Last Month we started a new video series in which Ruth describes her personal journey as a “Special Ed” student with little promise of making it in school and how she overcame to become a successful entrepreneur and owner a thriving education company.   If you missed part 1 or 2 of the series click the links below:

Special Ed to Spanish Curriculum – Part 1
Special Ed to Spanish Curriculum – Part 2

Today we conclude the series as Ruth describes how being bilingual opened doors to opportunity which lead to the formation Sombrero Time.  Click the link below to view and please leave your comments!

Special Ed to Spanish Curriculum – Part 1

Today we continue the series as Ruth tells us about being accepted to Davis, graduating as a human development major on her way to being a teacher but still struggling to speak, let alone teach, Spanish effectively. Check out the video and provide your comments below.

How does someone go from being “Special Ed” to Developing Spanish Curriculum?  As many of you know Sombrero Time develops Spanish Language Curriculum for K-6 grade students.  In a previous series called “Why Sombrero Time Curriculum Works” we discussed a few features that make Sombrero Time Spanish Curriculum unique.  What we haven’t done is share a bit about why we develop curriculum in the first place.  In order to make it meaningful we wanted to share a little of the real life story behind founder and Spanish Curriculum developer, Ruth Finsthwait.  In this new video series Ruth describes her personal journey as a “Special Ed” student with little promise of making it in school and how she overcame to become a successful entrepreneur and owner a thriving education company.   In part 1 below Ruth tells us about her early school experience and being diagnosed with dyslexia.

SOMBRERO TIME IS DEVELOPING BILINGUAL ELEMENTARY STUDENTS
IN THE SACRAMENTO REGION

– Community Event Enhances Spanish Learning with Cultural Appreciation –
– Is Your Elementary-School Student Already Behind in Today’s Global Marketplace? –

GRANITE BAY, CA — October 24, 2011 – Elementary-school students who study Spanish with Sombrero Time, a leading provider of Spanish instruction and curriculum, will be taking their Spanish out of the classroom and into the real-world at a dinner tonight at Más, a Mexican restaurant in Roseville, where approximately 100 children, whose first language is English, will converse with Sombrero Time instructors and restaurant staff in Spanish.
The event, from 5:30-6:45 p.m., is designed to give students an authentic, fun experience where they can see value in their Spanish and enhance their learning through the culture of food and dance. The young students will order for themselves and their families in Spanish and converse with the native Spanish speakers on the Más staff about a variety of topics, such as Jamie Garcia, the Mexican native who was the starter for the St. Louise Cardinals in Game Two of this year’s World Series. To extend the cultural learning, Zulema Balderas, a folkloric dance instructor, will be teaching the students and their families traditional Mexican dance steps.

“Foreign language is becoming increasingly critical to a successful education. It’s moving from ‘nice to have’ to ‘must have’,” said Ruth Finsthwait, cofounder and president of Sombrero Time, which has 1,100 students in the area. “Studies have shown the earlier a child begins to learn a second language, the greater the chance for proficiency, and the brains of elementary age children are especially well-suited for second language acquisition.”
In addition to the fact that Sombrero Time starts students while they are young and open to a new language, its approach differs from the norm because it stresses immersion and frequency. The children learn Spanish in Spanish, just as they learned English in English. Sombrero Time has students use Spanish in authentic ways, as they will at Más, rather than just having students memorize vocabulary and learn to conjugate verbs.
Studies have shown that to achieve fluency and literacy, students need 30-50 minutes of instruction 3-5 times per week. Sombrero Time was built on this conviction.

“Sombrero Time has become integral to our school,” said Erika Sloane, principal of Loomis Basin Charter School. “Our students and parents value it tremendously. The instructors and curriculum go way beyond teaching simply content; they teach human interaction. Providing these opportunities for students to apply what they are learning in a real setting is a great extension of the classroom and an enriching experience.”
Studies show that learning a foreign language is greatly enhanced by worthwhile activities that give them a chance to utilize the language and cultural appreciation.

“We have two students in the Sombrero Time program,” said Lisa Bader of Granite Bay. “It’s really cool to see all the kids speaking Spanish in a real-world setting.  The magic of Sombrero Time is that the children not only learn Spanish—they learn how to apply their language skills in a real-world setting. The evening at Más provides a great opportunity for the kids to test-drive what they’ve learned in a supportive, stress-free environment and it’s fun for the entire family.”

ABOUT SOMBRERO TIME

Today Sombrero Time (sombrerotime.com) delivers Spanish immersion instruction and curriculum to more than 1,100 elementary school students in Placer and Sacramento Counties. Cofounder Ruth Finsthwait, an expert in language acquisition in children, developed the Sombrero Time curriculum based on her knowledge of how elementary age students learn a foreign language. The company uses only native speakers and 100% of the instruction and student interaction is in Spanish. Classes are held at local elementary schools and at the company’s Learning Center in Granite Bay, where the company is headquartered.

CONTACT
Kim Carroll at 916-960-9202 or kimcarroll2000@yahoo.com

Great Question!

As you know Sombrero Time is where children learn Spanish.  Our complete Immersion Methodology and Spanish Curriculum for Kids have all been developed with one goal in mind:

-Create lasting results that allow students to Read, Write and Speak in Spanish!

Sometimes this means we have to be creative and find new ways to get out of the traditional learning environment and into the community.  Mix great Mexican food with real life opportunity to practice Spanish and we have a formula for building language skills while having fun!  We program events like this into our Spanish Curriculum for Kids because it really helps build confidence as kids mobilize their language.

Last Spring many of our fans and customers helped make our first community event at Más Mexican Restaurant a great success!  Continuing with the first of three community events this year we would like to invite you to Family Spanish Night with Sombrero Time.  In the spirit of community, fun and language development join us and other Sombrero Time families in the local community as we practice our Spanish with staff at Más Mexican Restaurant, Sombrero Time instructors and each other.

