Articles by Beth Butler on ArticleSnatch.com

Songs Teach Children Curriculum Concepts

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:45:14 -0400

Remember learning the states of the US or the capitals of those states to music in elementary school? Bet you can still sing that little song to this day, word for word, to the amazement of many friends and family members! Educators and parents of today are using music to help their little children learn concepts from shapes and colors to math facts and planets of our solar system. The common use of piggyback songs has gained in popularity as we return to the basics of teaching our young children. When you piggyback a song you simply take a familiar melody of a children song such as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or Skip to My Lou and put in new lyrics. Many recording artists for the preschool set have helped these little ones learn addition, multiplication, world languages and spelling! And a welcoming audience these children are. Soaking up the new concepts like sponges while their brains are what many people refer to as plastic in texture. Homeschooling families, classroom teachers and involved parents realize that there are many ways to help their children get ahead in what has become a very global economy. **End Summary** Topics: music to teach]]> teach with music]]> curriculum for kids]]> language with music]]> teach children]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Wife, Mother, Teacher, Entrepreneur, Speaker. Creator of award-winning Spanish/English bilingual educational resources for children for use as early as birth. Visit her site to learn more Their online free resources rock! Sample the music fun now!

Is it Ever Too Soon to Begin a Second Language Journey

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:17:44 -0400

Having command of more than one language provides sure entry into a higher paying job, the ticket to some pretty amazing opportunities and perhaps even the ability to forge friendships with millions of other people you may never have connected with should you remain monolingual. Being able to speak in more than your native language most often makes you aware of other cultures, other people and other places. Embracing this introduction of a new language should happen as soon as possible experts advise. Inside of the womb is truly an optimal start time. I am not pulling your leg! That myth of babies being able to recognize sounds and voices from inside the womb once released into the outside world is not a myth. Many of us have witnessed our own infants turning towards a familiar voice or reacting to a familiar cadence or rhythm he heard in utero. Did you know that a baby is able to learn all of the more than six thousand languages of our world up until the tender age of eleven months? After that time, the brain begins acquire languages in a more categorized manner. **End Summary** Topics: second language]]> foreign language for children]]> teaching language]]> early childhood development]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Wife, Mother, Teacher, Entrepreneur, Speaker. Creator of award-winning Spanish/English bilingual educational resources for children for use as early as birth.

Why Do They Keep Telling Me to Stop

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:35:38 -0400

No one gives us a full semester class on how to be an amazing parent. There is not one course in our high schools or in our college that ever focuses enough on the most important job many of us take on at some point in our life. That is the job of being a parent. Sure, you can listen to stories from other parents, you can read books on how to be a new parent, and you can even visit web sites helping you chart the course of the development of your new baby, but none of these will ever truly prepare you for how much goes into raising one little baby from infancy, through the toddler years, and on into preschool age when, by the end of this phase of the life of a child, ninety percent of his brain is developed! This is quite a job you have chosen, and you need to understand something very quickly to make it easier on you, your spouse and your child. All of the advice givers mean really well, but they are not always correct. **End Summary** Topics: language learning]]> children learning languages]]> early childhood development]]> language myths]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Wife, Mother, Teacher, Entrepreneur, Speaker. Creator of award-winning Spanish/English bilingual educational resources for children for use as early as birth.

Top Five Ways to Raise a Bilingual Baby

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Thank goodness the English only mentality is disappearing, slowly but surely, from the heart of the United States of America. For years we have proudly called ourselves a melting pot, one that welcomes immigrants, cultures and languages from around the world. Yet all of us realize the hypocrisy with which our system has executed the embracing of the melting pot. Our school systems do not prepare its teachers, must less educate its students, on how to bridge together the English language with the multitude of languages entering our classrooms daily. Sure, there are ESL and ESOL classes, but I encourage you to ask any teacher upon completion of the course if she is ready to take on the challenge of educating a new student from Columbia about the solar system. Her answer will be on the negative side of things. It is because of this lack of quality language learning going on in our public education system that the responsibility of raising bilingual babies, who will in turn become global citizens, has fallen upon the shoulders of every new parent. **End Summary** Topics: bilingual education]]> bilingual baby]]> teach baby language]]> early childhood development]]> smart baby]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Wife, Mother, Teacher, Entrepreneur, Speaker. Creator of award-winning Spanish/English bilingual educational resources for children for use as early as birth.

