Mom-ninja. Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I still haven't purchased anything I reallu like. I keep putting off D-Mobil due to cost. However, I'm ready to bite the bullet. While browsing Klett I saw this and I'm thinking of getting it for my 5 yr old. Anyone hear of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I haven't seen that one, but that made me think to share that my kids' Saturday School uses the Kunterbunt Fibel also from Klett for their 1st grade classes. They start Das Neue Deutschmobil in 3rd grade. I really liked the Kunterbunt Fibel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 (edited) I wonder if I would need the teacher's book for Fibel. What exactly is in the book? Is it a phonics book? And man do I wish I could send my kids to a German Sat school. Anything else they use that you like? Edited January 23, 2010 by Kleine Hexe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I wonder if I would need the teacher's book for Fibel. What exactly is in the book? Is it a phonics book? It does have a phonics component. They introduce letters and sounds and reading. Looking at the site, it appears to be intended for German kids, not foreign language learners, but I found it quite a good program anyway - the language used is simple enough not to overwhelm. I really liked the little chart they sell that has all the German phonemes. The workbook has copywork and writing on lines (in German script :)) and matching and things, usually focused on whatever letter they're studying. At Sat. School they also use lots of handouts, but I have no idea where they get them from. I think you could use the Kunterbunt Fibel without the teacher's guide if you're good at inferring from the text what the lesson intends. Much easier than what they used for the 2nd grade called ABC Haus - trying to figure out what to do with that text without a manual was some kind of exercise in non-linear thinking. They actually dumped the 2nd grade program and are pretty much using worksheets for a year till they get to the Deutschmobil. And man do I wish I could send my kids to a German Sat school. Anything else they use that you like? Some years they've gotten group subscriptions for the kids for some Austrian magazines - Mini-Spatzenpost, Spatzenpost and Kleines Volk. Other than that and the text, they pretty much use handouts from mysterious sources. They take two years to get through one level of Deutschmobil, so it has time to sink in. Where's the nearest Sat. School to you? We drive 45 min., but it's worth it. I suppose there's some parts of the country where you'd have to drive a lot further than that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 23, 2010 Author Share Posted January 23, 2010 Where's the nearest Sat. School to you? We drive 45 min., but it's worth it. I suppose there's some parts of the country where you'd have to drive a lot further than that! There are three German schools in my state. The closest is three hours away. Thanks for the info. I think I might be better off getting the Kunterbunt instead of the Fabuli. It's cheaper anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 We've used 3 types of Fibeln by now (different ones that we were given from cousins) and all of them worked, though some bored me silly. Mine could read English by the time we started German reading and it didn't seem to matter much what books we used. You'll probably be just fine with the cheaper option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Oh I like the way that one looks. Thanks! Where do you order it from? I found three places, Amazon.de, klett.de, and alphabetgarten.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Speaking of where to buy stuff, I've been meaning to post this link to a place in Colorado that has lots of foreign lanugage materials, including lots of things from European publishers (like Klett, SGEL, ELI). They don't appear to have the Kunterbunt Fibel, but they do have Deutschmobil. I ordered some of the Spanish materials I'm using from them. Continental Book Company Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 (edited) Speaking of where to buy stuff, I've been meaning to post this link to a place in Colorado that has lots of foreign lanugage materials, including lots of things from European publishers (like Klett, SGEL, ELI). They don't appear to have the Kunterbunt Fibel, but they do have Deutschmobil. I ordered some of the Spanish materials I'm using from them. Continental Book Company Thanks. I'll compare prices whenever I need/want something. Right now it looks like it would be cheaper to go through amazon.de Edited January 26, 2010 by Kleine Hexe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Thanks. I'll compare prices whenever I need/want something. Right now it looks like it would be cheaper to go through amazon.de Wow, even with shipping figured in? Actually, maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. When Tintentod came out, I really wanted to read it - price + shipping from amazon.de was about $50, or I could buy it from a local foreign book store for... $50. :eek: Fortunately, the Sat. School library got it in, and I just borrowed it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 Wow, even with shipping figured in? Actually, maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. When Tintentod came out, I really wanted to read it - price + shipping from amazon.de was about $50, or I could buy it from a local foreign book store for... $50. :eek: Fortunately, the Sat. School library got it in, and I just borrowed it. :) Yeah, for all the books for D-mobil amazon plus shipping is $120. The US site is $158 not including shipping. I looked at the price for a subscription to Der Speigel....