Day 152 - Toy and Book

Thought of the day: This morning I went to the Mandarin Playgroup with Lila.  She hadn't heard so much Mandarin since we left grandparents' house.  It takes a lot of effort for a child to learn and keep up with a second language.  As I last heard, in order for a child to become an active speaker of a language, she needs to be spoken to in that language exclusively for at least 20% of the time.  Considering the amount of time a child would often spend in a day care, preschool and such, 20% is a lot unless both parents speak the same second language at home.  In addition, a child absorbs a language better in a multimodal environment through activities like reading, playing games and interacting with adults and other children in that language. With the lack of a natural learning environment in a monolingual society, we as parents have to create one for them just like putting together a big puzzle.  The playgroup is an important piece in the puzzle and I'm glad that it's now in place.

Photo of the day:

Usually Jasmine would go the playgroup with us if she doesn't have school.  Unfortunately she was sick today so she had to stay home.  She snugged up on a couch much of the day with her favorite stuff animals and books.