Looking Toward 2023!!!

Another year has come and gone as we prepare to say goodbye to 2022. We here at HOLA continue to grow, evolve, and learn together as a community. We have loved teaching you and your children Spanish and watching everyone improve and learn more about the language with our lessons. Our instructors look forward to each class and are excited to continue to grow with you in 2023.

Vision Boards

At the end of the year or the beginning of a new year, we at HOLA sit down to visualize what we hope to achieve in the months ahead. We start by creating vision boards for ourselves. A vision board is typically made up of a collage of images that define the goals and dreams we have. Making vision boards allows us to attain self-awareness and reflect on what is important to us.

Making vision boards helps us envision what could be happenning in the future, increasing positive emotions and optimism. When we experience positive emotions, we can often create opportunities and increase our chances of success. Vision boards also help us sort out our priorities within our list of goals and the order we hope to achieve them.

Planning for the Year Ahead

Around this time of year, we start to think about what we want to do in the coming year professionally, in school, and for fun. There’s nothing wrong with looking forward to the future and planning for it as best we can. As you sit down to think about the coming year, think about the following to help organize your thoughts:

Choose a yearly goal (ie. graduate with honours, become fluent in a new language, take care of mental health)
Break down the year (ie. seasons, quarters, etc)
Lay out what steps need to be taken to carry out your plans
Make note of important dates and deadlines in each section of your year
Revisit your plan and adjust or add if needed as the year progresses

Having this outline of goals, plans, and important dates can help keep you on pace to achieve your objectives because it gives you awareness of how busy or free you will be at any given time. Of course, life throws us curveballs we don’t always see coming, but having some sense of what to expect can make it easier to accomplish goals, go on vacations, and practice self-care.

HOLA and Virtual Education

A big goal we have for HOLA that we have been planning for and is currently in the works is our e-learning platform. We hope to launch the virtual learning platform around the end of the first quarter or early second quarter of the year. We are excited about evolving with the post-pandemic world as we all continue to adjust and create a new normal between learning in person and learning remotely. We know 2023 is going to be a great year for us all as a community, and can’t wait to provide you with more options, new lessons, and continued guidance on your Spanish language learning journey.

Halloween Time in Spanish Speaking Countries

Below we share celebrations from Spanish-speaking countries during the spooky season.

Colombia

If you happen to find yourself in Bogota or Cali during Halloween, you are in for quite the celebration. It is not only a great way to celebrate El Día del Niño (Day of the Children) but also a lot of fun for adults.

Here is what to expect for Colombian Halloween — Bogota has become the epicenter of Halloween for adults. Many nightclubs hold big costume contests where the locals participate, typically winning handsome monetary prizes. In Cali, a must-see event is the Moto Halloween Caravan. The motorists dress in ornate costumes and parade around on their bikes throughout the town.

Mexico

Halloween is observed in Mexico due to the influence of the United States. However, when you are in Mexico from the end of October to Early November, you can expect to celebrate Día de Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. It is the day when families and friends welcome back the souls of loved ones who have crossed over.

Day of the Dead is a mix of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican Aztecs and other Nahua people’s traditions, along with pagan European celebrations of the dead. Ultimately, with the rise of Roman Catholicism, native traditions were appropriated by the church with the creation of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

Spain

In some areas of Spain, schools close from 31 October to 3 November. Children do dress up in costumes, but families don’t decorate with pumpkins in some towns. In Galicia, celebrations are grander. Samaín, is an ancient autumn festival celebrated in Galicia, Spain (a predecessor of American Halloween). Noite dos Calacús or Night of the Pumpkins is all about pumpkin carving, costume parties, bonfires, and rituals.

Queimada is a hot punch made from orujo mixed with herbs, sugar, lemon peel, apple, and coffee beans. Brewed in a unique clay pot and stirred as enchantments banishing evil are chanted over it as it heats over a blue flame.

