Spanish & English instruction featuring The BOCA BETH Program My First Songs in Spanish CD
Presented by Beth Butler/Creator of the BOCA BETH Program

These following lesson ideas are purely suggestions based on three+ years of conducting classes with various groups of thousands of children and their families. I encourage you to create and implement your own ideas built around our bilingual music – then call us and share what has sparked the love of language within the minds and hearts of the children in your care! Remember, children don’t need you to sing like Celine or Whitney. Children simply long for something different; something that will light their fire and something that will provide them with a lifetime of language skills. You can do this!!!

We start out in circle time for second language instruction – providing a very safe, secure and interactive environment for children from all cultures.

Introduction – Use BOCA the puppet to introduce BOCA (the star of the BOCA BETH Program). Ask the children to say “Hola BOCA” “Hi BOCA” to warm them up. Talk about how BOCA is a boy, he’s a friend of mine, Johnny & Maria so he is called an “amigo.” Ask the children to repeat the word amigo and the word friend. Then use a girl puppet (preferably in the bird family like BOCA is) and talk about how JULIA is a girl, she’s a friend of mine, Enrique & Susie so she is called an “amiga.” Ask the children to repeat the word amiga and the word friend. Then move into the first song of language time . . .

Hola Amigo/Hello Friend (CD #1 / Song #2) sing this song using the BOCA boy puppet alternating to the girl puppet We always start each language session with this same song – providing a routine and repetition and success daily with the second language learning.

Me Gusta Contar/I Like To Count ( CD #1 / Song #3) Ask the children if they remember how to count from 1 to 10 in English. Count together using your fingers for visual aides. Then ask if anyone knows how to count from uno a diez (or desde diez) in Spanish and count together again. Have each child take a musical instrument, tell them we will be counting from 1 to 10 in Español e Inglés/Spanish and English, dancing in a circle/circulo and have them follow you, the teacher, around in a dancing circle to sing the song. When it comes time in the song after ten or diez I ask the children to “STOP” “PARA” and make noise/hace ruido until the words begin again. We always have this song as our 2nd one each language session for the same reasons as before.

Veo Colores/I See Colors ( CD #1/ Song #4) Use visual aides that show the seven (7) colors. I have found really nice ones that have an animal associated with the color. This makes the song even more interesting if you can match the color with the animal name and elaborate on it a little more during the music. Allow the children to hold the props as they say the color word correctly in both Spanish and English without shouting (guide them in saying “Please, don’t shout/Por favor, no grita”). The children begin to get competitive during this song in order to be one of the chosen ones to hold a prop, but if you stick to your rule of no shouting – they will catch on that you mean it and will stop the unnecessary noise. Another cute thing to do with this song is to buy some small color links that the children build a small color link as the song progresses. You will only be able to go through to white (no black or brown color links last time I checked!). It’s just another fun way to teach the second language with hands on manipulatives.

Tengo Hambre/I’m Hungry ( CD #1/ Song #5) Use a water bottle to have BOCA show he is thirsty and drinks water/agua, then use some plastic food to show he is hungry, tiene hambre. Have the children act out being thirsty with their own BOCAs or with their own acting.

Greeting Song/Canción de Saludar (CD #1/Song #6) Use sock puppets or any other puppets that could be used as a Mommy and a Daddy. Go around the circle of children, interacting with them and the mommy puppet during the mommy chorus and the daddy puppet during the daddy chorus. Have the children hug themselves when the song says “I love you very much/Te quiero mucho.” Relate this to their own relationship with their family members – the hugs, the words of endearment.

Beso es un Kiss/Kiss is a Beso (CD #1/Song #7) Use BOCA the puppet and the whatever girl puppet you have chosen for language sessions to give kisses/besos to the children as you move from child to child giving kisses (then move into “hugs/abrazos” for more learning). This is always our second to last song since it gives every child the chance to get a kiss and a hug from BOCA and the girl puppet. Some children don’t get that affection at home and need the contact, the touch, the ‘warm fuzzies’ this song provides.

