Bilingual and/or Multi-Cultural Character's Free Printable Round-Up!

It's Summer.  Our kids are bored, and unless you have a DVR you may be stuck watching that same Dora DVD for weeks at a time!!!  Thank goodness for the internet and YouTube and it's search function that let's us find older episodes, or at least partial ones, that aren't the same 6 from that last years Birthday gift disc!


I know that in my house my son has "friends" that live inside that TV and the "aputer" (Computer.  My son is 2.)  I have been so blessed that he is still into the "good guys", Dora, Maya & Miguel, Handy Manny, The Backyardigans, and Pocoyo.  He never really watches an entire episode, but if he can't hear to know that it's still on...you know, in case he wants to go back to it!  I have hand picked these, and several others to be his "Go-to" shows.  These are some of my top pics for my multi-cultured, bi-lingual child.  We watch these (on the television) on several different channels, but my channels aren't likely to be yours, I will make a list of the big name companies that own the rights to these and that should make them easier for you to look up in your local, or providers listings directly under the characters photo's below along with the show name.

I am getting side tracked! :)  (It happens to me a lot!...Look, butterfly!...happened again!)

Okay, the theme of this post is to list some printable activities that include some of the most favorited characters in my house and what I assume to be big hits is all of our great Spanish-English community.  So that for those times when your little can't be "with" Handy Manny, he/she can still be playing with them!  (My son is learning the art of scribbling...coloring is play!)

Okay, so just find the picture of the character(s) below and click on the name/line below it and it should take you to a magical place (or website) that will allow you to print out coloring pages for free of that character and/or parts from popular episodes!  (NOTE: many of these pages will have links to other characters/shows, and/or activities if you want to poke around, have fun it...I did!)

Nick Jr.: Dora the Explorer

PBS: Maya & Miguel

Disney: Handy Manny

Nickelodeon: BACKYARDIGANS

PBS: Pocoyo

I know that this is not a complete list of anyone's fav.s but it's a good start and all of these characters are important to me for their multi-cultural properties as well as just good, clean, learning fun!  

I hope that this has been helpful to you, and as much fun for you and your little ones as it was for me and my little guy to look them up...and test their links! ;)  (Dinky is stocked with color pages now!)

God bless!

-Stephanie Corchado-C.

More Free Bilingual Signs For The Public (Fire and Tornado Safety)

Recently I was inside small business close to where I live. I saw something that really got my attention.  There were two hand drawn signs.  One was for showing where the fire extinguisher was.  (I have said before that we have a large Hispanic population where I live in my small Kentucky ((USA)) town, yes?)  This sign consist of one large arrow and the words in both English and Spanish for "FIRE EXTINGUISHER".  I also saw a sign while I was inside the small hallway that lead to the restrooms (and some other unknown-to-me room...maybe a storage room?) and this sign had a swirly mark and read, "TORNADO SHELTER/TORNADO REFUGIO".

Funny enough, this is not a place that I have noticed having a lot of "Spanish speaking" customers.  

I was happy to see that the owner/operators cared enough to mark safety items/places in both languages especially considering that the need didn't seem that great.

I asked the lady at the register why they needed those signs in both languages (I just wanted to hear what she had to say.)  She told me, "We think that safety comes first!  I don't care what language you speak if you can help put out a fire, or if you need to get to away from a tornado!" She was quite excited about it and almost seemed offended that I had even asked!  I liked that!  She then went on to tell me (still quite excitedly) that even if someone chose not to follow the signs to the shelter area, at least they would know to get out of the way!  And that no one wanted to burned alive!  

At this point I smiled, agreed with her and thanked her (and the owner through her) for their thoughtfulness and told her that I had never seen this kind of all inclusive community positiveness around here!  Being from a bi-lingual family and having friends and loved ones (related or not) that may possibly need to be in on the emergency stuffs, and just on the chance that these signs might be needed...they posted them, they now have a shopper for life in me!  Way to go small business!!!  (After this is posted I will invite the store owner/operator that inspired this post to read this and if they chose to be named I will gladly post their name, for they are pioneers around these parts!!!)

I then wanted to see about printing off some nice clear copies and laminating them up for these folks and making up a few more to offer for free around town (at least the fire extinguisher ones, not every place has a tornado shelter.)  I went first to the good old internet for some free copy.  I am thoughtful, but cheap!  What did I find that I could download and/or print for free in these two categories?  NOTHING.

Not surprised, I have been there before as some of my older post show.  And if I can't find...I create it!  And I can not in good conscience not offer this up for free!  I have this site and it needs to serve a purpose.  So, in the art of paying it forward (the Lord is good to me and has blessed me with a time and tools to create what would help me and mine....I shall in return share these things with you and yours!)  :)  If these free printable signs help save ONE person....just one, then they have served their purpose! And who knows?  It may just start a wave that gets others attentions, and they might just post their own signs, hence maybe saving MORE lives!

Without further ado, I am listing these two bi-lingual signs that I created below.  Just click the links below the pictures and they will direct you to the printable versions.  These can also be downloaded for future use.  

EXTINGUISHER SIGN

TORNADO SHELTER SIGN

Remember, just by printing and hanging these, even if the chances that they may be needed are small you may still help save a life...maybe even your own!  :D

NOTE: Laminating is not necessary, but will help to keep these signs clean, readable and protected, as well as making them safe to hang outside if need be! :)

Feel free to share this on Facebook or Pin it, or just spread around their availability by word of mouth!  Safety First! :)   (And you can't beat the price!)

Thank you.

