Little Pim + Plan Toys = Contest!

Creating Little Pim episodes is always an adventure. From writing scripts, building sets to castings, there is never a dull moment! You may have noticed the exceptionally high quality props from Plan Toys® that are a regulars in our episodes. Plan Toys® is a green toy company that specializes in sparking children's intellect and imagination.

To make your holiday season just a little bit brighter, we've teamed with Plan Toys® to create a special contest. Between now and December 7th, view the video below and tell us the Spanish name for the two rooms taught below. Hint: The rooms are in the Plan Toys® dollhouse.

One person who answers will win a Little Pim DVD of their choice and a Little Pim Plush Panda! If the winner is also a fan of Little Pim and Plan Toys® on Facebook, he or she will also take home pack of Word & Phrase cards in either Spanish or French.

http://www.facebook.com/LittlePim

http://www.facebook.com/PlanToys

Good luck!

The winner is Kerri with the email address: drkl*******@yahoo.com

Little Pim Goes to Cambridge Part II (Meeting Dr. Naomi Steiner)

While in Cambridge, I also had the pleasure of meeting the dynamic and charming Dr. Naomi Steiner, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Steiner wrote the most thorough, practical book I have found about raising bilingual kids (7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child). The book shows that every child can learn a second language - whether or not their parents speak the language - and offers step by step approaches for families. As a mother myself raising bilingual children, we had so much to talk about! Dr. Steiner's children speak German, French and English -- and her teenage daughter started Chinese this fall! I am so happy Dr. Steiner is helping to advance the pediatric field’s understanding of the ways speaking two languages benefits young children’s brain development and she will be making important contributions in this fields. Keep an eye out for her.

Julia & Dr. Steiner

Boston has a very international population, which is why it isn't that surprising that our soon to be Brazilian distributor calls this city home. This is Heloisa Fitzgerald, a talented and passionate fellow mom-preneur I met through Entrepreneur's Organization (EO).

Heloisa is launching "Little Pim Brazil" in 2011. Little Pim is already distributed in 6 countries outside the U.S. and we are very excited that Heloisa, a native of Brazil who is raising her own two daughters bilingual in Portugese and English, is going to introduce the Little Pim method to English learning tots in Brazil. Magnifico!

Julia and Heloisa

This was a whirlwind 24-hour trip that left me charmed by Cambridge, energized by the people I met, and looking forward to going back for more Little Pim language fun events. Next time I’ll bring my boys, but may not be able to get beyond Curious George & Friends if I do...

Sing Along With Little Pim at Giggle

This week I had a great time meeting moms, babies and caregivers when Little Pim hosted the first of three free foreign language events at Giggle stores in Manhattan. We sang songs in Spanish and French with a live guitarist named Pamela. Clips of Little Pim in various languages were also shown and many parents asked me questions about their children's foreign language learning.

At the end, we all enjoyed croissant treats while our kids colored in pictures of Little Pim! Please join us for one of our next events:

-- September 21st at the Giggle in Soho or

-- September 28th at the Giggle Upper East Side

The events are at 5:00PM and last about 45 minutes.

Little Pim's founder and mother of two, Julia Pimsleur Levine, will be in attendance.

Click here to register and RSVP : http://www.giggle.com/store_events.aspx#soho.

We'll also be in Boston on October 9th at the Curious George Book Store in Cambridge at 4:00 pm.

Visit the website: http://www.curiousg.com/index.aspx

Hasta pronto!

Two young Spanish learners:

Video clip of Pamela singing and playing guitar:

Oh The Places You'll Go: Little Pim Canvas Tote Bags

This summer take Little Pim with you to the beach -or wherever you need to tote kid gear- with our adorable and sturdy Little Pim canvas tote bags featuring everyone's favorite panda! It's roomy enough to fit all your beach toys, balls, and of course, groceries. Its super long straps easily hook over any stroller. You can find the tote for just $14.99 in our Apparel Store. They make a great gift for moms and kids alike. Seeing Little Pim's smiling face will make your child's day (they might even help you pack up!). Enjoy your summer! Shop the Little Pim store for onesies, hats, t-shirts and more! http://www.cafepress.ca/littlepim

Dan Zanes and Milkshake Help Your Baby Learn a Second Langauge

Giving your child the gift of a second language can start as young as 3 months old! While most parents know early learning is key, we don't always know where or when to start our children on their foreign language journey. Music is a simple first step to introducing your child to a new language, and hearing the music will get the rhythm of that language into their brains, making speaking it later on even easier and giving them a better accent. We culled the best of popular French and Spanish songs to create French Bop and Spanish Bop. The CDs will help your children discover French and Spanish through music, and the words in the songs reinforce many of the same words taught in Little Pim! We also included a 16-page book with all the lyrics, printed in the language being taught and in English.

