Free Spanish Word Lists for Segmentation

July's free download from our sponsor, Lectura para niños is a pair of read-aloud worksheets that celebrate the 100th Day of School! Teachers, be sure to download this and save it for next year. Page one lists 100 easy syllables in Spanish, and 100 difficult syllables in Spanish for kids to master. Page two lists 100 words in Spanish for your students to read aloud.

This post uses affiliate links.

Word Lists with 100 Words in Spanish

Leah says:

This is a huge list of words to practice segmenting with your students. I use this daily with my kids when we practice segmenting words into syllables and or into sounds. I used to always use the same words over and over until I came up with this list. I’ve divided it into parts. At the beginning of the year, we start segmenting words into syllables only. When we segment into syllables, I tell the kids to touch their head for the first syllable, then their shoulders, hips, knees, toes, and back up their bodies if it is a longer word. By mid-year, their favorite word to segment is espantapajaros. It is so fun, they keep asking to segment the word slow, then fast!

The word categories are broken up into:

1) Words with open syllables
2) Words with closed syllables and blends
3) Words with diphthongs
4) Words with hiatus

This list has been helpful for my paras who come in and teach small group reading as well as subs who don’t have a strong foundation of segmenting words in Spanish.

Once the students have mastered segmenting words into syllables, I start segmenting syllables into sounds, and finally words into sounds. We are required to segment on one of our state assessments.

Download these free word lists here

Tools for Reading Aloud

You might also consider using some of these aides designed to help students read aloud. 

Guided Reading Strips

Auditory Feedback Phone
Note: These are GREAT for helping children with pronunciation!!

 

For more awesome Spanish materials, especially those that teach children to read in Spanish, check out Lectura para niños on Facebook, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Pinterest.

Other Posts for Celebrating the 100th Day of School

• 100 Hispanics in World History
  
  
• Free 100th Day of School Printables in Spanish
  
  
• 100 Fun & Easy Learning Games for Kids
  
  
• 10 Ways to Celebrate the 100th Day of School from PBS KIDS

Free Spanish Summer Verb Fun Printables with Audio

This week we're expected to have our first real heat wave and maybe even a hurricane brushing the coastline just a couple of hours from here. In the meantime, we've been enjoying warm nights with fireflies and toads, stargazing and soccer. Summer is officially in full force around here.

Printable Spanish Summer Verb Activity

This month's freebie from our sponsor, Spanish for You! continues with the summer theme. This Spanish summer verb activity is good way for your child to practice Spanish verbs most commonly used during this season. As usual, this great printable comes with an audio download with all of the vocabulary words to help learners with pronunciation.

Click here to download this printable

If you are looking for a curriculum to help your child learn Spanish this summer, take a look at Spanish for You!. The lessons take 15 - 30 minutes a day, and they use a lot of fun, interactive games that help your child remember new vocabulary. They even have free mini-lessons and worksheets for you to try out.

If this is your first time here, you can find other free samples from Spanish for You! here. There are some great downloads of games and activities for you and your family to enjoy.

Summer-themed Bilingual Picture Books

And to supplement this activity, here are some great bilingual and Spanish-language books centered around Summer: (These are affiliate links.)

• From the Bellybutton of the Moon: And Other Summer Poems / Del Ombligo de la Luna: Y Otros Poemas de Verano by Francisco X. Alarcón
  
  
• What Can You Do With a Paleta? / ¿Qué puedes hacer con una paleta? (English and Spanish Edition) by Carmen Tafolla

Budget-friendly Spanish-learning curriculum

Remember! Spanish for You!'s program is geared for middle schoolers and is the perfect choice for homeschoolers and afterschoolers alike because their concepts are carefully divided up into manageable bundles that are available for immediate download from their website.

If this is your first time here, you can find other free samples from Spanish for You! here. There are some fantastic downloads of games and activities for you and your family to enjoy. If you enjoy this activity, be sure to visit the Spanish for You! website where you'll find tons of additional resources for you to help your young Spanish learner!

