What's Trending in Bilingualism

We've scoured the web to find breaking news and information in the world of Bilingualism. Check out our 5 favorite stories, below:

1. Taking bilingualism to the bank: In the Economist, bilingualism comes down to dollars and cents in, What is a Foreign Language Worth? The article looks at actual ROI (return on investment) for bilingual employees. While these numbers are lower than others comparisons we’ve seen, we found it interesting that you can expect being bilingual in German to increase your lifetime additional earnings by nearly three times that of Spanish. Will Goethe become more popular with the preschool set now?

2.Little Pim in the News: Our own Julia Pimsleur Levine, founder and CEO of Little Pim, is featured on Forbes this week in How to Speak Entrepreneur Like a Native. If you’ve ever wondered how Little Pim started, this is a great read. If you’re interested in hearing from Julia first hand about her entrepreneurial endeavors, her personal Forbes blog is here.

3. Kids bop to bilingual pop: It was only a matter of time before pop songs embraced the budding bilingual kids’ market. From the same producer who created the earwig “Friday” song by Rebecca Black, comes a Chinese/English song, “Get in My Car” sung by 10-yr-old Grace Liu. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5930503/10-year-old-grace-liu-wants-you-to-get-in-my-car-watch

4. “Hear and I forget, see and I remember” – National Geographic explores why it’s easier to remember new lessons, including a second language, when you use visual and tactile lessons---like Little Pim’s videos and books---and not just audible ones.

5. Say what? According to a New Zealand study, babies can actually make distinctions between words spoken in foreign languages.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

lá sona ú Pádraig! It's a great day to be (and speak) Irish. Saint Patrick's Day is also a good day to color your world green, but maybe it's better to confine the coloring to paper. Click the printable to download this brand new Saint Patrick's Day coloring sheet and don't forget that the word of the day isn't just green, it's also:

• verde (Spanish)
• vert (French)
• lǜsè (Chinese)
• grün (German)
• zelenyy (Russian)
• glas (Irish)

Click here.

Top Family Travel Trends from the 2014 Travel Show

Our resident travel expert and Little Pim blogger Melissa Klurman hit the floor at the NYT 2014 Travel Show to find the “Next Big Thing” in travel for families. Here are a few of her favorite finds, just in time for summer vacation planning.

1. Croatia – Looking for an affordable European vacation destination without the crowds? Croatia, the newest member of the European Union (they joined in Septemer 2013), should be at the top of your list. The country has beautiful beaches lining the crystal blue Adriatic Sea, storybook Medieval cities, and great value for money. And for proof that Croatia is family friendly, look no further than Disney Cruises, which has added the picturesque walled city of Dubrovnik to all of its Mediterranean cruises.

2. TripWing – There are probably more travel apps available for download than raisins squished into your minivan, but this is one of the most innovative we’ve seen: It let’s you research and compare trip itineraries from travel tour operators and then book directly on the site. Currently, only 3 of the 30 tour operators on TripWing let you book directly without a travel agent. So now you can do your family travel research and booking completely on your own schedule (check out some of the offerings for family friendly Biking in France or Eco-Tourism in Costa Rica if you need an afternoon distraction.)

3. Jersey Shore – Proving they’re “Stronger Than the Storm,” New Jersey pulled out all the stops at the Travel Show to highlight their family friendly beaches as THE east coast destination to spend your summer vacation. If you’ve never been before, fly into Philadelphia and drive to lovely Cape May – kids love the historic lighthouse and you’ll be enamored of the Victorian architecture. Stay at historic Congress Hall, which offers beach chair and umbrella service along with chair-side waiter service.

4. Puerto Rico – Tropical beach fans should say Hola! to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico– their Travel Show stand highlighted not only their easy access (a short 3 hour direct flight from the NYC area), but also the fact that they’re a Commonwealth of the US, meaning you can visit without bringing a passport or exchanging currency. Once you arrive, you have your choice of white sand beaches, wonderful Latin culture, and a number of affordable family-friendly resorts (we especially like Copamarina Resort in Guanica on the southwest corner of the island).

