Rainbows Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I did try and do a few searches on this but Ive only come up with a couple things so far......figured Id try and consolidate it into one thread. I have a few kids interested in learning a foreign language (both my 3 & 6 yr olds, but also my 9 yr old b/c her school dropped the program). We are considering Spanish, Italian and French (I took all 3 languages between high school and college---but its been a while ;) lol). I got the HOP French and Spanish programs since they were really cheap, but Id like to get some ideas on other ones. I read that some people found Rosetta stone boring, some liked it. Others prefered La Clase Divertida for Spanish. If you use a program for one of these languages and feel its a good match for elementary aged kids, please respond and I'll look into each of the programs and see what the kids want to go with (will only choose 1 language for now, unless my 9 yr old wants to do something different..I may let her) thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everlastingstarflower Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I've been looking for direction also but, just for Spanish. I looked at quite a few threads yesterday and found that several curriculums were recommended but for varying ages. (My kids are 5 & 7.) Here are some things I'm going to check out or not look at based upon what I read yesterday, so I don't know if it will help but here it is: Muzzy: some adult situations in cartoons, not comprehensive in learning Spanish Rosetta Stone: some felt it wasn't comprehensive enough, others thought it was fine; some kids just didn't like it; some said it was great to learn concrete information but other subjects were difficult for the kids to grasp the concept Salsa: www.gpb.org/salsa - for younger (maybe pre-school) kids, I think that it is some type of program that the kids have to watch on-line that used to be a TV show in Georgia? Tell Me More: sounded like it would be a good start but you'd need to use some supplementation Visual Link Spanish: seems as though you have to be subscribed to some sort of cable or network to access but, not totally sure Classical Academy's Spanish for Children So You Really Want to Learn Spanish www.horriblebooks.com has a tutorial you can view Power Glide Spanish: recommended to use with another study to supplement Spanish the Easy Way & Spanish Now!: sounded like they were very similar if not the same but with different names Breaking the Barrier Spanish: received several very good recommendations but, I'm not sure if it is just a set of books or if it has audio/video to accompany it. I need to check it out some more. This is the one that I am leaning toward right now. I hope this will help you on your search, at least for Spanish if that is the language you decide to pursue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted July 15, 2009 Author Share Posted July 15, 2009 I was thinking maybe Flip Flop Spanish....but really not sure I think Id like a program that has workbooks and computer work....my kids really like doing both of those and I think it would help with proper pronunciation to hear someone else say it instead of just me. Also, I want to be able to stick with the same program through all of the elementary years. Would any of the above programs fit that? Any recommendations for French or Italian programs? thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicA Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 The Easy French is one program I have been looking at. They have a Spanish program as well. It seems like it would be a good fit for younger children. I wanted something that my 3 year old could start pretty soon. www.theeasyfrench.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 We're hoping to order Flip Flop French for Dot; it's one of the few that seems kindergarten-friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I sound like a broken record b/c anytime anyone brings up Spanish for younger students I say the same thing...but we really have enjoyed Elementary Spanish on Discovery Streaming. :D You can get a subscription to DS through the Homeschoool Buyers Co-op Group Buys for $136 or you can get the Plus version for only $176. This will give you not only your Spanish program but 1000's of other educational videos as well for about the same price that is usually costs to just purchase your Spanish. Here is a cut and paste from the most recent post I did about Elementary Spanish. :) Hope this helps! We have used Elementary Spanish on Discovery Streaming for 2 years now and we are very happy with it so far. I have a degree in Spanish but I just don't have time to teach it all with a 3 and 4 yo in the mix as well or they would never get any mommy time! Basically each lesson is about 20-25 minutes I would say. Never timed them to be honest! There is a worksheet that goes along with almost every lesson as well. Typically the teacher starts the students on it towards the lesson as a review and they finish the rest once the lesson is over. Sometimes they complete the entire thing together. There is a teacher's manual that goes along that has all the worksheets as well as materials to make a bulletin board if you choose. The bulletin board is of course geared more towards a classroom setting but could definitely be used in a homeschool. I have never done it but ds sure would love it if I did! The teacher for 1st grade is Sra. Cano. Ds liked her but for 2nd grade it switched to Sr. Morris and ds really loves him! He is great. Each level (1/2, 3/4, 5/6) has 10 units with 10 lessons per unit. Each level is designed to take 2 years but you could certainly accelerate or slow down. How we schedule it into our school is that we do the lessons 2x a week. He watches while I prepare lunch then we review the vocab he learned at lunch. The other two days we play Spanish games I've collected over the past few years. I am linking the two blog posts I did that shows them if you are interested. We basically do 50 lessons per year although at some point I want to accelerate. When I was