Learn Spanish For Kids DVD Set

[Luvmy3kids]

Has anyone used this program? It is 60 lessons and ten DVD's.

 

I found a 9 minute clip of it on youtube, but I just want to know if anyone has used it.

 

Language Zoom dot com

 

No spaces.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Michelle

[Aludlam]

:lurk5:

 

Sounds interesting.....

 

Hope you get a great reply!

[Luvmy3kids]

It looks good. I think it is new, though. So, I am not sure if anyone has used it yet. I tried to search the forum, but I couldn't find anything.

[Aludlam]

I hope you are able to find out more info! :001_smile:

[Luvmy3kids]

Thanks:)

[Luvmy3kids]

Bump:001_smile:

 

Anyone???:confused:

[Luvmy3kids]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8O3XxlGedk

 

Here is the link to a clip of the program.

 

I just emailed a rep and she said that it is a new program.

 

I think it looks pretty good, but how does it compare to La Clase Divertida?

[Penny_P]

Hhhmmm... Looks interesting. Fairly affordable to try-out. (Relative to other programs...)

[Luvmy3kids]

I know! She gave me a coupon code to use, so the whole set will be $99. I think I might get it. I am kind of nervous, but it is a 125% money back gaurantee!

[Aludlam]

bumping again for you!

[Guest momk2000]

This looks pretty good, I may give it a try! :)

[Aludlam]

Do you know how long the lessons are (time wise)? Also, is it just the DVD's? No workbooks?

 

It really does look good. I sent the link to my husband to check out.

[Luvmy3kids]

I'm not sure about how long the lessons are, but 10 DVD's and 60 lessons. Maybe 10 minutes a lesson:confused: I just emailed the rep to ask about any workbooks. I think if they had some workbooks, this would be a complete program :w00t:! (<<<<That is a weird smilie)

[Luvmy3kids]

Alright....I am really loving this rep. Within minutes I am getting a response back. There IS a workbook in the works!!!!! YAY! It should be done in approx. 2 weeks. They said that they will mail a workbook when it is ready to whoever has purchased their curriculum.

 

Yay! So excited :hurray:

[Penny_P]

thanks for the info. It does look like a good program.

[Luvmy3kids]

I have a coupon code if anyone wants it. It will save about $20.

[Luvmy3kids]

I just wanted to update anyone who is interested, that I recieved my set and I will be previewing it this weekend! I will write a semi-review of it when I am done. :thumbup:

[kwickimom]

I just wanted to update anyone who is interested, that I recieved my set and I will be previewing it this weekend! I will write a semi-review of it when I am done. :thumbup:

 

awesome! I have been wondering about these since this thread started!

[BatmansWife]

I got my set on eBay with a make an offer. I'm told it's shipped, but I haven't gotten it yet. Hopefully we will soon. We did get the Whistlefritz and Mi Guitarri in the mail yesterday. Dd is really enjoying those. Can't wait for this bigger set to arrive! :001_smile:

[jplain]

I hate to be negative, but after viewing the promotional clips, I have serious doubts about this product. The content itself may be great, but in my humble opinion, the accent and pronunciation are completely unacceptable.

 

Kids are great at absorbing new accents, so you want to make sure they're getting exposed to a good one! If you can have a native Spanish speaker preview the clips before deciding to buy, please do.

 

 

Here are the time stamps for some of the bits I find problematic in the YouTube clip:

 

bicicleta @ 0:08...huh?

 

The letter R is often pronounced incorrectly, and is said as if the speaker is speaking English. R is the most difficult Spanish consonant for English-speakers to master, so it is really important to have good examples to emulate!

 

Incorrectly pronounced Rs: maestro @ 1:11, days of the week 3:05, sombrero at 5:40, futbol americano @ 6:13, grande & corto (largo was not as bad) @ 6:35, months of the year @8:07...and I'm going to stop looking for "r"s now, but I'm sure there are more.

 

Starting at 9:10, three different speakers go through the shapes. The first two speakers make major pronunciation errors. The third speaker, starting at 9:30, is fine.

