LITTLE PIM BLOG
New York Times Foreign Language Article
Last week the New York Times reported on the unfortunate rate at which foreign language education programs in schools in the northeast are being cut to help balance budgets. If you've been following my blog, you probably share in my belief that speaking a foreign language is no longer an expendable luxury but an important twenty-first century skill. The article quotes Marty Abbott, the director of education for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages as saying, "In many cultures, a lot of business does not get done around the business table, it gets done in side conversations and social situations. If you can’t participate in those discussions, you get left out."
I'd add to that, that not only is speaking several languages good for business, it is equally important for early childhood brain development and social skills. It has been so exciting creating Little Pim and finding out that many parents out there share my conviction that kids should have access to language lessons as young as possible. We want kids to be introduced to languages at home or in preschool, and to then continue with language classes in elementary school.
If your school is eliminating its language programs, make sure the principal and the district know your views. I'm contacting mine today. I've also written a letter to the editor of the NY Times, and fingers crossed, it will be one of the ones chosen to be published.
Read the NY Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/education/13language.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=foreign%20languages%20fall%20as%20schools&st=cse
Julia and Emmett Go to Paris
I just got back from a trip to France with my son Emmett – a special mommy and big boy trip (little Adrian, just 18 months old stayed home with his dad). We had been to France before to see family and friends but this was the first time we went to Paris. To get ready, we read children’s books about Paris, an art book we love that shows famous paintings in the Louvre, and watched Madeline videos about the adorable Parisian orphan character. It was so fun to see Paris through Emmett’s eyes. I planned a modified tourist agenda which left times for naps and daily ice cream treats. He rode ponies in the Luxembourg Gardens, danced in front of Hotel de Ville (“a castle !”), and of course we went up the Eiffel Tower. He had a chance to practice his French with the children of my French friends and all the shopkeepers (he has DOWN “un pain au chocolat s’il vous plait”). I was tickled that people said his accent sounded very authentic and was happy he was asking more and more about “how do you say... In French?”
When we were on the subway on our last day he heard the announcement for the Musée du Louvre and to my surprise piped up, “I want to see the Louvre!” I cautioned him it is a huge museum and might be overwhelming (we had plans to go to the smaller museum) but he insisted he wanted to see it. We jumped off the metro just in time and visited the Louvre! He didn’t last much more than 20 minutes but it was worth it.
The last day culminated with a visit to the Bon Marché toy department, a tip from a dad friend who had just been to Paris with his five year old daughter. Emmett loved the 6 foot pirate made of Legos and bought a medieval castle and knights to bring home.
As we got on the plane I told him to say “Au revoir!” to France. He chimed in, “Au revoir, see you next year!” Music to my ears.
Fun with languages while traveling
With the arrival of summer you may be planning a family trip by car, plane, train, or in this economy, bicycle! When you have your little ones captive during travel time, it's a great opportunity to play language games that reinforce their budding skills. And most importantly, it is something fun to do together. By initiating these games you will be showing your child that foreign language matters to you. That will make it much more likely it will matter to them too... You don't have to speak the language yourself to play most of these games! Fun things to do in the car: 1) Play a game where every child gets a point for naming an object you see out the window in another language. Whoever gets the most points gets a treat at the next rest stop or on arrival. you can help out by naming objects the first time (a tree = "un arbre" or a car = "une voiture") and your kids can call them out the next time. 2) Print out the Little Pim coloring pages from our web site and have kids color them in the back seat (you'll need crayons and a lap desk or a hard cover book to lean). Go to GAMES [link removed] on the web site and print out up to 10 pictures of Little Pim to color in, with vocabulary included. 3) Play music in a foreign language and encourage your kids to sing a long 4) Bring flash cards and award prizes for the child who gets the most right, or with one child, a small treat if they can get 5 right in a row. 5) Play "I spy" in the language they are learning. Point out things in the car, in other cars, or in the scenery.
Fun stuff to do on an airplane: 1) Play with flash cards (home made or store bought) 2) Color in Little Pim coloring pages (see above) 3) Get some snacks and put them on the fold out table (i.e. peanuts, pretzels) and count them in the foreign language 4) Write a letter to a member of the family with some foreign language words included (or pictures your child draws, labeled in French/Spanish/Chinese, etc.). Make a big production of mailing it when you arrive at your destination.
Fun stuff to do on a bicycle (you thought I was kidding!): 1) Shout out all the parts of the body in the foreign language 2) Sing verses from simple foreign language songs you both know together 3) Play a made up game where each time you stop, point out an object and if your child can name it in the foreign language (i.e. bus, ice cream, car) then they get a point. When they get to 5 points they get a special treat at home!
Parents want to Know: How Is Little Pim Like The Pimsleur Method?
