Bilingual Spanish/English Story Time Resources

Although I'm in my newer job, I came across this post a bit ago in REFORMA's Google Group and thought I'd pass it along. One of REFORMA's members was taking an online Bilingual Storytime class through LibraryJuice and shared some of the class' recommended resources. 

Bilingual Story Time

Cunningham, Katie. ¡Es Divertido Hablar Dos Idiomas! www.bilingualchildrensprogramming.blogspot.com 
Katie Cunningham blogs about bilingual storytime, including program outlines, flannelboard patterns, song and rhyme translations, discovery centers and book reviews. 

Salt Lake City Public Library. Cuentame Cuentos. http://www.cunetamecuentos.blogspot.com/ 
Though this blog is no longer being updated, it is still a valuable resource of translations, book suggestions and programming ideas for bilingual storytime. Use the categories on the right to browse.

Texas State Library. Dígame un cuento / Tell Me a Story. https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/bilingual/index.html 
An online publication of multiple bilingual storytimes. 

Utah State Library. Bilingual Storytime Scripts. http://web.archive.org/web/20100304085313id_/http://library.utah.gov/programs/spanish/Scripts.html. 
[Archived Content] 20 bilingual storytime outlines on various themes. 

Early Literacy and School Readiness 

Bilingual Readers. Resources. http://www.bilingualreaders.com/resources/ 
Many articles, including some in Spanish on bilingualism, early literacy and other important topics. 

Colorín Colorado www.colorincolorado.org 
A bilingual sister site to Reading Rockets filled with literacy information for parents and educators. 

Every Child Ready to Read. http://www.earlylit.net/readytoread/indexS.shtml 
Contains a wealth of materials in English and Spanish, such as parent handouts, workshop scripts and articles about early literacy. 

The Library for Spanish-Speaking Parents. Lexington Public Library. http://www.lexpublib.org/page/lexington-public-library-for-spanish-speaking-parents 
A video in which Katie Cunningham introduces early literacy skills in Spanish. 

Mixing in Math. http://mixinginmath.terc.edu/ 
Activities and ideas for building math skills with young children. Includes some Spanish resources. 

Mother Goose Math and Science. Vermont Center for the Book. http://www.mothergooseprograms.org/math_science.php 
A program for librarians to learn how to include math and science messages into library programs, including storytimes. 

Plazo Sesamo (Sesame Workshop). Padres y Educadores. http://www.plazasesamo.com/padres-y-educadores 
Articles and activities in Spanish for parents that encourage early learning in children. 

Storytime Share. http://www.earlylit.net/storytimeshare/ 
Early literacy consultant Saroj Ghoting shares ready to use early literacy messages for parents.

Portfolio Update

I meant to finish loading Spanish and bilingual story time plans during Summer 2014, but I never quite finished. I will be updating with old plans to cover the span of the work I did as a bilingual library assistant in the Children's Department of the Stanislaus County Library this year (2015). I was a member of the Children's Department from late July 2011 to August 2013 and planned and conducted all the Spanish and bilingual programs. I learned a lot about planning for programs, early literacy, building relationships with families, and was able to use my creativity in this position. I can definitely see a difference between programs I did at the beginning of my job and the end of my tenure at the County. 

¡Gracías por leer! 

Listservs, Luminarias, and Latino Kids' Books

I'm a member of REFORMA, and I have to admit that while sometimes I might get a little overwhelmed keeping up with the content through Google Groups, I do appreciate the commitment some members have in posting. ;-) In any case, I'm cleaning out my inbox with all the postings I kept that I meant to post to the blog.

Back in August, someone posted about some wonderful librarians who call themselves Luminarias (luminaries) as they guide bilingual (Spanish-English) children to books that are representative of their heritage and feature Hispanic children in illustrations (as a mixed heritage person who is pale, this is is a bit suspect, but, in general, I do agree that there aren't many other colors in most children's books). I was very fortunate to work in a library that paid particular attention to Spanish and bilingual books, and although I no longer work in children's services, I'm excited to provide some more resources for those library professionals looking for more ideas:

http://education.kera.org/librarians-in-search-of-books-for-latino-kids/#more-2338

http://latinoedbeat.org/2013/08/14/librarians-create-bilingual-reading-list/
Latino Ed Beat is a great blog!

Pigs Spanish Story Time: March 21st and March 23rd, 2013

I was sick on March 23rd, so I didn't actually do the bilingual program. A colleague from another branch came to sub for me, so I could attend my sister's wedding shower, so she used the bilingual program outline as a guide for that program.

