BOCA BETH: Bringing Spanish to Life!

I follow another blogger who is named Mary Ann Zehr.  She blogs for Education Week and does a terrific job presenting topics very objectively for readers to be informed without bias.

Read here a very brief overview of who is being recommended by the education review team for Obama’s administration. 

I have mentioned before, and I will do so again & again…Obama spoke during his campaign about the need for focus on Early Childhood Education.  I pray he stands firm on this point and does so early in his first year in office.  For it is those first five formative years where we can truly help our young children get a sound jump start on learning languages.  Did you realize the following:

• Before the age of five young children hold no inhibitions about making mistakes in their new language
• Before the age of five young children love learning with music & movement fun providing for long term retention
• Before the age of five young childen will experience early reading skills should they experience two languages presented to them side-by-side
• Before the age of five young children will enjoy native or near-native pronunciation of a new language
• By the age of five 90% of the brain is developed

President Obama, hear my personal plea, as a mom of three and as a bilingual educator of thousands, we need help during the very early years of these children’s lives.  Our country continues to miss the mark on when to begin second (and even 3rd and 4th) language learning.  Other countries insist their little children begin learning more than their native language early in life - as early as age 3 & 4!  Might the United States of America become a front runner in this mind set?

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Beth Butler, Founder of The Boca Beth Program

Sometimes these great reviews come out of the blue, and I simply love to share them with readers who still might be wondering if our CDs work and our resources join together to introduce Spanish as a 2nd language to English-speaking children…and vice versa…English to Spanish-speaking children.

Click here please to read this short, unsolicited review of our My First Songs in Spanish/Mis primeras canciones en Inglés music CD.

Boca Beth Bilingual Music CD Teaches Children Spanish & English

What do you think about using music CDs to help introduce a new language to children between the age of birth and eight years young?  Do you find teaching with music an age-appropriate method and viable for long term retention?

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

Every year at this time I marvel at the fact that hundreds of children sit by their Christmas trees on that very special morning, and amongst the gifts they “Ooohh” and “Aaahh” are fun Boca Beth CDs, DVDs, BOCA puppets, coloring/activity books and brightly colored musical shakers!

As the creator of this terrific music and movement fun for little ones, I am so touched and so rewarded by the fact that parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles and really good friends spend their hard earned money on our cool bilingual products.

Child Coloring in a Boca Beth Coloring/Activity Book

Thank you to all of you who have believed in me, in my Boca Beth Program and in the products that support our methodology of children learning both English and Spanish side-by-side in a true and seamless bilingual presentation.

Are there other methods?  Of course!  But this is the method we believe in, we invest our passion, energy and money on, and the one that little children (ages birth to eight or so) respond to so well.  Immersion can work with little children, but we believe it’s not the most realistic nor the easiest to implement in homes across the world.  Bilingual presentation allows for often times speedier acquisition of the new language as it is presented alongside the native langauge plus the long term retention seems best with bilingual learning.

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

As a classroom teacher back in the early 80s we did not have internet access to FREE ideas to help us be even better teachers.

Today, stay-at-home moms, teachers, homeschooling moms and providers can hop on their computers and download FREE ideas to introduce new concepts to the little children they love and care for.

With Christmas only two days away (as my 8-year-old daughter so happily reminded me this morning!) I am providing you a list of links to hop on for a plethora of wonderful Christmas/La Navidad activities:

1. This gal Diane shares lots of fun ideas to introduce many of the world languages almost daily!  Click here to hear a Spanish version of Jingle Bells and then read some of her most recent posts for other activities, coloring sheets and so on for Christmas Fun with Kids!
2. Whenever I need inspiration to bring Spanish and English together even more than I already do, I hop on over to Jessica’s blog for ideas and fun inspiration.  Click here for some of her cool activities for Christmas bilingual fun!
3. Ready to download free coloring Christmas Sheets that are bilingual and bring Spanish and English together for your family?  Click here amigas, amigos, friends!!!  Simply click the top blue download button.  Compliments of Foreign Language House.  They have cool downloads you can buy for $1, $2 and $3 also for additional fun in both languages!
4. Ever used Enchanted Learning?  Now, these pages on this link are NOT bilingual, but just cute, free activitiy ideas for those “What am I going to do today with the kids?” days!  Then, while on the site, nosy around for some bilingual, Spanish & English fun …. they have lots for all year round!  Click here to enter this FREE site!!!!

