BOCA BETH: One Song at a Time

Thank you Lisa Kocian!

Thank you Boston Globe!

When you are a small peg in the whole system you sometimes get very frustrated trying to have your words heard, your intent understood, and your dream realized.

Such is the case with me as Boca Beth … I can’t even get my own county’s school system (Hillsborough County Schools) to allow me to conduct a FREE workshop for teachers about how easy and fun it can be to bring Spanish and English together in their classrooms even when they themselves are monolingual.

Check out this article written by Lisa Kocian of The Boston Globe that speaks directly to the fact that these young children thrown into an English-only class experience academic, physical and emotional challenges that often times will create only larger problems in our school system as the years go on.

Wake up administrators!

Wake up politicians!

Bilingual programs (such as my Boca Beth Program) could be implemented immediately in every elementary school classroom and provide both the Latino child English as his new language and the Anglo child Spanish as her second language - thus preparing them both for a very global economy!

Training?  It helps the teacher when she or he can learn how to do this from me or my staff, but it is not a necessity!  Any teacher can go on our web site, download the FREE suggested activities that go hand-in-hand with each of our bilingual songs written specifically for children and start the second language journey tomorrow!

What are you thinking could help your city, your town, your child’s school with this language learning dilemma? 

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

12-yo-se-los-dias1  Listen to our fun, easy-to-follow Days of the Week song!  Then call me 877.825.2622 to get some bilingual educational fun started in your community today!

Young child learns Spanish with BOCA the puppet and Boca Beth

The answer is not an easy one - whether you are bilingual as a family or monolingual - it’s a job to bring two languages into your home, into your daily routine.

I read only yesterday on a Latino driven blog about how Spanish-speaking parents realize that their children understand their native language of Spanish, but getting them to speak it is the real challenge.  It’s a repeated challenge that so many Latino and Latina friends of mine express.  “Ellos se pueden entender todo, todo, todo en los dos idiomas.  Pero hablando en Español es más difícil.”  Which in English means, “They understand everything in both languages.  But speaking in Spanish is difficult.”

So, what’s a parent or teacher to do?  How do we get these children to verbally express themselves in both English and Spanish when it’s still an English-driven society here in the United States?

F - U - N !  ¡ D - I - V - E - R - T - I - D - O !  I don’t care if your child is 2, 12, or 22 … everyone likes doing something more if it’s fun to do.  So don’t force your child to speak in one language over another.  And please refrain from that common, “I will not answer you or give you what you want unless you speak in Spanish to me.” 

For those wanting little children to learn Spanish as they learn English (or vice versa) during their first five years of life … I strongly suggest the use of fun, interactive products like our Boca Beth CDs and DVDs.  The latest research suggests that when a young child birth - age eight or so is still acquiring skills in her native language it’s important to keep the new language right next to the native during the learning process.  Such a methodology is called a bilingual format or presentation.  That is what we use with our Boca Beth productions that are now shown on The Education Channel, and it works! 

For those in later elementary school years I suggest interactive classes at a language school where an instructor speaks with the children in mainly the target language.  This format, called immersion, works best for the children of age 10 or 12 and beyond.  These children have pretty much mastered their native language, their brain is set up for learning new languages in a much different manner than the young child’s brain, which is why experts say to save immersion for the later years (beyond the age of 10 or 12).

That’s not to say immersion won’t work with young children.  It’s just that the language acquisition is given a point of reference (the English word right next to the Spanish word) which is similar to how all of us learn our native language.  The level of self-confidence is typically higher with the bilingual presentation plus it promotes early reading skills as the child is now decoding the phonemes, syntaxes and other parts of speech in both languages in a side-by-side format.  Not to mention, retention is usually better with the bilingual format used in the early years of a child learning her second language!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this….come on…I know you have a strong opinion about it, and we are entitled to our opinions.  Let me know your thoughts.

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

It’s Sunday morning, and I am excited about heading to Church in a little bit!

Thought I would share one of our Boca Beth bilingual Christian songs that help little children learn Spanish and English words about Jesus and being kind in their walk here on Earth.  I remember singing this upbeat bilingual song with 400 children last summer, acting out the lyrics with a toy broom and children’s toys!

Don’t children love when adults act silly?  I think that’s one of the things keeping me young!  All this singing, dancing, and playing as I share my Boca Beth Program forces me to stay fit and fun!

Enjoy this song titled Jesus Always Sees You / Jesús te ve siempre    click — 4-audio-track

Do you enjoy the true bilingual presentation?  I really would like to hear your thoughts as we contemplate producing a full length bilingual Christian CD for children. 

Currently we feature five (5) songs about Jesus and God on a limited edition disc with La cucaracha and Chocolate on the CD for added fun.  Check it out here.

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

Happy Wednesday!  Don’t you sometimes love ‘hump day?!?!’

Today is extra special to me and many of my fellow product sellers because it marks the start of Michelle Waters’ Product Sellers Seminar.  She is a product sellers coach herself and is hosting this FREE three day online event.  Check it out by following this link.

The three key points I will be covering today at 12 noon EST (that is 11 am CST and 9 am PST for those of you still sipping on your coffee!!!) will be as follows:

• What is experiential marketing - how do you say it and how can it seriously bring immediate cash flow into my business during these tough economic times?
• What’s the psychology behind experiential marketing so that it now is leading the way when compared to traditional product-centric marketing?
• With internet shopping still on the rise how can I implement experiential marketing with my virtual customers and generate quicker cash flow?

I promise to be personal, fun, to the point, on target and everything in between!  So join us, won’t you?  Miss the link earlier in this blog?  Here it is again to join The Product Sellers Seminar starting today for three days of FREE virtual learning!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Beth Butler, CEO of The Boca Beth Program

Guess I have a pretty cool ‘radio voice’ for Michelle Waters (Founder of Product Sellers Talk Radio) to ask me to be part of her upcoming Product Sellers Seminar!

