Non-native Accents

We are preparing to sell our piano and so we had it tuned today. No one in the house has played the piano since I stopped taking lessons almost 20 years ago. It just so happened that the piano tuner is a native German. What a small world! She casually paid me the highest compliment -- she said I sounded like a native speaker. Oh wonderful day! When I was studying in Munich, this was a real badge of honor for us students - we were always hoping to be mistaken for native Germans as a sign of our excellent linguistic abilities. I don't think anyone was completely fooled by my accent LOL, but perhaps I could pass for some other nationality.

This leads me to think about what kind of accents my kids will develop. Their German exposure is native from my husband as well as my pretty good accent. They also hear native speakers in German music and on DVDs. They have a really hard time understanding our Oma and Opa, though (from the Black Forest). I, too, didn't understand much of my in-laws initially but have since adjusted to their version of German with it's Badisch bent.

My oldest son has a beautiful accent - he seems to have a real talent for languages. My four year old, however, has the funniest way of speaking. It's not so much an American accent, but it's not quite German either. I guess it will work itself out in time.

I think the key for me was the total immersion in native German I had while learning. (I didn't start studying German until college so I'm proof that you never are too old to learn!) Most of us won't be able to provide total immersion for our kids, at least not most of the time. That's when it's critical to find other ways to provide native German for your kids, either from native speakers or also from CDs and DVDs. My kids listen to the same stories over and over, and easily pick up words and phrases, intonation and all, and so this can be a great way to reinforce a good accent.

So now we have a tuned piano and we had a nice visit with a lovely piano tuner. After hearing her play, I am longing to play the piano again! Maybe we won't put it up for sale just yet :)

What she said...

I love Corey's take on bilingualism.

Watching German DVDs

German movies and TV shows are a wonderful way to increase the amount of German input your children receive. One of the most frequent questions I get from people is how to watch German DVDs.

Multi-Region Required
First, you must be aware that most (95%?) of all German DVDs require a multi-region DVD player. (For more technical information on all this multi-region stuff, see DVD Regions Explained) The good news is that you may be able to convert your own player to multi-region, if you don't mind a little research. Videohelp.com has "hacks" or instructions for many DVD players on how to "unlock" the multi-region capability for your DVD player. It all depends on the player - some are easy to do, some are harder, and some can't be changed.

If you don't want to update your own player, maybe your computer can play the DVDs! Most computer DVD players will play Region 2 (which is Europe) DVDs. The catch is that you have to switch between regions when you play different DVDs and the number of times you may switch is limited. This isn't a problem if you designate the computer as German (Region2) only. If you still want to be able to switch without limitation, you can install software which will bypass the region setting entirely. I use VideoLan for this purpose. It's not super-intuitive to use but it does the job.

In case none of the above options works for you, I do sell a multi-region DVD player on my website.

So grab some German episodes of Sendung mit der Maus, Biene Maja, Harry Potter and the like and have fun! It's an easy way to increase German exposure in your home.

Suggestions for Adult Learners

I frequently hear from adults who are learning German and are looking to use children's books as an addition to their studies. What a great idea! Children's books can be quite simple and are often more interesting and more affordable than materials written for German as a foreign language (DaF). Here are some suggestions for adults learning German.

Ich
A wonderful little book for people of all ages - simple and thoughtful, funny and sweet. An excerpt: Ich erfreue mich an den kleinen Dingen des Lebens... und natürlich auch an den großen.


See you - im nächsten Sommer. A German - English story
(Not very simple but the switching between German and English might make it possible for you to follow the story and it would be more interesting than a much simpler book. There are also 2 other books in this genre.

Bobo Siebenschläfer
Very simple stories written for toddlers. A good way to pick up everyday vocabulary. Sample pages on the website.

German Reader Set Level 1 (3 Books)
Books for beginning readers - these are fairly simple and would offer good practice.

Leseleuchte Winnie Puuh. Alles macht Musik. Level 1
A simple storybook

Free Downloads for Preschoolers

Carlsen Verlag has coloring pages, puzzles, and other easy-to-do projects. Viel Spaß beim Basteln!

Multilingual Living Magazine

The latest issue of Multilingual Living Magazine is available online, including the first few pages for free.


Some of the articles:

• The multiple benefits of multilingualism! You won't believe how many benefits there are!
• Balanced multilingual? Is it possible? Is it something to strive toward?
• Dual language program - Find out how you can start your own or at least help your school district get one going.
• A grandmother's perspective - what one grandmother of trilinguals has to say about raising children in more than one language.
  

Visit the Bilingual / Bicultural Family Network today for this inspiring magazine as well as a host of other resources for bilingual families.

OPOL4US: 7 Language Strategies

A nice, in-depth discussion on language strategies used by bilingual families. Even though there aren't that many different permutations of language use for bilingual families, I always like to hear how others work it out.

Visit OPOL4US

Hummel im Hintern?

Er hat Hummeln im Hintern. = He's got ants in his pants


This is a new one for me :) This and other important facts about animal sounds in German are available from German.About.com's Tierlexikon

Speaking German as a second language with your kids

I've just published a lens on Squidoo called "Speaking German as a second language with your kids." Lots of information for beginning bilingual families including the basics, myths on bilingualism and links to many resources.

Squidoo is a place for people to share their knowledge and passions with the world. What an excellent resource! If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the challenges of raising bilingual kids, I encourage you to check out my lens.

Ein kleines Fingerspiel

Zwei Zappelmänner

Zwei Zappelmänner

aus dem Sack!

Der eine heißt Schnick,

der andre heißt Schnack.

Schnick hat 'ne Mütze

und Schnack hat 'nen Hut,

und alle beide vertragen sich gut!

Hand movements: Hold the fists together, with thumbs hidden. At "aus dem Sack" the thumbs come out of their hiding place and are stretched up in the air. Then first the left thumb (Schnick) and then the right thumb (Schnack) bow to each other. Then, alternately wiggle the thumbs. Finally the thumbs touch each other gently. This game is also good with painted fingernails or little finger puppets.

This game comes from Fingerspiele, Klassiker und neue Ideen für Babys und Kleinkinder (the translation is mine). Viel Spaß beim Spielen!

Learning about Emotions

Being the mom of a kid with Asperger's syndrome and sensory integration dysfunction, I am always on the look-out for ways to discuss emotions and how to deal with them with my son. Asperger kids often have a low tolerance for frustration and a tendency toward perfectionism. His feelings frequently get the better of my son and using lots of stories and role-playing help him practice appropriate responses when he is unhappy, agitated, or just plain mad. The book, Ich und meine Gefühle, is a great resource for this topic.



The book reads:

Wenn ich traurig bin, muss ich manchmal weinen.
When I'm sad, sometimes I cry.

Wenn ich meine Gefühle kenne, kann ich oft auch die Gefühle von anderen verstehen. Es ist schön, zu spüren, dass ich anderen helfen kann.
When I know my own feelings, I can often understand the feelings of others. It is nice to know, that I can help others.

The book has a dynamic flow to it - large, vivid illustrations and short statements on each page. It might be a good book to read only a few pages at a time, allowing the child to discuss and digest the message of the book. All of us struggle with difficult emotions at times and reflecting on them can help us to master them instead of them mastering us. Every kid can benefit from discussion about feelings.

My special kid has come a long way since I first wrote about some of his unique challenges. This book will be an aid for him as he continues on the path to adulthood.

Ich und meine Gefühle. Emotionale Entwicklung für Kinder ab 5 from Alphabet Garten

A read-along adventure: Winnie Puuh

A story of a rainy, windy day in the Hundred Acre Wood where Puuh and Ferkel (Piglet) are blown about by gusty breezes and Puuh rescues Ferkel from a flood.