[Luvmy3kids]

Jplain, thank you for your opinion! I am pulling so many resources to put together a spanish immersion type curriculum. This set is only one aspect of our "system". So, hopefully, it won't detract too much if that is the case about the R's.

 

I will be reviewing it this weekend.

 

 

AprilMay, MiGuitarri I recieved 3 days ago! Hopefully you get these soon.

[jwoodbri]

I hate to be negative, but after viewing the promotional clips, I have serious doubts about this product. The content itself may be great, but in my humble opinion, the accent and pronunciation are completely unacceptable.

 

 

Could it just be a different dialect? (Not at all being snarky, really just curious.) The students at my last school came back from Spanish saying various words "all wrong" and I kept correcting them. Turns out they were saying it correctly as our Spanish teacher was Puerto Rican which in many cases does not sound the same as the way I was taught Spanish (from Spain) in high school. I do think one of the issues was with r's but I am a little fuzzy on the details. Does that make sense? I wish I could think of a good example.* Anyway... again just curious if that could be the case or if it really is just flat out wrong!

 

I'd love to find a good program to use with my almost 5 yr old. What other programs do people recommend?

 

*Ok I thought of an example... The word ella. I was taught to pronounce the "ll" much like an English "y" but they were pronouncing it as an English "j" which to me sounded like they were saying "Asia." But that is indeed more or less how the teacher pronounced it and again she was Puerto Rican. It really surprised me as I had never heard of that variation.

Edited July 24, 2010 by jwoodbri
Thought of an example.

[jplain]

Could it just be a different dialect? (Not at all being snarky, really just curious.)

No, to the best of my knowledge, the things I've picked out are not dialect issues.

 

The "r" pronunciation I pointed out is just plain wrong. R in Spanish doesn't resemble r in English at all. In English, the letter r does not involve the tongue (near the tip) touching the roof of your mouth, but in Spanish, the tongue (near the tip) must touch the roof of the mouth. The single r in Spanish should sound similar to the dd in the word ladder, when spoken quickly. The double r is trilled, as is an r at the beginning of a word and in a few other cases. The only example of rr in that I remember from the clip was perro, which was pronounced correctly.

 

That's not to say that there aren't regional differences in Spanish pronunciation. You mentioned one of them. Y and ll are often pronounced like an English y, but they are pronounced as j or zh in some places. Another is the way z and c (followed by i or e) are pronounced in Spain ~ as th rather than as s.

 

On the other hand, however, vowel sounds have very little regional variation in Spanish. The vowel sounds in bicicleta and several of the words for shapes in the video clip are simply incorrect. I is pronounced as a long e, never as a long i. U is pronounced as oo, not as yu.

Edited July 24, 2010 by jplain

[jwoodbri]

No, to the best of my knowledge, the things I've picked out are not dialect issues.

 

Thanks! It's been a while since I have been involved with Spanish. I also caught the bicicleta but not the others. Of course I didn't end up watching the whole way through either. :)

 

Is there a program that you like or have heard good things about?

[Cleopatra]

Jplain, thank you for your opinion! I am pulling so many resources to put together a spanish immersion type curriculum.

 

If you're looking for an immersion curriculum, have you looked at Calico Spanish? It's quite expensive but it includes lots of resources and it looks excellent. We're going to give it a try for next year. http://www.calicospanish.com/

[Penny_P]

Well, I find that review disheartening. I really wanted a program that I could, frankly, just stick my kids in front of while I got some work done around the house. I like how it is so visual for my ds. :(

[LauraGB]

No, to the best of my knowledge, the things I've picked out are not dialect issues.

 

The "r" pronunciation I pointed out is just plain wrong. R in Spanish doesn't resemble r in English at all. In English, the letter r does not involve the tongue (near the tip) touching the roof of your mouth, but in Spanish, the tongue (near the tip) must touch the roof of the mouth. The single r in Spanish should sound similar to the dd in the word ladder, when spoken quickly. The double r is trilled, as is an r at the beginning of a word and in a few other cases. The only example of rr in that I remember from the clip was perro, which was pronounced correctly.

 

That's not to say that there aren't regional differences in Spanish pronunciation. You mentioned one of them. Y and ll are often pronounced like an English y, but they are pronounced as j or zh in some places. Another is the way z and c (followed by i or e) are pronounced in Spain ~ as th rather than as s.

