Monday, April 11, 2011

How and When Babies Learn Language



Patricia Kuhl's study on how and when babies learn language is fascinating.  Children are like sponges when it comes to language until they are 7 years old, and after that age our ability to acquire new languages plummets lower and lower.  This 10 minute video is worth the watch - it says 13 minutes, but the last 3 minutes are ads.  In my opinion, the most interesting part of the study showed that American babies exposed to Mandarin for 12 sessions were just as good at recognizing Mandarin as Taiwanese babies - BUT the Mandarin exposure had to be through a human being.  American babies exposed to Mandarin via television or audio learned nothing.  I believe that Henry has learned words via a Chinese DVD, but I suppose he's benefited from me speaking Mandarin to him and a Mandarin class we go to once a week.  His pronunciation is very natural compared to his classmates who don't hear Mandarin at home.  

A few weeks ago, Henry and I started a mom and tot class at Language Stars for Mandarin and he loves it.  He thrives in the small class setting, plus I get to practice my Mandarin too!  The class is conducted entirely in Mandarin.  We sing songs, use props, walk around, and even have snack time (Henry's favorite part of class).  I highly recommend Language Stars if it's in your budget and if you're willing and able to reinforce the language at home.  Henry has picked up Mandarin amazingly quickly.  Language Stars is a Chicago based company that has expanded to the Washington D.C. and New York City areas.  In the Chicago area, they offer multiple languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, German, French and Italian.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Books of the Week: "See How They Go!"

These are great paperback books that have a lot of bang for their buck.  There is a sheet of stickers included, and the pictures really catch Henry's attention.  Unfortunately, like many series books these days, they advertise the other books in the series on the back.  This tactic is extremely effective on toddlers who want everything they see!  So beware, if your toddler likes one of these books, he will likely want to see the other ones, and libraries don't usually carry these.  Luckily they are pretty affordable!

See How They Go: TrainSee How They Go: Train
See How They Go: DiggersSee How They Go: Diggers
See How They Go: Fire TruckSee How They Go: Fire Truck
See How They Go: CarsSee How They Go: Cars
See How They Go: AirplaneSee How They Go: Airplane
See How They Go: Emergency VehiclesSee How They Go: Emergency Vehicles
See How They Go: TrucksSee How They Go: Trucks
See How They Go: TractorSee How They Go: Tractor
See How They Go: MotorcycleSee How They Go: Motorcycle
See How They Go: BusSee How They Go: Bus
See How They Go: BusSee How They Go: Bus
See How They Go: MotorcycleSee How They Go: Motorcycle