Many parents who research Little Pim soon discover my name is Julia Pimsleur Levine, and want to know if I have a connection to well-known Pimsleur Method. The Pimsleur Method was created by my father, Dr. Paul Pimsleur. The next question is usually whether and how my father's work influenced Little Pim. I grew up with my father’s ground-breaking research into how people acquire second languages, so the Pimsleur Method was certainly part of the inspiration for Little Pim and a big influence. The Little Pim method is entirely different from the Pimsleur Method, as it was designed for young children, not adults. I drew from research on how babies, toddlers and little kids learn languages and worked with Dr. April Benasich, a leading neuroscientist from Rutgers University. I am proud to be continuing my father's legacy with Little Pim (Dr. Pimsleur passed away in 1977). In many ways our teaching series is a natural extension of my father's early work; before he created the Pimsleur Method, he spent many months studying how children learn languages. In fact, he was trying to recreate for adults the ease with which children can acquire second and third languages.
Here are some of the teaching principles shared by Little Pim and the Pimsleur Method as well as an explanation of how they differ:
1. Graduated Interval Recall - One of the key reasons the Pimsleur Method works, is it uses Graduated Interval Recall, first used by my father, in which words you have been taught are brought back to your attention at exactly the right moment before you're about to forget them. Little Pim also uses a recall method, which is particularly effective with kids since they have a natural love of repetition and keep coming back for more.
2. Immersion - The Pimsleur Method uses total audio immersion, and Little Pim uses both visual and audio immersion. The addition of visuals is integral to Little Pim's entertainment immersion method. I know as a mother, and it was confirmed by my research, that kids won't learn unless they're having fun, so we have brought the fun to the forefront in Little Pim. Making the series' teacher a loveable panda and including real kids involved in joyous every day activities like blowing bubbles, playing with toys and eating yummy foods, are all part of what keeps little ones entertained. Our focus on immersion is just as central to the Little Pim methodology as it is in the Pimsleur method for adults. Native speakers do all the teaching in our DVDs, through Little Pim the Panda.
3. Core Vocabulary - The Pimsleur Method focuses on teaching commonly used words in order to lead to a comprehensive understanding of a “core vocabulary.” Similarly Little Pim teaches young children a carefully selected 60 words per DVD (180 in the 3-disc series). These are essential words in the language they will be able to use right away and build from, to create a variety of phrases. After all, exposure to language is more than memorizing vocabulary and rote phrases. The 60 words are re-combined to form new sentences, which expands the language experience to include a variety of ways to use words in different daily situations.
Of course, the most important influence of all, was that my father instilled in me a love of language learning and teaching languages. Like my father, I think language learning should be fun, easy, and teach words you can use immediately.
Zanes en espa ol
This Sunday, rather than listen to Emmett's favorite French CD for the 1,199th time, we popped in Dan Zanes' new ¡Nueva York! CD and gave it a whirl. The disc features songs in both Spanish and English, all with a fun, modern sound that makes it as listenable for adults as it is addictive for kids. Zanes is one of the most popular childrens' singers around -- along the lines of Raffi --- and is local to the New York area (I think Brooklyn). I find listening to music in another language is a great way to familiarize your kids with basic words and phrases in a context that can last a lifetime. Think about how long you hold onto song lyrics, even those you heard as a wee child. Sometimes by the end of a crazy day I can't even remember what I ate for breakfast, but I'll never forget the words to "Frère Jacques," which I learned in grade school in France, or the entire Carly Simon repertoire, which is burned into my brain, for better or for worse.
My interest in Zanes and his music is of course an extension of my fascination with fun language learning, and the planning that is going into Little Pim's CD project. What's really great about ¡Nueva York! in particular, for both existing fans and those new to Dan Zanes, is his decision to use the album as an opportunity to work with many talented artists and musicians, including Barbara Brousal, an accomplished vocalist and frequent Zanes collaborator who taught Spanish at St. Anne's grade school for nine years and may very well be the Spanish singer on our Little Pim CD. We are so thrilled at the prospect of working with such a talented musician on our project. But until our CD is ready, I suggest sampling ¡Nueva York! For Parents trying to teach their kids Spanish, this is a lively creative selection to add to the mix. Hasta pronto!
Milkshake, Music, and Little Pim
Last Saturday afternoon, Emmett and I went to see the kids’ band Milkshake perform at the new 92nd Street Y in Tribeca. Milkshake has been a longtime favorite in our household. Their line about "goat stew" in the song "Breakfast Time" makes Emmett collapse in fits of laughter. When I started thinking about putting together a music CD to complement the Little Pim series, Lisa Matthews and her merry band were at the top of my crazy wish list. I felt like I had won the kiddie music jackpot when they recently agreed to work with Little Pim.
In the audience at the show, I was reminded of all the reasons Milkshake were my top choice as collaborators. They tend to be parents' favorites in their kids' music collection. Their songs are cheerful and contemporary, their lyrics a great balance of cutely cloaked lessons and unabashed silliness. The band exudes a contagious positive energy and has a unique understanding of how to capture childrens’ attention. On stage, dressed as a baseball player in a tutu, Lisa batted big blow up balls for kids to catch in the audience while playing “Baseball.” During “Bottle of Sunshine,” she held up a big plastic bottle and showered the kids with thousands of squares of yellow confetti – a little kid’s dream.
