LeapFrog Learning Toys Review

Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B



Oaxaca has traditionally been known as an adult travel destination, steeped in ruins, colonial churches, museums and a tradition for fine art and handicrafts.  But having been visiting the region regularly since 1991, always with our daughter, and now having been living here for a few years and regularly toured friends and family with young children around the city and outlying sites, without a doubt young families contemplating a visit should set aside any lingering trepidation regarding both the well-being of their young progeny, and their parents’ ability to have at least somewhat of a romantic getaway.

Concerns might include wondering if there will be enough sites to hold your child’s interest, if you’ll be able to visit the vestiges of pre-Hispanic civilizations without the kids being bored to death, if you’ll ever be able to sneak away for a dinner on your own, if you’ll have to pay a premium to find accommodations with a pool — the guarantee of an afternoon swim is always the best bribe — and the wisdom of perhaps just having a beach vacation and saving Oaxaca for another time when you can do it without the family.

Having pondered such considerations from time to time, I can now offer valuable suggestions regarding where to stay even without a pool, what tour routes will definitely hold the interests of children and teens, and what activities exist in and around the city on a regular basis, geared to youthful vacationers.

Where to stay, and swim

Suburban Hotel San Felipe is a welcome change from the downtown hustle and bustle…the outdoor pool is in a picturesque setting flecked with rural neighborhoods and rolling hills.  Several friends have also enjoyed Holiday Inn Express, at the north end of the downtown sector.  But many visitors to Oaxaca prefer a more quaint and traditional environment to the somewhat sterile Americanized accommodations  yet can’t rationalize the cost of hotels such as Camino Real or Los Laureles, impressive in their own right.

Most of the smaller family-owned and operated hotels, bed and breakfasts and guest houses do not have pools, but should not be discounted out-of-hand.  Some have made arrangements with nearby pooled hotels for their guests to attend.

Each lodging should be able to point you to alternatives to an on site pool such one of the water parks located along the highways entering the city.  These facilities have pools of varying sizes and depths, large water slides, and other appurtenances to keep the kids there for the better part of a day.  A short taxi ride from downtown are Las Brisas and La Bamba.

There are two additional alternatives.  Consider attending one of several “balnearios” located about a half hour out of Oaxaca in the village of Vista Hermosa, catering to entire families rather than to predominantly children.  During the hot season you’ll find families and friends around the pools, playing volleyball, or sitting under palapas eating an array of local fare available from the small comedors.

Then there’s Hierve el Agua, at the end of one of the out-of-town touring routes.  The site consists of two large pools fed by natural bubbling springs, in a spectacular mountain setting with a petrified mineral “waterfall.”  They are safe for kids, and large and deep enough to satisfy the aquatic yearnings of any adult.  Most tourists don’t get to Hierve el Agua, probably because of the distance, but in my book it’s a must for families with children, in particular if it’s done in conjunction with a couple of other stops en route.

Oaxaca relies solely on tourism for its existence, and accordingly accommodations which claim to welcome children should bend over to provide families with “the little things” such as a stroller, crib with accessories, car seat, highchair for use in their dining room, and a reference for a reliable babysitter who can come to the hotel while you’re out for an evening.  At the time Hotel San Felipe provided babysitting when our daughter was pre-teen.  If you search in earnest you should be able to find smaller hotels and guest houses similarly accommodating.  If your child can read and the babysitter has only a limited grasp of English, give your child a series of phonetically prepared questions and suggestions [tén go ám bray (I’m hungry);  key árrow na dár (I want to go swimming)]. If your child is too young, the niñera should have the experience to determine any pressing issues. All lodgings should have an English-speaking doctor on call in the unlikely event of illness.

Two child-friendly tour routes

1)  Hierve el Agua:

The promise of Hierve el Agua at the end of one of the two main tour routes is the best possible means by which to keep children in check during the first half of this day trip.  On the return to Oaxaca from this site they’ll be sleeping in the back of the car or van, no doubt having been exposed to too much sun and water activity.