The pace and length of this story is just right for my 4 year old - a few sentences per page with accompanying sound effects and different voices for the characters. The page-turn signal allows him to listen without assistance from me and he can listen to the whole book in under 10 minutes. We particularly like the sweetly classic Pooh illustrations and gentle colors.

Winnie Puuh und das Hundewetter (storybook with audio-CD) from Alphabet Garten

New Titles in the Baby Boardbook Set

I'm very excited to announce the new titles in the Baby Boardbook set. With this collection, you receive Im Kindergarten, Auf dem Spielplatz (At the Playground), Bei uns Zuhause (At our House), and Beim Einkaufen (Going Shopping). The books are a bit bigger this time, 7 inches square, with lots of detail to look at in each double-page spread. The sturdy boardbook pages will withstand much loving from their readers!

This set is one of the top 5 items in the store - it's great for kids ages 1-4. If you don't speak German, you will find this is an easy choice for a gift - a great collection all ready to go.

Zum Geburtstag, viel Glück...!

My baby is 1 year old today! With 2 big brothers, he certainly doesn't need any toys or clothes. In fact, we have been trying to weed out all the extra stuff in the house. So I had no problem turning to my favorite indulgence, books! Or specifically, Bücher! And there was so much to choose from!

Have you seen Groß und Kleine - Wilde Tiere? It is the cutest book - perfect for my little guy who expects a book to have more than a story - it needs to do something. This book has a large puzzle piece with a wild animal baby on every other page and a picture of the baby and it's mama on the opposite side. The book is about 5 inches square, a bit on the chunky side, perfect for little hands and the boardbook pages are extra-thick and durable. I recommend loosening the pieces before giving it to the anxious recipient.

The new Max und Mini series is also a big hit - cut-outs in every page let you peek through to the next page. J is enjoying Max und Mini lernen die Gegensätze (opposites).

This last book isn't really for babies but the story is so sweet, that I decided to add it to our collection anyway. J has just started sitting still for short books so we'll work up to this one - Das kleine Blau und das kleine Gelb. In this story in verse, das kleine Blau (blue) and Gelb (yellow) play together and get all mixed up when they discover they can make green! When they go home, their parents don't recognize them until they separate again. With only a line or two on each page and large text, this is a great book for beginning readers. A fun way to talk about colors and friendship.

An excerpt:

Doch in der Schule, wie man sieht,
Sitzt alles brav in Reih und
Glied.

Kaum aber ist die Schule aus,
Geht's wie der Wirbelwind nach
Haus.

Happy Birthday, J!

Review: Geschichten vom Fussballplatz

Four short stories about Ole and his soccer team aimed at beginning readers. The stories are interesting, employing soccer specific vocabulary that will keep your young sports fan engaged and challenged. With pictures replacing main words in the text, and a glossary at the end of each story, it is a good way to introduce new vocabulary and longer words that might discourage a beginning reader. Part of the first level of the Loewe Reading l Ladder series, this Bildermaus book is targeted to beginning readers age 5 and above.

Geschichten vom Fussballplatz $14.20

Review: Kunterbunte 1-2-3 Minutengeschichten

A collection of 100 poems and short stories to entertain your little ones or challenge your more experienced readers. With so many choices, you are sure to find some favorite themes, and at only 1-3 minutes long, there is always time to read “just one more”.

Kunterbunte 1-2-3-Minutengeschichten

-- Hardcover: $30.95

-- CD $27.54

Review: Du groß, und ich klein (Minimax)

In this allegory, the King Lion adopts an orphaned little elephant who can only say “Ich, klein.” The two spend their days together, like father and son, with the lion teaching the elephant all he knows. The Elephant grows bigger every day, until the King Lion says he is so big that the Lion can’t believe he is the King. So the Elephant must go off on his own to live his own life. Upon his return many years later, he finds that the aged Lion needs the Elephant to take care of him. Repeated throughout the story is the theme of “Du groß, und ich klein”.

Du groß, und ich klein: $13.60

Book Review: Fünfter sein

A good choice to read with your child prior to their next doctor’s visit. This prize winning, yet simple and elegant book is based on a poem by the famous author, Ernst Jandl. The spare, rhythmic text counts backwards from five, as the broken toys sit in a waiting room, until there is only one left and on the last page we see who and what is in the next room. The illustrations complement the text, showing a range of emotions often seen in waiting rooms, including curiosity, boredom, apprehension and fear, while the swinging ceiling light emphasizes the toys going in and coming out.

Fünfter sein: $32.28

Gifts for 4 year old twin boys

Hi Sarah,
It’s that time of year again when I need help picking out gifts for my nearly 4 year old twin nephews who speak German primarily.

I would appreciate any book/dvd/game suggestions. You always make excellent suggestions. I am interested in the Dr. Suess book that I saw on your website.

Thanks-J

---------------------------------------------

Hi J,

Thanks for your note. Yes, the Grinch book is a classic. I've just put a new title "1-2-3 Minuten Geschichten" on the website - it's got over 200 pages of very quick stories. There is also an audiobook with the same stories - it will be in next week.

Die Weihnachtsmaus is very cute

Was können diese Fahrzeuge is a nice book with several stories about vehicles.

I think the Mini Lesemaus set is new since you last ordered

Augen zu, kleiner Tiger is adorable.

Na warte, sagte Schwarte is a very silly story about two pigs who get married and decide to paint all the wedding guests since, being pigs, they are all in the buff and dirty.

There's a great collection of DVDs called Abenteuer Sehen with 6 hours of classic shows for kids.

That should give you a good start! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Viele Gruesse,
Sarah

Book Suggestions

I have gotten so many requests for suggestions lately, I thought I'd post some of them online so that others may benefit from the ideas. I will leaving names and other identifying information off for reasons of privacy.

I hope you find this information useful! If you have any questions about what books are appropriate for your child, please send an email to thea @ alphabet-garten.com.

Viele Gruesse!
Sarah

Suggestions for Teenagers

Hi! I'm interested in purchasing a few books for my son, age 17, who has studied High School German for two years. We are a homeschool family and have used an online school (German Online - Oklahoma State University) for this language study. I'm wondering if you could possibly help advise me as to what books might be an appropriate level.
Thank you for any help you can offer.



Sincerely,

L

--------------------------------------------------



Dear L,



Thanks for your request. How nice to hear from other homeschoolers! I am homeschooling my 3 little ones (7, 3, and 1). I suggest you take a look at this series of German/English stories- I think they would be perfect for your son with a good command of German - they should be entertaining and a bit challenging. They are a lot of fun.
Please let me know if you have any questions.


Viele Gruesse,
Sarah

All about Martinstag

Update: Don't miss our St. Martin's Day Unit Study!

Thanks to Thea Fortune for contributing this great compilation on Martinstag.

St. Martins Day (Martinstag) is celebrated on November 11 in many parts of Europe. St. Martin was a Roman soldier who helped the poor, was martyred and became a Catholic saint.

Some of the symbols of St. Martins are lanterns, geese, and Weckmänner. In many areas, the community participates in a parade around the town or neighborhood, with the children carrying lit lanterns through the dark November evening. Traditionally lanterns were lit by candles, but people also use glow sticks and battery powered “candles”.

For more information about Martinstag and St. Martin check out Zzzebra (www.zzzebra.de) and the other websites listed below.

Many ideas for lanterns can be found on:

Heiliger Martin (www.martin-von-tours.de/laternen/index.html) - 7 different styles, including one out of a paper bag, one using “käseschachtel” and another from papermache. The easiest lanterns I’ve seen take the coloring pages from this site, make them into a tube, and place a strip of black construction paper or black posterboard at the top and bottom – punch holes in the top to run a string through.

Bastelstunde.de (http://www.bastelstunde.de/Papier___Pappe/Herbst/herbst.html)

Kidsweb.de (www.kidsweb.de) – many kid friendly activities including a variety of lanterns.

