Learning from Dora the Explorer
I was surprised by my youngest son this morning. He came up to me and asked me, "Mommy? Abre mo please?", while holding up an old remote he was playing with. I stared at him and tried hard to decipher what in the world he was trying to say. I could tell he was asking me to open the back of the remote where the batteries are placed but I could not determine the words he was using to express it.
I just said ok and opened the remote battery cover. I figured I understood him correctly because he walked away happy.
A few hours later, as we were watching Dora the Explorer, I finally understood what my son was trying to say. Apparently, abre means open in Spanish. I studied Spanish for over 13 years and I cannot even recall the meaning of the word - sheesh!
Now I was hesitant at first to let my two sons watch Dora the Explorer because of the rumors that I had heard that were similar to what was said about Barney the purple dinosaur. But in the end I disregarded the rumors and now I am reaping the benefits.. well my sons are at least. They have learned more from Dora in less time than anywhere else. My youngest has learned to answer when Dora and Butch asks - "Where’s the witch?" - he would say - "Over there!". So cute, and am so dumbfounded with how smart my son appears to be (and super proud of course).
So let me enumerate. My kids learned the ABC from Sesame Street, learned to count from Dora, learned to sing from Barney, and learned to dance from the Streetboys.
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hehehe… my daughter is also fond of dora and barney
Jacqueline - Thats nice and cute especially since I think many daughters would naturally enjoy Dora and Barney. But my sons do too! Hehe.. although that’s not a sign.
lol, louna’s learning a lot of english words from dora too.. she just surprises us sometimes with a new vocabulary or a new phrase, but now, i know who’s the culprit
analyse - I think my kids learn how to say certain words a certain way too, thanks to Dora. Don’t you just love her?
yes i guess i should give credit to dora too. my son speaks very well for a 3-year-old and i know part of the reason is because he used to watch dora a lot when he was 1 yr old up to 2. then he got scared of the witch so he stopped hehe. now he’s braver so he’s starting to watch again. he’s not so fond of barney, though
Same here. Dora and Barney are my babysitters too at times.
Mitch - I can understand that. Only Barney can make my kids sit still enough for me to get on with the house chores.
I got here thru your article at PMN,and i just want to comment abt dora,bec my son learned to count in spanish first before he learned it in english by watching dora.
I learn or remember Spanish words when I watch Dora too, not as cute though like the kids when I say them. Hehe…
taur - Haha I think my son will soon get scared of that witch too. Maybe he should stop watching while he is still enjoying it. Hehe
FickleMinded - Yes. My son though learned to say Delicioso! at every spoonful instead of yummy.
TheBachelorGirl - I feel Dora is something we adults can learn from too. Like learning to count in Spanish. Hehe.
Baby name meaning and origin for Dora…
Description for the baby name Dora, the origins of the name and its meaning…