Both CDs feature great kids melodies, sung by native speakers, and include beautiful lullabies and lively sing-a-longs. Spanish Bop and French Bop include three original songs by the popular kids' band Milkshake and the Spanish CD also has a guest song by Dan Zanes in Spanish. If you are a native Spanish of French speaker, you will likely recognize some popular songs from your childhood, and discover some catchy new tunes.

Play French or Spanish Bop in the car, put it on for an impromptu music party or make it part of your child’s bedtime routine. Soon you too might be singing "Frère Jacques" or "Los Elefantes"!

We're in Giggle stores!

This Sunday I went to the grand opening of the newest Giggle store, which just opened its doors on the Upper West Side in Manhattan.

The store is chock full of beautifully selected colorful toys, clothes, baby products and gifts. My 5-year old was the first to win our "treasure hunt" by finding the Little Pim DVDs, flash cards and CDs!

I was a giggle customer back when Little Pim was just a twinkle in my eye and always appreciated their great sense of design and excellent customer service. I later learned that their sales people all go to a "giggle University" where they get intensive training. This is probably why when you shop online or visit one of their 11 stores, they will go above and beyond to find you what you are looking for!

I once needed a new part for my Stokke high chair and they were calling all over town for me and were really nice about it; this is pretty uncommon in the baby retail world. I'm so proud to be part of the giggle family.

When we left the store, my husband, boys and I went to the 78th street playground and then had strawberry milk and pretzels before heading home. A perfect Sunday afternoon! If you are in New York, stop into the new Upper West Side giggle store. You'll love it. A bonus: Kate, the lovely store manager, speaks French and Spanish.

I hope you had a great weekend!

DVDs 4, 5, & 6 are available!

Little Pim is happy to announce that DVDs 4, 5, and 6 (Vol. II) are now available in Spanish, French, and Chinese. The titles are as follows: DVD 4: In My Home

DVD 5: Happy, Sad, & Silly

DVD 6: I Can Count!

This volume introduces two new friends of Little Pim: Lola the Elephant and Bob the Bobcat. We are certain that your child will have as much fun absorbing language from Volume II as we had making them. You can purchase them individually, in Three-Paks, or in Gift Sets!

Let the language learning journey continue!

Little Pim Digital Downloads- Here, There, And Everywhere

You can watch it in a house. You can watch it with a mouse. You can watch them here or there. You can watch them anywhere! Okay, maybe Dr. Seuss wasn't thinking about Little Pim’s Digital Downloads when he wrote Green Eggs and Ham but I do share something with the whimsical author whose birthday was celebrated this month: a passion for educating and entertaining children. For our customers March is all about fun, learning, and…mobility! I’m pleased to announce that the Little Pim Digital Downloads are now available in all 10 of Little Pim languages.

The downloads will play on any Internet-connected portable player such as an iPod or iPod Touch. Download one 35-minute episode or enjoy a 10% discount when you purchase a complete language series.

My son Adrian loved being able to bring his favorite panda on a recent plane trip.

Oh the places you’ll go! More information please check our store.

What's your child's favorite Dr. Seuss book? Tell me in the comments!

There's an App for that! Little Pim Word Bag

I'm proud to announce our first iPhone Application or App: Little Pim Word Bag! Now parents can help their toddlers or preschoolers learn Spanish or French words on the go using an iPhone or iPod Touch. By marrying beautiful graphic design, our signature music, and the always lovable Little Pim panda, Little Pim Word Bag has already become a favorite in the blogosphere. iAppFun, a popular blog that reviews apps as they are released had this to say:

"With great artwork, music and sound effects these Little Pim interactive "flash cards" are the perfect way to educate and entertain young language learners on the go."

Child Mode also reviewed the app:

"The clean and clear format makes this app fun and easy to use and it is also an excellent way to keep children occupied while on the go or during a trip. If you have an iPhone or iTouch, I highly recommend purchasing this for your children. It has become my toddler's favorite kids app out of the 10 I have downloaded!" The $1.99 sticker price for the app makes it an affordable way to support your child's language acquisition and the perfect compliment to our DVDs, CDs, and flash cards.

I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think.

Bringing Bob to Life

One of the most fun parts of making Little Pim DVDs is going to the recording sessions when we bring our animated characters to life. We recently recorded the voice of Bob the Bobcat, one of Little Pim's new friends. We all have a soft spot for Bob, an adorable furry wildcat with black trimmed ears. He tries really hard to be a good hunter, chase butterflies and ladybugs, but can't quite ever seem to catch a thing!

We found a wonderful voice over artist for Bob (who moonlights as a PhD candidate in English literature) and spent a few hours recording all kinds of "mmmrrow!" and giggles and snoring sounds the other day. It was so much fun!

In addition to Bob, we'll also be introducing Lola the Elephant in the new DVDs.

Little Pim is having a blast now that he has two new friends who are just as playful as he is. Together they are helping kids learn a second or third language in a fun, laughter-filled way.

Look out for Bob the Bobcat and Lola the Elephant in DVDs 4, 5, & 6 this spring.