ZZZebra (www.zzzebra.de) – lots of seasonally appropriate activities for kids including a “laternen-werkstatt”.

While on parade, it’s fun to sing simple folksongs such as “Laterne, Laterne”, and “Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne”
www.zzzebra.de

Goose is often served for dinner on Martinstag, and Heiliger Martin has several appropriate recipes (www.martin-von-tours.de/rezepte/) .

Recipe for Weckman is on Zzzebra, which is fun to do with your kids : www.zzzebra.de

Christmas Titles

We have so many wonderful new titles for Christmas! Here are a few that are sure to make your season sparkle!

Die neue Liederfibel zur Weihnachstzeit

This songbook is such a beautiful accompaniment for Christmas time. I love the colorful illustrations on the cover and throughout. My kids always get a kick out of my playing the piano (melody only!) and this book will make it easy for me to play some of these songs for them. The melody is provided in fairly large musical notation, 1 song per double page spread.

The CD is also a great addition - I'm always looking for good Christmas CDs. The children's voices are so sweet and listening put me in such a Christmas mood! Isn't it a bit early for that? :)

Listen to a sound clip.

Please note - the book and the CD are sold separately and also as a set so make sure to pick the set if you want them both.

Die neue Liederfibel zur Weihnachtszeit Book / CD Set $58.80 (save 12%)

Die neue Liederfibel zur Weihnachstzeit (book) $41.50

Die neue Liederfibel zur Weihnachstzeit (CD) $24.99

---

Die Weihnachtsmaus (Laterne, Laterne)

The most famous poem from James Krüss. A treat for all.

Die Weihnachtsmaus (Laterne, Laterne) $13.90

Ein neuer Assistant

I had some extra help today. The girl who packs my orders is on vacation and I was left alone to do the job myself. Yikes! Well, I must have done something right because my oldest, N, at the ripe old age of 7 1/2 joined me for the job, and we had a blast! He was responsible for folding invoices and sealing packages and was mighty proud of himself. So if you ordered over the weekend and your package arrives with a label carefully placed just so, you'll know who gets the credit.

Games for Learning

In case you don't receive the newsletter, here are some quick and easy games to play to advance your child's German. To subscribe to the newsletter, please visit our website.

Mystery Game (for beginning readers)
Gather 5-10 small objects from around the house. Raid the toybox for miniature items. Ideas include Katze, Mann, Hut, Ball, Schuh, Hahn, Auto - once you start looking, you'll find all kinds of small items with short names you can use. Write the names on slips of paper. With a great air of mystery, tell your child "I'm thinking of a secret object - can you guess what it is?" Have your child pick a slip of paper, look at the word, and select the object. Keep the selection small at first and build up as the child progresses.

Wiederholen, bitte
We have been working on improving short-term memory to aid with overcoming learning challenges. This simple memory exercise can be done whenever you have a few minutes to spare - we're trying to do it several times a day. Slowly recite a few numbers in German and ask your child to repeat them back to you in order. Start off with 3 digits and see how many you can work up to. For an added element of fun and to engage the kinetic learners, do this while tossing a bean bag back and forth.

Der, die, das
This is a form of the classic game, Mother May I? Make signs in big letters for der, die and das. The leader stands at one end of the room and the rest of the group stands several feet back. The leader holds up one of the signs and calls out nouns. When the leader names a noun of the gender matching his sign, the other players may move a step forward. When he names nouns of other genders, the players must remain still. If they take a step incorrectly, they must go back to the starting line. The first person to the leader gets to take over as leader and the game begins again. This game is a lot of fun and can get very silly.

Harry Potter und die Heiligtümer des Todes

Harry Potter #7 auf Deutsch - coming soon! Pre-order now and get free shipping.

Ein Regentag im Zoo (Lift the flap)

It's raining outside my window as I type - the perfect day for the book, Ein Regentag im Zoo. It's raining for Anna and her Papa, too, when they go to the zoo, and so all the animals are hidden away in their cozy houses. It's up to you, the reader, to figure out what is behind each of the doors. Luckily, the houses are "animal-shaped" so it's not too hard to guess which house belongs to the giraffe, the snake, or the penguin. When you lift the large flap to open the door, the animal is revealed.

This is a nice, simple book with lovely illustrations, suitable for little ones and kids up to age 6.

Add some animal noises of your own for a real multi-sensory experience. I recommend going through the book to lift all the flaps before reading it with a child, since the flaps are so large and it requires a bit of patience to open them the first time.

Poetry auf Deutsch

I've been loving my work lately and I think my kids are as well - we've read and listened to almost all of the new German titles - lucky us! I'd been looking to add a little poetry into our day and came across the Gedichte für Kinder CD by Oliver Steller. What a find! Olli, as he calls himself, sings and recites poetry along with his guitar, Frieda, in front of a live audience of boisterous kids. With poems by Heine, Fontane, Brecht, Morgenstern and Maiwald, there are plenty of big names.

Our favorite poem so far is called Spinne Martha - here's an excerpt:
Wo ist meine Spinne?
Wer hat sie gesehen?
Sie hat sechs lange Beine und sie ist sehr wunderschoen, ja wunderschoen...

Don't ask me why he says "sechs Beine" instead of "acht" - N surmised that maybe German spiders only have 6 legs. Spinne Martha is set to a very catchy rock beat and Steller is a wonderful accompanist as he sings and the children join in.

The enunciation on this concert-style CD is excellent and quite easy to understand for my not quite fluent German-speaking kids. Most of the poems are repeated 2 or 3 times, sometimes with music, and sometimes without and so my boys have a chance to catch words they may have missed the first time around.

I'm working on memorizing some of the poems myself and the kids will enthusiastically join me with the parts they know. We are playing the CD in the car right now so we get a good dose of it every time we go somewhere.

One caveat - the first poem is called Fisch Fasch - who unfortunately has "einen weissen Arsch." It seems that the Germans are a little more free with the language than Americans might be :)

I highly recommend this CD for kids ages 4 and up, and maybe some ambitious 3 year olds!

Gedichte für Kinder CD from Alphabet Garten

Haufen von Büchern!

After my latest newsletter, I got so many wonderful recommendations! Thank you all for your tips and favorites. I have over 20 new books and a few CDs on the website now and the kids and I have been enjoying them all. I'm working on reviews for all of them but for now here is one of my favorites.

Emil kocht für Teddy



I love books with photographs. In this book, young Emil makes soup for his Teddy, sets the table and cleans up at the end. He reminds me of my little M who loved to have tea parties even as young as two years old.

An excerpt
Emil probiert. Hmm, das schmeckt gut!

Emil kocht für Teddy
Einfach goldig!
Boardbook, 30 pages

A bilingual moment

Child running past loudly while mom talks on the phone to a customer - mom gets annoyed.

Mom realizes child is singing "Alle meine Entchen" at the top of his lungs - all is forgiven :)

A multilingual family story

Patricia was kind enough to share her family's story of many languages.
Vielen Dank!

~ Sarah

Let me write in English, as my fingers move faster in this language.

We are both native Germans, my husband and I, and at home we both speak only German with our children, who attend an English speaking or at least bilingual school wherever we are living (changes every 4 or so years). Result? There is no way you can tell how well a bilingual speaker your child becomes.

One thing seems to be true. Children need to be exposed to non-native-toungue in the age of four to eight months - no matter what language, even if it were Chinese or Suaheli. During this timewindow, the brain developes its "second (third etc) language center" and if exposed to another "code", the connections in this area won't be disconnected ... your ability to speak/think/dream in another code is getting hard-wired.

