This summer is already shaping up to be a busy one! Paulina is back from her camping trip and she’s sharing all the tips she picked up, the items that made the difference in her trip and what she should have left behind. Also huge thank you to everyone who messaged us their camping gear recommendations! Between days at the restaurant, shuttling kids to summer camp and going on trips, we are super focused on creating lasting memories with our families after last year indoors. Who’s joining us?!
Episode 243: Making Language Learning Fun with @bilingual_birdies founder, Sarah Farzam
So many businesses have had to adjust under quarantine but this week's guest had her business flourish even more online. This week we speak to Sarah Farzam, CEO of the bilingual education program, Bilingual Birdies. She shares how her program uses music to help kids stay engaged and excited about speaking a second or even a third language, and how you can make some extra cash as well while keeping the kids busy this summer. Estas Lista? Escucha ahora mismo!
More about Sarah Farzam: Sarah is half Mexican and half Iranian and grew up speaking Spanish, Farsi and English. She’s from L.A. and graduated from UCLA with a BA in English. In 2006, with zero business experience, Sarah launched Bilingual Birdies, a foreign language and live music program for children up to age six. Today Bilingual Birdies teaches Spanish, French, Mandarin, and English to thousands of children per week across 21 cities in the US, Canada, and Australia through their online training program which certifies and licenses bilingual and educators to launch their own Bilingual Birdies businesses in their own city.
Enrolled families benefit from original Bilingual Birdies products such as bilingual ebooks, music albums, and the most adorable bird puppets you have ever seen in your entire life. Under Sarah’s leadership, Bilingual Birdies educators have traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico to volunteer and preform in the children’s section of La Calaca Festival., journeyed to Paris, France to train early educators on how to implement their methodology to teach English to children in a fun and musical way, and most recently they traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to volunteer at Little Ray of Hope, an informal preschool in Kawangware, the country’s second largest slum. Nearly 13 years after Sarah started Bilingual Birdies she is more motivated than ever to identify bilingual educators with an entrepreneurial spirit who are looking to share their language and culture with children, make money doing what they love, and transform their communities to encourage future generations of global thinking, open-minded humans. You can learn more about Sarah Farzam and Bilingual Birdies at bilingualbirdies.com.
Our Conversation with Sarah
Tell us about yourself. How are you? How is life in quarantine?
You’re trilingual! Tell us about your company. Is this how is began?
How many languages do you teach? What is the age range of your students?
How has your business shifted with covid?
What does a class with Bilingual Birdies look like?
What are some tools that you recommend for my parents to use at home to help teach your children another language?
How often are your students taking classes in order for them to feel comfortable speaking the language?
Do you need to be a musicican to start the program as a teacher?
When covid is over and we are no longer required to do social distance learning, can our kids take this class in person?
Sarah’s Tips for Making Second Language Learning Fun
Amp up second language learning in any area you can! If it feels like homework, chances are your kids won’t want to learn it. Work at it everyday based on your child’s interest.
Reading books and singing songs/listening to music in another language is a great introduction to the love of language learning.
Play based learning is super effective. Bilingual birdies gets your kids dancing and moving with the use of puppets, props and more, and you can do the same thing at home!
Turn learning into a game by incorporating the new language into your daily routine. Breakfast, bath time, and cleaning can be an opportunity to get stuff done and learn new words and phrases.
Check out video.oznoz.com to watch your kid’s favorite cartoons in up to 10 different languages.
Links
To learn more, sign up your child for virtual language classes, or learn how you can start the program in your city, go to BilingualBirdies.com.
Episode 242: Keeping it Real: Summer Vibes, the 4th Trimester and Five Years of Super Mamás!
Five years of the Super Mamas! Can you believe it?!
This week we’re catching up with each other and talking about what we have planned this summer, how Bricia is planning to announce her baby’s gender, and the best tips we have learned over the last few years. We’re also talking about why expecting moms should learn and prepare for the fourth trimester, and Bricia recommend a couple of books that we’ve linked down below.
So much has happened since we launched 5 years ago - our families have grown, we’ve hosted & attended a lot of events, our cookbook launches and so much more. Check out our roundup of what has happened since our first podcast episode in 2015. What has been your favorite Super Mamas memory?
Bricia and Eduardo’s Birth Story
Paulina and Zixta’s Birth Story
Thank you to all the listeners who has been there for us since the beginning, those who just found us during quarantine and everyone in between. We can’t wait fo bring you even more great interviews, events and meet ups (once it’s safe), and more memories in the coming years!
TIPS WE’VE LEARNED SINCE WE BEGAN THE PODCAST
We have learned that as wives and mothers, it is important to voice your needs. You must take care of yourself in order to take care of your kids and family. Taking care of your mind, body, and over all health makes a big difference in the lives of everyone around you too. Happiness starts with you first.
LINKS
Bricia listens to the New York Times’ podcast The Daily every day.
The two books Bricia recommends are The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother and Active Birth: The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally
Epsiode 197: Keeping Up with the Super Mamás: Summer is Here!
SUMMER IS HERE and we’re back with a brand new episode! This week we’re talking about our summer plans (and lack of). While Bricia & family are planning a trip to Hawaii (shout out to Delta!) and a full immersion musical experience for Eddie, Paulina is scrambling but planning her own time off without the kids. We also check in and talk about how both our super mamas “lost their flow” after the social but are determined to be kind to themselves & get back on track. Remember that you can get knocked down many times but all you have to do is get up again!
Pick or Tip of the Week
Sometimes you have to do a little grooming, ahem, “downstairs” to prep for a summer of shorts, skirts and bathing suits. Bricia is loving sugaring as an alternative to waxing. It’s a mixture of sugar, lemon juice and water and tends to be gentler than waxing. If you’re nervous about the pain, Paulina recommends this razor, similar to one she uses.
Paulina is sharing some advice this week: “Be kind to yourself. And if you feel like you failed yourself, it’s okay.” Remember, the official theme song for Super Mamás goes, “I get knocked down, but I get up again…”
Links
Maqueos Music: https://www.facebook.com/MaqueosMusic