teaching ps the district I was in used a similar model but this program is sooooo much better than what was used back then. I really like the amount of review built into the program as well. It has been a really good fit for us. How I organize the year...I spend a few hours one day and get everything ready for the entire year. I create 10 new folders in my "Bookmarks" file labeled Unit 1- Unit 10. I go through each unit and locate all 10 lessons. That way when it is time for Spanish I don't have to hunt the lesson down. That is the only real downside I have found to this program: when you are locating one certain lesson they are not organized that well in the system and can be tricky to find at times. For example when you want the 1/2 level, unit 8, lesson 4 sometimes it's typed in as "Elementary Spanish 1/2, Unit 8, Lesson 4" sometimes they used words rather than numerals and sometimes it's just typed in a completely different way. I just get all the frustration over with in one day rather than sprinkling it out throughout the year! I also go ahead and print the entire teacher's manual too. I 3-hole punch it and get it ready to go. There is a TON of extra stuff in the TM I don't use like intro sheets that tell the teacher what each lesson is about and what vocab will be introduced. Since I already know Spanish I skip these but they would be a help to a non-speaker. Okay, let me know if there is anything else you need to know! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 thanks so much Jennefer! I'll check into that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 You are welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 We are using First Start French and L'Art de Lire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 In addition to the others mentioned already: Ecoutez, Parlez for French or Escucha y Hablemos for Spanish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiopianFood Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I sound like a broken record b/c anytime anyone brings up Spanish for younger students I say the same thing...but we really have enjoyed Elementary Spanish on Discovery Streaming. :D How can I see what this is like? I can't find anything on the website. Is this immersion? Is it just one level? Has anyone tried this: http://www.powerspeak.com/courses.html ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I second the Discovery Education United Streaming:) I also think Salsa would be great for your kids. My ds is 7 and enjoys it, It is sort of like sesame street with puppet characters and the shows are in Spanish. They are meant to teach Spanish. It has over 40 shows from 1/2 hour to 45 minutes long that you can watch for free online. My dh has the computer hooked to our TV so that we can watch on the TV:) http://www.gpb.org/salsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcara Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Italian programs are pretty much non-existant, except for Rosetta Stone. My husband is Italian, as in born there and moved to the US when he was 24, and we'd like to teach our kids Italian. I know, I know, he should've spoken to them only in Italian from the beginning, but he didn't. For now, I work with them during the day with an audio program that we found at Sams Club, Speak-in-a-Week Italian, and some file folder games that I made based on it, and my hubby speaks to them in Italian some when he gets home in the evenings. I would love to find a real Italian program, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Italian programs are pretty much non-existant, except for Rosetta Stone. My husband is Italian, as in born there and moved to the US when he was 24, and we'd like to teach our kids Italian. I know, I know, he should've spoken to them only in Italian from the beginning, but he didn't. For now, I work with them during the day with an audio program that we found at Sams Club, Speak-in-a-Week Italian, and some file folder games that I made based on it, and my hubby speaks to them in Italian some when he gets home in the evenings. I would love to find a real Italian program, though! I wish there were more available. I remember being a little girl and hearing my great grandmom talk on and on in Italian and then pinch my cheeks lol (of course I had no idea what she was saying). There aren't any family members left who still speak it and I'd really like my kids to learn I took a year of it in high school but that was a looooong time ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanagnostos Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 With Elementary Spanish on Discovery Streaming, do the levels 1/2, 3/4, etc., indicate grades or actual levels? If an older child with no prior Spanish was to begin Elementary Spanish, would he/she begin with 1/2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Others prefered La Clase Divertida for Spanish. Fans of this one here -- for a kid who already spends too much time on the computer, it's nice to be learning in a more interactive way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 My husband moved here from Italy when he was 6, and his mother lived with us for 9 years (she REFUSED to speak to them in Italian!) so I too am frustrated with an opportunity lost! I have Rosetta stone (picked up for 15$ at a curriculum sale) and I won a copy of Auralog tell me more, but it won't work on a mac.... What I find really irritating is that there is SO MUCH Spanish curriculum, and we cannot even "go there" as it is too close to Italian and I don't want them confused. When we went to Italy in 2007 my husband's family was horrified that they didn't speak Italian. Absolutely horrified. It was hard to explain that I tried but that it was my MIL's fault (she had just died). Anyway, I have been trying to get an Italian history textbook for middle elementary kids, and we have tons of Topolino comics. I am also in the process of trying to find a tutor through one of the Italian societies in town. buona fortuna! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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