Your morning begins with a stop at el Tule, the massive 2000 year old Cyprus tree.  Make sure you get a child tour guide dressed in a Robin Hood suit to show you the innumerable images in the trunk, with the aid of a mirror.  Encourage your children to trade words in English and Spanish with the little Hoodettes.  A key to holding the interest of young children is to give them the opportunity to interact with others of similar ages…and it provides a good lesson in cultural diversity.

At Teotitlán del Valle, the rug village, ask your guide to take you to where you can have a demonstration where the weavers’ children and grandchildren will be present.  Your kids will be able to play, touch the raw wool, try spinning it, and even get their hands wet and dyed in large vats of natural vegetable material used in the process of coloring the spun wool.  While you’re searching for a floor covering or wall hanging, let the kids look for a piece with fanciful imagery suitable for their bedroom, or a mini-rug (i.e. woolen coaster) with a fanciful design.  They’ll spend as much time choosing as will you.  Our daughter grew up with periodic visits to Casa Santiago.  It seemed like as Sarah got older, there were always two or three Santiago children or grandchildren on hand to occupy her time and keep her in tow.  One of the Santiago relatives offers an afternoon weaving course, suitable for children eight years of age and older, where children can both learn and make their own small carpet or wall hanging.

If you travel the route on a Sunday, there’s no better place to keep the kids in awe than at the Tlacolula market…the colors, array of sale items, sweets, live turkeys, music, hawkers, and the handicraft market.  It takes at least an hour and a half to get through the market, so the promise of a dishful of ice cream (actually a healthier sorbet referred to as nieve) while in the marketplace does the trick.  One area has several stationary parlors where you can sit and enjoy a cone or plate of one of several tropical fruit flavours.

The two main ruins along this route are Yagul and Mitla, the latter more grandiose and famous.  Each has excavated burial chambers to intrigue the most youthful of Tomb Raider.  Since it’s unreasonable to expect children to go to two ruins in one day, regardless of the parenting tactics employed, I would opt for Yagul.  It has two tombs which can be descended by all.  There’s a labyrinth in which the kids can run around and get temporarily lost.  Children tend to enjoy climbing the steep mountain pass leading to a fortress.  At the top there’s what archaeologists claim is a bathtub hewn out of stone in which the kids will enjoy sitting. Finally, the site should be of interest to all adults, with its pre-Hispanic ball court and vista of the valley from the pinnacle of the fortress.  It might be blasphemous to even suggest, but thinking of young children in particular, why not save Mitla for another trip.  After all, you’re probably going to schlep them to Monte Albán, the granddaddy of the region’s ruins.

Unless you forego some the sites already noted, you probably won’t have time to visit the zoo along this highway, nor should you feel compelled to do so.  The kids can always go to the zoo back home.

Regardless of which of the two roadways you take to get to Hierve el Agua, your final destination, you’ll pass goats, sheep and/or cattle being herded either at the side the road or right in front of you dictating that you yield to the flocks.  Stop and encourage the kids to get out with you.  Ask if it’s safe to hop on the back of one of the beasts or at least stand alongside for the photo op.

There are reliable restaurants both en route to Hierve el Agua (i.e. Doña Chica at Mitla, and  roadside El Tigre at the cutoff to San Lorenzo Albarradas) as well as at the site, but if you tend to be extra cautious with the children, there are benches at the pools where you can eat your own picnic lunch.  Alternatively you can relax and munch away while sitting on the rock outcroppings.

The more you permit your kids to swim, the greater your assurance that the ride back to the city will be peaceful, relaxing, and above all quiet.

2)  Crafts and more crafts:

San Bartolo Coyotepec provides an extremely appealing beginning to another full day of touring.  At one of the many workshops, watch a demonstration of the ancient craft of making fine black pottery without the use of a wheel or modern tools.  This artistry should hold the attention of children of all ages.  However, for further  assurance ask your guide to take you to a studio such as Doña Rosa, where Maestro Don Valente permits children to go off to a table close to the demonstration and  work with  the very same clay.  While the children are dirtying their hands while molding, you’ll be learning how to fashion a bowl out of freshly mined clay, water, heat, and little more.  Browse the showroom and select from a broad array of both sleek and modern, and traditional pieces, while the kids look for ceramic forms of their favorite animals.

