A new Web site called Chillola.com is giving parents a fun, safe learning environment where their kids can explore different languages. Chillola.com employs a playful, child-oriented theme to introduce children to five languages: English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

"Chillola.com is designed to give children all over the world the opportunity to explore

foreign languages, and learn about different countries, cultures and people," said Tina Jack, a California-based kindergarten teacher who owns the Web site. "Playful illustrations, real-life pictures, native speakers and sounds will capture the children’s interests and create a fun learning environment to build confidence."

Parents, educators and others can use Chillola.com free of charge to teach children their first words in different languages. The site offers games, activities and a kid’s gallery to make the learning process exciting and easy. Each language uses everyday topics, ranging from letters, numbers and colors to food, animals and the weather. The site also offers helpful worksheets for parents and teachers, as well as recommendations for other great Web sites to assist their efforts. "With these economical times, I think it is important for readers and viewers to know that there are great resources available that kids can use for free," Jack said.

Earlier this month, Chillola.com was selected as a Great Web Site for Kids by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association. Great Web Sites for Kids is an online resource that features links to Web sites of interest to children 14 years of age and younger. The Web sites are chosen based on a review and evaluation by members of the ALSC Great Web Sites for Kids Committee.

Jack—who was born in Germany—feels it is important for children to be bilingual because it enables them to have more advantages in life. With the budget cuts that many schools are facing, Chillola.com can be a great benefit to teachers. However, teachers do not have to be bilingual to use the site to teach children the basics about their letters, numbers, colors and shapes.

Chillola.com is geared for children ages 3 to 12; however, it can be used by anyone who wants to learn basic foreign language words. The Web site is designed to introduce children to pronunciation and basic vocabulary through native speakers to help them develop an awareness of foreign sounds and words. It also strives to develop children’s awareness of foreign languages, cultures and countries around the world. Other goals of the site are to:

• Introduce people, traditions, lifestyles, food, clothing, landscape and increase children’s interest in traveling

• Nurture appreciation for cultural diversity and develop good character

• Show children that they can not only be citizens of their own country, but also world citizens

The creation of Chillola.com was fueled by sheer necessity. Jack devised the concept of the site in 2005 after fruitlessly searching for inexpensive language learning material for her three children. She wanted to provide a free online environment where kids could have fun learning languages and parents could find resources. After years of collecting and developing ideas, she created Chillola.com. The Web site is constantly growing and distinguishing itself as a great place where children can love and learn about each other.

For more information, please visit www.chillola.com or contact Tina Jack at chillola.languagelearning@yahoo.com