The Global Surprises of a Caribbean Getaway

If you’re anything like us, this winter’s arctic blasts, piles of snow, and ice coated roads have left you longing for a tropical break. To get you ready for a spring break warm-weather escape, we’ve rounded up great Caribbean getaways with an extra bonus: the chance for your family to practice their new-found language skills at islands throughout the Caribbean where bilingual culture shares the bill with sandy beaches. Enjoy our favorite Bilingual Islands of the Caribbean:

Trilingual Appeal

St Marten/St Maarten

Here’s a unique cultural experience beneath the palms: this little island is split in two by an imaginary line that creates Dutch-speaking St Maarten and French-speaking St. Martin. Rent a car and you can sample authentic croissants a la plage for breakfast and imported Gouda on the beach for lunch.

Where to Stay: On the Dutch side of the island, the Westin St Maarten is the place to stay with kids, with the largest fresh water pool on the island, Camp Scallywag for daytime escapades, as well as all the beach watersports fun they can handle.

French Flair

St Barthélemy

Petite “St Barths” feel like a slice of France on the Caribbean Sea with French cuisine and language infusing the beach scene here with a certain savoir faire. The French have laid claimed the island since 1877, but you’ll also hear English throughout your stay. Head to Lorient Beach for the friendliest family scene on the tres chic island.

Where to stay: The most kid-friendly spot on St. Bart's is the full-service resort, Hotel Guanahani & Spawhich features private suites and cottages (14 with private pools) and two separate kids’ programs.

Dutch Wonderlands

Curaçao

The largest of the Netherlands Antilles, known as the ABC islands (Aruba and Bonaire are the other two), the island's capital, Willemstad, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site offering a colorful trip through colonial history and architecture.

Where to stay:Sunscape Curaçao takes the family resort prize as the only all-inclusive property on the island, meaning not only all of your food and drinks are taken care of with one-stop shopping, but also that the excellent Explorer’s kids club and Core teen center are included in the price as well.

 Aruba

Another option to hear Dutch is on this sunny, wind-swept island, an independent entity of the Netherlands. Although you’ll see Dutch architecture in the capital city of Oranjestad, listen closely while you're here and you’ll also hear Arawak, Spanish, and the local lingo, Papiamentu. Global Caribbean indeed!

Where to stay:Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino is popular for it’s kids’s program and numerous family-friendly amenities and activities including a three-level pool complex with a cascading waterfall and two-story water-slide.

Spanish Caribbean

Puerto Rico

Rich in Spanish language culture and heritage, yet a Commonwealth of the United States, which means you get a salsa beat and the rich historic atmosphere of Old San Juan, without having to exchange your US dollars or even bring a passport. Kids will love the old Spanish fort of El Morro and it’s grassy slopes where kite-flying is a must.

Where to Stay: In addition to six pools and 500 landscaped acres on a cliff overlooking the turquoise sea, the family-friendly El Conquistador Resort also features Coquí Water Park and Palomino Island, the resort's private island which offers everything from snorkeling to horseback riding.

Dominican Republic

This Latin Caribbean nation is a great place to practice your Spanish while enjoying beautiful beaches and the all-inclusive resorts the island is known for (since the DR, as it’s referred to, has the most resort hotel rooms of any island in the Carribbean, you can also expect to hear English spoke in most hotels, too). Head to Santo Domingo’s cobblestone streets to walk in the historic footsteps of explorers such as Columbus and Ponce de Leon.

Where to Stay: At Barceló Bávaro Palace Deluxe, pint-size pirates can tame the high seas at Pirate’s Cove – a waterpark complete with a themed pool, swashbuckling pirate ship with water slides, and a one-of-a-kind wave pool.  There’s also a teen nightclub and an 18-hole mini golf course. Plus, the opportunity to soak up the sun on a beautiful white sand beach, por supuesto.  

--Melissa Klurman

5 Trendsetting Toys from Toy Fair 2014

Last week, Team Little Pim gathered at the Javits Center in New York City for four days of pure joy at Toy Fair 2014. Imagine a football field full of the latest toys from classic companies as well as some exciting newcomers. Now try to wrap your head around the fact that the Javits Center holds roughly 10 times the square footage of a football field. In other words, there were a LOT of toys to play with. An emerging theme at this year’s Toy Fair was customizable toys: toys that kids could build and change themselves. As you might imagine, many of these toys had a digital component, but some of them were simply classic toys with a twist. Here are five of our favorites:

1. Potatoyz – It was only a matter of time before your kids would be able to design and order their own toys online, but who would have thought that it would be as simple as pressing “Print?” Potatoyz begin as little blob-like avatars in the Potatoyz app, where kids can add colors, patterns, facial features, and custom drawings. Within the app, the Potatoyz can play in a variety of different environments, and if your kids really fall in love with their custom characters, they can order a figurine to be 3D printed and shipped straight to your door!