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Free Seasons Bilingual Minibook for Spanish Learners
  
  

• Incredibly Easy Summer Spanish-Practice Plan
  
  

• Free Download: El Parque y Colores
  
  

• Spanish for You! Summer Roundup
  
  

• Free Spring Word Search in Spanish with Audio

4 Years and 1,000 Posts Later...GIVEAWAY

I'm a little emocionada writing this post.

My dear friend Betty pointed out to me earlier today that my next post (this one) would be my 1,000th post on MommyMaestra. After further rumination, it occurred to me that I've been so preoccupied the last couple of months dealing with personal issues and the launch of the 2nd Latino Children's Summer Reading Program that I also missed MommyMaestra's 4th anniversary.

On June 1st, 2010, I started this little blog because I had begun the journey of homeschooling my own daughter, and although I felt like I didn't know what I was doing, I knew that there had to be other Latina homeschoolers out there. And if there weren't, then maybe it was because they just needed a little encouragement, a place to find resources.

And so the years have flown by. MommyMaestra has grown and as a result I've had so many wonderful opportunities to encourage other families to get involved in their children's education.

I think about all the emails I've received from nervous parents who are thinking about or starting to homeschool their own children. And the messages of gratitude from parents who have been homeschooling, and are so happy to find another Latino family also doing so. And notes from bilingual ed teachers excited about a particular resource they read about on MommyMaestra. And emails from parents with children in dual immersion schools who are looking for specific resources in Spanish for their children.

I'm especially grateful to all of you who have supported my blog by sharing your own stories and resources on MommyMaestra to encourage other parents.

So to celebrate all this, I thought now was a great time to do a giveaway.

And I'm going to do one for three winners. Here are the prizes:

Winner #1 will receive the Typing Instructor:

• Kids learn to type on an exciting adventure on Typer Island
• Teaches keyboard basics following an age-appropriate Typing Plan
• Step-by-step lessons, challenges, tests, and games motivate kids to keep typing
• Program offers rewards every step of the way; learn in English or Spanish
• Arcade-style play and multiple levels; 30+ game challenges

Winner #2 will receive a Nancy B's Science Club Microscope & Activity Journal:

• Real-life journaling activities provide hands-on science experiences
• Includes 40+ piece dual microscope and twenty-two-page journal
• Scientific experiences designed for kids ages 8 to 11
• Batteries 3 AAA batteries required. (not included)

Winner #3 will receive Uncle Milton Moon In My Room:

• Authentically detailed 3-D lunar landscape.
• Automatic or manual function shows 12 main phases of the moon.
• MP3 download code included provides a guided tour of the moon.
• Auto shut off
• Hangs on wall

They are all FUN and EDUCATIONAL! 

To enter, just use the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get Ready for Back to School with Little Passports

*The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.

Technically, my annual Back-to-School Fiesta doesn't kick off until next month, but here's a great opportunity that I want to sneak in now before they sell out.

One of my favorite products for both homeschoolers and families with children in a traditional school setting is Little Passports (aff). And they are already working to get their explorers ready for back-to-school time. Keep the journey of Sam and Sophia going with new personalized products perfect for keeping kids organized as they embark on another year of learning.

Choose from...

Little Passports Back to School Bundle - $19.95 

Includes:

• 1 Folder 
• 1 Notebook
• 5 Bookmarks

Little Passports Premium Lunchbox and Chalkboard - $29.95

Features:

• Fun chalkboard for your own hand-written messages
• Roomy at 7.5" x 6.5" x 4"
• Sturdy tin design

Even better, pick up both! These items are only available for a limited-time so order today!

And don't forget that you can get the Little Passports USA Edition any time of year. It's perfect for both summer learning and supplementing U.S. Geography during the school year. It's very affordable, too. You can subscribe for one year for only $10.95 per month. My kids really enjoy these monthly packages in the mail, and my 8-year-old son will spend hours going through the activities and learning about new places. I really love the engaging activities that cover subjects like math and science while learning about the different states.

Disclosure: I'm a Little Passports affiliate and receive a small commission when you click on the links in this post. I only promote products I love and all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own! 