The Animal Song/La Canción de Animales (CD #1/Song #8) If possible find all seven (7) animal puppets. Go through each one with children having a turn holding the animal as they say the name in English then in Spanish and talk about the animal sound for each one. Again, reinforce the no shouting for attention to be chosen.

There are Ten Toys/Diez Juguetes Son (CD #1/Song #9) This catchy little tune is to “Ten Little Indians” and we use our fingers to count through this fun counting song (sign language numbers if possible) We sing in Spanish, then in English and repeat it all one more time! Remember – repetition is the key to success in any language learning program. You, as the adult, might get bored on the 20th time of this song, but the children love hearing it and need to hear it time & time & time again.

¿ Cómo Estás ?/How Are You? (CD #1/ Song #10) If possible, have each child get a BOCA puppet passed out to them and explain that BOCA loves to do “dos cosas/two things.” He loves to sing/canta and dance/baila. I also explain that BOCA has excellent behavior and that he never bites or hits or touches another puppet friend. Have the children put BOCA on their hands and interact with their friends respecting space and enjoying the fun of puppeteering.

Where is My . . .? ¿ Dónde Está Mi . . .?(CD #1/Song#11) A fun and simple six body parts song. There is a cute Velcro hand glove on the market with all six body parts. I start out with a full glove and then hand out a body part for selected children to hold. Each time I ask them to gently point to or touch the part we are singing about. On the hand one, I ask them to hold up their “mano/hand” and I give each child a high five. Lots of high self-confidence during all of this interaction – providing a sense of pride and high self-esteem during the language lesson (something conjugating verbs and testing on grammar does not do). That’s why this is so successful!

Yo Sé los Días de la Semana/I Know the Days of the Week (CD #1/ Song #12) There are two different lessons I do with this fun song. 1) Use rhythm sticks to beat out the syllables of the days of the week in both languages, talking each word, while sitting in circle time. If you do not use rhythm sticks regularly, remind the children of the rules. There is no getting up with the sticks (if a child stands or walks with the sticks they are immediately taken away). Also, the child must remain aware of his/her space and not wildly swing the sticks in order to keep themselves and others safe. Keep Spanish on the floor with the sticks, have the children tap in the air for the English words. Go from “Domingo/Sunday” all the way to “Sabádo/Saturday.” Begin the song and keep the beat the same way.
2) If you do not like the rhythm stick idea or want to switch it up a bit, there are some very colorful visual aides in Spanish/English for the days of the week. I choose 7 helpers to stand in front of the group in order of their day of the week. As their day is sung about they are asked to hold it up nice and high for the group to read or at least begin to recognize the letters in each word. With the younger ones I stand behind the line and gently touch their shoulder when it is their turn to hold up their day of the week. At the very end of the song when it sings “I know the days of the week!” I have the entire group hold up their days of the week simultaneously.

Por Favor, Gracias, De Nada/Please, Thank You, You’re Welcome (CD #1, Song #13) Use a pretend or real kids microphone to have the children echo back these three key manner words in Spanish and English. This is the only song where I use a child’s microphone so the children really “eat up” the performing aspect of this song – all the while learning their manner words in a new language. Every child who wants to sing/perform should get a chance (don’t force them). There is plenty of time to fit each one in for each manner word.

Hello and Goodbye/Hola y Adiós (CD #1, Song #14) This is the last song every class and calms the entire group down. Use BOCA to say good-bye and give besos/kisses and abrazos/hugs good-bye as they sing both times with you. As I mentioned, every language session ends with this song. It’s a cue to the children that language session time is over, bring the level of energy back to classroom standard and know we will do it again tomorrow.

Resources for instruments, visual aides and other items for music fun:

www.lakeshorelearning.com (many bilingual visual aids in catalog and stores across the country as well as the web site)

www.discountschoolsupply.com (many fun links for colors, Velcro glove for parts of the body song and other hands on learning fun – catalog also)

www.carsondellosa.com (Spanish/English visual aids from catalog also)

www.bocabeth.com (discount on large orders of our bright and well weighted egg shakers and mini-maracas with BOCA on each one)