Nicaragua

In the central American country of Nicaragua, the celebration you will most encounter is the Fiesta de Los Agüizotes. This celebration takes place on the last Friday of October. The tradition began in the 20th century in the western city of Masaya. Like many others, the legend of Los Agüizotes was initially designed to instill a little fear into children. The Agüizotes are made up of La Llorona, ghosts, devils, headless priests, and other equally terrifying creatures, who appear at about 8 pm to the sound of music, scaring children throughout the town.

Peru

While some Peruvian children celebrate Halloween due to the influence of the United States, 31 October is El Día de la Canción Criolla or the Day of Criolla music. Criolla music is the music of coastal Peru with influences from Spain, the Andeans, and Africa. Outside of music, you get to enjoy Peruvian Criolla foods such as aji de gallina, tacu tacu, and causa. The next day the people of Peru celebrate All Saints Day.

It is fascinating to learn about the influences, similarities, and distinct differences that make celebrations unique and interesting. If you have ever traveled to any of the countries we list or spent any time abroad during Halloween, share your experiences, thoughts, and impressions in the comments below.

Fall Clothing for Your Little Ones

Now that we have entered the fall season, the weather will start to cool down, and it won’t be long before we start getting some snow! The time soon approaches when we will put away our shorts and summer dresses and trade them in for light jackets and eventually coats.

We, here at HOLA, know that there’s a lot on your mind as parents, from getting into the back-to-school rhythm to overall day-to-day tasks. That’s why we decided to put a simple guide together for you about clothing for the changing season, to keep it top of mind and simple for you! Below you will find information on layering up and links to pieces of clothing to serve as inspiration as it gets chillier and chillier.

Outgrowing Clothes

Kids notoriously outgrow clothes and shoes quickly. You never know when they will have a growth spurt and no longer fit into their cold weather clothing. Having a few extra pieces in their closet that are a bit bigger will help you and your kids stay prepared throughout the colder months.

Comfort is Key

When it comes to children’s clothes, it’s important for them to be comfortable, especially when layering. The weather here in Toronto can quickly change from hot and sunny to cool and wet. This is why they need layers that allow them to move around easily (without discomfort) —it is essential for little ones.

A great way to approach the fall season when it comes to clothes is mixing and matching layers so that your child can smoothly adapt to conditions as they change.

Base Layer

As it becomes colder, the best choices for the base layer of clothing, the clothes that have direct contact with the skin, are cotton, polyester, or wool fabric.

Middle Layer

The middle layer is the layer that helps retain body heat against chillier conditions. For this layer, options include fluffy insulated jackets or fleece jackets. Generally, any pieces of clothing that are thicker promote warmth. Depending on the level of coldness of the day can determine how thick the middle layer should be.

Outer Layer

When we say outer layer, we mean the layer that best protects against weather, such as wind, rain, or snow. This layer keeps weather from getting into the middle layer, which can cause your littles to become very chilled. Looking at the outer layer as a shell can help you (and your kids) pick out something that isn’t just waterproof but also breathable allowing them to stay active and comfortable.

Shoes

We can’t forget about shoes! Shoes are part of everyday wear just as much as every layer of clothing we wear. Once fall weather kicks in, we have to put away sandals, flats, and slides. Depending on conditions, shoes can vary from sneakers to snow boots to keep the wet weather from touching little feet.

Fall Clothing Options

The following options are for children who aren’t yet shopping for themselves but are older than infants and that attend preschool through grade school.

Cold Weather Clothing

Rainy Weather Clothing

Chilly Weather

Learning Language Through Play

Sometimes as parents or caretakers of children, we believe that children play too much and need to focus more seriously and strictly on academics. But what if we told you that children learn best through play? It is essentially their job to play, be tactile, and imaginative.

From playing with toys and kids their age to playing with food, it is important that they play as much as they can for their development. This is why here at HOLA, we not only believe in teaching language through play, but we apply it in our courses.