In nearby San Martín Tilcajete, some of the workshops producing carved and brilliantly painted wooden animals permit you to make advance arrangements for your children to select and then paint the animal of their choice, with guidance from one of the facility owners.  Once again there will likely be an opportunity for the children to chase after and pet animals and play with kids of their own age.

For lunch, try Azucena Zapoteca, on the highway at the entrance to San Martín Tilcajete.  The food is good, traditional and safe, and the grounds are spacious and include a swing set to occupy your children, within your site range, while you dine.

The village of Santo Tomás Jalieza is known for production of cotton table runners, placemats, napkins, belts and purses using the primitive back strap loom, and bedspreads and tablecloths using much larger machinery.  One of the cultural experiences for children in this setting will be noticing how their counterparts from about 10 years of age  help with the family trade and its financial sustenance.

At Ocotlán you’ll drop by the homes of the Aguilar sisters, who fashion clay painted figures with scenes representative of markeplaces, religious imagery, comedic love depictions and colorful fiestas. At least one of the workshops generally has a quantity of unpainted figures on which each child can express his own creativity.

Finally, a couple of minutes down the road your family will have an opportunity to witness Ängel Aguilar hand-forge knives and cutlery using only recycled metals in a rudimentary hearth.  The setting is fascinating, primitive, and safe for the kids. In only a few minutes, right before your eyes, Ängel can engrave your child’s name and a fanciful drawing on a souvenir knife with a 1 inch blade and leather sheath, and more importantly the inscription can be whatever your child selects.

If you follow this itinerary on Friday, you’ll have an opportunity to wander through the Ocotlán market, similar to the Sunday Tlacolula market, though smaller.

Each of these two routes has additional stops, but this particular selection highlights sites which maximize experiences which your children will recall for a lifetime.

And don’t forget the city



Throughout the year there numerous local and international celebrations, with color and pageantry, song and dance, some specifically designed with a youthful audience in mind.  The website http://www.oaxacacalendar.com should be consulted just before leaving for your trip.  In addition to listing weekly events such as where and when the mariachis and the state band of Oaxaca can be heard, as well as particulars of a number of museums and galleries, it details specific upcoming fiestas and performances, when the Guerreros baseball team will be playing (a treat for sports enthusiasts of all ages), fireworks displays and most major upcoming events.

A Saturday morning bilingual hour for children is held at the Oaxaca Lending library ( http://www.oaxlibrary.com ).  The library sometimes sponsors additional programs for children. From mid-July to mid-August there is a summer camp offered in San Felipe for kids of all ages, and seasonally there are courses and similar offerings through the Textile Museum.  Art and music classes are also available.

Many of the Spanish language schools have a specific curriculum for kids, so if you’re contemplating brushing up on your Spanish, there’s no need to worry about how the children’s morning time will be occupied.  Casa de La Cultura also offers courses for children.  Finally, there are a number of charitable organizations where foreign youth are given an opportunity to assist disadvantaged or struggling local children.

Speak to your tour guide or hotel manager for more specific suggestions geared to children of particular ages and passions.  Youths with a strong interest in the fine arts might be thrilled to visit workshops of a couple of local artists, or perhaps go on an alternate tour out of the city which takes in the studio of a sculptor, a hand-made artistic paper factory, and the Center for The Arts housed in a 19th century mill.  For those who have been sensitized to environmental issues or who have been exposed to camping and the outdoors, the family can spend a couple of days in a rustic mountain setting in the Sierra Norte…hiking, biking, horseback riding, and learning about how particular industries in the state are making inroads in terms of environmentally friendly production.

The options are innumerable.  It’s simply a matter of doing a bit of homework, asking, and then committing yourself to a vacation dedicated in large part to your children.  The inevitable rewards will include your own memories of the region’s richness and cultural diversity, and a greater appreciation of the magic of Oaxaca.

With thousands of different programs, books and CD’s available, it is getting harder and harder to choose the most effective and easy method to teach your child preschool Spanish. Children are easily able to absorb materials when they are at a young age, so it is important to start teaching your child a different language as soon as possible.