At one point Lisa addressed the audience saying, “Our drummer can count to ten in Spanish. Can anyone in the audience count to ten in other languages?” I was astounded at the number of little hands that flew up around me. Emmett was chosen to count in French, and another child in the audience rattled off one-to-ten in Spanish. A two-and-a-half year old behind me counted to ten in Chinese, effortlessly. I even heard shouts of Korean numbers, recognizing them from when I used to watch Emmett’s tae-kwon-do class yell them out together during their push-ups: "Ha-na, tul, set!"
I later joked with Lisa, asking her if she threw this element into the show for my benefit. Of course, multiculturalism is a big part of Milkshake’s winning formula, and it’s a big part of the reason I am excited and honored to work with them in the near future.
In 2009 a Majority of the World is Multi-Lingual...Shouldn t your Kids Be?
I watched the inauguration yesterday and shared the renewed sense of hope so many of us felt, and was also reminded that we have a long way to go to repair our country domestically, and our standing internationally. Barack Obama has already generated a lot of good will abroad and thanks to his election, we are well-poised to regain a favorable position in world politics.
During his campaign Obama recognized the importance of children learning second languages as a way of bringing our world closer and making our children more competitive in the global marketplace. Then there is the "global humanplace" which is equally important. Obama himself was raised in several countries and exposed to at least three languages growing up. Below is an excerpt from one of his campaign speeches:
"We should have every child speaking more than one language." It's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is 'merci beaucoup.' A foreign language is a powerful tool to becoming more employable in the global economy ... and children learn languages easier than adults. – Barack Obama
In many countries outside the U.S. kids are learning several languages as a matter of course at an early age. While our school system does not introduce a second language until middle school, there are many things we can do to give our children the advantages of two or even three languages at an early age. Playing music, reading books and watching DVDs in other languages are all part of making another language and easy and enjoyable part of our children's brain food. Visit Helpful Teaching Tips section for tips on making language learning fun for your children.
Penny is a French speaking polar bear
One of my son Emmett's favorite stuffed animals is a polar bear puppet we named Penny the Polar Bear. Penny, as she likes to be called, is one of my favorites too because she speaks French. I often put her on and talk to Emmett in French in a high "Penny" voice. He always plays along and answers her. So this morning we had a conversation that went something like this "Bonjour Emmett! Comment ca va?" (hello Emmett! How are you?"). Emmett said "très bien" (very good). Then he whispered to me so Penny couldn't hear, "How do you say the sun is coming up?" I reminded him he knows how to say sun ("le soleil") and then I taught him "le soleil se lève." Emmett repeated this phrase back to Penny perfectly. Penny got so excited about the sun coming up that she did a little happy dance and gave him a kiss on the nose.
"Une Pomme" Means Apple
Emmett has certain words he always remembers in French that he loves to say. One of them is "une pomme." Whenever we find one he points it out and says excitedly "une pomme!" When he is having trouble remembering new words in French I point to an apple and say what is this in French? He always brightens right up. "Une pomme!" he says proudly. Or sometimes it’s more of a "duh mom, une pomme, of course!" This helps keep learning fun for Emmett, and it's also a key piece of the Pimsleur Method. My father's method included many instances of recall affirmation - he'd' teach you a complex phrase and right after ask if you know how to say "How are you?" Or something easy like that. "Of course I do," you think and answer with ease. That little surge of confidence enhances your ability to remember the more complex phrases being taught.
Find your own "une pomme" with your kids and remember that affirmation and repetition are key to a child's learning a new language. And keep it fun!
(Click on Little Pim above for our Word of the Day Coloring Pages, another way to make language learning fun and interactive!)
Angelina Jolie Uses Little Pim!
On Thanksgiving morning I woke up to an email from my mother-in-law that said "My friend Elaine just read in a gossip magazine that Angelina Jolie is using Little Pim!" Quoi? I confirmed with my husband that his family didn't have some quirky Thanksgiving tradition of fooling the kids... and since they don't... I did a Google search on Angelina, on Brangelina on everything to do with them and their kids, but no mention of Little Pim.
Fast forward to me at the news stand on Broadway, madly leafing through every gossip magazine available - under the scowling gaze of the seller. I found it! There in Us Weekly's "Heide and Spencer Elope" issue was a picture of Angelina Jolie holding Shiloh with the caption
"Angelina Jolie uses Little Pim to teach Shiloh Jolie-Pitt French."
And the Little Pim web address. C'est magnifique.
I have to admit I'm not an avid reader of gossip rags -- I didn't even know who Heide and Spencer were (and still sort of don't) -- but as an entrepreneur, having a celebrity like Angelina Jolie endorse Little Pim was quite a thrill. I have great admiration for her as a mother, a professional and someone dedicated to teaching her kids her mother's native tongue. For a moment, my mind drifted to visions of vacationing with Brangelina and their brood in the South of France. You know, now that I am their language advisor and all. Would they want to stay at the Negresco in Nice or the Eden in Cap d'Antibes? Would we vous-voi or tu-toi each other?
But mostly I am excited that moms getting manicures and haircuts across America could be reading about Little Pim right now.
