and homes for more than six years.”

    Reply

  8. I didn’t know the role of puppets in learning a new language. I am Japanese – Brazilian and my husband is Caucasian. We try hard to get our daughter to speak Japanese or learn some so that she can talk to her grandparents but it has been a challenge. I believe I am the one who has to make sure I am consistent and only speak to her in Japanese… She is almost 5 and now she understands Japanese but replies in English. It is just easier for her… Her daycare provider is a Mexican lady so I believe she will be thrilled to see this product. She tries to teach them Spanish and some Mexican traditions and festivities. I love your blog by the way!

    Reply

  14. bilingual children have an advantage in learning, they read earlier and understand language concepts silenttributary(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  19. A study found that bilingual children understood better than monolingual children the general symbolic representation of print — meaning that bilingual children learn to read sooner than monolingual children (Bialystok, 1997).

    Reply

  22. I learned that over 28 million homes in the United States have Spanish as their first language…wow totally did not know that!
    hope i win thanks!

    Reply

  26. I learned Beth Butler has received several awards including The Teacher’s Choice Award in 2007.

    Thank you. 🙂

    Reply

  27. I learned this: Why should Spanish be the language of choice?

    • Over 28 million homes in the United States have Spanish as their first language.
    • There are currently over 44 million Latino people living the United States.
    • Spanish is the most requested language program in the United States.
    • Learning Spanish as a second language allows a child to be able to communicate with over 300 million more people worldwide.

    Reply

  32. I learned that bilingual children perform better in math on standardized tests than other children. Thanks for the chance.

    Reply

  36. I learned that “A study found that bilingual children understood better than monolingual children the general symbolic representation of print — meaning that bilingual children learn to read sooner than monolingual children (Bialystok, 1997).”

    Reply

  44. Learned that you are Puerto-Rican and you are learning to speak Spanish as an adult. I was actually very lucky that altough I was born and raised in the US (Miami, FL), my Cuban parents taught me Spanish as my first language.

    Reply

  47. Beth Butler collaborated with Orlando Tech and Progressive Media & Music Studios to unite Spanish, English and American Sign Language in a DVD that is ready for gratis placement on public access TV and cable stations nation wide.

    Reply

  50. I learned that bilingual children learn to read sooner than monolingual children. It makes sense, since the more you know, the easier it is to make new associations.

    Reply

  53. I learned A study found that bilingual children understood better than monolingual children the general symbolic representation of print — meaning that bilingual children learn to read sooner than monolingual children. WOW that is COOL!

    Reply

  59. I believe that “hearing” the foreign words, such as on the Cd’s, is one of the best ways a young mind learns from; especially when there isn’t someone already living in the household who speaks the language.

    Reply

  61. Thanks for the chance to win! I love reading all the ways that Beth suggests we can learn Spanish by taking just a few minutes, consistently, every day.

    Reply

  78. I learned that their program and products have been created by a teacher, translated by native Spanish-speaking early childhood experts and used successfully in preschools, public schools and homes for more than six years.

    Reply

  82. I am almost finished with my teaching certification to be a Spanish teacher. (I am not a native speaker). I am obsessed with learning the language! I have a 8 month old son who is deaf in one ear so his doctor told me to constantly verbalize with him. So I constantly read to him, talk through everything we are doing (changing diaper, etc) and show him things. I started with the Spanish right when he was born and I am hoping it helps aid in his development. I LOVED all the tips I found on this site and I plan on incorporating them in my home as well as in the classroom! I especially liked the idea of doing one thing a day at home. This way it isn’t overload but you still get practice time in with your kids. Thanks for all the ideas!

    Reply

  84. following on twitter!
    I am hopin to win this one! I have a 3yo and we homeschool it would be great if I could get this to start Spanish now!

    Reply

  89. I blogged. I would love to win this for my 3 year old daughter (she’ll be 4 in a couple of weeks). I’ve been trying to incorporate spanish (and other languages) in our daily conversation, just with the few words and phrases that I know and pick up on. We would both really benefit from the boca beth materials. I want us to learn as much spanish as possible the next few months because we’re planning a trip to Puerto Rico in July or August. Also, with her birthday coming up, this would be a great birthday present for her!

    Reply

  91. It was helpful to read this, as my husband and I want to raise our kids to be bilingual, but have been finding it harder than we realized. I want to put more effort into it to make it happen.

    Reply

  92. I learned that “Ms. Butler lived in Chile and Mexico, then spent more than 15 years in preschool and elementary school classrooms.”

    Reply

  94. I learned that Time magazine reported “The ability to learn a second language is highest between birth and the age of six, then undergoes a steady and inexorable decline.” (Nash, 1997). wow!!!! that’s amazing!
    mainlandmama at gmail dot com

    Reply

  100. Time magazine reported “The ability to learn a second language is highest between birth and the age of six, then undergoes a steady and inexorable decline.” (Nash, 1997)
    Children who learn a second language early in life will most often speak with native pronunciation.

    Reply

  104. I learned If a young child has a number of positive experiences with another language, he or she can become quite receptive to learning other languages.

    Reply

  106. I learned that over 28 million homes in the United States have Spanish as their first language.

    mightynaynay(at)cs.com

    Reply

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