Why Subtract When You Can Add?

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Have you ever given thought to how different your life might be if your parents had chosen to enroll you in that summer enrichment program, that fall football camp or that study abroad during your school years? Often times simple decisions such as those shape who we become in our adult lives. I recall a good friend of mine who chose to live in Spain for a year of her college study. She met a native Spaniard and continues to fulfill a lifelong dream of owning a bed and breakfast in that beautiful country! I myself had the great fortune to live as a exchange student during the summer of my junior year in high school, and now I own a company that utilizes the second language skills I acquired during those three valuable and life changing months. Allow us to use our imagination as our children so freely do to think back on a time in our lives when, choosing to add something to our life, could have truly changed the shape and direction of our futures. As parents and teachers we often are faced with the challenges of communicating with others in various world languages. **End Summary** Topics: teach child languages]]> introduce languages to child]]> foreign language for child]]> bilingual education]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

Three Simple Steps for Adding Spanish to Your Summer Fun

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Forget the worksheets for the summer! Skip the verb conjugation lessons for the next ten weeks! Did I hear some of you shout out a request for play? Now, if you have teens like I do, some of the shouts were for sleep! But today I want to talk about the strong desire of our younger set, between two and ten, who want to play, play, and then play some more! It can be so easy to keep these young ones laughing and learning. We just have to have a game plan to get started, and I want to help arm you with the tools to get through the next ten weeks, coming out on the other end of the time knowing that the kids did learn something amidst all of the play. As a mom of three, an educator of thousands, and president of a company directed strictly towards children ages birth through ten, I can help! First of all, find yourself a great local library that has lots of bilingual materials in Spanish and English. Not just books, I am talking CDs, DVDs, and even magazines for children featuring both languages. **End Summary** Topics: bilingual children]]> teach child spanish]]> second language for kids]]> summer idea for learning]]> Spanish]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

Educators Report Immersion is Making our Children Ill

Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

No child, not yours, not mine, nor the child of someone we do not even know, should ever have to go off to school feeling anxious. Yet as adults we realize it happens. Perhaps it is the first day of the school year jitters or knowing that you will have to take a spelling test for which you are not prepared. Nervousness over school does happen some days for some children. Imagine being a six year old child again and feeling that type of anxiety every morning you are dropped off at school. Your stomach is in knots. You feel light headed. Perhaps you even feel as if you will throw up. That is exactly how many children in thousands of our classrooms across our country feel daily. According to the article published on Boston.com in September 2008 titled English period, young children entering our schools are often times being faced with mandatory English only classrooms as a way of handling the influx of English language learners. **End Summary** Topics: languages for children]]> early childhood education]]> bilingual education]]> immersion programs]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

We Will Take Our Languages Together Please

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

It has been almost three decades since I received my teaching degree from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. Way back in that time of ancient history very little was spoken about teaching young children a second language. In fact, the most I heard about introducing a new language to a baby, toddler or even a preschool age child was when I was living in Chile as an exchange student! In other countries it seems the norm to introduce more than one language to children before the age of formal education in a traditional school setting; hence the increased numbers of bilingual citizens coming from other countries. Here in the United States it has typically been middle school where a student is finally given the opportunity to choose an academic course of another world language. I know! I know! Some of you private schools offer early second language instruction, and even some of the public schools have ventured into a weekly visit from a world language instructor or maybe even started a dual language program. **End Summary** Topics: second languages]]> immersion]]> bilingual education]]> teach children languages]]> foreign language for kid]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

Ready! Set! Go! Start Your Bilingual Journey Now!