Girls Who Code: Nurturing Tomorrow's Female Tech Engineers

I was really excited to learn this week about Google's newest initiative to get more girls involved in computer programming. In addition to investing 50 million in grants for girls to learn coding, Google has also launched the Made with Code website highlighting girls and women who code and create amazing things. The site includes fun and easy coding projects for your girl to try, and online community, and a list of resources & events across the country that provide coding opportunities.

Despite that it is the fastest growing field in the U.S., less than 1% of high school girls consider computer science for a career choice. I can only imagine how many of them are Latinas! Which is why I think it is important to highlight this here on MommyMaestra. If your daughter is interested in computers - encourage her!

Here are a couple videos to introduce you to the program. Be sure to check out the second video of the EPA Chica Squad from East Palo Alto!

25 Ideas to Avoid Summer Learning Loss

For the past two and a half weeks, my son has been out of school and enjoying his summer vacation! Thank goodness for great weather for outdoor play and lots of World Cup activities to do. Nevertheless, the days are long and I have to make sure my soon-to-be second grader is keeping his academic skills sharp so he is ready for school in September.

Summer is a nice break from school but it doesn't mean your child has to stop learning. If you don't want your child to miss a beat, have them practice and do a little from the list below every day. Even if they do 20 minutes of each subject, that is less than two hours a day of learning! Remember to keep things balanced. It's okay if your child read for an hour on Monday but didn't get to read on Tuesday. In our home, we pick two or three subjects a day and focus on it for a little longer than 30 minutes each.

Here are 25 ideas to help avoid summer learning loss (the links provided are helpful too):

Keep reading. 
Take trips to the library or book store frequently for fresh literature ideas.
Start a book club in your family. Kids love to see their parents read (especially the same book)!
Find kid-friendly comic books and magazines for a nice variety.
Join a reading program!
Reference books are always cool.

Write everyday.
Help kids keep a daily summer journal or diary.
Send postcards or letters to friends and family.
Make your own family newspaper.
Spelling test!
Write a story or book.

Math is fun
Play Math Bingo.
Allow Math Apps.
Follow a recipe.
Do fun word problems aloud (great on road trips)!
Sort your piggy bank money and take a trip to the bank.

Art/Music
Outdoor messy art: From sidewalk chalk to lots and lots of paint!
Play music while building with LEGOs, cardboard boxes and blocks.
Introduce new music genres to your kids.
Create a stage and perform a favorite song.
Open an art gallery with your best work. Don't forget the hors d'oeuvres!

Language practice
Play bilingual board games!
Make it a Spanish Summer.
TV time only en espanol.
Read, write, math, art/music...in Spanish.
Invite Spanish-speaking friends over for a play date!

Keep checking back for new posts with the best educational ideas! We hope that you have a great summer!

Betty Galvan, is writing "for smart and stylish moms" over

at MyFriendBettySays.com 

Book Review - Soccer World: Mexico

A few weeks ago, this book - Soccer World Mexico: Explore the World Through Soccer -  was on sale on Zulily, so I bought it because I knew the championship was coming up and I wanted to find additional resources for my kids. It turns out that this is actually one of a series of books (the others feature Spain and South Africa).

This post contains affiliate links.

The series is written by former American professional soccer player Ethan Zohn. This particular book explores Mexico when Ethan visits Gabriel, his young soccer-playing friend from Mexico City. As they walk about the city, Ethan learns about food, history, and more. But the book is mostly a snippet of fast facts. It doesn't really go into a lot of lot of depth on any of the subjects, so it is a good book if you are looking for something light as a simple introduction.

It also includes a few activities, such as making salsa, beeswax candles and even compost. I think parents and educators will like the crafts, and also the Words 2 Know sections that introduce vocabulary words and their definitions.

The books is written in English with a scattering of Spanish words, and is best suited for kids ages 8-12.

Overall, I thought this was a nice book to share right now while soccer is on everyone's mind. I bought this little copy off of Zulily when they had a a super sale on books a few weeks ago. But you can find it on Amazon:



Happy reading!

3 Gift Ideas for Grads from Best Buy

This is a sponsored post as part of the Best Buy Ambassador program. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you know a high school or college student that just graduated? A couple of my friends have kids who just graduated in the last few weeks. I was thinking about what types of things graduates would enjoy nowadays. Things have definitely changed from when I finished high school and college! We didn't have access to so many tech devices back then.