The Value of Play

It was 1973 when researchers first started realizing that learning through play is valuable for child development. Evidence that learning through play is fundamental for child development has come from anthropological studies, correlational studies, and experimental studies. They have used three models to research play and child development: where playing is epiphenomenal, shows equifinality, or is essential for development.

It is necessary to acknowledge and realize that play is the occupation of children; it should not be discouraged or chastised. It essentially contributes to children’s cognitive, social, physical, and emotional well-being because it is how they make sense of the world. There are multiple ways of playing, such as purposeful and self-directed or free and unstructured.

It is also essential to engage in play with children. It is why we encourage our instructors to do so when teaching. When parents and other influential adults in the child’s life engage in play with children, they reinforce the growth of their skills across many scopes of development.

Reinforcing Speech Through Play

Play allows children to practice their skills in the languages they are learning and, therefore, can build upon their vocabulary. When children are allowed to have playtime, it promotes socialization with their peers and adults. When they don’t have this opportunity it can lead to immature speech development.

Language is reinforced and increases during role play for children. It gives them the confidence to use language they’ve recently learned or heard peers use.

Children need to not only have directed play but imaginative play as well. When they use their imagination to play, it supports and enhances speech development. Imaginative play also allows children to recreate experiences they have lived and shared with peers and adults in their life. Playing imaginatively is also a way for children to process difficult experiences.

Enjoy Playtime

There are different types of play we can take part in with children at home and at school to help teach language. Some examples include:

Help them identify words found in the area you are playing in. Practice both nouns and verbs. When playing with the child, take on the role of co-play or play leader, and use the vocabulary they are currently learning.
Be a co-player to the child and be a sensitive play leader. Withhold from commenting outside of the play frame or shifting to teaching.
Select a play area with the child’s interests or a familiar setting.

Have fun with them and help them learn and grow their development.

Language Through The Five Senses

Have you ever noticed how much you take in about a new experience, job, or even person in your life through your senses? Language is no different, as a matter of fact, using all of our senses when learning a new language, such as Spanish, helps us absorb and retain it. We here at HOLA believe in the methodology of learning through the senses and have made it part of our curriculum.

Our Five Senses

From the time we are babies, we learn about the world around us through our senses. Often you’ll see small children bringing items to their mouths; this is how they discover the world —take in flavour, feel the texture, hear the sound it makes as they fidget with an item, smell the object as it comes closer to their face, and of course sight. Learning via our 5 senses is not something that disappears as we grow, we just aren’t as keenly aware.

The O and the L in HOLA stand for open learning, which means adopting and utilizing fun alternative forms of teaching Spanish. This modality of teaching is why we ask our students to experience new words they learn via their senses; take, for instance, peaches, we may ask the following questions from our students:

How does the peach feel?
How does the peach smell?
How does the peach look?
How does the peach taste?
What sound does the peach make when you bite into it?

Another example is a pen:

What is the texture of the pen and the tip?
Is the pen scented?
What does the pen look like?
Would you taste or bite a pen?
Does the pen make a sound when you tap it?

Multisensory Environment

Because we all learn in different ways, multisensory environments are ideal for learning, and more specifically, language learning. Some of us are visual learners; others are auditory; or tactile; therefore, teaching Spanish using all our senses allows our students to find the language accessible and enjoyable to learn. A multisensory learning environment makes learning inclusive instead of a rigorous and stressful endeavor.

Learning Spanish should be fun for children and people of all ages. More often than not, children taking Spanish courses are in these programs because their parents want to keep their heritage language alive. We want to make learning Spanish appealing and not a chore – this is why we embrace open learning in our courses. It allows for our students to have a multi-faceted experience.

When we use our 5 senses to learn, it creates a full-body experience, and it increases understanding and communication not just about the topic at hand but about the world. Just as we do in the classroom, we invite you to talk to your child about their five senses. Doing so will strengthen the everyday experiences, especially if the heritage language is something they speak at home. As day-to-day matters naturally come up in conversation, make a point to bring up sight, taste, touch, smell, and sound.

