McDougal Littell’s Classzone.com allows you to use free online resources for their foreign language textbooks. These resources include an online workbook, flash card quizzes, composition practice, interactive maps and cultural webquests. These resources, except for the online version of the book, can be used without purchasing the textbook.

 BBC has recently come out with brand-new language resource websites for children ages 4-11. These interactive websites are offered in Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese so far. Each website features sounds, numbers, vocabulary, games, videos, and photos to help children start learning a language at an early age.   www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primarylanguages/
  About.com contains large amounts of information on many major languages. Each language’s website contains informational articles about that language, including lessons, learning tools, and cultural facts.
 Iphone and Ipod apps are a good way to practice a language on the go. There are many options out there, some free and some not.
321Speak provides high-quality language lessons with pictures and voices of native speakers. They offer Spanish, English and Chinese. Prices vary. http://321speak.com/
24/7 Tutor offers Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Russian language apps. Each language except Russian has both a free app and a $7.99 app with more features, including quizzes, native speaker audio, games and flash cards. http://www.247tutor.com/
BYKI offers a language app for $7.99 that helps you learn thousands of words or phrases for dozens of languages.  http://www.byki.com/iphone/iphone.html
Internet Polyglot provides vocabulary-building through games for $1.99.
 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/internet-polyglot/id396269404?mt=8#
Achoo! is a 99-cent, humorous app that can be used when you encounter someone sneezing while traveling in a foreign country. The app will give you an appropriate response to the sneeze (such as “bless you”) in up to 48 languages.  
 Fasten Seatbelts 2 is a campaign to expose people to the cultural customs of other countries. They have dozens of short, entertaining videos that provide ways to avoid mistakes or misunderstandings abroad. You can also get these in the form of Iphone apps.  http://fastenseatbelts.eu/en/35/0/About-this-project 
   
 Don’t Gross out the World is a fun, quick multiple choice quiz on dining customs in other countries. http://www.fekids.com/img/kln/flash/DontGrossOutTheWorld.swf
 
 Upohar is a catering service that offers authentic ethnic cuisines prepared by native cooks. These cooks are resettled refugees from various countries who now live in Lancaster city. You can try their dishes as part of a small dinner at home or in a catering event for up to 50 people. For more information or to audition them, go to www.UpoharEthnicCuisines.com.

In Italy, children will go to bed waiting for a magical being to bring presents, and I don’t mean Santa Claus.

In Italian folklore, an old witch delivers gifts and candy to children on Epiphany Eve (January 5th). Santa’s competitor, La Befana, is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick, usually covered in soot as she enters homes through chimneys. Very similar to the tradition of leaving cookies and milk for Santa, children will leave wine and food out for the Befana.

Ok — so going along with the Christmas Witch story, here’s one about brooms. There’s a superstition in Norway that advises households to hide their brooms on Christmas Eve. It is believed that witches and evil spirits will rise from the graves and use the brooms to fly through the sky and create chaos until dawn. 

With no further ado, it’s time to crown Spain, Italy and Portugal with the ‘Most Unusual Christmas Tradition’ award! Now we all know The Nativity Story, but who knows the additional character in the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese versions of the story? Cue the Caganer. Accompanying Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the Shepherds, the Caganer is a small statue of a man, which is often tucked away in the corner of model nativity scenes. So if this extra character is such a unique part of these countries nativity scenes, why is he hid in the corner? Originating from Catalonia, the Caganer figure depicts a man in the act of taking a poop.

Strangely enough, there is no record of the exact origin of this tradition but references date back to the 17th century! It is also unclear why placing a ‘pooping’ man in a classic nativity scene has any relevance to Christmas but it has been suggested that the Caganer represents the idea that God can present himself and call upon us whenever he feels necessary and that he shows we are all equal despite race, gender or age. It has of course developed into a fun game for the children!

Happy Holidays!

1. In Spain, the Philippines, and certain parts of Latin America, El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings) is celebrated with children leaving shoes out overnight to collect gifts from the Kings. Sweets, drinks, and hay are left out as gifts for the Kings and their camels.

2. In the Netherlands and Belgium, the day is known as Drie koningen (Three King’s Day). Three children dress in costume to represent the three kings and visit houses singing songs, receiving sweets or coins from each door.

3. In Germany, children go from house to house on Epiphany eve, singing carols and chalking the year and initials KMB (those of the kings, Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar), near the entrance of each home to bless the family for the New Year.

4. In Mexico, families go to the Alameda, in Mexico City, a beautiful park that dates back to the Colonial era. There hundreds of stands are placed with food, toys and sets, where the children can have their picture taken with the Three Kings of the Orient. Hundreds of multicolored balloons, filled with helium, are sold during the season, so the little ones can attach their letters to them, and have them fly, up to the sky, carrying all their wishes to the Kings with them. If they forgot their letters at home, there is no need to worry, there are also salesmen that offer writing paper and envelopes specially designed for the occasion and addressed to the Reyes Magos.

5. Several countries – most notably Italy and Russia – also share the long-held tradition of La Befana, (in Russia, Baboushka) the kindly old witch who makes her annual visit bringing presents by climbing down the chimney on the night of January 5.

Many countries celebrate with a special cake, with a small doll of Jesus baked inside. The finder of the doll always has a task. What is this task?
This special cake has many names depending where you live. Where are these cakes from?
1. Dreikonigskuchen
2. Ciasto Trzech Kroli
3. Rosca de Reyes

A special cake known as Rosca de Reyes is made with a small doll of Jesus baked inside—depending on the country, the finder of the doll must pay for the cake, host a party later in the year, or simply serves as king for the day.

Dreikonigskuchen – Germany
Ciasto Trzech Kroli -Poland
Rosca de Reyes – Mexico and some parts of Spain

2. Japanese mainland is consisted of three islands.

3. Japan is almost the same size as Texas.

4. Japanese population is almost the same as California.

5. There are three alphabets.

6. The Japanese units of measure are the same as in the US.

7. In Japan, December is winter.

8. It is the custom to take your shoes off before entering a house.

9. It is the custom to tip (ex. Restaurants, porters, taxis etc)

Answers

1. True.  Korea is located about 40 miles west of Japan.

2. False. The mainland consists of four islands.  Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.  Okinawa is an island, but not considered to be a part of the mainland.

3. False.  Japan is about 146,000 square miles.  Texas is 269,000 square miles.  Montana is about the same size as Japan with 147,000 square miles.

4. False.  The Japanese population is 127 million.  California’s population is 36 million.

5. True.  They are Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.

6. False.  Japan uses the metric system, celsius for temperature, meters for length, grams for weight and liters for volume.

7. True.  Japan also has four seasons and its climate is very similar to Pennsylvania.

8. True. 

9. False. 

Submitted by Rie Moore

Learning a foreign language as a family is one of the very best ways of preparing your children for a new, global society. Your Language Connection makes learning a new language interesting, active, and fun. We involve the entire family in learning about not just the words of another language, but also about the culture. Starting young is the key to acquiring true fluency.

To find out more about learning languages as a family or registering you children for summer language camps go to www.yourlanguageconnection.com.