Or perhaps it’s because I have 6+ years under my belt of experiential marketing, and she feels her listeners will really gain a lot from some of my tidbits and pearls of wisdom (didn’t my mom used to use that expression?!?!?!)

Either way …. take a look at the line up (by clicking the link below) for what’s in store and then come listen in for sure this Wednesday, September 17th at 12 noon EST - that is 11 am for you Central Time Zone amigas/amigos and 9 am for you West Coast amigas/amigos/friends. 

 http://allbusinessauctions.com/blog/2008/09/15/product-sellers-seminar-speaker-list-free-education-online/

‘See you on the call’

Beth Butler, CEO of The Boca Beth Program

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, 2008.

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.

Click here to find some cool activities to do with young children all month long!

Share your ideas of what you do to bring Hispanic Heritage to life all year long!  Best idea wins a Boca Beth t-shirt (adult or child sized), Boca Beth mouse pad and a surprise.  Winner to be chosen this Friday, September 19th at 5 pm by fellow educator Mary Close (she is the person under the BOCA costume……shhhh….don’t tell the children!!!).

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

Hola / Hi  Amigas, Amigos / Friends …

The 15th of this month officially marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.

  Boca Beth sings, dances and plays with children at Latino celebration!

Not sure what it is and what it celebrates?  Want free, fun, family activities for making the most of this fun month ahead?  Last year I compiled a pretty cool line-up……….

Read here what I shared.

And stay tuned for some new Hispanic Heritage Month fun as the celebration gets underway this coming Monday.

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

p.s. (These free activities are appropriate for preschoolers and early elementary school-age children.  Enjoy!)

Very seldom do I hear, “Why Spanish?”  More & more people are realizing that Spanish is still the most requested language program in our country of the United States.

Why?  More than 45 million people in the US alone speak Spanish in their homes.  That represents more than 29 million homes.  And with more than 350 million people worldwide speaking Spanish, it simply makes sense to speak Spanish.

Why not Mandarin (the dialect of the Chinese language that so many are saying is ‘the next language of this century’)?  The simple fact of reality is that Spanish is the language that will help you communicate today with your neighbors, co-workers, children’s friends and thousands more people in the United States.  We are talking real time here friends.  Walk around your community, travel throughout the US, and what language do you hear spoken second to English? 

Spanish!  ¡ Español ! 

Children communicate through play.  They will need to communicate with English and Spanish as their two languages as they grow up in this country.  Give them the head start they deserve and need today.  Do not choose Mandarin.  Granted, it is a language that is spoken more than any other language in the world, but that is simply because of the population of China.  It has nothing to do with the fact that your child will use Mandarin in their very near future.

Those programs pushing Mandarin are looking at the global economy, at the push China has made and continues to make to become a force to be reckoned with.  Personally, I refuse to accept a country, a government, that allows treatment of its citizens to take place as in China; therefore I refuse to spend time, energy or money learning the language of that country and its communistic ways.

After watching the opening and closing ceremonies of this year’s Summer Olympic Games I find it impossible to say that my children will learn the language of China and its people so that they can keep up with that country and its global impact.  Polluting our world, suppressing their people and creating a negative karma about them . . . those are not things I will ever support in any manner.

Sing, Dance, Play … isn’t that what I preach here at Boca Beth as the owner?  Why would I ever change my tune?  (No pun intended!!!)

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

You know you want to do it!

You know you should do it!

You just don’t know how to do it!

Read this light yet edutaining article about tips on introducing Spanish to your young child:

Terrific Tips for Parents Who Want to Teach Their Child a Second Language
Presented by Beth Butler/Creator of the BOCA BETH Program
 

You realize the benefits of having a second language but do not know where to turn or how to begin the process for your little one? You recognize the fact that your child will need to speak more than just one language in order to travel successfully through this global society of ours? Read through the following second language learning tips provided by a bilingual mom of three, educator of thousands and leading expert on the subject.

Start the second language learning early! Experts agree the earlier, the better. Play language music CDs during the pregnancy. Talk to your baby from the moment of birth in two or more languages if possible. If you and your family only speak one language, begin introducing a new language with bilingual music CDs and DVDs when appropriate.

Repetition is the key for all your child’s learning. Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!

Click here to read the entire fun and informative article by me, Beth Butler, founder of the Boca Beth Program.

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

Yeah!!!  I get to mingle and meet with my colleagues tonight at Great Explorations in St. Petersburg, FL.  The Curriculum Fair is for Pinellas County’s ECA (Early Childhood Association).  I am the music fun for ECA’s statewide conference later this month.  Friday morning, 9/26, I will open up the fun with my 20 body part song called Movin’ & Groovin’!  Check out the words here!  (Look towards the bottom of this list of songs!)

Funny how God works - I am not the keynote tonight, not even presenting, simply a vendor able to talk about my Boca Beth songs, how they are piggyback songs (meaning the bilingual songs I write are record are written around melodies children and adults are familiar with).  My knees are pretty banged and bruised from Sunday’s car accident, not to mention my chest area from the seat belt so I could never have been a presenter tonight.

Join me, won’t you?  It’s at 1925 4th Street North, St. Petersburg, FL  33704 (MapQuest it - I will be!!!)

Lots of cool Boca Beth fun products to introduce Spanish and English to little children.  CDs, DVDs, coloring/activity books, puppets, and musical shakers.  Can’t make it?  E-mail me at bocabeth@msn.com and ask me for a free MP3 version of ANY song off of any of my four bilingual music CDs.  I will send it to you personally before the week ends.  Promise!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth