Los Pollitos Dicen: The History of the Classic Lullaby

Los Pollitos Dicen: The History of the Classic Lullaby

For generations, mothers have sung the Spanish lullaby “Los Pollitos Dicen” to their newborns.  The simple, yet powerful lyrics of this lullaby tell the tale of newborn chicks ( “pollitos”) calling for their mother when they are cold or hungry.  The song has permeated culture so deeply that today it is common for Latina moms to refer to their babies as “pollitos” as an homage to the song. 

Perhaps it’s the thought of fluffy yellow chicks with eyes half closed, stumbling about, peeping for help that makes the song so endearing. Or perhaps it’s the image of the mother hen kneeling down to envelop her chicks under her wing to keep them warm, that makes the song so sweet.  Whatever the reason, this story of newborn love will always be the perfect song to lull a baby to sleep. 

Many lullabies and nursery rhymes have been around for so many generations that we no longer know who wrote the original. For years, the author of “Los Pollitos Dicen” was also unknown. It was writer Rienaldo Marchant who stumbled upon the identity of the songwriter during his time teaching language and literature workshops in Pichidegua, Chile. It was there that a local farmer pointed out to Marchant the home of Ismael Parraguez, the author of this now classic song.  

After some research, Marchant was able to confirm that Ismael Parraguez, born in 1883 in the Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins region of Chile, was indeed the original author. Mr. Parraguez first published the song in his book “Poesías Infantiles” or “Nursery Poems” in 1907.

The song quickly became popular not only in Chile but across all of Latin America.  Generations later, it’s been translated into English, French, Portuguese, and many other languages. 

And just like a mother’s love for her “pollitos” is ever-lasting, so “Los Pollitos Dicen” lives on for generations to come.    

You can find these and other children’s songs on our YouTube children’s channel, which includes many videos to foster bilingualism. Los Pollitos is also available in book form, to read to children any time of day.

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3 Fun Ways To Add Learning to Bath Time

How to Teach Manners While Having Fun

By Nuria Santamaría Wolfe

Bath time can be more than a time to splash around, it can be an opportunity for your little one to soak up some learning. For multitasking moms everywhere, here are four fun ways to make bath time a great time to build literacy skills. 

  1. Sing: You sing in the shower so why not start them on the tradition with bilingual songs to help them grow their vocabulary? We love Little Sailor – a nautical theme song that you can use to ask your child to name objects around him or her.  Point to toys and other items in your bathroom to introduce your little one to new words. 

The easy verses and catchy tune will have both of you singing along.  Watch our video here and sing along with the lyrics below. Modify the lyrics to make it your own. 

Little sailor who went to the sea, sea, sea 

to find what he could see, see, see.

And the only thing that he could see, see, see

was the bottom of the sea, sea, sea.

And a diver! 

Little sailor who went to the sea, sea, sea 

to find what he could see, see, see.

And the only thing that he could see, see, see, was the bottom of the sea, sea, sea.

A mermaid!

And a diver!

Little sailor who went to the sea, sea, sea 

to find what he could see, see, see.

And the only thing that he could see, see, see

was the bottom of the sea, sea, sea.

A shark!

A mermaid!

And a diver!

…and on and on until you’re ready to set out and dry off. 

  1. Read: Ah the joy of reading in the tub! As adults, we know how relaxing this can be. Introduce your little one to the wonderful habit of reading in the tub.  You can do this in a few different ways:
  • Read to them: Bring a stack of books to read while you sit next to the tub.
  • Let them read: Use waterproof books to let them read on their own.
  • Listen to audiobooks: Turn up the volume and enjoy a good book together. 
  1. Write: Once your little one is ready to write, get them to practice in the water.  Here are a few fun tools to use:
  • Foam letters: Stick them to the side of the tub and combine them to make words.
  • Bath crayons & paint: Let them practice writing letters and words and then easily wash them off once it’s time to get out of the tub. 

So next time your kid is getting ready to splish and splash, don’t forget that it’s also a perfect song for them to sing, read, and write!

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How to Teach Manners While Having Fun

How to Teach Manners While Having Fun

By Nuria Santamaría Wolfe

Manners matter. We all want our kids to be well-mannered citizens of the world and teaching them to be so shouldn’t have to be boring. 

While manners include everything from saying “please” and “thank you” to offering compliments and exhibiting proper etiquette at the dinner table, the easiest place to start teaching manners is with greetings. 

Proper greetings like “Hello” or “Good morning” are the first step for your little one to establish a relationship with a new friend or to make a great first impression with her teacher at the start of the school day.

Here are a few tips to help your little ones practice greeting phrases:

  • Use Songs: There are so many bilingual songs to choose from but our favorite is the very simple but very fun “Hello, good morning”.  Watch our Little Chickies greet each other and greet the day in our catchy sing-along video here, and check out our YouTube education channel for more tunes. 

They can learn these phrases in English and in Spanish…so they can greet twice as many friends!

A simple “hello” in someone’s native language goes a long way to establish a connection with someone. Nothing makes a person smile more than knowing that a stranger is trying to speak to them in their own language.  Learning to say “hello” in multiple languages can be fun! 

Sing in English. Sing in Spanish. Sing in Spanglish! 

Sing every morning to salute the day with joy and to establish the behavior. 

  • Role Play: Use your child’s favorite stuffed animals and throw a pretend tea party or birthday party.  Ask your child to greet each animal as he/she arrives at the party with phrases like “Hello” and “Thanks for coming.” 

You can respond with your most sweet bunny voice with “Hi. How are you?.” and with the most majestic wave of your elephant trunk with a “Nice to see you”. 

Act out shaking hands, paws, trunks, etc. and giving snuggly hugs.  Switch roles to allow your child to role play as his/her favorite lovie. 

Soon your little one will get the hang of it and start to realize how nice it feels to greet and be greeted with a warm welcome.

As you try these creative ways to help your little one learn the concept of greetings, don’t forget your own manners and express gratitude for their effort. “Thank you” and “Gracias” are among the sweetest words they can hear from you.

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5 Superpowers to Cultivate in Our Kids.

5 Superpowers to Cultivate in Our Kids.

By Susie Jaramillo

I believe we each have our own “superpowers” or strengths that make us unique and special.  As parents, we want to pass on our best traits and cultivate our children’s own super powers. 

I’ve thought a lot about my own superpowers and how I can best prepare my children with their own. 

I was never very good at math. My dyslexia and lack of short-term memory may have had something to do with that! I’m not much use in science either: the telephone is still a mystery to me (and I mean the old-fashioned kind, never mind smartphones). Therefore, my ability to cultivate those qualities in my kids have been relegated to my husband. 

So, as an entrepreneur, a creative professional and a Latina mom who wants to see her kids do good in this world, what could be the superpowers I could help them cultivate? 

Here are the 5 superpowers I use to infuse every part of the Canticos brand.  These are the same 5 superpowers I instill in my children.  I share them with you in hopes they can inspire the values that you cultivate in your own children. 

Imagination and a love of creative play.

Cultivate an organic love of learning and creative exploration. If they can imagine things, they can build things. If they can learn to project and construct narratives around those projections, they can learn to communicate and help bring new ideas to life. This is the kind of thinking that will be valued in work places everywhere and will lead to a more constructive adulthood.

An appreciation for roots and a second language. 

I regularly seek out ways to expose my children to my language and my culture. Why? Because bilingualism is truly good for their brains. I also want my children to be proud of their roots, and gain confidence from their ability to navigate between cultures. I want them to be able to share with their relatives and bond with others through this shared culture. 

This will better prepare them to bond with people from other communities as well, that might be foreign to their own, and create a sense of openness that will be very valuable to them long term.  

Sense of humor.

Humor and intelligence go hand and hand; the one thrives off of the other. But humor can do so much more. The ability to laugh at oneself or at a situation is one of the healthiest things one can do.  

To appreciate the humor in any given context and laugh about it, is a crucial part of stress management. It’s also a wonderful bonding tool for lasting friendships, an ice breaker for when tensions are high, and a crucial ingredient for creating an enjoyable life. If I can teach my child how to be happy, and make others smile along the way, I will have done my job well.

An appreciation for music and rhythm.

Experts talk about the value of music and its influence on memory, pattern, spatial intelligence, social activity, creative thought, etc. The benefits seem endless.

For me, music is logic. It’s math transformed into a universal language that everyone understands. It tells us in an abstract way that things have a reason for being, that there is harmony in the world and that somehow, it all comes together and makes sense. The ability to create music develops a healthy and lasting confidence. And last but not least, really great music can lift your spirit and change the mood of a room.

Sense of empathy & warmth.

If I can instill one value above all others, it is a sense of generosity of spirit. That one should seek to understand and empathize with playmates of all sizes, shapes, backgrounds and cultures. That hugs are good and that nurturing yields results – whether it’s a project or a person.  At the end of the day we are all on this planet together and it is crucial that we take care of each other as best we can.

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