We see the results with our children. Both younger ones pick up languages very, very fast while for our oldest it is an ordeal each time. She learned French when she was 3 1/2 and English with 5 1/2.
Today, living in a Spanish speaking country, she is in the hightest level English class of the official IB program, but German is now difficult, although she mastered the AP German quite well ... and Spanish ... it is not as easy for her as for our other children. Our son, the middle child was born in France and exposed to French at the age of four month (when he could sit). He speaks three languages fluent by now (he is twelve), all of them without accent: German, English and Spanish. Next year he will take up French (again, after he had been (childen-)fluent in that language when we left Belgium some years ago). We will see how much will come back.

My little one ... I speak to her in German, she answers in English. She has difficulties to get a complete sentence out in German, but when at "home" (Germany) for only a week, you would not think that she never had lived in Germany or would even know another language. Although tackling the language issue from a different angle than our son (he is as well very well settled in grammar) she as well is fluent trilingual English/Spanish/German.

Well, you see: three children, three different stories. What's genom, what's environment, what's place you were living in? I can't tell. It is difficult.

Viele Gruesse an Deinen Mann. Ich denke, das beste was ihr tun koennt, ist ganz fest bei eurer jeweiligen Sprache bleiben. Du sprichst mit Deinen Kindern Englisch und Dein Mann Deutsch. Dann werden sie immer die eine Sprache mit dem einen Gesicht verbinden und nicht die beiden durcheinander werfen. Doch das funktioniert auch nicht immer, wie man bei unserer kleinen sieht - oder vielleicht doch ... da sie mit Omi, die wenig English versteht, nur Deutsch spricht, waehrend sie mit Oma, die mehrere Jahre in England lebte und vermutlich auf Englisch reagiert, in Englisch conversiert.

Alles Liebe

Patricia

Bilingualism strengthens cognitive development, research shows

http://ec.europa.eu/research/headlines/news/article_07_04_10_en.html

And baby makes three. Even if you're not a native German speaker, you can raise a bilingual!

When NJ was born 7 years ago, I had lots of time to prepare and think about how I wanted to incorporate German into his life. We wanted him to have a strong connection to Juergen's family roots in Germany. Even though we chose to live in the U.S., we hoped to maintain strong cultural and language ties "back home." In addition, Oma and Opa don't speak English so practically speaking, NJ would have to be bilingual in order to have a real relationship with his grandparents.

If you, like me, are not a native speaker, it will be a little harder but it can be done, and the rewards are great. Seven years into this adventure, I'm still learning and changing my strategy as needed. Here are a few things I've learned along the way.

1. Get educated.
Read up on bilingual children. Find out about the different language patterns you may use. You may decide OPOL (one parent one language) is right for you. Or maybe mlah (minority language at home) makes more sense. Informing yourself is important for two reasons - first, you can think through how you'll make it work in your family, and second, you'll be prepared with facts when the nosy neighbor tells you a second language can cause speech delays (it doesn't) or a relative complains she feels excluded when you speak to your child in German. Just tell her you're increasing your child's potential! If people see you're confident and educated about speaking German to your child, they are less likely to question your motives. It's critical to be prepared with research and facts, especially for a non-native speaker since you might not see much progress for the first couple years and it's easy to get discouraged.
Suggested resources:
- A Parents' & Teachers' Guide to Bilingualism

2. Build a support system
If you're lucky enough to have German-speaking relatives and friends, let them know you'll be speaking to your child in German. If they are close by, ask them to speak only German to your child. It's a huge help to have other sources of German for your child. If they are not close by, at least they can provide moral support and perhaps letters, phone calls and visits.

If you don't know any German speakers, seek them out! Find a German-speaking playgroup or start your own. Consider attending a German school, either on Saturdays or during the week. German immersion schools are available all over the country and you may be surprised to find one nearby.

Still haven't found German speakers in your area? Turn to the internet! Discussion groups and blogs are wonderful for inspiration and invaluable when you need advice and motivation.

Consider subscribing to magazines for bilingual parents. A regular read on bilingualism will be helpful in keeping up your motivation.

3. Prepare the environment
Get some German books and music for your little one. This is an easy one! :) German music especially is a favorite of mine to help me remember to speak German and it's great for tired new mommies and daddies.

4. Start at the beginning
You may feel a little strange chatting away to a baby who does little more than sleep, eat, and pee, but getting into the habit of speaking German to your new baby right away is easier than starting up later. I have always sp0ken German to my babies and to this day find it difficult to speak to any baby in English! I do speak English with my children now, but that's another post :)

Books that do double-duty: Der Marienkäfer

This adorable Marienkäfer book has arrived, just in time for spring and a little nature study. My little M, age 3, is constantly on the lookout for tiny bugs, ants, spiders and the like, and this book has been an instant hit. He loves the brightly colored illustrations and the flaps, especially the one with the large flower whose petals open to reveal the different stages in the lifecycle of the ladybug.

I love the wealth of detail that M and also my 7 year old enjoy. This series is written for kids ages 2 and up but I really think kids as old as 7 can easily enjoy and benefit from reading it. It's useful for me as well to brush up on some of the nature vocabulary in German. It does feel strange to call a ladybug a "he", though. Make sure you have a bug jar and a magnifying glass handy so you can run outside on a ladybug hunt when you're done reading!

Der Marienkäfer. Wieso? Weshalb? Warum? from Alphabet Garten

Music with a Message

You've probably heard me say it before - we love Rolf Zuckowski. His music is happy, fun, and is a sure fix for grumpy kids (and moms). We hadn't added to our Rolf collection recently but when the Top 100 collection came out, I decided to give it a try. Boy, am I glad I did!

You see, not only are the songs upbeat and great for singing along, but most of them have a message, either for kids or parents or sometimes both. I wrote about the song, Wie schön dass Du geboren bist, a while back. It still brings tears to my eyes. I could hardly listen to the first CD of this new set without getting teary-eyed. There is Du schaffst es schon, an inspiring story about perserverence. Ohne Dich, which is a real tear-jerker ("Ohne Dich wäre ich im Leben nicht mal halb so viel gelacht...") - so true. So wie Du bist is such a great reminder to treasure our kids for themselves and not compare them to others. Lucky for my kids, they enjoy the music without getting bogged down with the deeper message like their mom.

There are also plenty of important messages for kids. Mein Platz im Auto ist hinten is a great reminder about seatbelts. Frühstuck für Mama is a nice plug for forgiveness. Als ich ein Baby war has been nice for M, who at 3 years old, is feeling a little small these days compared to his big brother who can seemingly do everything.

Als ich ein Baby war, war ich noch klien,

das soll bei Babys ja so üblich sein.

Ich hatte nur drei Haare auf dem Kopf

und rutschte durch die Wohnung auf dem Topf.

Aber jetzt bin ich groß, sehr mich mal an!

Ihr werdet staunen, was ich alles kann...

I could go on and on. Go take a listen for yourself! Even if you already have a few Rolf CDs, this one is such a great value with 100 songs for under $60, I do think it's worth it. The CDs come in a box with lyrics to all 100 songs - very useful for us non-native speakers who want to sing along.

We are pretty busy around here with our business, homeschooling 3 kids, and special needs. Sometimes I forget my priorities and get bogged down in the day-to-day details. Rolf's music brings me back to earth. Rolf continually inspires me to be a better parent and a better person. I hope you enjoy him too!

Rolfs Top 100 from Alphabet Garten

Goldig!

I just couldn't resist :)

Book Review: See you - im nächsten Sommer. A German - English story

See you... is the story of a male German exchange student who spends 3 weeks in the U.S. with an American girl and her family. Unhappy about the situation at first, he discovers his host is actually a pretty good soccer player and they develop a friendship.

