Hola todos,
Another festival --El Festival Orgullo Mexicano -- Mexican Pride Festival -- takes place this week Thursday (jueves) June 25 to Sunday (domingo) at Toyota Park (home of the Chicago Fire Soccer team). Thursday through Sunday: "Carnaval" each day; Friday/viernes: dance, 7 pm, & movie in the park, 8:30 pm; Saturday/sábado: Chicago Fire vs. Tigres UANL (Mexico), 7 pm; Sunday/domingo: Lucha Libre Mexicana, 4 pm. Toyota Park is located in Bridgeview, right down Harlem to 79th. For more information: chicago-fire.com
¡Viva el fútbol! If you are a soccer fan, the Inaugural Mayor's Cup will be played at Toyota Park on Sunday, July 5, 6pm. Sure to bring out lots of Chicago soccer fans -- it's Mexico (Rayados de Monterrrey) vs. Poland (Cracovia Krakow)! Check out chicago-fire.com for more details, including ticket info. I just went to my first game in Toyota Park on Saturday -- the Chicago Fire vs. San Luis. McBride scored the lone (and winning) Chicago goal on an assist from Cuahtémoc Blanco. A real treat! Great fun and lots of Spanish practice!
"Fruitful learning:" If you haven't tried Mango Languages avaliable through the Oak Park Public Library site (see my link section), you definitely should, especially if you are thinking of taking a trip to Spanish-speaking country any time in the future! It makes for fruitful learning! I am working on my Italian and Japanese and am at about Lesson 7. Each language has 100 lessons! So far, I am learning to introduce myself, order in restaurants, say good morning, evening, good-bye, and ask and answer basic questions. At the start of each lesson, there is review of the prior lesson.
Even if it might not be the most exciting or useful conversation for kids because it tends to focus on social situations that involve adults, like asking for the bill in restaurants, it's good because it introduces and reinforces basic vocabulary (some of which they already know) and offers a chance to see written Spanish as well as hear the oral. Maybe the youngsters will even be the ones introducing themselves or doing the restaurant ordering!
As I said in my last note, everyone in the family can work with a language of his/her choice at his/her own level. It's a great free resource -- we are so lucky that our library supports language learning. The way to help keep it available is to use it -- and encourage others to do so.
Hope you are having a verano fantástico! Don't forget to check out the other festivals happening around town this summer.
hasta pronto, Sra. D
Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
¡Celebrar el verano! Celebrate summer!
¡Hola! Ya llegó el verano. Por fin, hoy hace calorcito y brilla el sol. Espero que se estén disfrutando del tiempo con la familia y los amigos. Aquí comparto unas ideas para gozar del verano en Chicago. Hay tantas cosas que hacer para celebrar nuestra diversidad.
Summer has arrived! Finally, today it's feeling warmer and the sun is shining. I hope you are enjoying time with family and friends. Here are some ideas for enjoying summer in Chicago. There are so many things to do to celebrate our diversity.
Celebrations abound in Chicago, especially in summer. Just browsing Metromix's list of festivals comes up with scores -- 18 pages of listings! There are festivals for a multitude of ethnic groups -- Japanese, Greek, Thai, Celtic, Scottish, Swedish, Irish-American, Chinese, Korean, Armenian, Croatian, Mexican, Puerto-Rican, African-American, Caribbean, French, Peruvian, Ukranian, Italian, and more. Be sure to check out the "Fun Links" for Metromix for all the details and many more ideas for Chicago fun. Below is a sampling of some "Spanish-flavored" festivals.
Stretch your brain and your world: You can also work on building your family's language skills over the summer. Brain research shows that it helps our brains grow in ways different from any other learning. Plus our world just keeps getting smaller.
First, keep speaking, reading, singing your heritage languages. Many students' families speak a language other than English! Some that I know of are Spanish, Greek, Polish, Serbian, Russian, German, Norwegian, French, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, .... It's important for your children to be surrounded by these languages. They are proud of their heritage, love to know words in different languages, and love to make comparisons between them and our Spanish learning.
Second, the Oak Park Public Library offers an on-line language learning service called "Mango Languages." All you need is your library card number and your pin (usually the last 4 numbers of your phone number.) Each person in the family can choose a different language and work at his or her own speed. Go to the main oppl page and then click on the "research" section. Mango Languages will be one of your choices.
Nine languages are offered including Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and 3 separate English programs (for speakers of Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, or Polish). I tried Spanish, Italian, and Japanese last night. Because of Spanish, my Italian lessons go much quicker and more easily than my Japanese, but I'm even making progress there. Check out "Fun Links" for the Oak Park Public Library and have fun!
Festivals
For a Spanish-language flavor, here's just a taste:
Fiesta Back of the Yards: June 12, 5-10 pm, June 13, 10am -10 pm, Mexican music, food, ...
Chicago Summer Dance Festival: Begins June 12 runs for 11 weeks, Grant Park, 1 hour dance lesson, 2 hrs live music & dance of all kinds and many cultures; A few "Latin dance" dates: June 18, tango; June 19, salsa & cha, cha, cha; other dates for more salsa, rumba, mambo
Fiestas Puertorriqueñas: June 16, 4-10:30 pm, June 17, 4-10:30 pm; Puerto Rican food, salsa, merengue
Peace Festival: June 19, 20
Puerto Rican Day Parade: June 20, 12:00 noon, steps off from Columbus & Balbo, up Columbus to Monroe
African-Caribbean International Festival of Life: July 3, 4
12th Annual Chicago Folk and Roots Festival: July 11, 12
Fiesta del Sol: (Pilsen), July 30, 31
Peruvian picnics: July 12, Aug 16 (check out Peruvian Cultural Center link for more details)
Chicago Carifete: Caribbean festival, August 15, 16
¡Viva Chicago! Latin Music Festival: August 29, 20
Mexican Independence Day Parade: Sept. 13
Sin más por el momento, ¡Feliz verano! Happy summer!