In fact, studies have shown that if parents want their children to learn a foreign language, they need to start with lessons before they child has mastered English. When children are young, they are able to absorb information at a faster rate. That is why teaching them a foreign language before they can even read can be incredibly helpful.

If you are interested in teaching your child to be bilingual starting at a young age, there are many things to search for. First, you need to find a program that will be fun. Teaching children should not be boring. Children do not want to sit around and read words all day. This should not be a boot camp. Make sure to find a program that incorporates games and activities. When children enjoy learning, they are more apt to pay attention to the information.

Also, make sure to search for a preschool Spanish program that is easily accessible and cheap. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a program, when it simply does not cost that much to teach a language to your children. There are many programs that do not cost much at all, but still supply valuable tools to the children. Cost should always be taken into consideration before selecting a program.

It is also important to select a program that teaches kids in a way that they are able to learn. When kids are young, they are still learning different things. Some programs incorporate that learning into teaching them another language. When preschool Spanish programs do that, it is much more effective. Kids can learn a lot of information if it is taught to them in a manner they can grasp.

It is also important that the parents are also able to grasp the lessons. Even if the parents are not bilingual, the lessons should be given in a way that parents who only speak English are still able to teach them.

The program should also be easily accessible. There are many programs that are offered online. When people pick an online program, they do not have to wait for things to come in the mail, and they do not have to go to the store to purchase other supplies. It is a much more cost effective way to learn. Also, materials can be transmitted directly to the user, so they can also get started sooner.

Our Spanish Lesson Plans Online offers all of these things to users. Their learning style is fun for kids and adults alike. Their preschool Spanish program is incredibly affordable. It teaches kids in a way that is easy for them to learn, and it is offered online. For more information, visit them online at http://www.ourspanishlessonplansonline.com.

Everyone knows that the best way to learn any new language is to immerse yourself in the language and culture. If that is not possible for you in your situation and you do want to learn to speak Spanish there are other routes you can take. One of these is through a free home study course available online. You can stay at home and continue to work while you study at your own pace. Although you do have to learn Spanish verbs and how to form sentences, you do need to have a good command of Spanish vocabulary of you hope to speak the language fluently.

Depending on your reasons for learning Spanish, there may be specialized vocabulary that you need to learn. You do have to realize that in order to carry on a conversation you will need to know other words as well. For this reason you could divide the vocabulary into themes and learn words for each theme that will eventually cover all the basics. Some of these themes could be:

- Seasonal words: This includes the vocabulary for special events, such as Christmas, Easter and holidays. Christmas Eve in Spanish is ochebuena?and Christmas present is egalo de navidad?

- Weather: Talking about the weather is one way to have a casual conversation with anyone.

- The Parts of the Body: This includes vocabulary that describes one physical appearance.

- Food: When you dine in a restaurant it is important to be able to read the menu and order your meal.

- Adjectives: You need to learn the vocabulary to help you describe a person, a location or an event.

By listening to native Spanish speakers as they read passages that you see on your computer screen, you will easily pick up the vocabulary and its proper placement in a sentence. There are many different types of games that can help you learn the vocabulary as well. While adults may think learning through games and songs is silly, it is the way native Spanish speaking children gain mastery of the language. For example, when you play a game in which the cards have a picture of the word and the Spanish word printed beneath, you will see how easy it is to remember the word. One of these games is a memory game with cards spread out face down. You turn over one card and then try to find its match in the rest of the cards.

Watching children educational programs in Spanish is another easy way for adults and children to pick up vocabulary words. If you use close captioning while you watch so that the words that come up on the screen are in English or in your native language, you will be able to understand what the characters on the program are saying.

For those wishing to learn some simple words in Spanish that they can use to help them get around easily when they visit a Spanish speaking country, there are phrase books available at bookstores with the most popular words translated from English. Pick up one of these books and take it with you so that you can refer to it whenever you need.