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The children are lined up at the starting gate. Toddlers and preschool age children are poised, ready to launch off the starting block and win the race to becoming the best global citizen they can be! Banners of sponsors line the path of this great race. All the way from companies who make bilingual CDs and DVDs for babies to those who run private institutions designed to give Junior the best life has to offer during the first five years of his life. What? You did not know that the first five years of life are truly the most critical to the emotional, social and cognitive development of your precious child? The studies have been conducted, the truth has been told, and numerous books have been written to share with new parents and educators about this young scholarly set. Between birth and the age of five, a child will experience almost ninety percent of his brain becoming developed. Think about that! You are born with twenty five percent of your brain developed, and within the short time of five years the brain experiences millions and millions of neural pathway connections. **End Summary** Topics: early childhood learning]]> teach kids languages]]> early literacy]]> spanish for children]]> kids learn]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

What Does Music in Our Schools Mean to Your Child?

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Since 1985, March has been officially designated Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM). Who designated it as such? The MENC, The National Association for Music Education is the group responsible for heightening the awareness of the importance of music in our schools. It is a time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. How many of us recall learning some special concept, some stick in your head little ditty with music as the foundation, and we still cannot get it out of our mind? For that very reason bringing more attention to music in our schools is necessary and vital to the success of our youth of today. It is horrible to even think about the budget cuts in our public schools. The very ones that actually took music away from the elementary school my daughter attends for almost one month in 2008. As an educator I was furious that my second grade child was not going to receive instruction in music at all during her school year. Obviously I was not the only one infuriated, and the school managed to find a music teacher to give them once a week instruction. **End Summary** Topics: music in schools]]> menc]]> miosm]]> teach with music]]> kids learn with music]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

Three Things to Do as You Discover Languages with Young Children

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

With each passing day of our lives we are faced with the realization that this world is ever shrinking. We encounter new neighbors from other countries, colleagues who speak more than one language, and friends of our children come from various walks of life and far away countries. It is evident that our own children need to be prepared for this global society in which they will travel as young adults sooner than we care to imagine. As a parent of three children and an educator of thousands I live this realization every day! I search for ways in which I can bring to my family not only knowledge of other lands where people look, live, sound and eat differently but also ways in which I can help them communicate with people from around the world. I have done my own internet searches and conducted my own personal research about which language is the best choice for my family to begin learning in addition to English. It is obvious that learning Spanish as a second language here in the United States is the most practical choice if we want to use our new found language on a daily basis. **End Summary** Topics: learning languages]]> raise bilingual children]]> teach children languages and cultures]]> music to teach]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

My Journey in a Backpack to the White House

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Never could I have guessed when I was being made in Indonesia, a place where our new President of the United States used to live, would I one day be living in the same house as that same President, President Barack Obama. It has been really amazing! Take this historical day of the swearing in of the first African American President, combine it with a collection of dignitaries, celebrities and just millions of proud Americans, and moving day for the new First Family is upon us. For those of you who do not know who I am, my name is Boca the hand puppet and language amigo, friend of thousands of children across this country and many, many others. I have been known to show up on The Education Channel in the Tampa Bay Area, I have been turned into a big mascot character, and I help elicit the new language of many young children from sea to shining sea. (That seemed so appropriate in light of the events of today, Inauguration Day for our forty fourth President of the United States of America! **End Summary** Topics: malia obama]]> sasha obama]]> first family obama]]> language learning for kids]]> toys for obama girls]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

Second Language plus Child Equals Smarter Child

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Many of you reading this already are on to the fact that being bilingual is no longer an option, it is a necessity. As a mom of three children, all of whom are bilingual to varying degrees, and as an educator of thousands of young children over the past twenty years, I have watched first hand the growing demand from our society to prepare our young children for a global economy. No longer is it enough to give them a few colors and shapes in preschool, hope that their elementary school might incorporate a few days of the week spoken in two languages here or months there, and then trust that, come middle school, they will eagerly and easily catch on to second language learning. We know that is not how it works. We have all witnessed the lack of enthusiasm for middle school Spanish class from most teenagers in our lives. The groans from those high school kids who must finish their second year of a foreign language in order to get accepted to any college are more than most parents and teachers can bear. **End Summary** Topics: teach child foreign languages]]> kids learn languages]]> early childhood learning]]> benefits of learning]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingual consultant, keynote speaker and children recording artist, Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

