Youth
www.SanTanSun.com
September 6 – 19, 2014
27
Spanish 4 Kids immerses children in foreign language BY LYNETTE CARRINGTON
Living in China for several years, Ana Maria Lay saw the effects that learning foreign languages can have on youngsters. “When I was living in China, I saw that European kids know many languages, and it helps them in so many ways,” Lay explains. “You never know when your best friend might be from another country.” The experience reinforced that belief so she put her language skills to good use by resurrecting Spanish4kids, a program structured for children ages 3 to 10 at Carebear Preschool. Her company instructs children on the Spanish language, its culture, its people, its art and its food. “I think it’s really important for kids to learn a second language,” says Lay. Some of the children in the program come from nearby Fulton Elementary School to participate in Spanish 4 Kids classes, which take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. “We start the class with a welcome song and then have circle time,” says Lay. “We talk about the weather and the day of the week and month. We also introduce a topic of the day such as, ‘Me gusta’ or ‘No me gusta.’” This topic gives students a chance to talk about the things they like and dislike. In addition to books and songs, Lay utilizes interactive videos, dance, work sheets, arts and crafts and in-
BUENOS DIAS: Program director for Spanish 4kids Ana Maria Lay immerses her young students in Spanish language and culture through the use of reading, writing, speaking, song and dance, arts and crafts and multimedia. STSN photo by Lynette Carrington
depth discussions to further children’s knowledge in Spanish. The class of eager Spanish students listened intently as Lay read through a book of opposites in Spanish, and the children waved their hands in the air to volunteer Spanish pronunciations of “cold,” “hot,” happy,” “sad,” “black”
and “white.” When they finished their book, the class promptly stood up and participated in a Spanish sing-along of “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” The kids had fun being active and getting a chance to dance. “I try to get them up and moving around during the class and it keeps them interested and learning,”
notes Lay. Nearly the entire class is conducted in Spanish, and children will also converse amongst themselves in the language. One of Lay’s goals is to get her students comfortable with conversational Spanish. “They sometimes don’t realize that they’re learning another language because they love it so much,” Lay explains. The older students at Spanish 4 Kids are given more advanced work so they are challenged and keep progressing in their Spanish studies. Spanish 4 Kids student Sebastian Farmer has been part of the program for two years at Carebear Preschool. His mother Karen Farmer says, “We are delighted with the development in Spanish skills our son has demonstrated in the program. When we were growing up, language instruction was not available until middle or high school. We feel it is a very important skill to be multilingual, and we are thrilled that our son can be exposed to language in a fun environment, during a developmental period where it is so easy for him to learn.” For additional information about Spanish 4 Kids program, call (480) 8020052. Classes take place at Carebear Preschool at 244 W. Chandler Heights Rd., at Arizona Avenue. Lynette Carrington is a freelancer for the SanTan Sun News. She can be contacted at lynette@santansun.com.
AVOIDING SHORTCUTS From Dr. Chamberlain’s Desktop hen I was 10 years old I took a bike ride with my buddy Jeff. We lived on the outskirts of Reno, NV and that meant there were endless choices of dirt trails we could choose from to ride on the back side of the Dr. Thomas Chamberlain Sierra Nevada mountains. This particular day we chose a trail that traveled along a large canal. After about four hours, we could see the sun was getting low and we knew we had better head back. There was no bridge to cross the canal for miles and, as 10 year old boys, there was no such thing as backtracking. So we decided to take a shortcut. We were about 30 feet higher than the canal on a cliff and if we could just walk our bikes down, we thought we could carry it across the canal. Since I was the genius who came up with the
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idea, I went first. I wasn't 10 feet down the cliff when I lost my footing and my bike and I went head over heels down the rest of the cliff and into the canal. Bruised, dazed and my glasses and bike now missing, I had no idea what had just happened. Luckily for me, a man and a woman happened to be hiking along the other side of the canal and saw my fall. The man clutched me out of the canal and likely saved my life. There were no cell phones in those days so after a time, we made it back to their car and drove home, pulling in much after dark, with my parents and the police waiting for me. I learned so many lessons about this incident. I was so grateful for that couple, in the middle of nowhere, going for a hike at the time I was falling. Do we have people like that in our lives? When we try to take the treacherous shortcut to safety, is there that person in our lives who is there to help us out? If so, my suggestion is to tell them, “Thank you.” Let them know of your gratitude for being there. So what does this have to do with orthodontics? Think of it this way. There are some people out there who are thinking they are taking a shortcut by avoiding
braces. By not improving their smile and their oral health this shortcut can limit their potential in the least and at most can be dangerous. If you find yourself in this situation, let me assure you that we are there to help you out. We have helped so many people who had a less than stellar experience with a previous orthodontist, or who thought that straightening their teeth was just too expensive or too time consuming. Don’t believe that shortcut. Let us help you out. In the end, I know you will be grateful that you did.
Dr. Thomas Chamberlain
480-448-2474
www.SmileStraight.com www.facebook.com/smilestraight
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