As anyone who has learned another language, other than their native tongue will tell you, attaining a level of fluency can be difficult indeed. Of course, the older you get the harder it becomes. Children who are brought up in bilingual homes think nothing of speaking several languages. And when language is taught in school, smaller children literally absorb the lessons; language comes easier for children than it does for adults who often need a multitude of supplemental tools in order to help them with the transition. Because Spanish is one of the most popular languages to be learned in the modern world, many adults look to find easier ways to seek fluency; and if not fluency, then just the fundamentals.. Luckily, in today’s technologically advanced world, there are a variety of tools that consumers can use to learn basic Spanish.

First and foremost, there still exists the bevy of printed material designed to help you learn basic Spanish. These include dictionaries that translate a word from English into Spanish and vice versa. Most are pocket-sized and can be carried with you to a Spanish speaking country where you use it when necessary. There are also a variety of word books that help you learn fundamentals very easily with the help of pictures and quiz cards.

But the modern day equivalent of these learning tools is of course the CD and DVD. CDs are quite convenient as they can be popped into your CD player while you are in the car, walking the dog, shopping, or doing any variety of activities. Most people find the audio to be quite helpful in their quest to learn basic Spanish, as it is helpful to hear how the word is pronounced.

DVDs offer classroom-like instruction in the comfort of your own home. Lessons are taught to learn basic Spanish through an instructor and a number of tools that would ordinarily be used in the classroom. DVDs are helpful because you can simply watch them over and over again to absorb lessons at your own pace.

But perhaps the greatest technological advancement to learn basic Spanish is the electronic devices that you can now carry that help you translate on the spot. These devices include an audio dictionary. So if you type a word in English it will say it back to you in Spanish. This can be enormously helpful in those situations where you are stuck. Consumers who are not quiet confident in their Spanish speaking abilities find these devices to be their most important tool when visiting Spanish speaking countries.

There are a few tips you can follow if you are planning on teaching your child to speak and learn the Spanish language. The key if to be persistent when teaching so they get used to having this information presented to them.

Teaching a child is better done when they are at a young age. Even teaching them as early as two years old. Children at this age have the ability to retain a lot more information than we give them credit for. Just as they learn English, a child at this age can pick up on other language as well.

Simple is better. Don’t start out a lesson plan with difficult words or phrases. Ease into the teaching them with small words such as cat or color words like red. If they have already learned these words in English, it will be easier for them to translate it into Spanish. Graphical flashcards are a great way to enforce this learning technique. A picture of a cat, with the Spanish word on the back will help them to correlate the picture with the word.

Speaking the language as part of you everyday routine will help ingrain the language into your child’s brain. If they hear you referring to something in Spanish, they will pick up on that and learn the word you are referring to in turn.

Purchase learning tools or go online to the various websites that cater to young children learning a language. The more interactive the site, the better. If the site engages the child in games and activities while teaching the language they will be more likely to stay interested and want to learn more.

Label the items around your house that you child uses on a daily basis with the Spanish word for the item. Using post-it notes, write the Spanish word and place it on or near every day items like the refrigerator, doors, cabinets, etc.

The more a child is exposed to the language on a day to day basis, the more they will be able to quickly pick up the language but will also grasp the meaning behind the words. Take is slow and then be amazed at how quickly they learn Spanish.

Every winter, in the midst of bleak weather conditions, the dream of starting a new life in Spain becomes a major topic of conversation for many UK residents. Conversely, the subject is again highlighted when summer holidays are taken in the warm, embracing climate offered by Spain. However, while uprooting the family and moving to Spain can be an exciting and stimulating change, it might not all be plain sailing. It takes determination and commitment to ensure the whole family put down roots in their new surroundings, while concerns about children adapting to a new lifestyle can undermine the move.

Selecting the right location for your home in Spain plays a major part in the early assimilation of the adopted homeland, but the selection process can be a long and sometimes difficult task. After researching such factors as area, locality, shopping and leisure facilities, environment, culture and particularly schools, it is an excellent idea to make a couple of research visits to your chosen area. Once you have settled on the right location, the first stage of the move culminates in a For Sale sign being erected at your home, whilst simultaneously securing a property in Spain. Packing containers with your belongings, paying the final bills and saying adios to friends and family leads to the purchase of one-way ticket. While the desire, drive and eventually the decision to adopt a new life in Spain is taken by parents, children generally readily accept the change.

