Bilingual Babies: Learning New Languages is Fun and Easy For Tots

The best time for a child to learn a second language is when the child is learning to speak his/her own laguage--ages 6 months to 60 months. A new colorful video is fun way for whole family to learn. With the Hispanic population growing, our kids need to learn both English & Spanish.

Rick Hinds
             305/824-1231
             rick@funwithlanguages.com

TEACHING CHILDREN TO HAVE FUN WITH LANGUAGES"
Colorful New Videos Make Learning Second Language Easy and Entertaining

HIALEAH, FL (August 16, 2001) -- According to researchers, a babys brain is like a computer waiting to be programmed. With billions of neurological connections possible, experts suggest that a babys pliable brain, up to the age of five, offers certain advantages for learning a second, or even a third, language. The widest window of opportunity exists between the ages of six months and sixty months as the childs speaking and cognitive skills are beginning to develop.

To help parents and other caregivers effectively capture this window of opportunity, the Fun With Languages company has created an exciting new program combining entertaining, fast-paced videos and DVD with books and music designed to introduce young children to the wonderful world of bi-lingual expression.

The Fun With Languages Company is a Florida-based firm created by a talented bilingual family that includes Lizann Cruz-Hinds, Rick Hinds and Ynes Cruz.

The first series, Fun With Colors" has just been released. The video teaches simple words and phrases through exciting visuals supported by word repetitions that seamlessly integrate two languages. Puppets, young children, art, words and rhymes-- all underscored by a classical music sound track--are combined effectively in a learning tool that engages parents, and grandparents, as well as young children.

We saw our own children growing up in world thats becoming increasingly more bilingual" according to Lizann Cruz-Hinds, the companys president and co-founder. We also realized how easily our children were moving back and forth between English and Spanish, almost without thinking about it. We researched language recognition extensively and discovered that the perfect time for children to learn foreign languages is when they are first learning their own language. Introducing children to multiple languages at an early age gives them an important asset for the future, while actually enhancing their facility with their first language."

Ynes Cruz points out that from birth to the age of seven, children learn other languages in a natural way, without prejudice. Young children are not worried about how they are perceived by others. They arent inhibited about mispronouncing words in a foreign language because they are still learning new words in their native language. After thirty-five years in the Miami Dade County School System, Ive taught children from almost every language and cultural background," Mrs. Cruz adds, Ive concluded that the younger the child, the easier the child learns and accepts other languages simultaneously with his or her own. When children start young, they learn to speak a new language with the precision and nuance of a native speaker. They transition smoothly into the second language with no trace of their native accent, and all the right emphasis.

Fun With Colors" is currently available in English-Spanish, English-Portuguese and English-French, with more languages planned for the future.

Whether you are English-speaking and want to introduce your child to another language, or trying to teach your children-or yourself-English as a second language, our program is designed to make learning language exciting and fun," says Rick Hinds. Our philosophy is that as the United States becomes more richly diverse, with Hispanic, Asian and other ethnic groups growing in size, all of our children will be better prepared for the future if they learn to communicate with each other in more than one language now."

Fun with colors is launching its bilingual teaching tools just as the number of students with limited English skills are pressing the resources of school districts across the country.Waves of immigrants are washing into rural areas, far from traditional immigration hubs.

Recent data show a 100% increase in the number of non-English speaking students in US school-five million students at last count. Most are Hispanic.

The need for teachers of English as a second language is increasing rapidly in school districts in the South, Midwest and Northwest including Idaho, Nebraska, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. Hispanic populations have tripled in these areas since 1993.

Fun With Language" tapes and CDs can provide a vital head start for young immigrant children who need to learn English.

ABOUT FUN WITH LANGUAGES

Fun with Languages is a Florida-based, family-owned company that produces high-quality, entertaining educational videos, DVD, music CDs and books designed to help prepare children for the bilingual future. For more information or to order Fun With Languages products, contact Rick Hinds at P.O. Box 4546 Hialeah, Florida 33014. Phone: 305/824-1231 or visit online at www.funwithlanguages.com.

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