$460 a year! What is Tintentod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 What is Tintentod? The third book in the Tintenwelt trilogy by Cornelia Funke - YA Fiction. Yeah, but they're good books and it keeps my German up. :tongue_smilie: The three books are Tintenherz (Inkheart), Tintenblut (Inkspell, yes they mistranslated it), and Tintentod (Inkdeath). She's quite the prolific author; only a fraction of her books have been translated into English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 I think I may have to add those to my amazon order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 26, 2010 Author Share Posted January 26, 2010 The German Sat. School emailed me and told me they use these for kids that are not native speakers. For native speakers they use textbooks from Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Wow, even with shipping figured in? Actually, maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. When Tintentod came out, I really wanted to read it - price + shipping from amazon.de was about $50, or I could buy it from a local foreign book store for... $50. :eek: Fortunately, the Sat. School library got it in, and I just borrowed it. :) They (the Tintenherz series) are really expensive in Germany itself, too, without shipping. Not so sure why, maybe because one can only get them as hardcover. My parents just got all 3 for us, they are "thick hams" :tongue_smilie:. I hope dd will like them, she didn't like Die Unendliche Geschichte and with Harry Potter she totally bulked :confused:. She did like Der Herr der Diebe, so there's hope,.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 The German Sat. School emailed me and told me they use these for kids that are not native speakers. For native speakers they use textbooks from Germany. Our Sat. School. used to use Tamburin for 2nd grade, but dumped it as well. I guess there's a dearth of good material for that level! My dd's teacher at Sat. School was the weakest one any of my kids had ever had, and I requested more materials to do with her at home (I know, what am I paying them for...) They lent me both Tamburin and ABC Haus - I didn't find Tamburin to be that helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 They (the Tintenherz series) are really expensive in Germany itself, too, without shipping. Not so sure why, maybe because one can only get them as hardcover. My parents just got all 3 for us, they are "thick hams" :tongue_smilie:. I hope dd will like them, she didn't like Die Unendliche Geschichte and with Harry Potter she totally bulked :confused:. She did like Der Herr der Diebe, so there's hope,.. Oh, I loved Die unendliche Geschichte! Has your dd tried Drachenreiter yet? Though I'll admit that's the one Cornelia Funke on my shelf I haven't gotten through... One of my 11yo dds is really enjoying a series called Sieben Siegel by Kai Meyer. I'm very excited because yesterday my 9yo dd and I buddy-read two chapters of a Magische Baumhaus book. It helps that she's familiar with the stories from English. It's unfortunate they also seem to only available in hardcover in German. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Oh, I loved Die unendliche Geschichte! Has your dd tried Drachenreiter yet? Though I'll admit that's the one Cornelia Funke on my shelf I haven't gotten through... One of my 11yo dds is really enjoying a series called Sieben Siegel by Kai Meyer. I'm very excited because yesterday my 9yo dd and I buddy-read two chapters of a Magische Baumhaus book. It helps that she's familiar with the stories from English. It's unfortunate they also seem to only available in hardcover in German. I loved Die unendliche Geschichte, too. We'll try Sieben Siegel. Do yours' like TKKG? Ever so often I hand it to my oldest, and it's still too difficult. I thought I read those in primary school, but I'm not sure, it's such a long time ago:001_smile:! We've got a few of the Magisches Baumhaus, they are great for when they come out of the Leserabe, Leseelephant,... stage, but as you said, they are rather expensive and read through in such a quick time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Do yours' like TKKG? Ever so often I hand it to my oldest, and it's still too difficult. Okay, I'm having a brain freeze... :blushing: what does TKKG stand for? The thing they (this is the older two, 11yo) most enjoy reading in German right now is Harry Potter - which since they've read them in English so many times they've practically got them memorized :rolleyes:, makes them easier than unfamiliar books with possibly easier text. I had one of my dds read all the Freddy the Hamster books in English last summer in the hopes it would encourage her to read them in the German originals, but that didn't work so well. I think sometimes the translated stuff is easier to read for non-native speakers. They seem to get on well with Astrid Lindgren too, which is also translated, of course. Only one of mine has managed an original Funke - it was Hände weg von Mississippi. The movie was cute too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Okay, I'm having a brain freeze... :blushing: what does TKKG stand for? The thing they (this is the older two, 11yo) most enjoy reading in German right now is Harry Potter - which since they've read them in English so many times they've practically got them memorized :rolleyes:, makes them easier than unfamiliar books with possibly easier text. I had one