I love the language switching that goes on in this book. Here's an excerpt:

"Let's go to that McDonald's, then!", schlug Britney vor. "Does anyone know where it is exactly?" Tobias schüttelte den Kopf. Madison sagte, "I'm not sure,
but I think it's only a few minutes from here, down that street over there." "Let's go!", rief Tobias.

I think bilingual kids will love this kind of back-and-forth between German and English. Enjoy!

See you - im nächsten Sommer. A German - English story

Sonderangebot - Save on over 60 titles

We have over 60 titles on sale - this is a great opportunity to add to your German library.

Book Review: Inga zieht sich an

Inga is a little bunny who absolutely *must* pick out her own clothes WITHOUT any help from her dear mama who is waiting to take her to the park. As the mother of a very independent three year old, I enjoyed this book very much as I read it with M. M enjoyed it as well, nodding knowingly when Inga asserted "Ich will aber ALLEINE aussuchen!"

I also love this book because it comes with a code for a bonus audiobook you can download from the Nord-Sued (publisher) website. So M can listen to it whenever he wants, just the way his independent little self likes it :)

The book also includes a paper doll Inga with several outfits to cut out and play with. Fun!

Inga zieht sich an

Make it Stick: Tips for Active Learning

As a continuation to my posts on learning styles, I got some wonderful tips and ideas from a teacher. Although her subject is music, you could apply these ideas to German study or any other area you choose. She asked that I leave her name off for confidentiality reasons. There are some fantastic ideas here! Enjoy :) -- Sarah

I was interested in your comment about your little fellow learning math
while running around the house. A couple of years ago, I had auditioned
kids for some spoken lines in a music program in one of my grade schools.
One little girl had the most expressive way of saying the lines. It became
apparent, however, that she had a real problem when it came to learning her
lines. Simple repetition was not working, for example. It turned out
that she was considered Special Ed, and no one who knew her well thought that
she could learn the lines. So I took her down the hall, saying the lines
back and forth with me. I took her down the stairs and up the
stairs. Finally, I had her saying lines while walking backwards. Not
only did she memorize the lines for the concert, but every time I saw her in the
halls, or outside, for the next couple of years, she came to me and burst into
all the lines, delivered perfectly and with great satisfaction and pride.
She's not at our school any more, but I can't help wondering if she maybe still
knows those lines!

I think the thing that helped was that she was so surprised. Walking and
doing it was unexpected, going down stairs and up again was novel, and she for
sure didn't expect to go backwards!! I hadn't thought it through, either,
and was just trying something different to get the information through to her -
something fun unpredictable that would allow her to have fun and keep her from
noticing that she was actually drilling the information (in between
giggles). A year or so ago, I took a Suzuki course that specified learning
techniques for learning string instruments and one of the teaching tools was to
have kids play a passage in a different room each time, or find some other
distraction or novelty to pair each repetition with. The technique was
called "disguised repetition." So I found a name for my seat-of-the pants
adventure with this nice girl. I think she'll always remember that
she can learn, from that experience. That's what I take with me most
of all.

Your situation is different from the musical
application: Since you don't have to worry about bumping an instrument you
could have more freedom - have a young child say something from
under a table, or behind a couch, or hanging over a bed...or have the child
suggest a place, and if you respond by go, the child hurries there and says the
word or phrase. (And then the next time it might be a different word or
phrase.) It could even work with several children taking turns, as a game,
I think. (Another variation: whoever is "it" gets to say where the
next child says a phrase or word...or how to move while saying
it...)

At school, I sometimes alternate drill (rote learning) with opportunities
to be creative in a way that relates directly to the drilled
learning....

I also set up learning situations in which I make
mistakes and the students have to correct me, which the kids love.
Sometimes I am putting up information on the board which is almost all right and
while they're learning it, I suddenly ask them what's wrong with what I have up
there, and they study it intently and hands shoot up (or they burst out with
it!!)! Other times they know right away that I'm making mistakes for them to
find, and they love that.

Announcing...

The Mueller family proudly announces the arrival of J.P. Mueller, born 1/27/07. Alphabet Garten will re-open on Monday, February 5.

Viele Gruesse!
Sarah

Learning Styles Continued

In my last post, I wrote about my older son's preference for visual/spatial learning. My younger son, ML, is not quite three so his style is a bit harder to identify but he's showing a definite preference for tactile/kinesthetic (or active) learning. If he can manipulate something, he understands it and remembers. This kid has been loving jigsaw puzzles for over a year - and can pick out the piece he wants from a big pile. Show him where the play button is on the remote control and he'll never forget where it is (and uses it often!) My older son still needs reminders on which buttons to use. Like any self-respecting preschooler, he adores water play and is proud that he knows how to get the temperature just right. Dancing, climbing and jumping are favorites of his. My little ML is very active, however, he easily sinks deep into concentration when doing something engrossing to him like a puzzle or a matching activity.

Some other activities for tactile / kinesthetic learners which you can apply to German immersion:

Crafts. Do a craft and read an accompanying story
Role-play (have kids act out a story they know and help them with the German if necessary)
Dance and sing to German music.
Allow frequent breaks for movement.
Read books with tactile effects. (Lift the flap, glitter effects, touchy-feely). ML loves these kind of books and will "read" them to himself.

Luckily there seems to be a lot of overlap between my two kids' learning styles so I'm not going in two completely different directions most of the time. I wonder what the new baby will be like...?

Learning Styles for German Study

In a continued effort to understand what makes my kids ‘tick’, I have been reading a lot lately about learning styles, and consequently thinking about how it can be applied to expanding a child’s knowledge of German.

I seem to be mainly an auditory-verbal learner which explains why I found German so easy in college – I just listened to the lecture, read the textbooks and learned the rules. I always wondered why everyone said German was so difficult. I loved learning all the rules and their exceptions! My learning style is well-geared toward traditional methods of school instruction.

Fast forward to my efforts to homeschool my older son, NJ, now 6, and my verbal style is frustrating us both immensely. He is more of a visual-spatial learner and is much more interested in the big picture rather than the small details. He’s extremely creative and is constantly constructing things with his hands. The kid even learned to knit last week! (Yes, I am very proud!) Pesky details, however, are not of much interest to him and he needs to keep moving to learn. No sitting still and listening for this boy! Now that I understood this, our lessons are becoming more effective and productive.

Some ideas geared toward these two learning styles that you can use with your German study:

Auditory/verbal learners
Reading lots of books
Listening to music and audiobooks
For older children, a discussion of the grammar – they may enjoy learning the origins of words and expanding their vocabulary

Visual/spatial learners
Maps – where is Germany on the map – what path did we take when we flew their last time? We love to keep maps handy (map placemats are great) and frequently refer to them when a place is mentioned.
Puzzles – most visual/spatial learners love puzzles. Cut their workbook pages into jigsaw puzzle pieces and they may retain the information easily.
Allow them to draw a picture or model with clay while listening to a story auf Deutsch. When my son’s hands are busy, he’s able to concentrate so much better. And later on you can refer to the picture and ask the child to narrate back the story you told.
Incorporate role-playing into your work. Act out a story using action figures. You can really emphasize the verbs this way. Kids will remember the vocabulary as they visualize what the characters did.
Ask them to visualize. Write vocabulary words in color, ask them to close their eyes and write the word in the air. Ask them to see the word in their mind. If they can visualize it, they will remember it.
Have them build models or dioramas and label the parts in German.
Show them how lessons apply to their everyday lives. Visual/spatial learners need to see the big picture. Encourage them to write to other German-speakers, plan a pretend trip to Germany (where will you go, what will you do, what language might you need to use to get around, etc.)

Coming soon – ideas for tactile/kinesthetic learners.

For more information on learning styles, see this great series at Montessori for Everyone.