Hybrid and Online Spanish Learning

When you are learning a new language, or reinforcing your skills, you have several options at your disposal. We’ve talked about the benefits of in-person learning both one-on-one and in a group setting, but there is also the option of online learning and hybrid learning, and they have their own benefits. Here at Hispanic Open Learning Academy (HOLA), we offer each type of language learning setting because we know everyone has different styles of learning where they thrive.

Learning a Second Language Online

Children having fun while learning — Learning online

Remote learning has been around since before the pandemic and is here to stay, largely due to its flexibility. There are many benefits to online learning —for one, you are in the comfort of your own home, or you have the option to be anywhere in the world. When you take a class online, nothing is anchoring you to a set location. You can be at home or on vacation, and you don’t have to worry about making it to a school by a specific time; your classroom essentially can be anywhere on the globe.

Here at HOLA, we want to set our students up for success, and so we have created opportunities for our students to take our courses online, both in groups or one-on-one and hybrid. With online learning, you don’t necessarily lose the benefits of being in a group with a class. You can still interact with classmates if you choose to do group courses and benefit from the interactions with others. The connectivity with others is not lost.

Something we pride ourselves in at HOLA is our open learning concept that includes playing, dancing, drawing, singing, and storytelling. These are not lost with online learning. We have found ways to ensure we incorporate them into lessons for our online students so that they still have fun and be interactive while they learn, whether it is one-on-one with an instructor or with their cohort and instructor.

Hybrid Online and In-Person Learning

At HOLA, we also understand wanting or needing to do hybrid learning where you have the choice to choose either having classes online and others in-person. This way you can still interact with more students in your class and reap the benefits of being with peers in group sessions and join in remotely when it fits your schedule best.

What we love about being able to offer in-person learning Spanish courses for our students is the social connection and the experience of having live interactive lessons in the classroom or in the student’s home. Research shows that students receiving in-person instruction have fewer distractions, increased concentration, and can receive more direct, personalized learning experiences. Learning a new language should be fun and exciting, not an added stressor to your life. That is why our private courses work around your schedule because we know after school doesn’t work for everyone.

The Choice is Yours

What hope our prospective and current students understand is that you have options on how to approach learning Spanish or any language. We know this is on your time and a choice you are making, and we want to offer different education choices for you to allow you to learn under the most ideal circumstances for you.

Elementor #879

Collaborative Learning
vs
One-on-One Learning

If we’ve learned anything in the last 2 years, it is that the experience of learning is ever-evolving and growing; when you’re learning a language in person or online it’s possible to learn both with an instructor one-on-one or in a group setting. Learning can happen in a variety of settings. These two settings come with pros and cons, and both are effective. It ultimately matters most how you learn best.

If you are on the fence about picking how to learn a new language and unsure what works best for you, read below, where we go over some of the benefits of learning one-on-one and collaborative learning.

One-On-One Learning

When learning something new one-on-one with an instructor or mentor, the learning experience is far more tailored to the student, meaning they learn at their pace in their style of learning without having to compete for the attention of other students or conform to how the majority of the students learn. In a study where medical students worked one-on-one with their mentors, the mentees found that the process allowed them to focus on their personal goals and ultimately served as an individualized support program.

Learning a language one-on-one allows the student and teacher to focus more of their attention on what the student struggles with most and highlights their strengths. When learning one-on-one, it’s all about you and making sure you’re getting what you and you alone want out of the course you are taking. There are no distractions, and because the instructor is hyper-focused on you, they push you to excel in a way that isn’t possible in a group setting.

Collaborative Learning

Learning anything can be a challenge. Many people are more than capable of learning many things independently or with the help of an instructor with guided learning. However, for many, it is easier to learn a language if they are in a group setting. Collaborative learning allows for interaction with classmates and facilitates practice and the use of the language.

When you learn with a group it forces you to hold yourself and the group, as a whole, accountable. In addition, students thrive with the support and motivation of one another, creating an energy in the class that motivates everyone to continue to make their best effort. In some ways, collaborative learning makes students feel responsible for helping their classmates thrive, and therefore they push each other to learn and study.

