Friday, June 29, 2012

Guest Blogger Week: La Bolsa Magica (The Magic Bag)



Jennifer Manriquez, founder of The Bilingual Fun Company, has written a post for us today about a game she calls "La Bolsa Mágica". Sounds like one I am definitely going to have to try!


 La Bolsa Mágica

This is a fun, interactive guessing game that may be easily incorporated into your daily routine or tailor it for specific themes.  The objective of this activity is to encourage language production and vocabulary development.  Kids absolutely love the guessing aspect and the anticipation of seeing what is in the bag.  This activity is easily adapted for either English or Spanish.


1. Find a sparkly holiday gift bag.  The more sparkles, the better!  This will serve as your ‘ bolsa mágica”.
2. Choose a theme for the week, so that children can make connections each day.  For example:  los colores, los números, la comida, los juguetes, etc.
3.  Teach your children the magic words/ Las palabras mágicas.  This is a very important aspect of the activity because it encourages their fluency by repeating it together.  You may invent your own or use:  Abracadabra, patas de cabra, ¿qué hay en la bolsa?…. Dímelo tú!
4.  Then have children help you  throw ‘ la magia’ poof!  
5.  Ask kids to guess what is in the bag.  This is a great opportunity to illicit conversation and fluency.  Make guesses, give clues, descriptions, hints, etc. 
6. Reveal what is in the bag and encourage production by talking about the item, pass item around the room, use it as a writing prompt, make connections using the item, etc.

 

Ideas for La Bolsa Mágica:

The ideas are endless!  Choose small toys such as cars, doll house figurines, action heroes, bouncy balls, crayons , plastic food or real food items, number flashcards. Tailor it for the holidays with items such as candy canes, ornaments, gingerbread men, snowflakes made of paper, figures from a manger scene, etc.  Have fun and be creative!

Make this a daily activity with your children or students and it will quickly become an anticipated favorite!                                                                               

Contributed by Jennifer Manriquez, founder of The Bilingual Fun Company.  As a bilingual educator of many and a parent of 2 young children who are being raised in a bilingual household, she has created an award winning, nationally recognized language program. The Bilingual Fun Company offers interactive language classes and educational products for young children.
*Join Bilingual Fun on Facebook for tips, lessons, resources and more! http://bilingualfun.com


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