Licht an! Series

My kids have been engrossed in this series for a while now. Both N (6) and M(2.5) love to pour over the detailed illustrations with their paper "flashlights" and they always find something new each time they look at one of these books. It's a little tricky to explain the concept behind this series and you won't really get it until you hold one in your hands but let me do my best. Each two page spread has one side with some explanatory text and things labeled to find. On the opposite side is a transparency on top of a jet black page. The child uses his paper "flashlight" (Taschenlampe) which is really just a piece of white cardboard to illuminate things on the transparency which don't show up when backed by the black paper. So the entire page is never in view all at once and the child can really explore the page and find the creatures lurking in the dark corners. It seems to hold their attention well since they must actively search out the subjects of the page.

It's low tech, got tons of detail, and works well for beginners who are just picking up vocabulary through profis who want technical details.

The transparent pages are sturdy and we've not lost a Taschenlampe yet, although if you do, it's easy to make one out of stiff paper. There's a slot at the back of the book to hold the Taschenlampe when not in use.

Licht an!, part of Meyers Kleine Kinderbibliothek from Alphabet Garten

German Music for dancing and singing along

Im Kindergarten is a wonderful, upbeat, happy CD by the hugely popular Rolf Zuckowski. This album will have your kids dancing through the house, although you may wipe away tears as I do every time I hear "Wie schön, dass Du geboren bist" (How wonderful that you were born). This CD, with it's child and adult singers, will leave a lasting impression on it's listeners. I used to listen to this CD when my first child was a baby and think "Maybe he'll speak and sing like these kids one day." I'm glad to say that now he does!

A really BIG book - Erste Bilder, Erste Wörter

Besides the realistic illustrations of items from a small child’s world, the best thing about Erste Bilder, Erste Wörter is it’s size – it’s huge! When opened up, it measures almost 2 feet across by 15 inches tall. Kids will feel they can practically climb into the book.

There’s lots to see and talk about on every page from the toys, animals, and trains on the Kinderzimmer page to the tools, laundry items, and dry goods on the Im Keller page. You can play “find the …” or make up stories about what the little bears who appear throughout the book are doing on each page. Sturdy boardbook pages allow enthusiastic little ones to enjoy this book without risk of damage.

A favorite poem - Das kleine Ich bin Ich

Das kleine Ich bin Ich is another of the very first books I purchased for NJ before starting Alphabet Garten. I picked it out solely from the look of the cover and it turned out to be a true gem. NJ was about 18 months when it arrived and we read it over and over. It was great for my German and I loved the rhythm of the poetry. A bit long, especially for kids who prefer shorter picture books but so much fun!

This book is a wonderful poem about an animal who doesn't know exactly what it is. In amusing verse, the story follows the little creature as it goes around asking other animals what it might be - it's got ears like a horse - maybe it's a foal? No, not a horse. Maybe it's a fish because it swims so well. No, not a fish either. Finally the creature comes to a happy realization that he's simply himself - "Ich bin ich"!

The rhyming in this book flows so well that it's a joy to listen to and read aloud. The imaginative illustrations alternate between black/white and color and I always discover something new to look at each time I read the book. Read the sample text below and see for yourself!

Alle Hunde, groß und klein,
bellen laut: "Was fällt dir ein?
Hast zwar Ohren wie ein Dackel,
auch sein Freuden-Schwanz-Gewackel.
Aber deine kleinen Beine
Sind nicht so schön krumm wie seine,
hast auch keine Hundeleine
-und bist überhaupt zu bunt
und kein Hund."

This book is great for kids ages 5 and up who have at least a basic understanding of German. When read aloud with expression, kids will enjoy the book and begin to understand the story even if they don't understand all the text.

It's all Japanese to me

I've had the interesting experience lately of being in many of my customers' shoes. That is, of understanding very little of a language I'm trying to learn. A little background: my 6 year old homeschooled son, NJ, has developed a passion for all things Japanese. He loves Japanese anime movies, Japanese art, and particularly Japanese language, both written and spoken. So we have plunged into learning some Japanese. Since he isn't reading in English (or German) yet, this means I need to do most of the legwork and basically learn alongside him. He has infected the whole family with his passion and we all know a lot more now than we did a few months ago. Even our two-year-old loves to say Konichiwa (hello) on the telephone. :)

Of course being the book maven that I am, one of my first steps has been to search out books! But I don't speak Japanese and since the alphabet is different, I don't even have a chance when trying to decide on a book. Luckily, we have good friends who are able to help a bit and who have pointed us in the right direction. I realize how many of my customers must feel who are shopping for German books but whose German is not sufficient to help them make a decision. I now know how it is! I do feel for you!

So I'm going to try and do more book reviews and more translations to help the beginners. And if anyone has any tips on learning Japanese, we'd love to hear them!

A personal favorite

ML (2.5 years old) has found an old book of NJ's and begs to read it over and over at bedtime. The book is Klopf an and is one of the original books I ordered for NJ sight unseen when he was a baby, way back before Alphabet Garten was created.

This book has earned its keep over the past 6 years. It's a good-sized boardbook and the right side of every other page spread is a door - all one color with a door handle. The child is asked "Mal sehen, wer da wohnt. Wir klopfen einfach an" and encouraged to knock on the door page. All this knocking is a big hit with babies and toddlers! Open the "door" and the next page shows a scene from a room with lots to talk about. One time it's a family of rabbits eating dinner at the table, another time it's a little boy in his room. Each room leads to the next. ML learned his colors from this book and still loves to count the little bears and rabbits. The very last page takes you outside again to see the moon.

Not a whole lot of text but lots of great drawings and things to talk about.

Einfach süß...

Klopf an

Incorporating German Culture and Customs

I like to read books with my children that initiate discussions on German culture. The Lesemaus books do a great job of this in a very natural way. My favorite right now is Ich hab einen Freund, der ist Bäcker. This book transports me back to my student days in München and hot bread and pretzels from the neighborhood Müller Brot. Bakeries in Germany are ubiquitious and there's just nothing like them in the U.S.! This book has a picture of a bakery case and reading about the Streuselschnecken and Brötchen takes me back. My mouth waters and I wonder for a second if I've finished my German assignment for Frau Rischer! Will those college nightmares ever cease?!

Anyway, my two-year-old loves the images of kneading fresh bread dough and grinding oats into oatmeal and his big brother loves the thought of buying his own Pausenbrot. Come to think of it, we need to go make Brezen!

Some other great choices for German culture are:
Wir entdecken das Hotel
Welches Tier war das hier? (We love the hedgehog and dung beetle!)
Märchen, Fabeln, Sagen - Set of 8 Pixi Books - how can you discuss German culture and leave out fairy tales?
Conni am Strand I get such a kick out of the hairy middle-aged lifeguard in this book!

What language do bilingual kids dream in?

A thought-provoking post from Corey - you shouldn't miss it:

Dreamland

Deutschland hat's geschafft! Einzug ins Halbfinale. Weiter so!!!

We have our own little bit of Fussball Fieber here! No, this isn't our ML but it sure does look like him!

ML doing geography work

ML (2) loves "building" the world! 

Geography lessons for little ones

We use a lot of Montessori materials in our homeschool and my little guy, ML (2), has really taken to the geography materials! I thought I might describe some of the things he uses which others might find useful during summer vacation with their children.

I love doing geography with my children because they make so many connections with the information they learn. It's so easy for NJ (6) to relate a location in a book we're reading with a place on a map or the globe. If it's a place he's not familiar with, we look it up. We're making this into a habit so it will become second nature.

The first thing I offered to ML was a continents globe - I painted an old 6" globe so that each continent was a different color. The result is a very simple representation of the earth - no text, no country divisions, just continents and blue for the ocean. Then we discussed a few things known to ML about each continent - we live here, here's where Oma and Opa live, here's where Felix went when he visited the kangaroos, etc.