I was looking through the Gift Center on Best Buy's website and was thinking about what gift I would want if I were a young graduate today. And here are the three gifts I think I'd love to get or give!

I love this Google - Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player. It boggles my mind that all you have to do is plug this thing into any HDTV and you can stream online video and music. And there are so many options, including Netflix, YouTube, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Crackle, Rdio, MLB.TV, ESPN, MLS, Crunchyroll, Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Music, Google Photos, and Chrome! You don't need a special remote, just control it all with your smartphone, laptop or tablet. AND IT IS ONLY $35!!! (That's crazy to me.)

One thing definitely hasn't changed and that's the need for a good snack. For students heading to college, sometime you need a healthy little snack for a quick burst of energy to help you concentrate on a paper or project. And the campus cafeteria or snack bar may be closed or too far to go to get what you need. So a Frigidaire Compact Refrigerator would be high on my list of must-haves. They're a little more expensive at $225, but totally worth the investment when you can't leave your dorm because you have to study or write, or when you need to grab a quick breakfast because you're running late to class. 

 

And finally, because I wouldn't want my student to be late for class, I'd make sure he or she has a good WATCH to help them keep track of time and what day it is. I like these sports watches by Casio because they're sturdy and inexpensive at $17 - $20. I'd rather save and spend more for the bigger ticket items like their phone and grocery bills!

There are a lot of other fabulous gifts to give a grad, such as...

• Stone Bake Pizza Oven
• Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 - 16GB Tablet
• Thule Crossover Backpack
• HP Envy Wireless e-All-in-One Printer

If you decide to buy something online from Best Buy, don't forget to check to see if you qualify for free shipping. And remember that Best Buy has a low-price guarantee, so if you find it cheaper somewhere else, just tell them and they'll price match!

Do you love twitter parties? Best Buy is hosting a Twitter Party on Tuesday June 24th at 8:00pm EST. Feel free to join us for a chance to receive Best Buy gift cards and other great products such as an Insignia Tablet. Just follow the #GreatestGrad hashtag and share your favorite grad gift ideas from Best Buy. I'll be there!

Disclosure: I am a Best Buy Brand Ambassador and was compensated for this post. However, all opinions shared above are strictly my own.

Sesame Street Airs a Bonus Half Hour This Fall

My mami loves to tell people that I used to watch Sesame Street until I was 13.

I'm pretty sure she's un poco exagerada (as most mamis tend to be when their kids grow up). She probably came home one day and found me watching it. Maybe I stumbled upon it while surfing channels and decided to take a trip down memory lane because, really, who didn't love Sesame Street as a kid? My own kids - ages 8 and 10 - still catch an episode every now and then.

Anyway, this popped into my head yesterday when I saw on my Facebook stream that starting Monday, September 1, a bonus half-hour SESAME STREET program will debut on-air and on digital platforms. The additional half-hour program will air on weekday afternoons on PBS stations, complementing the one-hour series that airs weekday mornings.

For the first time, viewers will also be able to stream SESAME STREET for free on PBS KIDS digital platforms. Selected full episodes of the 30-minute show will be available at pbskids.org/video, on the PBS KIDS Video App, and on the PBS KIDS Roku channel.

I can't help but think about how technology today is making education more accessible for children. And I can see how this helps busy parents who sometimes need extra help keeping their kids busy learning for 30 minutes during an important phone call, on a long drive, or while waiting at a doctor's office. I think back to those times when my kids were little and we'd go on errands. I usually would take a book or toy to keep them busy, but occasionally we go somewhere and I'd forget and all I'd have on me is my iPad or smartphone. I sure could have used something like this, knowing they'd be learning something educational!

Disclaimer: I'm a PBS Kids Ambassador, which simply means that I find out about information and opportunities from PBS Kids to share with you. I wasn't compensated for this post. All thoughts and stories are absolutely and totally my own (including the bit about me watching Sesame Street at 13!).

Review: Green Kid Crafts & GIVEAWAY

If you are looking for ways to stimulate your child's imagination and develop their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ART, and Math) skills at the same time, then consider subscribing to Green Kid Crafts, a socially responsible education company. The mom-owned company provides creative and educational crafts to families on a subscription basis.