Resolutions for the New Year from a Toddler

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I realize I am a lot! There is no hiding the fact that us two year olds demand a lot of attention, require a lot of time from anyone within a two hundred yard radius, and create total exhaustion for those caring for us! I try really hard to be good each and every minute, but all of us know that is not in the realm of possibility. I will, however, in these following words state my resolutions for the upcoming New Year. I heard from a play date buddy of mine that you adults do this all of time and never stick to them. So I was thinking maybe I could challenge you over thirty people and present my own for 2009! First of all, I am going to try to stop saying the word NO all the time. I totally get that it is really annoying to you, and I do not really like the harsh sound of it either. Especially when it is coming from your mouth to my little ears. So, could we strike a deal and both resolve not to use the word NO so many times in a one hour period? **End Summary** Topics: resolutions for new year]]> new years resolutions from child]]> toddler humor]]> humor for parents]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

Do Not Try This At Home

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0500

So you have made the commitment to give your children a jump start on learning a second language. The Time Magazine you picked up during all of your free time as a parent of three told you the window of opportunity to learn a second language is between birth and the age of ten or twelve. You even heard a little four year old girl at the preschool your child attends speak to her mom in Spanish yet turn and talk to your daughter in English. You are determined not to be outdone by the Gomez family who just moved here from Puerto Rico last year so you diligently did your research during loads of laundry, shuffling kids to hither and yon, and now you have purchased the language learning set that you feel best fits the learning style of your family! Now, granted, you have a toddler, a preschooler and an elementary aged child, but you know this language learning program that cost almost as much as your new HDTV is going to do the trick! Now what? **End Summary** Topics: teaching children languages]]> bilingual child]]> early childhood development]]> heritage languages]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Bilingul mom, educator and keynote speaker Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramSample the bilingual beats here...

World Class Education for Our Children

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Who knows, by the time you read this article many of you have already voted for your candidate via the early voting provisions made in many states. And if that is not the case, most of you have well made up your mind on which presidential candidate you will vote for come Election Day. As a mom of three school age children and educator of thousands of other children I have listened intently to both candidates speak their mind on providing world class education. My heart races at the thought that one candidate even goes so far as to suggest that early childhood education will become one of his hot buttons should he be elected. Did you know that during the first five years of life ninety percent of the human brain is developed, meaning the neural pathway connections have been formed by the age of five? I find that an amazing statistic to report to fellow parents and teachers. **End Summary** Topics: world languages]]> presidential candidates on education]]> education in us]]> foreign langauge learning]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramScoop your child up onto your lap and ...

Give the Gift of a Second Language To a Special Little Child

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

We live in an increasingly global society. Our neighbor is from Puerto Rico, our co worker is from South Africa and the teacher in preschool class is from Sweden. We realize as adults how hard it is to learn a new language at this point in our life, but it is not too late for our children. Time and Newsweek ran feature articles on the window of opportunity for second language learning, and it is reported to be between birth and ten years old. It is true! Why? A growing number of brain studies indicate that young children learn languages easily and retain them longer if they are exposed to new languages early in life. Experts agree that while a baby is learning one word for an item, it is just as easy for his young brain to learn a second word for the same item Better yet, the early exposure to the new language almost guarantees native or near native pronunciation. Would not many of us adults raise our hand and step forward for a hand out of native pronunciation in the new language we are trying to learn at this older age? **End Summary** Topics: gift of language]]> boca beth]]> teach languages to kids]]> foreign language for children]]> early learning]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramScoop your child up onto your lap and ...