2. DIWire – While 3D printers have yet to become a common household appliance, wire printers are just about to hit the market. A fellow Kickstarter success, DIWire can bend metal wire into complex, detailed sculptures that you design on your computer. It's especially cool for older kids looking to expand their toy horizons. Check out this video of DIWire in action at Toy Fair.

3. Tiggly -- Little kids love to play with iPads, but finding interactive games that teach at the same time they entertain is always a challenge, especially if you're looking for a physical element that allows them to look up from their digital realms. This fun  game is just the ticket: it lets kids play with shapes that they hold in their hands that combine with an iPad app where they learn and explore new concepts. We also love how portable it is; perfect for long car rides and other travel.

4. Stuffies – Who needs another stuffed animal? You can hardly get your kids to clean up all their toys as it is! Stuffies aren’t your typical stuffed animal, though. With up to seven hidden zip pockets, they provide a place for your kiddos to hide their favorite toys. Kids have a special spot to keep their things, while you have secretly won the clutter battle!

5. Ugly Doll – They might be less functional than Stuffies, but we don’t really care. Just look at that face. The latest “bad hair day” Ugly Doll sports a tuft of sculpt-able hair that your kids can style and restyle according to their mood. It’s a simple, but effective update of the classic troll doll. It’s also 100% less creepy than the classic troll doll (okay, maybe 99%).

The New ABCs: Surprising Foreign Alphabets Kids Will Love Learning

Do your kids love saying their ABCs?  Then they'll be delighted to find out about completely new alphabets, such as Russian, Arabic, or Japanese. Not sure where to start? We've created a quick overview of just a few options we have at Little Pim. Try them out with your kids for some tongue twisting, language learning fun!

RUSSIAN

Pay attention to the following letter combinations that do not exist in the English language:

" “hl” as in “Hlieb” (bread) " “zh” as in “Nozhe” (bread), “Zholtoy” (yellow) " “ts” as in “Tsveta” (color) " “hv” as in “Hvost” (tall) " “zs” as in “Litzso” (face)

It’s important to pronounce your vowels correctly to be understood – you should open your mouth wide and purposely stretch out the sounds (always fun instructions for little learners!)

Now try this sentence out:

Hello, my name is Little Pim. I am a panda.

Привет! Меня зовут Крошка Пим. Я панда.

Privet! Menya zavut kroshka Pim. Ya panda.

ARABIC

The consonants in the following table are distinctly Arabic in the way they sound.

Kh -- The "ch" in "Bach" or "loch"; has a raspy sound H -- H is pronounced from the back of the throat The phrase SabaaH al-Khayr(good morning)  has both the “Kh” and “H” R -- A rolled "r" sound, similar to the Spanish R, as in the word marHaban (hello)Gh -- A "gargling" kind of sound between "g" and "r," produced deep in the throat, as in the word Ghadaa (lunch)

Now put them together:

Hello, my name is Little Pim. I am a panda.

• .الصغير "بيم" إسمي مرحباً،
• .باندا أنا

Marhaban, Ismi Pim Assagheer. Ana Panda

JAPANESE

Here are some basic pronunciation guides for Japanese:

• A pronounced “AH”
• I pronounced “EE”
• E pronounced “EH”
• O pronounced “OH”
• Double vowels – note elongation of the vowel

Now see if you can use the rules in the following sentence:

Hello, my name is Little Pim. I am a panda.

• こんにちは、
• 私の名前は小さいピム。
• 私はパンダ。

• Konichiwa, watashi no namae wa chiisai pim,
• Watashi wa panda

Ready for more unique alphabets? Keep the fun going with Litte Pim's Mandarin Chinese and Hebrew.