GKC sent me two of their Discovery Boxes for this review, and I can honestly say that we loved them. Each box is filled with goodies that nurture young scientists so that they can complete three different activities. For examples, one of our boxes was all about kitchen science and had the materials for creating bubbling volcanoes, fizzy bath bombs, and homemade soap.

My son immediately ran off to make the fizzy bath bombs, which he promptly hid and saved for bath time. (And I have to say that they were REALLY fizzy!) My daughter, on the other hand, preferred to make the handmade soaps using the mini silicone mold and glycerin included in the kit. I had to help her with this one because it required melting the glycerin in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time, but we had fun doing the project together. She opted not to use the glitter that came with the kit, but enjoyed the whole process so much, we wound up buying more glycerin soap at our local craft store as well as soap dyes to add color. Next thing I know, she's made all of this...

She wants to sell them at one of our local shops. I'm excited that she found something she can make and that satisfies her entrepreneurial spirit.

The other box included projects that satisfy the mad scientists in our family (i.e., both my kids). It came with materials to make a fizzing lava lamp, a magnet friend, and a slime monster.  (Warning: some of the slime wound up on my carpet making this mama a little put out, so make sure your kids do the messy projects outside or in a room with easy to clean floors.)

Overall, these science kits were a lot of fun for my kids. And I like the fact that most of the activities were easy enough for them to do on their own. Each one comes with an instruction card that also provides an explanation of why/how the activity works.

I also really like that Green Kid Crafts is a green company and the materials they use are eco-friendly, AND they have a strong sense of social responsibility donating a portion of each sale to environmental charities.

If you want to learn more about this awesome company, or get more craft ideas, science projects, fun, activities, eco-friendly resources, and even coupons, sign up for their free newsletter.

THE GIVEAWAY

Green Craft Kids has kindly offered to give one of their upcoming STEM boxes for July or August to one MommyMaestra reader! You can try one of these boxes out yourself and see if your family enjoys it.

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free Bilingual Summer Fun with Audio

Summer is here! And you'll love this month's freebie from our sponsor, Spanish for You!. This bilingual summer fun booklet is great way for your child to practice their Spanish and learn new vocabulary. As usual, this great printable comes with an audio download with all of the vocabulary words to help learners with pronunciation.

Click here to download this printable

If you are looking for a curriculum to help your child learn Spanish this summer, take a look at Spanish for You!. The lessons take 15 - 30 minutes a day, and they use a lot of fun, interactive games that help your child remember new vocabulary. They even have free mini-lessons and worksheets for you to try out.

If this is your first time here, you can find other free samples from Spanish for You! here. There are some great downloads of games and activities for you and your family to enjoy.

App Review: Fun Soccer Math

The World Cup is only days away! All of my boys are super excited. I am keeping them busy with everything related to soccer. From the Panini sticker album to web resources on Brazil, these boys have it good. But recently, we discovered that there isn't much out there for a fun and educational World Cup app. I searched and searched and ended up just entering the key words "soccer" and "educational" and came up with this very thematic and educational game.

Name: Fun Soccer Math
Subjects: Math, Sports
Available for: iPhone or iPad, Google Play
Brief Description: This fun and educational app will have kids aiming to answer quick thinking math problems correctly to score goals and win.
Price: Free and $0.99
Language: English
Ages: 5 and up

What my kids like: Fun Soccer Math is the only soccer app that my seven year-old owns, making it an instant hit. Diego loves the ability to play alone or with a partner. The friendly competition between two players makes it a lot more fun. He also likes the freedom of choosing between addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, allowing him to play an "easy" game or challenging himself.

What I like: I like that this game is simple and educational. Teachers talk to me about having Diego practice addition and subtraction in his head quickly, making this app ideal for him.  Mental math is important for all elementary age students. It will help their memory and enhance high problem solving capabilities.The soccer theme is important for my son because he lives and breathes futbol! This app is hands down mami and teacher approved. I'm having Diego do a little math practice before every big match this summer!

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Betty Galvan, is writing "for smart and stylish moms" over

at MyFriendBettySays.com