Here are the details:

Date: Monday, October 24, 2011
Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm
Capacity: We have room for 150 people for this event
Location: Más Mexican Restaurant in Roseville
Registration - YOU MUST HAVE A TICKET TO ATTEND!  Tickets are FREE and available at Eventbrite.com.  Please go to the following link, download and print your tickets before they sell out:

Click HERE to Register on or after 10/14

**IMPORTANT** – Seatings: In order to provide faster food service we will be hosting two “seatings” at 5:30pm & 6:30pm. Please register by seating and show up at Más with your tickets in hand!

NEW-Traditional Mexican Folk Dance Lesson!  Come learn a few steps from a professional! Our very own instructor Zulema Balderas is also a professional dancer with Campañía Mazatlán Bellas Artes here in Sacramento (http://www.imbasac.com/).  Zulema will be demonstrating her craft between seatings.

Today I read an article from the Seattle Times that underscores this point.

What I found even more intriguing is that research is supporting the idea that language learning happens in a social setting, ie, a class room or between groups of people.  Put babies in front of TV  or even recorded langauge and they learn nothing.  Dr. Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, a leading researcher on the formation of language in babies was referenced in the Seattle Times article:

“Previous research by her group showed that exposing English-language infants in Seattle to someone speaking to them in Mandarin helped those babies preserve the ability to discriminate Chinese language sounds, but when the same “dose” of Mandarin was delivered by a television program or an audiotape, the babies learned nothing.

“This special mapping that babies seem to do with language happens in a social setting,” Kuhl said. “They need to be face to face, interacting with other people. The brain is turned on in a unique way.”

If you are a parent and have concerns about multiple language exposure with your child please consider what current research is showing.  You may be providing them a great opportunity to advance their cognitive and language development skills during a very short window of time.

To read the full Seattle Times article click HERE.

SUMMER SCHOOL EN ESPAÑOL – Believe it or not all three of our kids went back to school for a week!  The Mission Colegio is a wonderful Dual Immersion private school in San Jose Del Cabo.  All students take classes split half the day in Spanish and the other half in English.  During our visit we had the opportunity to meet students & teachers and were pleasantly surprised to find that many Americans and Canadians, in addition to Mexican nationals, are attending the school.  Our kids made new friends and practiced their Spanish A TON!  Check out the Mission Colegio web site and our photos on Facebook.

SOCCER – After school each day we took our kids to a great local soccer camp run by an organization called Pachuca Tuzos los Cabos.  The camp director is an ex Mexican Professional Futbol player turned coach.  Jesus Romero coaches and grooms players for professional Mexican teams.  He also happens to be the PE teacher at Mission Colegio.  The camps are run at “La Huerta” a local sports club in San Jose.    If you want your kids to learn Spanish, the native soccer Futbol field is one of the best ways to immerse them.  Naturally, kids want to play and interact with their peers.  Combine English speakers with Spanish speakers on a soccer field and you have a powerful and fun formula to acquire language.

SURF – We ended our week with some more adventure learning to surf.  The Cabo Surf Hotel is a well kept secret on the beach as you come into San Jose Del Cabo.  The area along the shore is called Costa Azul which is known for some of the best surf breaks in Baja.  The hotel has comfortable amenities, quiet rooms, a great restaurant called the 7 Seas Grille and surf lessons provided by our new friend Miguel Rojas at the onsite, beach front, surf shop. The Cabo Surf Shop features one of the only professionally certified “Mike Doyle” surf schools in Baja.  We had a great time learning from the friendly, knowledgeable staff and everyone caught waves!  If you are ready for a great warm water surfing adventure Miguel and his staff are prepared to coach you in Spanish or English!

Link to photos of Cabo Surf

Below is a video we recorded with Miguel.  Check it out and let us know if you want to go with us next summer:

One of the greatest benefits to learning a second language is what it can do for your travel experience.  Many of us have traveled to Mexico, stayed in a resort and enjoyed some good food, beautiful beaches and warm water.  But, how many of us have really experienced the local culture up close and personal?  How cool would it be to play soccer in Mexico, with people who live and breath the sport, all while practicing the language?  How fun would it be to take surf lessons at a surf camp and get some hands on language experience at the same time?  You see, when we engage anyone in their language, on their home turf not only does it honor them and create relationship, it also allows us to gain perspective and appreciation for how other people live.  All this comes together to enhance your travel experience.

So, starting tomorrow Ruth & I are taking the family south of the boarder to plug into the culture and do exactly what I have described.  We will be visiting Cabo San Lucas and Cabo San Jose over the two next weeks.  During our time we will be playing fútbol at a soccer camp with Mexican nationals and taking surf lessons at a local beach.  As part of our experience we will be seeking authentic, fun & family friendly activities that YOU can do in the near future.  Sound exciting?  Stay tuned by visiting our Facebook page and Twitter feed.

So, who is in for next year?

Starting this fall, we are excited to announce a new class at Sierra Elementary.  Sombrero Time has been asked to offer Spanish for Kinder students!  Similar to our after school program, Kinder Spanish will run shortly after the normal Kindergarten class from 11:30-12:15pm,  4 days/week, Tuesday-Friday.  Each session is 45 minutes and will be conducted by one of our trained native speaking instructors and is filled with traditional Spanish dance, Song and Music activities.  The class is intended to introduce new Spanish speakers to the language and prepare them for entry into the Spanish program starting in 1st grade at Sierra Elementary.  Kinder Spanish will offer a great transition for students enrolled in Kids Junction as well.

Full details are available on our Registration page.