Hora de Cuentos Plan:
Theme: Pigs
Literacy Skill: Print Motivation 

Walk-in song: Queremos Bailar/Dan Zanes and Friends (House Party)

Welcoming comments

Literacy Tip: Asegúrese de hacer un tiempo especial para leer cada día con sus hijos.

Activity song:  Las Ruedas del Camión/José-Luis Orozco (Diez Deditos) 

Fingerplay: Ábranlas, Ciérrenlas

1st story: Cerditos/Audrey Wood

Activity song: Si Estás Feliz y lo Sabes/Sarah Barchas (¡Todos, Listos, Canten!)

Fingerplay: Dos Manitas, Diez Deditos

2nd story: El Chiquero/Mark Teague

Standing fingerplay: El Nido de Abejas

3-D story: El Día de Campo de Don Chanco (The Pigs' Picnic)/Keiko Kasza *book prop

4th story: Uno, Dos, Tres. ¡Dime Quién Es!/Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy

Instrument song: Sun Sun Sun Ba Ba E/Colibri (En el Lejano Bosque) *with rhythm sticks

Stamp hands and bubbles

Hand-stamp song: Cochinitos Dormilones/Francisco Gabilondo Soler (Homenaje a Cri Cri)

Bilingual Story Time Plan:
Theme: Pigs
Literacy Skill: Print Motivation 

Walk-in song: Have Some Fun Today/Imagination Movers (Eight Feet)

Welcoming comments

Literacy tip: Make sure to make a daily special reading time with your children. Asegúrese de hacer un tiempo especial para leer cada día con sus hijos.

Activity song:  Las Ruedas del Camión/José-Luis Orozco (Diez Deditos)  

Fingerplay: Ábranlas, Ciérrenlas

1st story: Cerditos/Audrey Wood

Activity song: Hands are for Clapping/Jim Gill (Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes)

Fingerplay: This Little Piggy 

2nd story: Is it Bedtime, Wibbly Pig?/Mike Inkpen

Standing fingerplay: Cinco Monitos

3-D story: El Día de Campo de Don Chanco (The Pigs' Picnic)/Keiko Kasza *book prop

4th story: Peek-a-Moo/Marie Torres Cimarusti

Instrument song: Sun Sun Sun Ba Ba E/Colibri (En el Lejano Bosque) *with rhythm sticks

Stamp hands and bubbles

Hand-stamp song: Eight Little Piggies in a Row/Raffi (Everything Grows)

Safari Spanish and Bilingual Story Times: March 14th and 16th, 2013

Hora de Cuentos Plan:
Theme: Safari 
Literacy Skill: Vocabulary

Walk-in song: El Reino del Revés/Botafogo (Putumayo: Latin Playground)

Welcoming comments

Literacy tip: El lenguaje de canciones infantiles y libros es diferente al idioma de la conversación. Las rimas y libros aveces tienen una o dos palabras desconocidas, palabras que los niños no oyen en la conversación regular. Un amplio vocabulario ayuda a los niños a entender lo que oyen y lo que van a leer más tarde. Recuerde, no sustituyen las palabras, explicalas.

Activity song:  Pimpón/José-Luis Orozco (Diez Deditos) 

Fingerplay: Al Subir una Montaña

1st story: Veloz Como el Grillo/Audrey Wood

Activity song: Tu Ti Ta/Dr. Jean en Español (Ole! Ole! Ole!)

Fingerplay: Ábranlas, Ciérrenlas

2nd story: Marco Flamenco en la Jungla/Sheila Jenkins

Standing fingerplay: Cinco Monitos

3-D story: Leopardo y los Monos Ruidosos/Giulo Maestro *props/puppets

Poem: "Mismo Destino Verde" (Animalario del Iguazú)/Francisco X. Alarcón

4th story: En Safari/Claire Watts

Instrument song: Veo, Veo/Tatiana (¡Vamos a Jugar!) *with maracas

Stamp hands and bubbles

Hand-stamp song: Todo el Mundo Come Banana/Charlotte Diamond ( Todo el Mundo Come Banana)

Bilingual Story Time Plan:
Theme: Safari
Literacy Skill: Vocabulary

Walk-in song: Have Some Fun Today/Imagination Movers (Eight Feet)

Welcoming comments

Literacy tip: The language of nursery rhymes and books is different than the language of conversation. Rhymes and books often have one of two unusual words, ones that childre don't hear in regular conversation. Having a large vocabulary helps children understand what they hear and what they will later read. Remember, don't replace words, explain them. El lenguaje de canciones infantiles y libros es diferente al idioma de la conversación. Las rimas y libros aveces tienen una o dos palabras desconocidas, palebras qye los niños no oyen en la conversación regular. Un amplio vocabulario ayuda a los niños a etender lo que oyen y lo que van a leer más tarde. Recuerde, no sustituyen las palabras, explicalas.