Our Valentine to You: Free Little Pim Valentine Coloring Pages

Here's a treat that will be even more welcome than Valentine sweets for your little ones: fun coloring pages featuring our favorite panda, Little Pim, playing Cupid. Just click, print, and color for Valentine's Day fun. Joyeuse Saint-Valentin!

Print Version 1

Print Version 2

4 Surprising Infographics about Bilingual Education

Did you know the most commonly spoken language on earth is Mandarin? Or that students who studied a foreign language for at least 4 years scored an average of 140 points higher on the math SAT than those who didn’t? We found these fascinating facts and much more as we explored language learning and bilingualism Infographics around the web. We’ve collected a few of our favorites here. Click through to see the full graphic.

1. Second Language Acquisition By The Numbers

(credit, Huffington Post)

The facts and nothing but the language facts are the focus of this Infographic, including the most popular language to study in the United States (Spanish) and where scores improved on the SAT when students studied a second language (actually, they improved in all three sections!):

bilingual huffington post infographic

2. 50 Awesome Facts About Languages

(credit, UIC London)

If you’re looking for biggest, best, and most unusual language facts—from the number of world languages (7,000) to the easiest foreign language for English speakers to learn (Frisian, only spoken in parts of the Netherlands) this Infographic is for you:

3. The Benefits of Being Bilingual

(credit, BlueData International Institute)

What are the benefits of bilingualism? This Infographic links speaking a second language to improved concentration, boosted brain function, and increased creativity just for starters. Find out more:

4. Languages of the World

Finally, check out this Infographic from our friends at Pimsleur (which was created by Little Pim founder Julia Pimsleur Levine’s father, Dr. Paul Pimsleur) exploring the perceptions and realities of language learning in the United States.

Sochi Olympics Bingo!

The 2014 Winter Olympics is being held in Sochi, Russia, creating the perfect opportunity to introduce your children to not only the excitement of Luge and Speed Skating, but to basic Russian winter sports vocabulary as well.

We've made learning even more fun with this Sochi Olympics BINGO! To create your own bingo card using our word list, or your own special Olympics words, click here.

Winter Olympics Russian Vocabulary List

• спорт [Sport] - Sports
• зима [Zi-ma] - Winter
• снег [Snyek] - Snow
• Лёд [LYOT] - Ice
• Cнежинка [snye-ZHEEN-ka] - Snowflake
• Снежная буря [SNYEZH-na-ya BOO-rya] - Blizzard
• Холод [HO-lat] - (The) cold
• Коньки [kan’-KEE] - Skates
• Лыжи [LI-zhee] - Skis
• Санки [SAN-kee] - Sled
• Сноуборд [snow-BORT] - Snowboard
• Кататься на коньках [ka-TAT’-sya na kan’-KAH]
 - Skating
• Кататься на лыжах [ka-TAT’-sya na LI-zhah]
 - Skiing
• Кататься на санках [ka-TAT’-sya na SAN-kah]
 - Sledding
• Кататься на сноуборде [ka-TAT’-sya na snow-BOR-teah]
 - Snowboarding

If you're interested in exploring Russian more with your children, check out our great Little Pim Russian programs here.

A Sweet Craft for Valentine’s Day: Stained Glass Heart Cookies

Here’s an easy, and very tasty, way to transform store bought cookie dough and colorful candies into sweet treats to give or keep for Valentine’s Day.

Supplies

• Sugar cookie dough
• Hard candy, crushed into small pieces
• Cookie cutters
• Parchment paper
• Cookie sheets

 

Directions

To start – purchase (or make, if you’re feeling your inner Julia Child) plain sugar cookie dough. If it’s not in sheets already, roll out to ¼ inch.

Use a large heart shape cookie cutter to create a base shape. Then using a smaller heart cutter, or plain circle shape, make a hole in the center of the cookie.

Put the cut-out hearts on a parchment lined cookie sheet (the parchment is important here so the hearts don’t stick to the pan).

Take hard candy (we used leftover candy canes, but the sky’s the limit colorwise, think LifeSavers or Jolly Ranchers), unwrap and crush with a rolling pin between two layers of parchment or in a plastic bag.

Now fill the hole in the center of heart with the crushed candy.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until candy is melted and dough is golden brown.

Voila, stained glass hearts!