Tools To Raise Bilingual Children

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

You are not bilingual. You skipped high school Spanish class one too many times! Now you have your own children whom you realize need to speak more than just English, but you have no clue where to start. Based on a book titled The Bilingual Edge by Dr. Kendall King and Dr. Alison Mackey you are just fine to give your child a jump start on learning a second language. These two Doctors, who happen to be moms themselves, do a terrific job dispelling all of those second language myths that have held many parents back from just jumping right into a second language journey with their own family. Both Dr. King and Dr. Mackey assure all parents that they do not have to be bilingual in order to help their child acquire the skills to become bilingual. First of all they suggest you not listen to all of those myths that people try to share with you about introducing a second language to children under the age of five. **End Summary** Topics: bilingual child]]> raise bilingual child]]> second language for kids]]> teach kid language]]> bilingual edge]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramScoop your child up onto your lap and ...

Four Fun Activities for Kids to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

National Hispanic Heritage Month has been celebrated for 39 years on September 17, 2007. Enacted into law on that day in 1968, this Public Law set aside a week to honor our Spanish-speaking citizens. When the 100th Congress enacted a new Public Law, the celebration period increased to 31 days, from September 15, 2008 to October 15. The initiative for National Hispanic Heritage Month is an acknowledgement of the over 45 million Americans of Hispanic origin. The 31 day observation period honors the Independence Day for many Latin American countries including El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras which celebrate September 15 as their Independence Day. September 16th is the Independence Day for Mexico, September 18th for Chile, September 21st for Belize and El Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day) is October 12th. Celebrating and bringing to life this special time for children who have parents of Hispanic decent is important along with exposing our Anglo children to how other cultures celebrate various occasions. Cooking is a social time in Latin American families, and making these quesadillas is a fun way to get the party started. Quesadillas are Spanish and Southwest in origin. **End Summary** Topics: hispanic heritage month]]> lessons for hispanic heritage month]]> teach children spanish]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramScoop your child up onto your lap and ...

Music in our Classrooms Help Children Learn

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I remember the listening center I set up in my elementary school classroom as if it was yesterday. It was my first year of teaching, and I was so proud of that blue denim beanbag chair and cassette tape listening station that I had put together to introduce Spanish to my second graders. I had decided not to subject the little seven year olds to me singing acappella on the tapes I made at home, but I did incorporate some rhythmic beat to make the learning easier. I chanted the vocabulary word in English first then in Spanish and repeated the pair again, leaving time for the student to repeat the words out loud. It worked! The little darlings were begging me to make more and more tapes each weekend, thinking I had no other life outside of being their teacher. (For those of you who are teachers you can so relate to that feeling!) And so it was, way back in the early 1980s, I was carrying on the tradition of what generations of parents and teachers had been doing which was to introduce new concepts to kids with rhythm and song. **End Summary** Topics: music for children]]> teaching with music]]> music in classroom]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramScoop your child up onto your lap and ...

Start the School Year Speaking Spanish

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400

As a mom of two school-aged children, I feel the impending end of summer and the excitement and nervousness of a new school year. Many parents are concerned with having enough funds this year in the family budget for the normal back-to-school spending frenzy. While children concern themselves with the social aspects of the educational journey connected with the school year ahead. It is amusing to witness the differences between the two areas of concern, anxiousness and nervousness. Often times this part of each year marks a renewed commitment to learning something with more intensity, more mastery than ever before. Be it on the part of the parent saying to himself or herself that they will stay more involved with the studies of their children, thus lending their wisdom and experience towards these endeavors. Or be it the child vowing to apply himself towards a particular area of studies he knows he has been slacking off in or the student who truly hopes to master a new language during the school year. I will never forget sitting within earshot of a family one day at a local diner. **End Summary** Topics: back to school]]> education]]> spanish as second language]]> teach children language]]> early learning]]> ]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramStart the school year today and ...

Do You Want Your Child to Be a Lifetime Language Learner?

