Virtual Vacation: Destination Spain: Music & Language

The Spanish culture is full of rhythm and flavor. The perfect way to introduce your child to Spain is through it's music and language. Here you can find snippets of both, a link to a wonderful Children's Music site and a brief lesson in Spanish with some easy words to incorporate throughout the day while on your Virtual Vacation.

MUSIC: Here is a collection of children's songs and nursery rhymes from Spain, Mama Lisa's World, complete with lyrics in spanish and english and music.

LANGUAGE: The official language of Spain is the Castillian form of Spanish. Here are some basic Spanish words to teach your kids while on your Virtual Vacation:

Hello: Hola (O-La)

Goodbye: Adios (Ah-di-os)

How are you?: Como Esta? (Ko-Mo Es-sta)

Bathroom: bano (Bon-yo)

Please: por favor (Pour Fahv-or)

Thank You: gracias (Gra-see-ahs)

Food: alimento (ah-lee-ment-to)

Mom: Mama

Dad:Papa

Son: hijo (E-ho)

Daughter: hija (E-ha)

Family: Familia (Fa-mil-li-ah)

Virtual Vacations: Destination Spain - Crafts

Here are two fun Spain-themed crafts for you and your child a pair of Castanets and a flamenco fan!

Castanets

What You Need: 4 Large buttons or bottle caps, felt, glue, rubber bands, scissor

What to Do: Cut the felt into two "Glasses" shapes (circles connected by a narrow strip). Lace the felt through a rubber band to create a handle. Glue the bottle caps/buttons into the felt circles. Once dry, slip the rubber bands over your fingers and hold the castanets between your thumb and index & pointer fingers. Clack away!

Flamenco Fan

What You Need: construction paper, 2 paint stirrers/large popsicle sticks/pieces of cardboard, crayons/markers, glue, rubber bands, ribbon/yarn

What to Do: Decorate the paint sticks and both sides of the construction paper with crayons/glitter. Glue a paint stick to each and of the ends of the construction paper. Fold the construct paper to make an accordion. Use a rubber band to hold the ends of the paint sticks together.

Virtual Vacation: Destination Spain!

Welcome to Spain!

Find here everything you need to introduce your little ones to the Spanish Culture! A days worth of recipes, crafts, music and even a bedtime story!

Adios! and Enjoy!

Facts from National Geographic Kids!

Recipes

Music & Language

Games

Crafts

Folktale

Rainstick Craft

This is an easy rainy day craft for you kids. With items found in just about any house, your child can make an instrument that won't wake the neighbors.

What You Need: a cardboard tube of any size (bathroom tissue, paper towels or wrapping paper), dried rice/beans or un-popped popcorn , glue, construction or kraft paper, cocktail toothpicks (the ones with the little flags) or a piece of aluminum foil, decorations - feathers, fabric, buttons, ribbon, etc.

What to Do: Cover one end of the tube with paper making sure it wraps over the edges. Glue the paper to the tube so that nothing will fall out. Fill the tube with a handful of dried rice/beans/popcorn . You may need to experiment with the sound by tipping the tube to get the right amount.

Randomly place several toothpicks through the tube creating pegs for the rice/beans to bounce off. If you have small children or don't have cocktail toothpicks, take a piece of aluminum foil and form it into a snake or spring. Place this into the tube for the same effect.

Cover the other end of the tube, sealing it shut. Let your child decorate the tube.

Homemade Drum with Sticks

My son did this craft today at the Long Island Children's Museum. It was so quick and easy and he has been playing it all afternoon. So I'm sharing it with you!


What You Need: an empty cookie tin, construction or kraft paper, glue stick, paper plate or poster board, scissors, chopsticks, 4 rubber bands, decorations/ornaments.

What to Do: Cut the construction paper into strips the width of the side of the cookie tin. Make enough strips to go all the way around the tin. Also cut the paper plate (or poster board) into a circle the size of the bottom on the cookie tin and then cut a slit to the center of the circle.

Let your child decorate the construction paper (depending on the type of decorations you are using you may want to attach the construction paper to the tin first). Your child can also color on the paper plate, try not to attach anything to this part as it might fall out of the drum.

Assemble your drum by putting the paper plate inside the cookie tin (letting the slit over lap to form a slight cone shape). This muffles some of the sound! Attach the strips of construction paper around the outside of the tin. Lastly use two rubber bands to make a ball on the tip of each chopstick.

Voila! You have a Drum!