of my dds read all the Freddy the Hamster books in English last summer in the hopes it would encourage her to read them in the German originals, but that didn't work so well. I think sometimes the translated stuff is easier to read for non-native speakers. They seem to get on well with Astrid Lindgren too, which is also translated, of course. Only one of mine has managed an original Funke - it was Hände weg von Mississippi. The movie was cute too. TKKG are the first letters of the 4 teenager's names (Tim, Karl,...forgot the others), who solve cases. It seems to have been made into a film as well, saw it on a German cereal box the other day. I can see your reasoning behind them reading translations. I dislike it myself though (to read translations) and so try to have mine read as many German originals as possible. Some a bit old, like they've just read Erich Kaestner's "Das Fliegende Klassenzimmer", but I'd choose original over new most days. Thinking about this, I probably read more translations as a child myself, than originals. All the Enid Blyton,.... and most kids in Germany are familiar with Harry Potter, a translation. I guess I have to rethink on that one ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 What are some german sites you like for your kids? I'm looking for something fun for my boys...they are 9 and 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 What are some german sites you like for your kids? I'm looking for something fun for my boys...they are 9 and 6 Couldn't you make that a new thead? I'd be interested, too! :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinderSafari Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 For less cost - try ebay.de I'm looking for even younger readers - like beginning readers like Dr. Seuss type books. Not beginning phonics, but stories that have simple words. Is there something similar to Dr. Seuss in German? I like Richard Scarry for preschoolers to learn vocabulary in a fun way, and we have lots of older readers. Just missing those middle levels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 For less cost - try ebay.de I'm looking for even younger readers - like beginning readers like Dr. Seuss type books. Not beginning phonics, but stories that have simple words. Is there something similar to Dr. Seuss in German? Dr. Seuss in German? I wish! I still remember the day I babysat for an American family and read my first Dr. Seuss book to their boy.:thumbup1: I think you might like something like the "Leserabe" series or "Lesephant", they tell a simple story with easy words. It's books like Nick Nase (forgot the English name, it's about a little boy Nat, who solves cases) that show up in those series. They tend to be hardcover and not the cheapest, but Ebay should be full of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verena Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 I just emailed with Klett and they suggest the following sites for ordering their books in the U.S.: http://www.abebooks.com/ http://www.ibiservice.com/ http://www.afb-adlers.com/ Maybe you find what you're looking for cheaper at those sites. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturalmom Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I've ordered from globalbooks.de before. They used to offer free shipping to the US with a minimum order, but they now have a set price of about 8 Euros (compared to amazon.de's 14 Euros). These are per shipment, so it pays to order a big bunch all at once! If you are ordering a lot, you may want to know that amazon charges a little less for their books, since the prices include the EU tax. You save 7% on each book, and something like 17% on videos/DVD's. Globalbooks doesn't give you that discount. (The discount won't show until you are close to checkout, since it's based on shipping the books outside the EU) Some great (but expensive) easy readers are the Duden Lesedetektive series. They have different titles for 1., 2., 3., & 4. Klasse. If you search Lesedetektive, you can find their website. Go to the Lese-ecke, and you can look at the first few pages of each book, plus see a synopsis. (Amazon also has a look inside feature for most of these). They are a little less than $10 each once you convert to dollars, but we like them better than the Lesemaus series (which are cheaper, but also paperback while the Duden is hardback) We also have a book compiled by Manfred Mai called Mein Geschichtenbuch fuer das 1. Schuljahr. Not many pictures in it, but LOTS of stories. The early stories are very short with large print, and as you get farther in the book, the stories lengthen and the print gets smaller. There is also a book for 2. Klasse, and 3/4 Klasse. It's also a way of discovering German authors, since you get to read excerpts from their books/stories! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 For someone who doesn't speak any German and would very much like to teach 5-year old DD the language, what would you suggest? I was hoping for a book that would be the following: Containing some basic grammar (because I'm terrible with languages so it would help me to explain the language to DD) Containing English translation Please kindly tell me where I can purchase it. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 The German Sat. School emailed me and told me they use these for kids that are not native speakers. I like the look of this, but since we have no knowledge of German, do you think we could figure out the text? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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