Your Style of Learning

Ultimately, learning a new language isn’t easy. If you have the option to pick between one-on-one instruction and group learning, consider how you best absorb and process information. Think about what helps you thrive most and how you feel best supported. It is the best way to choose where and how to learn a new language.

Your end goal has to be about what’s best for you and how you will achieve success. Both learning one-on-one and in a group setting are great choices, and you can’t go wrong, but if you know one works better for you, that’s likely the path that will bring you the most success.

Learn Spanish Through TV and Movies

Learn Spanish Through TV and Movies

Watching tv is a nice way to pass the time, entertain kids, and get lost in another world, but it’s also a wonderful way to learn another language. Learning a second or even a third language doesn’t just have to be reading, classes, tests, and workbooks; it can also be through entertainment.

Here at Hola, we believe that watching movies or tv shows in Spanish will allow you to hear conversational Spanish in real-time and teach you a bit about the culture from where they’re based. Start off with movies or shows you’ve seen in your native language, and then work your way to Spanish only.

Dora The Explorer popularized the Spanish language into American Culture for about 2 decades.This cartoon brought an audience outside the Latin countries, and made the Spanish language fun and accessible by watching and enjoying Dora, her friends and Diego’s adventures.

Disney Movies

Some easy-to-watch movies you can enjoy in Spanish that will be fun and teach you a bit about music and culture are Disney Pixar’s Coco and Disney’s latest release,

Encanto. Both movies are available on Disney + and are available in Spanish.

Coco is based on a boy in Mexico, and the movie touches upon Dia de Los Muertos, regional Mexican music, and architecture. Encanto is set in Colombia, in which you can appreciate native animals like the tucán, foods such as arepas, and Colombian musical stylings.

Casa de Papel

If you are looking for a tv show instead of a movie, a good choice is Money Heist or Casa de Papel. This show is a crime drama that mainly takes place in Madrid, Spain. There are 5 seasons, with roughly 8 – 10 episodes each. A man referred to as the Professor recruits a group of people to pull a heist on the Royal Mint of Spain and then the Bank of Spain.

El Laberinto del Fauno

A movie you will want to watch if you haven’t already is Pan’s Labyrinth or El Laberinto del Fauno. It is written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, a Mexican director. The movie takes place in 1940s Spain. This fantasy movie will take you into another world and captivate you so much that you will soon forget Spanish isn’t your native language.

Acapulco

A starter show you can watch that mixes Spanish and English is Acapulco on Apple Plus, however, you can also change the language settings to Latin American Spanish or Spaniard Spanish. There is one season and isn’t a major commitment when you’re first trying to watch tv in Spanish.

Make Learning Enjoyable

These are just a few examples of movies and tv shows that you can enjoy while broadening your understanding of Spanish and different cultures. Other tips we have here at Hola for you are:

Watch movies or shows that you’ve seen in English, dubbed in Spanish.
Take notice of the language used in real-life situations that may help you become more fluent and conversational.
Letting the movies or shows play will help your ear become used to hearing Spanish.
Your vocabulary will improve the more media you take in.
Don’t feel forced to watch a show or movie you aren’t interested in.

You want to enjoy yourself while you learn! Have fun experiencing entertainment in Spanish and learning as you go.

Spanish Classes are virtually and in person

Patricia Dominguez

· Aug 24, 2020 · 1 min read

Spanish Classes are virtually and in person.

To ensure a safe and open learning environment, we will be running our Spanish classes virtually and in person as per request. Registrations will start on August 1st and lessons will commence on September 14th.

If you are looking for in-person options, we are offering one-on-one tutoring at your place of convenience. Also, we have available a unit at the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Please contact us and let us know your preference.

We are adapting to the changes and we are confident our students will continue their Spanish learning throughout the school year. We will keep you updated on any news that arises.

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