The Benefits of Bilingualism

The U.S. newspaper, The New York Times, has a great piece on the benefits of being bilingual.  It turns out that not only does it increase the number of people you can communicate with, but it generally just makes you a smarter person!  Writes the author Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, "The collective evidence from a number of such studies suggests that the bilingual experience improves the brain’s so-called executive function — a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and performing various other mentally demanding tasks. These processes include ignoring distractions to stay focused, switching attention willfully from one thing to another and holding information in mind — like remembering a sequence of directions while driving." Wow! So being bilingual helps you focus, helps you remember, and may prevent the early onset of diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia.

All of us here at C.E.I.P. Lope de Vega already knew that being bilingual is totally awesome, but it's great to know that we're helping our brains stay fit, too!

Read the article here.

- Robyn

(Photo via.)

National Capitals

"But what does 'D.C.' stand for?"

This week, in Fifth Level, we're learning about cities and their sites.  We've been practicing our vocab for museums, monuments, cafes, cinemas, libraries, and everything else our towns and cities have to offer.  But why not learn a little bit about national capitals?!  The students have prepared posters and presentations on London, Belfast, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, as well as Madrid - their own national capital city.  So I thought that I'd share a bit about my capital city, Washington D.C.

The students loved seeing all the sights that D.C. has to offer, and were amazed at just how big all of the monuments were!

Check out the slideshow on Washington D.C.

- Robyn

B-E-E

Oh, spelling. It's tough. It's embarrassing. It never gets any easier.

Some of my earliest memories are of learning how to spell in Mr. Takuda's first grade class, the most vivid being when I finally tackled that tricky word, computer.  Maybe I'd be a bigger fan of spelling if I'd gone to C.E.I.P. Lope de Vega, where we regard good spelling as the coolest thing someone can do by participating in the annual Spelling Bee!

We've been practicing all year with different types of spelling - phonetic, letter guessing, dictation, and good ol' letter-for-letter.

Stay tuned for updates on the Spelling Bee!

- Robyn

Three-Legged Race

For the next few months, C.E.I.P. Lope de Vega will be participating in a Kiddie Olympics put on by one of our sister schools in the U.S. Along with C.E.I.P. Lope de Vega, schools from all around the world have joined in to compete - Belgium, France, Italy, England, Germany, and Canada. We will be participating in a range of activities that each school is submitting. For the month of January, we participated in the "Wellie Wang", where each student had to toss a rain boot (or 'wellie') and measure the distance. For February, we are partaking in the Isle of Man Three-Legged Race!

Now, learning just how to compete in a Three-Legged race is MUCH harder than one would imagine.  Think back to the first time you ever ran one - maybe at summer camp or after school or at a family reunion. A lot of falling, sidesteps, and befuddled communication was involved, no? It's just the same for the kids here at C.E.I.P. Lope de Vega! In the first grade, we've been practicing all month during P.E. and have come up with a few key rules to follow during a Three-Legged race:

1. Always step together, not apart!
2. Communicate! Talk to your partner to make sure you both know where you're headed!
3. Hold hands with your partner while you run.
4. Help your partner up if they fall (because falling is inevitable!)
5. Remember that everyone is a winner, because whether you came in first place or last place, Three-Legged races are a challenge!

If you want to learn more about the Kidlympics, as well as see photos and videos from all the different schools participating, check out this great webpage put on by our sister school. Keep up with our stats and try some of the games out for yourself! Go Spain!

- Robyn

Día de Andalucía

Here at C.E.I.P. Lope de Vega, we're already  gearing up for Día de Andalucía (Andalusia Day).  As an auxiliar, I've been looking forward to this holiday since my arrival in the autonomous community.  Every February 28th, students throughout Andalusia practice traditional dance, games, and songs. They even cook up traditional Andalusian food!

One such game that they play, Pañuelo, has become a first grade favorite during bilingual P.E.  I thought I'd share the rules so that you all can participate along with us this year!

You'll need the following:
- one old scarf, cloth, or piece of fabric
- one field, gym, or open space for running
- two teams of eager, energetic, and genuinely adventurous people
- good counting skills

1. Elect one person to be the "caller".
2. Divide those remaining into two teams of equal numbers.
3. Each team should count-off, making sure that each number is matched across the field (for example, each team should have a 1, 2, 3, etc.)
4. The "caller" stands between each team, who have all lined up on opposite sides of the filed.
5. The "caller" raises the pañuelo loosely, at an arms distance away, and calls out a number.
6. For whichever number called, that person runs to grab the pañuelo before the other team. This is when the "caller" needs to brace themselves and remember to let go!
7. Whoever grabs the pañuelo first must turn around and run back to their side, with the pañuelo-less person chasing after.
8. If they make it to their team, they win. If not, they don't!
9. Repeat until the "caller"'s voice gives out, team members forget their number, or general exhaustion sets in.

I love pañuelo because you can always change the rules a bit - from numbers to colors to animals. It offers hours of fun!

Happy Día de Andalucía!

 - Robyn

Carnival!

It is Carnival season in Spain! Unlike Spain, the United States doesn't celebrate Carnival much, but many Americans would love Carnival. The US city of New Orleans is famous for its Mardi Gras party, a French-inspired celebration of Carnival, which includes a street party, a parade, and plenty of drinking and crazy costumes. Some American cities and bars host one-day or weekend Carnival events, but they are never as huge as the Spanish celebration.

This was my first time experiencing Spanish Carnival and I didn't realize that the celebration was so big. Throughout the week, I experienced Carnival in school and in different pueblos and cities across Andalucia. Carnival was incredibly fun! It will always be a great memory for me and I'm thankful for it.

On Friday, our school celebrated Carnival with a short play, songs and full costumes! After practicing all week, two teachers played the music while the older students sang for all of our school. It was a special and fun performance. I really loved the costumes! Here are photos from our celebration. Happy Carnival! :)

Happy President's Day!

Feliz día de los Presidentes!

 "True friendship is a plant of slow growth." - George Washington

Today at C.E.I.P. Lope de Vega, we're celebrating the American federal holiday of President's Day.  We're reading legends about George Washington and his wooden teeth and Abraham Lincoln's log cabin, plus some interesting facts about U.S. presidents (did you know that President Hoover had a pet opossum?!).  We're also learning about Mount Rushmore, the White House, and other cool presidential monuments in the U.S. What exactly does it take to be a president?

Leer un poco sobre los presidentes!

- Robyn