I guess I'm trendier than I would have thought.
Just the day before I saw this article, I'd sent emails to the international departments of nearby colleges, asking about Brazilian exchange students who might be interested in a babysitting job, and would be able to help my kids keep up with their Portuguese.
Turns out looking for a babysitter who can speak a foreign language is the latest among wealthy New York parents who want to give their kids a leg up in life.
The article dismisses the idea that being bilingual makes a kid smarter. Which may or may not be true (or quantifiable), but is beside the point, anyway.
I think it's undeniable that being able to speak more than one language gives one access to experiences they just wouldn't have otherwise, especially as a kid.
I've seen it increase my kids' confidence and ability to communicate with people they otherwise wouldn't. It is really incredible to witness.
We're still speaking Portuguese with them, but I can see their language skills fading. I'm not sure what else we can do.
And unfortunately, my babysitter plan, which seemed like kind of a long shot anyway, was foiled when I was reminded that students here on F-1 visas aren't allowed to work.
Any other suggestions?
10 comments:
hello there! I happened to see your blog a while ago while searching for info while contemplating a move to salvador, bahia. Raising bilingual kids is tremendously difficult if you don't live near a community where the preferred language is spoken frequently. I tried to teach my daughter bilingual skills in English and Spanish, but I failed at the Spanish, most likely because I, myself, was more comfortable speaking English. One method I have seen work well is to only speak (in your case) Portuguese in the home (both Parents and kids) and save English for outside of the home. Maybe pairing this with finding a Brazilian community in your city will help keep your kids adept in speaking Portuguese. Best wishes!
There are nanny agencies that will send a girl from Brazil to live with you who also understands English. My sister in law lived with my husband and I to study English in Cleveland, OH before we moved to Rio. A classmate of hers was there from Spain with an agency, living with a family there. BUT it sounds like something that's probably a little costly too. Good luck.
I actually just finished a paper for a masters level "Advanced ESL teaching methodologies" class on raising kids with simulataneous bilingualism. Sounds boring, I know, but... KEEP YOUR KIDS SPEAKING PORTUGUESE! If they are speaking two languages fluenty since an early age (hopefully before 3) they will seem a little behind for a while with phonics, spelling, etc, but the long term benefits far outweigh this. In fact, according to all recent research, they will have a greater understanding of languages in general, have a guicker response time, and be able to have a stronger sense of focus (all of which lead to good mental health in later years). Basically, it is good all around.
Find an au pair company online. One of my best friends came from Brazil to be a nanny with a family for two years and it was a great experience for all, including me as she introduced me to my Brazilian husband ;)
...craigslist? organize a brazilian play group???
Hello!
The braziliam community in USA is huge, so u wont have difficult to find someone with properly visa.
Orkut is our social site most popular and, among several others, there is a community on this site "brasileiros em nova york" with more than 9,000 members.
So, just try to post and add there and u ll be busy choosing one.
here is the site link:
http://www.orkut.com/Main#Community?cmm=172057
if u want, just let me know and i would post something for you, I also can post something im my blog, as I have some readers that live there and they might get you some contact.
Good luck
Also check out Brazilian restaurants, super markets, Brazilian Meetups, musical events and festa's in Philly. And pick up some of the free Brazilian magazines and news papers that are always there for the Brazilian community in those places and there may be some local ads there.
How do you think we Americans learned to speak and practice conversational Portuguese before visiting Brazil ;-) And by all means keep the boys immersed in Portuguese! They will appreciate you and Dan for it now and later in life.
Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. I have a couple of leads that I'm following, so I'll keep you posted!
Also, play DVDs in Portuguese for them. Try Sitio do Pica-pau Amarelo, which is a tv show for kids, plus Barney, Dora the Explorer, Clifford, TV Colosso..you can find all that in Portuguese. If it doesn't work on an american dvd player, maybe it works on a computer.
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