That should keep you busy my friends.  

Boca Beth

Congrats to my new amiga Leah in Los Angeles!

She won the Pick Three Plus A Tee from our Boca Beth Program!  Leah wins one of our Spanish and English music CDs for children ages birth - ten PLUS she chose both of our bilingual DVDs that feature BOCA the puppet and language amigo to share with her little boy!  And she tells me Daddy will be wearing the BOCA Santa t-shirt!

Boca Beth sports the BOCA Santa t-shirt

Sorry if you did not win, but there is still time to shop on our web site - click here!

Shipping is free!  I gift wrap for free (just ask in the comment section)!

Guaranteed to get to you or your special someone by Wednesday, December 24th!

How you might ask - well……………we aren’t telling the whole world/mundo, but if you order a minimum of $70 worth of our bilingual music and movement fun for little children, we will overnight it to you today and Tuesday!  At no extra cost to you!

Merry Christmas Week Ahead!  And congratulations to our amiga in LA!

What contests would you like to see from us next year?  We would love to hear your creative ideas!  Post your comments and suggestions below!

Boca Beth

It’s a one-of-a-kind my friends!

There are only three of these in the entire world!

BOCA Santa Shirt Part of Contest

 YES!  The shirt above can be yours in our Pick Three Plus A Tee contest - the last 2008 Boca Beth Program Contest.  Total Value:  up to $65.00

Pick Three means you pick any three items from the list below if you are chosen as the winner of this contest that ends Friday, December19, 2008 at 5 pm EST:

• My First Songs in Spanish bilingual music CD
• More Boca Beth bilingual music CD
• Sing Along with Boca Beth bilingual music CD
• Mi casa/My House bilingual DVD
• I Like Animals bilingual DVD
• 2 BOCA puppets
• 1 pair of children’s mini maracas
• 1 pair of children’s egg shakers
• 3 bilingual coloring / activity books

Here is how you enter the contest my friends:  It’s simple.  Leave a post below about who you will be sharing the items from the Pick Three with and who will wear the BOCA Santa shirt. 

Winner will be chosen via random drawing.  So if you want your name in the hat more than once then do any of the following:

1. Subscribe to the RSS feed of my blog so you can stay in touch with our future contests, tips on teaching Spanish to little children and more.
2. Ttweet about this on Twitter
3. Blog about this on your blog
4. Stumble this post
5. Digg this post
6. And anything else you can do to let the world/el mundo know about this contest 

Let me know you have done extra!!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

Children sing and dance learning Spanish with Boca Beth

What a fun time!  My last two events for this year 2008 at Bloomingdale Library in Valrico, Florida with children and their moms, dads, grandmas, caregiver and even an auntie was there!

Love, love, love this part of my Boca Beth Program!  Bringing Spanish and English to life with the bilingual songs I have written and recorded over the past six years in person ROCKS!  Witnessing the little two year old sing back to me “Circle is a círculo” during my I Know My Shapes / Yo sé mis formas song almost made me start crying!  (Check out the lyrics to this song I wrote to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb.)  It’s the 14th song down on the list!

Boca Beth Bilingual Music CD

This stuff really works!  I mean, I know, I know. I am the founder, I have spent countless hours, dollars and love on this project, but to be in the middle of a group of dancing and singing and excited toddlers and preschool age children as they learn my music for the first time really proves to me it works, and it works within minutes!

Thank you God for this gift you gave me!  And thank you to everyone who has supported my belief that these little children CAN learn a second language before elementary school, and they will be better wired for later language learning should you choose to use my Boca Beth products and tips and techniques!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth   

P.S. (A super cool contest starts right here tomorrow - Saturday, December 13th, 2008!!!)

