Now that the children are becoming comfortable with the classroom, the teachers, and each other, we have added Spanish to our curriculum. At Bennett Day School, Spanish is not seen as a “special” that occurs only certain times each week, but rather as an integral part of our daily life together. This is consistent with our philosophy that children learn best through natural, meaningful experiences, and with the way that children learn their first language as infants and toddlers at home.
Ms. Harpole, our Spanish teacher, joins us for part of the morning every day. She helped the children prepare and serve snack on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday and introduced words related to mealtime including leche (milk) and agua (water).
Ms. Harpole, our Spanish teacher, joins us for part of the morning every day. She helped the children prepare and serve snack on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday and introduced words related to mealtime including leche (milk) and agua (water).
Tuesday, Ms. Harpole came with us to Trio Park. She brought burbujas (bubbles), and the children asked for burbujas each time they wanted more to catch. Ms. Harpole participated in Morning Meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, introducing several songs and games in Spanish. You might want to ask your child about the pececito (little fish) and the tiburón (shark), as well as the Spanish words for head (cabeza) and shoulders (hombros).
The teachers are learning along with the children, and we will all “practice” using our new Spanish vocabulary throughout the day. For example, we have counted the number of children in our class in both English and Spanish, and asked the children if they would like agua or leche with their lunch.
We will continue to share our new Spanish vocabulary and activities with Ms. Harpole throughout the year!
We will continue to share our new Spanish vocabulary and activities with Ms. Harpole throughout the year!