Activity song:  Pimpón/José-Luis Orozco (Diez Deditos)  

Fingerplay: Al Subir una Montaña

1st story: Veloz Como el Grillo/Audrey Wood

Activity song: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes/The Learning Station (Here We Go Loopty Loo and Songs to Make You Move)

Fingerplay: Five Little Monkeys

2nd story: Marco Flamingo in the Jungle/Sheila Jenkins

Standing fingerplay: Cinco Monitos

3-D story: Leopardo y los Monos Ruidosos/Giulo Maestro *props/puppets

 4th story: Safari Animals/Simms Taback

Instrument song:  Veo, Veo/Tatiana (¡Vamos a Jugar!) *with maracas

Stamp hands and bubbles

Hand-stamp song: Animal Dance/Wendee (Animal Dance and Other Silly Songs)

Dr. Seuss/Fish Spanish and Bilingual Story Times and Craft: March 7th and 9th, 2013

Last year, I learned the hard way about using Dr. Seuss in story time settings. I actually attempted four stories with some adaptations for length, but it was still horribly long. For this year's Dr. Seuss celebration, my game plan was to use one of the shorter Dr. Seuss stories and/or clip back pages and use it as inspiration for the theme. After looking through some of the Spanish options, I settled on One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and selected other "fish" stories. For One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, I skipped every other two page spread, which really helped with length and didn't take away from the silly shenanigans since it's the kind of story that doesn't have to be read page by page. (When I adapt stories, I also make sure to tell the audience that if they check out such and such book, it might not be exactly the same as the way I read or told the story.)

Hora de Cuentos Plan:
Theme: Dr. Seuss/Fish
Literacy Skill: Print Awareness

Walk-in song: La Fiesta/Tatiana (Serie Millennium, disc 1)

Welcoming comments

Literacy tip: Cuando usted lee un libro con su hijo, ponga su dedo debajo de las palabras para que sepan que usted está leyendo las palabras--no los dibujos. Señalando letras y las palabras le permite saber a los niños que la palabra escrita es útil.

Activity song:  Pimpón/José-Luis Orozco (Diez Deditos) 

Fingerplay: Al Subir una Montaña

1st story: Clic, Clac, Plif, Plaf/Doreen Cronin

Activity song: Un Pulpito/Charlotte Diamond (Soy Una Pizza)

Fingerplay: Riquirrín y Riquirrán

2nd story: Un Pez, Dos Peces, Pez Rojo, Pez Azul/Dr. Seuss

Standing fingerplay: La Cafetera

3-D story: El Pez Arco Iris (The Rainbow Fish)/Marcus Pfister *book prop

4th story: Un Cuento Curioso de Colores *big book

Instrument song: Todos Mis Juguetes/Colibri (En el Lejano Bosque) *with rhythm sticks

Stamp hands and bubbles

Hand-stamp song: Cochecito de Música/Francisco Gabilondo Soler ( Cri Cri 100 Años, disc 2)

Bilingual Story Time Plan:
Theme: Dr. Seuss/Fish
Literacy Skill: Print Awareness

Walk-in song: Have Some Fun Today/Imagination Movers (Eight Feet)

Welcoming comments

Literacy tip: When you read a book to your child, put your finger under the words, so that they know you are reading words--not pictures. Pointing out letters and words lets children know that written words are useful. Cuando usted lee un libro con su hijo, ponga su dedo debajo de las palabras para que sepan que usted está leyendo las palabras--no los dibujos. Señalando letras y las palabras le permite saber a los niños que la palabra escrita es útil.

Activity song:  Pimpón/José-Luis Orozco (Diez Deditos)  

Fingerplay: Al Subir una Montaña

1st story: Clic, Clac, Plif, Plaf/Doreen Cronin

Activity song: Octopus/Charlotte Diamond (10 Carrot Diamond)

Fingerplay: I'm a Little Teapot 

2nd story: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish/Dr. Seuss

Standing fingerplay: Riquirrín y Riquirrán

3-D story: El Pez Arco Iris (The Rainbow Fish)/Marcus Pfister *book prop

4th story: Ten Little Fish/Audrey Wood

Instrument song: Todos Mis Juguetes/Colibri (En el Lejano Bosque) *with rhythm sticks

Stamp hands and bubbles

Hand-stamp song: The Unbirthday Song/Sharon, Lois, & Bram (The Elephant Party)

The Craft: Fishbowl of Color

For the craft, I sent kids home with a sandwich baggie with ten little fish (every bag had 10 fish: two red, purple, blue, green, and yellow fish, so no one could argue) and a cut-out of a fishbowl. I just hand drew it on white construction paper and had a volunteer use it as a template, but there are plenty of coloring pages online that could be used instead. I cut little fish with a die-cut available at the library. I did discover that my local media center for teachers in my county (and county librarians and library assistants) have a big die-cut of a fish bowl. Next time! 