Difficulty adapting to a new Spanish home can be overcome in the initial phase by familiar home comforts; simple pleasures like home cooked food and satellite TV assist the settling down process. Furthermore, any concerns about the quality of schools can be quickly discounted, as many schools are new, and all have excellent facilities and teaching standards are high. Entry to schools is straightforward for all EU citizens and where sizeable ex-pat communities reside, schools provide initial language learning to facilitate early integration.

Pre-school children adapt quickly to their new surroundings, whilst those of primary school age willingly mix with children of different nationalities and soon learn to join in playground games. Young children have an innate ability to mimic; this helps with the starter stage of language learning and their confidence grows very quickly so they simply absorb the Spanish language and adopt Spanish mannerisms. However, older children might initially find the change difficult and parental encouragement is important in the early weeks and months.

Home sickness and missing friends come to the forefront when the smallest thing goes wrong. The phrase “why did we come here?” is often heard in the early days, but presenting a loving, close family unit helps to dispel children’s concerns; prompting them to slot easily into the different climate and routines, while the new sensation of flexibility and freedom soon overcomes such reservations and integration soon moves at a rapid pace.

For all ages, the year round warmer climate and longer days allows children to engage in outdoor activities such as tennis, golf, basketball and swimming – especially when they can enjoy the healthy benefits in a safe environment. Joining the family on outings means the TV can remain switched off; computer games gather dust and soon become outdated, while every weekend, leisure trips can bring a new adventure; be it to the beach, inland towns or mountain walks. The senses are stimulated by new experiences and these pleasures become associated with the new area and country for parents and children alike.

If you are considering relocating to Spain, it is essential to research the move thoroughly, and choosing a knowledgeable and reliable Spanish property agent can help to alleviate the stresses associated with relocation to Spain. Ultimately, taking that huge step and relocating to Spain can ensure your children’s happiness and wellbeing. Before long they will become both multi-lingual and multi-cultural, and both they and you will quickly come to refer to Spain as home.

Andrew Regan is a freelance online journalist.

If you’ve ever heard that children can pick up a new language faster and easier than adults, forget it. This is a common misconception. In fact, scientific research has proven that the most difficult learning task for children and adults alike may be the attempt to acquire second language proficiency in school environments.

In fact, even more distressing is that research has shown that less than 5% of students studying a foreign language are able to endure the stressful nature of formal school training to continue studying the language for more than two years (Asher, 1982).

It is simply not true that young children learn a new language more easily and quickly than adults, however, children are exposed to a more brain-compatible learning environment for learning a language than adults are in schools. This is the reason why they learn languages faster.

Research has shown that it typically takes approximately 2 to 3 months of study at the foreign service institute for an adult to become proficient in a foreign language. Knowing that this is possible sparked me on my mission to create an interactive Spanish learning package that could allow regular people, like you, to speak Spanish confidently and naturally in less than 2 months!

If you want to…

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My Rocket Spanish Premium package will help you achieve your goals in a simple and easy way. I am sure that you’ll even amaze yourself! I know from the Spanish courses that I have taught, that many foreign language students have difficulty learning, especially with textbooks that are monotonous and repetitious, overblown with grammar rules and lists of meaningless words. That’s why I’ve created Rocket Spanish Premium: The Ultimate Learn-Spanish Kit! It’s simple to understand, clear and easy to use.

As well as that, I put together the Rocket Spanish Premium package because I was fed up with the quality and price of the “learn-Spanish” material on the market that are churned out by popular labels, so I decided that I wanted to make it as easy as possible for anyone to learn and improve their Spanish.

It doesn’t matter what level you are currently at (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), Rocket Spanish Premium is packed full of quality step-by-step audio lessons, over 400 pages of written lessons, games and other resources to rapidly advance your learning no matter what your level.

After all, learning to speak another language is a lot like learning to play an instrument. If you were learning the guitar for instance, the best way to improve your playing would be to imitate and play in time with professional guitar players. The same is true with learning Spanish. You need to listen to and speak lots of Spanish words and phrases from native Spanish speakers, to really power-up your Spanish learning and fluency.