We Have Been Remodeled! Come See The New Face Of LIFE IN ENGSPANOL!

I had to take a break for a  while, but I am back.  And like my life needed a little reworking to make it right, so did the site! :)

We (it's only me, but it just looks less sad to write "we") here at Life In Engspanol felt the need to change up the place a  little.  Make it easier and faster to load, and hopefully with a little less distraction from the background.  

Remove the tape, cut the rope, we are re-opened!!!

Know that I will be actively posting again.  I will be sharing as well as creating more bilingual goodies to help with day-to-day life and will go back to using this as my venting place.  All back to normal..right? :)

Thanks to those of you who continued to visit through my time away, and just know that the best of ENGSPANOL is yet to come! 

-Stephanie Corchado-C.

Mixed Cultured Thanksgiving : "Thanks To Our Savior, Christ the King Day"

Okay folks.  I keep seeing what are probably the ugliest (possible) truths about any (USA) holiday ever since Columbus Day!  These truths are about Thanksgiving.  I was not there at the first Thanksgiving, I am not sure what really happened.  But the tradition of Thanksgiving day at my house has always been a day of giving thanks, and recalling happy stories  (which may be a lie, I don't really know) of Pilgrims and Indians sharing turkey and deer, and corn on the cob...and eating and being thankful for healthy harvests, life and new friends, etc.

This tradition will still be celebrated in my home, at least the being thankful part, and eating!

My husband (who if you have read many of past posts you will know was born/raised in Mexico) who has been here for 17 years (and counting) is still not really sure why we have to pick ONE DAY a year to be grateful on, and just what is it that we are so grateful for on this ONE DAY anyway?!?

So, I thought about this.  I am grateful every day, but if there's a special day for it then that's cool with me.  Point blank, it's one SPECIAL day for showing our thanks.  And with a firm, "Because I said so." we are making progress.

One down.

Now, what am I so grateful for?  Simple enough.  Everything!

But I made a list:

My family is healthy. (Or healthy enough, there are many worse off than we, please pray for them with us.)

We have collectively two wonderful son's and two grandchildren who are bright and lovely and beautiful...etc. (I won't make you suffer my bragging rants!)

We are not without a roof, or a floor for that matter.  (I've had it much worse and there are those out in the cold or worse, please remember them in your prayers also.)

We are not hungry when we lay down at night.  (So very many are and again, we must remember to pray for them.)

Jesus is our savior, and our protector and our gateway to his/our Father!  (This should have been #1!)

...the list goes on and on.

He's still not getting it though.  We thank God for these things every day (as we should!)

Hold up!  There it is!

This is not a day for us about what happened years ago.  This is a special day for thanking the Lord for all that he provides us!  :)

It just so happens that in Mexico there is a holiday (the Sunday before Advent, which is also the Sunday before Thanksgiving here) called "Solemnidad de Cristo Rey" or in English, "Christ the King Day".

I am adding a link here so that you may learn more about this, and I strongly encourage you to Google it for even more information:  Celebrate Christ the King Day  It will open to a new page automatically and you can just toggle back here when you're done. :)

Okay, my hubby gets this.  This makes sense to him.  It's not something that his family celebrated, but it make sense!

Let's do this!

I am excited!

So, this year my family is celebrating what I am calling "Thanks To Our Savior, Christ the King Day", or in Spanish, "Gracias a nuestro Salvador, Cristo el Rey Día"!  We will be celebrating our day of thanks on the Sunday before Advent, just as they do in Central Mexico (for tradition and practicality) and we will gladly raise our hearts and voices in gratitude for all of the blessings that we are graced with throughout the entire year (and even the years before it and hopefully those to come!)

We cordially invite you to take part in this mixed-cultured giving of thanks with us in your homes!!

Let's get integrated!!! :)

Dates for 2014:
Thanksgiving (USA) Nov. 27
Solemnidad de Cristo Rey (Mex) Nov. 23

Date for 2015:
Thanksgiving (USA) Nov. 26
Solemnidad de Cristo Rey (Mex) Nov. 22

"Thank you" for stopping by! :)

PS. There is a button in the upper left hand corner that you can push to "Translate" this, (you may have to also click the language that you need) but this can be easily shared with loved ones that may not be able to read English.

Feliz Dia De Los Abuelos! Happy Grandparents Day!

Today is September 7, 2014 and it is National Grandparents Day!  Thank you to my grandparents for setting into motion the lives that later come together to make me...and thus to make my own child.

I am the product of a young marriage and a quick divorce not long afterwards, add in step-parents and BAM lots of grandparents for me! I want to thank them all!  For each and everyone of them, oven the ones that passed before I could know them.  For in one way or another they shaped my life.

THANKS GRANDPARENTS!


Hoy en día el 7 de septiembre de 2014 y el que se celebra el Día Nacional de los Abuelos! Gracias a mis abuelos para poner en movimiento la vida que más tarde se unen para hacerme ... y por lo tanto para hacer mi propio hijo. 

Soy el producto de un matrimonio joven y un divorcio rápido, no mucho tiempo después, añadir en padrastros y un montón de BAM de los abuelos para mí! Quiero dar las gracias a todos! Para todos y cada uno de ellos, el horno los que pasaron antes de que pudiera conocerlos. Porque en una forma u otra forma de mi vida. 

ABUELOS GRACIAS!



Here is a link to the Happy Grandparents Day (bilingual) that I had earlier posted...just in case you hadn't gotten around it it yet.  (We all get busy.)

Feliz Dia De Los Abuelos/Happy Grandparents Day Card

(Front of card shown above.)