Then I made a felt continents map. This is a large blue piece of felt for the ocean with each continent cut out of stiffened felt in it's appropriate color to match the continents globe. ML and I "build" the world map together. He loves this! He's so proud that he knows where he lives and his little tongue gets tied up when pronouncing "Nord-Amerika" and "Europa." And since he loves this game, he really remembers what he's learned! We also take different plastic animals and put them on the map according to where they live - alligators in Florida, elephants in Africa and India, etc. This is also a huge hit. Who knew learning could be such fun?!



My next big splurge will be a wooden puzzle map of Europe - Allison's Montessori has beautiful ones - and ML loves puzzles. This will be a great opportunity to learn the names and locations of the countries and again put our favorite storybook characters into perspective.

Also, Enchanted Learning has lots of coloring pages which are great for geography - I have managed to pull up an outline map of the Caribbean within 30 seconds! NJ has taken to coloring maps, flags, and state crests. They also have many printables in German which can help save a rainy summer afternoon.

A week in Ancient Egypt

It's been a bit quiet here at the Alphabet Garten. The reason being, we spent the past week digging up a little piece of ancient Egypt right here in New Jersey. We were fortunate enough to participate in a homeschool archeology camp run by the fantastic group, The Archaeological Perspective. NJ (6) was knee deep in ancient artifacts, with stories and pictures of Egypt swimming through his head. It was an amazing experience. The kids learned the proper way to dig (no, NJ was a bit disappointed to learn that no pick-axes would be employed), how to map the finds, and most importantly how to put together a story about the people who left the items and how they lived. We had an engrossing lesson in history, geography, culture, with a little math, handwriting and phonics squeezed in by sneaky mom! ("NJ - there are 6 squares to dig in and 12 kids. How many kids will work in a square?!")

If you ever have the chance to work with Geoff "Big Dog" Purcell of The Archeological Perspective, you must jump at the chance! He's a gold mine of knowledge and an inspiring teacher. And guess what else? He speaks German! He runs camps year-round. For more information, visit http://www.dothedig.net/

Toddler Language Awareness, Part 2

I wrote recently that ML (2) has begun to show an understanding that there's a difference between German and English and that not everyone speaks both languages. I got more proof the other day! He was bringing my (American) mother upstairs and said to her "Come to my (long pause) room." This is huge because I've only ever heard him use the word Zimmer for his room. I could just see the wheels turning in his little head - Mema speaks English ... we're going to my room ... say room and not Zimmer. How cool is that? I'm so glad I didn't miss it :)

Toddler Language Awareness

I basically assume that ML (2) doesn't make much distinction between German and English since he mixes freely right now - he'll say "You're krank" and "I go draussen". Pretty common stuff for a bilingual this age. Of course I address him in German, even when we're out in public and we've gotten some funny looks lately from the kids in NJ's karate class. So it was a lot of fun when Emma, who is 8, asked for me to tell her some phrases in German. She then repeated them to ML - "Setz dich hin", "Komm her", "Werf den Ball." He was delighted! He thought it was hysterical. So I guess he really does know the difference since he didn't expect Emma to be speaking German to him.

Proud of the Language

Since Opa has returned to Germany, we've been experiencing an interesting development from NJ's (6) language skills and interest level. He is now very aware of the fact that speaking German is a valued skill and he wants to tell everyone about it! He addresses complete strangers in the library and at the store in German! And he's even using the formal to do it! Verstehen Sie Deutsch?, he'll say. And the people will look at him because they think they just misunderstood him. He'll repeat himself in German and then I'll explain for him. It's quite bizarre. :) And he's fond of disciplining his little brother in German. Hmm, I wonder where he got that idea. Perhaps I need to use a little more English when telling someone to stop doing something.

His vocabulary is still quite lacking but he's comfortable using the words he knows - pretty cool!

Animal sounds in German

http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/ballc/animals/german.html

We love the rooster (Hahn) - kikeriki!

Unsere Woche mit Opa

Thanks for everyone who wished us well for Opa's visit. I'll write more about it later but suffice it to say that we had a great time. We of course spoke lots of German, including my older son, 6, who made a true effort and seemed to enjoy using his skills. He's got a lot of work to do in terms of increasing his vocabulary but he can make himself understood and he had no problem goofing off with Opa!

I think the week was also useful from my father-in-law's perspective because having only heard second-hand about the challenges we've been facing with NJ's sensory integration dysfunction, I think he and my mother-in-law were under the impression that a little more strict parenting would remedy the picky eating and other troublesome behaviors. Now, having seen it up close, Günter could tell that NJ isn't a bad kid and that his problems are not simply due to too much time in front of the TV or too much junk food. I think that he, too, will be a little less judgmental. Plus, he could hardly fault NJ for being picky since he choose not to eat about 90% of what we ate! It's all relative, isn't it? :)

Luckily, he didn't mind cooking for himself which was fortunate since I am not talented in the cooking department and am no Lilo Mueller. She had the menu planned out for his return and I'm sure he's enjoyed being back home again.

We do miss him and it was fun to have him around for a short visit.

Multicultural Living Magazine

The latest newsletter from the Bilingual / Bicultural Family Network is out and has many great articles on multi-culturalism and bilingual kids. Check it out!

Bilingual Families Connect

Tips and advice for bilingual families.

In Praise of Libraries

So I snuck out tonight early after our little guy was in bed, leaving my husband and Opa for some quality time. Where do I go on my cherished time alone? The public library, of course! I was wandering around with my large empty bookbag, kind of enjoying all the possibilities on all the rows of shelves, when a librarian asked if I needed any help. Not being one to hide my emotions, I blurted out, "No, I'm just enjoying this - it's all so wonderful!!" Thankfully she didn't laugh at me, but instead we got to talking and apparently she shares my love for libraries, even going so far as to check them out when she's on vacation.

Did you know your local library can get just about any English book in print for you and it's basically free?! They will even go to museums and universities if necessary to find what you're looking for. All you have to do is ask. With our homeschooling, I'm constantly, almost obsessively on the look-out for great books for the kids and this may help cut down on my book budget. Of course it is much harder to get German books, although many libraries do have German collections.

So the next time you go to the library, chat with the librarian. You won't regret it!

Pretend I'm a Farbe...

ML (2) is in a stage of much language mixing. His latest gem: "Pretend I'm a Farbe. I'm grün!" How can you not love this?

My kids never cease to amaze me

As I posted a couple days ago, we are currently enjoying a visit from Opa, our first in several years and it's the children's first true German immersion experience. I wasn't surprised to see ML (age 2) interacting with Opa in German since he tends to do that with everyone, whether or not they understand him. But NJ (6) has completely floored me! He is quite consciously aware of the need to speak German with Opa and is successfully doing so most of the time! I can see him searching for words he wants to use and picking up new ones throughout the day. My father-in-law is gently teaching him new words and has been wonderfully patient with NJ's attempts to communicate. I had expected NJ to be a bit shy about speaking in German but so far, this hasn't been the case. Interestingly enough, he can't really translate back and forth, even when I know he knows the word in both languages. Perhaps that's the difference between someone who learns the language formally in a classroom setting, like me, or someone who picks it up along the way, the way NJ has done.

Der Opa kommt!

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our Opa from Germany! He's on an airplane as we speak. All week long the kids have been talking about what we'll do with him. We were having breakfast this morning which we usually do in English so we can sneak in a little schoolwork which is mostly discussed in English. Niklas said "C'mon guys, let's speak German!" Love that enthusiasm! My mom is looking forward to using her newly minted German knowledge with Guenter as well.

Ein schönes Wochenende!

Crazy for the Magische Baumhaus

My kids are completely hooked on the German Magische Baumhaus (Magic Treehouse) series of books. In each book, Phillip and Anne travel to a different time or place in history and accomplish a task set for them by their friend, Morgan, who is the librarian from King Arthur's court. Along the way, they learn about the place and time they're visiting and they make new friends.