To help you do this, Rocket Spanish Premium contains over 14 hours of interactive audio lessons (our Interactive Audio Course), taking you on a journey from beginner to advanced in your Spanish speaking. That includes over 550 pages, 400 interactive exercises, and my hugely popular software learning games.

You might be starting with the simple stuff like “Hola” and “muy bien” but before you know it you will be understanding and speaking como una persona nativa (like a native speaker)!

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Barcelona has got to be one of the favourite Spanish destinations for travellers from the world over. Children also tend to choose this charming city as their favourite place when they get older. If you want to enjoy one of the best family holidays ever, a

quaint city such as Barcelona has a fantastic choice for both parents and children. Also, you will appreciate that Barcelona has an ideal climate all year round, with mild temperatures in winter and warmer temperatures in summer. This is great because children can go to the parks and to the beaches throughout the year which is a bonus.

Travelling with children nowadays is not a problem. In fact it is quite the opposite! Children will not have time to get bored and both you the parents along with your children will enjoy the city as a whole family. In addition to the many things to see and do, Barcelona has some fine beaches and mountain ranges. Can there be any other reason why you need to bring your children to Barcelona? You will all have a wonderful time!

One of the best ways to start the day and get the ball rolling is a visit to Poble Espanyol, where the children can have fun while they discover the streets and the plazas all over Spain. Poble Espanyol is a place where some of the most enchanting buildings and monuments from around Spain are reproduced. Its narrow streets also hide a whole world full of life: small shops, interesting museums, workshops, restaurants and even greenery reserved for playing on.

After touring around the different parts of Spain without even leaving Barcelona, our next stop would be to take the children to the Aquàrium. There you can take a walk under a 80 metre glass tunnel to see the sharks being fed. This particular Aquarium is one of the largest in the world: it holds around 11,000 animals from 450 different marine species. Recently a section for the Humboldt penguins aka Peruvian Penguin, or Patranca has been open. In addition, the children might like to play in Explora which is an interactive leisure and educational section of the Aquarium, with more than 50 interactive things to touch, look at, listen to, investigate and discover nature with. This can be a wonderful experience for both children and adults alike!

And talking about animals – the next stop should definitely be the Zoo. Barcelona’s Zoo is one of the oldest in Spain. It was inaugurated in 1940. Unfortunately, the main attraction of the zoo, Copito de Nieve – a beautiful and unique albino gorilla died in 2004, but there are many other animals to be enjoyed such as the dolphins, the lions, the tigers and many more.

The Zoo is located in one of the most beautiful and charming parks in Barcelona, The Ciutadella. It is one of the largest open spaces in the city and a must for both you and your children. Walking among its many avenues and gardens is a real joy. Inside the park, there is a lake where children can sail in a small boat. After, you can visit the Geology and the Zoology Museums in the park, too.

After strolling lazily around The Ciutadella Park, why not take your children to the Imax Cinema. It is a large-format cinema located in Port Vell – not too far from the park. Projections take place on a special 600 square metre screen. You will also need to wear the special 3D glasses so you can fully experience the magic of an Imax cinema.

Do you want your children to have a culturally refreshing afternoon? If so, why not take them to Cosmocaixa. This is the Science Museum in Barcelona. Visitors are invited to interact and participate with the many scientific experiments. This is a firm favourite with many schools in Barcelona and just makes the whole experience richer and more entertaining, particularly for the young ones.

The Camp Nou is a must especially if you are a football fan. The Camp Nou Tour is the best way to experience Barcelona F.C from the inside. This tour takes you through the past and present of an emblematic stadium and includes a visit to the Barcelona F.C Museum. The array of silverware on display is literally mind boggling!

If you and your children are lovers of amusement parks then you need to take at least a day trip. You can go to the Tibidabo Park, a beautiful and charming theme park, which has the most stunning views of the city. The theme park has around 100 years of history and the goal of Tibidabo Amusement Park is to ensure that your expectations are exceeded. If you are feeling more adventurous you can travel down to Port Aventura. It is located in Tarragona which is outside Barcelona and an hour and a half by car will get you there. It is a theme park full of action-packed adventures from the four corners of the globe: the Far West, Imperial China, Exotic Polynesia, Aztec Mexico and the laid back Mediterrania.