You'll need:
-white construction paper (cut in fishbowl shape)

-tiny fish (cut in a variety of colors; my library happened to have a die-cut for tiny fish)

-I sent the kids home with the craft, but you could provide glue sticks or white glue in small containers with a coffee stirrer or Q-tip to use for dipping after your program to have the children glue their fish. 

Instructions for the kids:
-Glue your fish! Count them! Name the colors! 

Kitties Spanish and Bilingual Story Time: February 28th and March 2nd, 2013

Hora de Cuentos Plan:
Theme: Kitties
Literacy Skill: Letter Knowledge

Walk-in song: La Risa de las Vocales/Tatiana (¡Vamos a Jugar!)

Welcoming comments

Literacy tip: Hoy, vamos a enfocarnos en las letras. ¿Cual animal es este? (Enseñe el peluche de un gato.) ¡Gato! ¿Con ual letra empieza la palabra gato? ¡G! (Enseñe la letra "G".) Ahora, vamos a dibujarla con nuestro dedo mágico.

Activity song:  Pimpón/José-Luis Orozco (Diez Deditos) 

Fingerplay: Al Subir una Montaña

1st story: Si Le Das un Pastelito a un Gato/Laura Numeroff

Activity song: Tu Ti Ta/Dr. Jean en Español (Ole, Ole, Ole!)

Fingerplay: La Rana y el Sapo

2nd story: Gordito, Gordón, Gato Galano (Fat, Fat Calico Cat)/Donald Charles

Standing fingerplay: El Nido de Abejas

3-D story: ¿Quién Dijo 'Miau'? (Who Said Meow?)/Maria Polushkin *props/puppets

4th story: Tento y Su Amigo/Ricardo Alcántara 

*The link is to the book on Amazon. It has yet to be added to Goodreads. The story is about a dog who is friends with a cat, but then is ridiculed by the other dogs in the neighborhood. He listens to their advice, but then finds that he misses his friend. 

Instrument song: Ere y Erre/Jorge Anaya (¡A Bailar! Let's Dance!) *with maracas

Stamp hands and bubbles

Hand stamp song: Jota de la "J"/Francisco Gabilondo Soler (Cri Cri 100 Años, disc 1)

Bilingual Story Time Plan:
Theme: Kitties
Literacy Skill: Letter Knowledge

Walk-in song: Time to Sing/Raffi (One Light One Sun)

Welcoming comments

Literacy tip: Today, we're focusing on letters. What animal is this? (Show stuffed animal of a cat.) Cat! What letter does cat start with? C! (Show the letter "C".) And does anyone know how to say cat in Spanish? ¡Gato! Gato starts with the letter...? G! (Show the letter "G.) How do you say "G" in Spanish? ¡G! Hoy, vamos a enfocarnos en las letras. (Enseñe el peluche de un gato.) ¿Como se dice gato en ingles? Cat! ¿Con cual letra empieza la palabra cat? ¡C! (Enseñe la letra "C".) ¿Y en español? ¡G! (Enseñe la letra "G." Enseñe el peluche de un gato otra vez.) ¿Cual animal es este otra vez? ¡Gato! ¡Y con cual letra empieza? ¡G!

Activity song:  Pimpón/José-Luis Orozco (Diez Deditos)  

Fingerplay: Al Subir una Montaña

1st story: Si Le Das un Pastelito a un Gato/Laura Numeroff

Activity song: Toe Leg Knee/Jim Gill (Jim Gill Sings Do Re Mi on His Toe Leg Knee)

Fingerplay: Sing the ABC song!

2nd story: Three Little Kittens/Marilyn Janovitz

Standing fingerplay: El Nido de Abejas

3-D story: ¿Quién Dijo 'Miau'? (Who Said Meow?)/Maria Polushkin *props/puppets

4th story: Catastrophe Cat at the Zoo/Dennis Panek

Instrument song: Ere y Erre/Jorge Anaya (¡A Bailar! Let's Dance!) *with maracas

Stamp hands and bubbles

Hand stamp song: "A" You're Adorable/Sharon, Lois, & Bram (Great Big Hits)