My son, NJ, likes these books so much, he begs for more chapters at bedtime and as soon as we finish one, he's ready to start another. The language is a little beyond his German comprehension but it doesn't seem to bother him and he asks lots of questions. He and ML both enjoy the pictures scattered throughout the book. So far, we've been to ancient Egypt, the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906, a rain forest, visited with the dinosaurs, been to the moon, and just today attended a one-room schoolhouse on the prarie during the 1870's.

NJ likes these books so much, he has demanded I get the whole series - there are over 30 titles to date - yikes! So I will be adding more to the Alphabet Garten catalog very soon. Here is the current listing.

Interestingly, we tried reading one in English and NJ refused to listen to it. My mother had gotten him one about the first Thanksgiving in English and he was so disappointed it wasn't in German that I had to translate on the fly. Very tricky stuff - how do you say Pilgrim in German? I have no idea :) He's a particular kid and likes things just so.

Book Review: Frederick

Frederick is a little mouse who would rather collect colors, words, and sunlight while his fellow mice are busily gathering provisions for the long, cold winter. The other mice are quite nice about his not helping to collect nuts, berries, and wheat and when the food begins to run out, they turn to Frederick and he feeds their minds with visions of colorful leaves and plants and warms their hearts with the sunlight he's saved.

My kids enjoy the simple illustrations in this large German picture book. The text is limited to 1-2 sentences on most pages so there's lots of time to take in the pictures and not too much German vocabulary to digest. The poem about the four seasons at the end of the book is a peaceful and joyous ending and we could identify with the little mice looking forward to the goodness of Spring.

Here's an excerpt:

"Macht die Augen zu" sagte Frederick
und kletterte auf einen großen Sten.
"Jetzt schicke ich euch die Sonnenstrahlen.
Fühlt ihr schon, wie warm sie sind?
Warm, schön und golden?"

Frederick
By: Leo Lionni
Format: Hardcover, 20 pages

The Bilingual / Bicultural Family Network

Have you seen the The Bilingual / Bicultural Family Network (BBFN)? They have tons of articles, tips, and advice for bilingual families. It's a must-see for parents of bilingual kids.

I am fortunate to be a contributor to the BBFN April newsletter! I've written about our struggle with passive bilingualism and sensory integration dysfunction. While the two are not necessarily related, they both have a very real impact on our family. I hope you enjoy the article. Let me know what you think!

Viele Gruesse,
Sarah

Toddler Favorites

Dear Sarah,

My son is 21 months and enjoys his german books immensely. His
favourites are "Ich kenne alle Farben", it has a colour wheel that he
enjoys turning. Also from the Mini Lesemaus series, he enjoys "Meine
Haustiere", as we are learning all about animals. The illustrations
are delightful, and the text is uncomplicated. Fantastic books!

- Kim

When do kids start speaking German in an immersion environment?

Dear Sarah,

I am an "Oma" taking care of her grandson since his birth. I have him 12 to 13 hour per day-his parents are doctors in a residency program and work horrendous hours.

I always speak German to him. His receptive language is the same in both English and German but he says more English words. He is now 21 mo. old. Sometimes I say something in German and he says it in English. Ex. I said "was tust Du" and he said "What doing?" "Siehst Du den Voge?" He says "Bird". He is too young to decide to only speak English, I think. What has been your experience with your bilingual children. Did they start out speaking English?

Inge

---

Dear Inge,

Thank you for your message! How wonderful that you're able to care for your grandson. It really varies with the child as to what they start speaking. It's quite common for a child to respond in English even though he's getting so much German input. In fact, it's interesting that he is translating what you're saying - a lot of kids have a hard time doing this even if they are fluent bilinguals. I would say that it's not so much a case of him consciously choosing German over English but rather he's just saying what comes naturally to him. At this age, I don't think kids can really differentiate between the two languages. My two-year old often tries to speak German with my English-speaking mother. I think you'll start to see more and more German words come from your grandson, especially since you do spend so much time with him. My two-year old also mixes languages quite a bit, i.e. he'll say "I'm krank" and "I mach' das". This is also quite normal for this stage. Please see http://www.biculturalfamily.org/as_talkingtalking.html for more information on toddler language development.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I'm enjoying the responses from my latest newsletter.

Viele Gruesse,
Sarah

Will two languages confuse my toddler?

Liebe Sarah,
My mom is from Germany and watches my daughter, Gabriele, while I work. She speaks only German to her, but then when I come home, all she hears is English. (my husband and I don't speak German - I can a little, but not very well.)
What is your opinion about this situation? Do you think Gabriele will become confused?
Vielen Dank,
Ingrid

---

Hallo Ingrid,

Thanks for your message. Honestly, I think your daughter is in an ideal situation! She has a very clear deliniation between German and English - Oma speaks German and Mom and Dad speak English. Lots of bilingual kids grow up with much more complicated arrangements, like the one we strive for in my house - my husband and I speak German to the kids and sometimes to each other but frequently switch to English. When my mother's around (she only speaks a few words of German), we'll switch to English except with my younger son with whom I always speak German regardless. Of course, as I mentioned in my newsletter, we speak far more English at home than I'd like so there's less consistency with our language pattern. But I hear time and again that kids just sort it out. My older son (almost 6) very clearly understands the difference between the two languages and never mixes unless it's intentional. The little one mixes all the time but he's still sorting things out and I'm truly not worried. I believe if the child does speak in the second language (as opposed to just understanding it) age 3 is about when she can distinguish and choose between the two consciously.

How old is your daughter? I assume she's not speaking yet? I guess some confusion might arise from you wondering if she's said something in the other language or was it just something in English you didn't understand. My mom has this problem with my toddler right now - "Was he speaking German or was I supposed to understand him just now?"

I think your daughter is very lucky to have your mom to teach her German from the start. I'd love to hear how it's going. I hope you don't have any well-meaning busybodies telling you your daughter is going to be disadvantaged by learning German in this manner. :) See http://www.nethelp.no/cindy/myth.html for some myths about bilingualism.

Viele Gruesse,
Sarah

The Usual Whirlwind

What do you get when you combine a growing family business, two rambunctious boys, an entry into homeschooling and the Christmas season? Well, the first thing you get is one very tired mom :) We need to get a bigger coffee pot!

Surprisingly, we have all weathered the holiday season without too much stress so far. The kids are having a blast playing with each other and thankfully we have help! What would I do without our wonderful babysitter and my hard-working assistant who does all the shipping? The kids helped carry out 88 packages to the mail truck this morning! It's by far a new record for Alphabet Garten. I'm pleased that I've been able to keep almost all the popular titles stocked for Christmas delivery. Now I just need to do some online shopping myself!

I think part of the reason we're still pretty relaxed (if you know me, this is VERY unusual for me!) is that we don't have a lot of outside committments. We have karate lessons and we have to meet our package pickup every morning but other than that, we can adjust our day as needed. I can't imagine having to get kids out the door and picked up on time on top of running the business. I'm so glad we're homeschooling and can take advantage of the flexibility that offers. Who would have thought that taking on the responsibility of homeschooling would actually reduce my stress?! A pretty cool side effect.

The kids are both really into German DVDs right now. Maybe it's because they know I'm a sucker for it and will pretty much let them watch one whenever they ask. But it seems to be paying off for Niklas, 5. He is almost exclusively a passive German speaker - he understands most of what he hears but rarely speaks any German. However, he's started to spontaneously speak German to his brother and when talking about a DVD! Hooray!!! I was beginning to think he'd really lost interest completely. And his accent is still excellent even if he is way behind in vocabularly for his age. I'm very pleased with this development.

- Sarah