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Did you realize that ninety percent of our brain is developed by age five? Have you heard how the first five years of life are the most crucial to the cognitive development of a human being? Even if you do not have the time to read the latest statistics or scour the journals reporting on the most recent research of brain development, I hope to share with you just how much of a difference you can make as a parent during the very early years. As I travel our country speaking on the topic of introducing a second language to young children prior to elementary school age, I find it amazing how many fellow educators still do not realize the many myths surrounding language learning. I wonder how many of you still think that introducing a new language to a young child will confuse him and cause him to be language delayed? In the book titled The Bilingual Edge written by Drs. Kendall King and Alison Mackey there are many pages and sections that speak specifically to this fear many parents, teachers, and even pediatricians have held onto for years. **End Summary** Topics: children learn languages]]> teach child language]]> bilingual edge]]> second language for child]]> introduce]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of The Boca Beth ProgramScoop your child up onto your lap and ...

Bilingual Beats Lead to Language, Literacy and Math Fun

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Never has it been this easy to find materials to bring education into your home as a stay at home mom, a grandparent given the distinct and honorable task of watching your grandchildren or as a homeschooling parent striving to do the best you can do. The internet has provided us the means to seek and download countless varieties of educational materials along with the medium to research other instructional products for purchasing. As a mom of three children who each possess bilingual skills at varying degrees along with an educator of thousands of children ages 6 months through ten years, I feel the sense of urgency to quicken the pace of the learning. What better way to do that than with music? Research has shown that if you take a concept, add a little music, some rhythm and movement, you will have a sure fire way of introducing and engaging the young child to long term retention of that concept. Think back to your younger years. Do you still have that one song that sticks in your head no matter how many years go by? **End Summary** Topics: teaching with music]]> learn language with music]]> piggyback songs]]> teach child with music]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of the BOCA BETH Program for young children. Scoop your child up onto your lap and listen in for free to our bilingual beats at http://www.bocabeth.com. Order online or call toll free 1.877.825.2622

Made in the USA - Perspectives of a Mom, Teacher and Entrepreneur

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

There seems to be three specific categories of people directly affected by this 2007 'Outrage of the Lead Locators.' There are the moms controling most of the family's discretionary buying power who, when faced with screaming children and end-caps galore this holiday season,will surely succumb to the wails which imply there is no caring of the country of origin (just buy it!!!). Then there are the teachers. You know them. The ones who continually use their own money to buy trinkets and treasures for our little ones as forms of reward in their classrooms. These are the same people who should be making more than that wide receiver or first baseman yet who continue to give their all day-in-and-day-out because of their passion for teaching. Then there are the entrepreneurs, the dreamers, the 'I live in the best country for starting my own business, and I am darn proud of it' people. Surely this China lead thing has got all of these out-sourcing inventors shaking in their bootstrapping boots as they laid their pretty pennies down for many a Made in China products. Let's explore the psyches of America's finest, shall we? **End Summary** Topics: made in usa]]> made in china]]> lead in toys]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of the BOCA BETH Program. Experience how fun and easy it can be to introduce Spanish to your child. Tap your feet to our bilingual beats by visiting us at http://www.bocabeth.com Order via our toll free 1.877.825.2622 or online today.

The Gift of Language Learning For the Families of Today

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

We are all fairly savvy to the fact that we live in an increasingly global society in which our neighbor is from Ecuador, our colleague is from France and the person who teaches our child is from Sweden! We realize as adults how difficult it is to learn a new language after our youth, but we keep reading that it is the perfect time for our own children to begin the language learning! Time & Newsweek ran feature articles years ago about the window of opportunity for second language learning being somewhere between birth and ten years old. It is so true, and yet so many parents continue to insist English only for the first years of life. It is all a matter of educating the parents of today, helping them to realize that a growing number of brain studies indicate that young children learn languages easily and retain them longer if they are exposed to new languages early in life. Experts agree that while a baby is learning one word for an item, it is just as easy for his young brain to learn a second word for the same item. **End Summary** Topics: language learning]]> second language for kids]]> children learn languages]]> holiday gift]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Beth Butler is the founder of the BOCA BETH Program for young children. Gather your child onto your lap, and take a peek at her fun Spanish and English movies or shake your feet to a bilingual beat for FREE at http://www.bocabeth.com Then call toll free to order 1.877.825.2622