I love, love, love this time of year!

I hope you are having fun - staying out of the stress side and enjoying the true meaning of Christmas. . .

Ready for a cool way to win something to put under the Christmas tree for your child?  It’s our Boca Beth bilingual music CD titled My First Songs in Spanish (click here to read the concepts introduced on this easy to follow along with Spanish and English CD for kids - more than 100 words and 30 phrases taught on just this one CD!!!!) up for grabs along with one of our BOCA hand puppets (made in the USA still!!!) and a brightly colored mini maraca (lead free/toy tested!!!).

Isn’t that the million dollar question of late?

What is it with our society’s obsession with celebrities?  How do people like Britney Spears and OJ Simpson get so much of our time and attention with such bad behavior (sound like such a mom and teacher, don’t I?!?!) 

And then why is it that so many of my colleagues (who really don’t have the money) spend their hard earned small business dollars on trying to get celebrity endorsements (supposedly to help increase sales of their products)?

I recall being invited to be part of the 2005 Oscar SWAG Bags at a Gifting Suite in Beverly Hills for celebrity moms.  I have to tell you, I was so honored, excited and anxious!  I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning putting together 75 beautifully packaged Boca Beth bilingual product bags for these moms who make more in one year than I will most likely ever see in a lifetime.

Now there is irony in that situation alone!  Me, a hard working, good karma bilingual mom of three, working her butt off trying to bring her product to market works like a maniac to get together these FREE gifts to women who could easily afford to pay for all 75 of the sets and donate them to their community’s preschools for early language learning.

But - NO - I (like most other small business owners) felt that THIS might be the ticket to national and international exposure if perhaps little Apple (Courtney Cox’s little girl) or Jaden (Andre Agassi’s son) were captured on film with BOCA the bilingual puppet and amigo walking the streets of Los Angeles or Las Vegas!!!!

NOTHING!!!!   ¡¡¡ NADA !!!  ever happened as a result from all of the time, energy, and money I put into being in that gifting suite.  Never one thank you card from one of the possibly 69 families that received them (6 were graciously returned after the Oscars).

Still, I sent Heidi Klum and Seal something from our Boca Beth line up of bilingual music CDs and DVDs just the other day.  And even Michelle and Barack Obama had something arrive at their Chicago home for Malia and Sasha (and I know it arrrived because the Secret Service signed for it on my UPS tracking sheet!!!).  I keep trying, just like my colleagues.

Now - the million dollar question needs to be answered:  Does hearing that “Andre and Steffi’s children Jaden and Jaz are learning Spanish with Boca Beth’s first CD titled My First Songs in Spanish.” really make YOU want to go out and buy my products?  Does it make you a believer now that a celebrity has shown they received it for free and use it with their children?

I really want to know what all of you think!  Please comment.  Inquiring minds WANT TO KNOW!!!!!!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

Beth Butler, Founder of The Boca Beth Program

Wanting to give that perfect gift ?!?!

Aren’t we all !!!???!!!!

Read this article I wrote recently about gift-giving that keeps giving back - click here!

BOCA the language amigo

Now visit our web site and shop with a special discount of 20% off any CD or DVD, and I will put in a FREE BOCA puppet, we will ship for FREE to any special little child in your life who is learning Spanish as a 2nd language or English as a 2nd language! 

Simply enter code ‘bocarocks’ to get 20% off any CD or DVD from our Boca Beth Program - click here for our CD line up - click here for our DVD line up!

To get the free puppet put “FREE BLOG BOCA” in the special remarks area

Don’t like shopping online?  Call me toll free 877.825.2622 during biz hours of 9 am - 5 pm EST anytime up through December 20th for this cool FREE BOCA puppet offer - FREE shipping good thru 12.31.08!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth

P.S. (Post this offer on your blog or web site, and I will ship YOU a FREE BOCA puppet with not purchase whatsoever!!!  Really - just comment below that you posted this cool blog post, and I will send you your very own BOCA puppet today!  Thank you for telling others about our fun and easy way to introduce Spanish & English to little children!)