Sra. D
Summer has arrived! Finally, today it's feeling warmer and the sun is shining. I hope you are enjoying time with family and friends. Here are some ideas for enjoying summer in Chicago. There are so many things to do to celebrate our diversity.
Celebrations abound in Chicago, especially in summer. Just browsing Metromix's list of festivals comes up with scores -- 18 pages of listings! There are festivals for a multitude of ethnic groups -- Japanese, Greek, Thai, Celtic, Scottish, Swedish, Irish-American, Chinese, Korean, Armenian, Croatian, Mexican, Puerto-Rican, African-American, Caribbean, French, Peruvian, Ukranian, Italian, and more. Be sure to check out the "Fun Links" for Metromix for all the details and many more ideas for Chicago fun. Below is a sampling of some "Spanish-flavored" festivals.
Stretch your brain and your world: You can also work on building your family's language skills over the summer. Brain research shows that it helps our brains grow in ways different from any other learning. Plus our world just keeps getting smaller.
First, keep speaking, reading, singing your heritage languages. Many students' families speak a language other than English! Some that I know of are Spanish, Greek, Polish, Serbian, Russian, German, Norwegian, French, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, .... It's important for your children to be surrounded by these languages. They are proud of their heritage, love to know words in different languages, and love to make comparisons between them and our Spanish learning.
Second, the Oak Park Public Library offers an on-line language learning service called "Mango Languages." All you need is your library card number and your pin (usually the last 4 numbers of your phone number.) Each person in the family can choose a different language and work at his or her own speed. Go to the main oppl page and then click on the "research" section. Mango Languages will be one of your choices.
Nine languages are offered including Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and 3 separate English programs (for speakers of Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, or Polish). I tried Spanish, Italian, and Japanese last night. Because of Spanish, my Italian lessons go much quicker and more easily than my Japanese, but I'm even making progress there. Check out "Fun Links" for the Oak Park Public Library and have fun!
Festivals
For a Spanish-language flavor, here's just a taste:
Fiesta Back of the Yards: June 12, 5-10 pm, June 13, 10am -10 pm, Mexican music, food, ...
Chicago Summer Dance Festival: Begins June 12 runs for 11 weeks, Grant Park, 1 hour dance lesson, 2 hrs live music & dance of all kinds and many cultures; A few "Latin dance" dates: June 18, tango; June 19, salsa & cha, cha, cha; other dates for more salsa, rumba, mambo
Fiestas Puertorriqueñas: June 16, 4-10:30 pm, June 17, 4-10:30 pm; Puerto Rican food, salsa, merengue
Peace Festival: June 19, 20
Puerto Rican Day Parade: June 20, 12:00 noon, steps off from Columbus & Balbo, up Columbus to Monroe
African-Caribbean International Festival of Life: July 3, 4
12th Annual Chicago Folk and Roots Festival: July 11, 12
Fiesta del Sol: (Pilsen), July 30, 31
Peruvian picnics: July 12, Aug 16 (check out Peruvian Cultural Center link for more details)
Chicago Carifete: Caribbean festival, August 15, 16
¡Viva Chicago! Latin Music Festival: August 29, 20
Mexican Independence Day Parade: Sept. 13
Sin más por el momento, ¡Feliz verano! Happy summer!
Sra. D
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
¡Es fin del año! The year's over!
Hola todos,
The school year is coming to a close and we are down to the last few hours. It has been a great year and I will especially miss my 5th graders who are moving on to middle school. Watching them grow in their understanding and use of Spanish has been wonderful. Please encourage them to continue language study as they move on through middle school and beyond. And as I told them today, it doesn't matter which language. It's good for their brains, it's good for them, and it's good for the world. (More on this later.)
Coming up this weekend is the Peruvian Cultural Center picnic. The Peruvian Cultural Center is relatively new and centered in Oak Park. Its goal is "Educating our community to understand Peruvian culture and heritage." If you saw the dancers at the Ethnic Fest and felt their energy, you might enjoy checking out the picnic. It's Sunday, June 7, from 11 am to 7 pm at Schiller Woods Area #12, Schiller Park, IL (Irving Park Road and Cumberland.) There will be Peruvian food, dances, games, music and more. Check out the Peruvian Cultural Center website for more info: http://www.peruvianculturalcenter.org
Once school is out and there's a bit more time, I will be back on-line with an update on the year, suggestions for further enrichment, and events around town.
sin más por el momento,
Sra. D.
The school year is coming to a close and we are down to the last few hours. It has been a great year and I will especially miss my 5th graders who are moving on to middle school. Watching them grow in their understanding and use of Spanish has been wonderful. Please encourage them to continue language study as they move on through middle school and beyond. And as I told them today, it doesn't matter which language. It's good for their brains, it's good for them, and it's good for the world. (More on this later.)
Coming up this weekend is the Peruvian Cultural Center picnic. The Peruvian Cultural Center is relatively new and centered in Oak Park. Its goal is "Educating our community to understand Peruvian culture and heritage." If you saw the dancers at the Ethnic Fest and felt their energy, you might enjoy checking out the picnic. It's Sunday, June 7, from 11 am to 7 pm at Schiller Woods Area #12, Schiller Park, IL (Irving Park Road and Cumberland.) There will be Peruvian food, dances, games, music and more. Check out the Peruvian Cultural Center website for more info: http://www.peruvianculturalcenter.org
Once school is out and there's a bit more time, I will be back on-line with an update on the year, suggestions for further enrichment, and events around town.
sin más por el momento,
Sra. D.
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