Finally, you and your children have to go to Las Ramblas, the most famous street in Barcelona. It starts at Plaza Catalunya and goes all the way up to the statue of Columbus. Your children will surely have a great time there looking at the newspaper stands with their many souvenirs, the flower and animal stalls, and all sorts of street artists that paint themselves and appear to be statues – great fun.

Travel to Barcelona with your children and rent an apartment in Barcelona – it is a lot cheaper than a hotel and you will enjoy more privacy and freedom and making both you and your children feel at home in this enchanting city.

Want to get your kid to learn Spanish? Spanish is a very useful language to learn, and you could be giving your child significant advantages in later life by helping them learn it now. Spanish is the native language in 28 different countries, and all around the world over 330 million people are Spanish speakers. The world will only get smaller as communications get better, so follow these tips to help your child get a leg up and learn Spanish now…

Help Your Kid Learn Spanish-Tip 1

Open their eyes to different cultures. There are obviously different ways of doing this depending on the age of your children, but a good way to start is to introduce them to some different styles of food etc. Take them to Spanish restaurants, maybe even rent them some Spanish movies. Kids have an ability to learn which far outstrips us grown ups, and you can take advantage of that by being diverse with them in ways like this.

Help Your Kid Learn Spanish-Tip 2

Get them some courses. There are lots of modern Spanish courses which are great at teaching kids. Some of them have multimedia which can be used on their computers and even DVDs to watch. These things can be a tremendous advantage, but it’s important to give the learning some kind of structure. It will come much easier to the child if you can turn the studying into some kind of habit or routine.

Help Your Kid Learn Spanish-Tip 3

Choose a course which includes MP3s. Love them or hate them, it seems like MP3 players are here to stay. What better way to help your child learn Spanish than to put their tuition MP3s onto their Ipod so they can listen to them when they would normally be bored in the back of the car or something like that. Utilising “dead” time like that can boost anyone’s learning of anything.

Help Your Kid Learn Spanish-Tip 4

Don’t force them! There is nothing worse than being forced into something as a child and growing to hate it as an adult! This will surely put a stop to any advantages your child may have developed from learning to speak two languages, as if you force them into doing it it’s not really something they will do in later life by choice is it?

Helping your kid learn Spanish, or any other language can be a very narrow tightrope to walk. As an adult it’s tempting to force them into it as it’s what you believe is best, but this can be the wrong approach to anything regarding your children. Hopefully these tips will help you help them in a positive way. For more information about learning Spanish, check out the links below.

Get your copy of our Spanish colors lesson plan at Discovering Spanish with Children

For generations, the words ‘educational toys’ have caused children everywhere to step back with a disapprovingly raised eyebrow and the firm belief that such toys can’t possibly be fun. Luckily, finding good kids’ toys that pull double duty to be both fun and educational isn’t nearly as hard as it used to be. With all the creative and innovative learning toys out there, learning can easily be just as fun as playtime.


Classics kids’ toys like card matching and flashcard games help teach young children skills like color and shape recognition and even phonics as they help improve memory skills. Magnetic letters can provide hours of play while teaching the alphabet and, with a little creativity, can last for years.

For those kids just learning to read, there is a wealth of fun Leapfrog and other book based kids’ toys that create an interactive experience with a kid’s favorite books and characters. Besides the obvious introductory reading skills, these kids’ toys can instill a love of books in kids as young as 2 and help prepare them for future reading.



For the picky 5 and up crowd, toy personal computers and electronic games are a must. With a variety of games and levels of difficulty, these learning toys can last years and teach basic math skills and spelling in fun and exciting ways.


Science kits are another great way to teach kids about the world around them. They inspire creativity and critical thinking skills that are sure to come in handy later.


Good educational toys do more than just teach a certain set of skills; they can help foster a love of learning that will follow a child through school and to adulthood.

http://www.onlinejer.com/Category/Education/149

LeapFrog TAG Reader – Available in Green or Pink