 

On the other hand, however, vowel sounds have very little regional variation in Spanish. The vowel sounds in bicicleta and several of the words for shapes in the video clip are simply incorrect. I is pronounced as a long e, never as a long i. U is pronounced as oo, not as yu.

 

Thanks for this. I am looking for a Spanish curriculum to go with the tutor I don't yet have :tongue_smilie:. The pronunciations you pointed out are similar to the Italian ones (which we have studied previously) and your assertions are spot on.

[Luvmy3kids]

If you're looking for an immersion curriculum, have you looked at Calico Spanish? It's quite expensive but it includes lots of resources and it looks excellent. We're going to give it a try for next year. http://www.calicospanish.com/

 

 

Some of the items we ordered were the Mi Guittari CD/Book/DVD. That is part of the Calico Spanish.

 

edit: The songs are great!

Edited July 25, 2010 by Luvmy3kids
add something

[Deutsche Mama]

So did you end up buying it? Please do post your experience with it when you have!! ANd a 125% money back guarantee is awesome, never heard of that!

[Luvmy3kids]

Just thinking here....

 

Should a spanish program be completely discounted because someone might not roll their R's?

 

I am going to be learning spanish and I don't think I will be able to roll my R's. Should I not speak to my children in spanish?

 

I think as long as you are being taught spanish in a fun and engaging way, then why should the R's be a deal breaker?

 

As long as you provide a large range of material (Cds, DVDs, movies, books, etc.) and some actual conversation experiences with a native speaker, then the children will hear the R's the "right way."

[Luvmy3kids]

So did you end up buying it? Please do post your experience with it when you have!! ANd a 125% money back guarantee is awesome, never heard of that!

 

 

I just recieved it and will be watching it tomorrow!

[jplain]

Just thinking here....

 

Should a spanish program be completely discounted because someone might not roll their R's?

 

I am going to be learning spanish and I don't think I will be able to roll my R's. Should I not speak to my children in spanish?

 

I think as long as you are being taught spanish in a fun and engaging way, then why should the R's be a deal breaker?

 

As long as you provide a large range of material (Cds, DVDs, movies, books, etc.) and some actual conversation experiences with a native speaker, then the children will hear the R's the "right way."

I disagree.

 

I DO think that how the teacher pronounces r in Spanish should be a deal breaker, assuming the goal is to (eventually) be able to communicate with native speakers. To paraphrase the late Don Casteel: if one is unable to properly pronounce r when speaking Spanish, the result will be at best unintentionally funny, and at worst, unintelligible.

 

If you are having trouble with r, find yourself a native speaker who can provide tutoring and/or search online for resources to help you learn to pronounce the Spanish r correctly. (You are NOT the only one who has faced this particular challenge!) With effort, you WILL learn to pronounce it properly. If Spanish is worth studying, then it is worth the effort it takes to learn correct pronunciation. And your kids deserve good models to imitate!

 

(And besides, if the pronunciation of vowels and consonants in this program is flawed, how can you be sure there aren't also serious errors in the content? If you aren't a fluent Spanish speaker yourself, you won't catch errors, will you?)

Edited July 25, 2010 by jplain

[Mabelen]

I am sorry to add to the pronunciation concerns. I concur these concerns are not due to dialect differences. It's not just the "maestro/teacher" whose pronunciation leaves somewhat to be desired. The other voices are a mix of native/near native, ranging from correct native pronunciation to correct but a little foreign sounding, and very foreign sounding voices with often simply completely incorrect pronunciations. I could live with just one a little off pronunciation model, but the ratio of native and correct to foreign and incorrect is too biased towards the latter for my liking. I guess that's how they cut costs to make the program more affordable?

[PenKase]

I hate to be negative, but after viewing the promotional clips, I have serious doubts about this product. The content itself may be great, but in my humble opinion, the accent and pronunciation are completely unacceptable.

I too watched the promotional clips, and as a native Spanish speaker, I agree with this pp. The presentation is good. The maestro is engaging, friedndly, and kid appealing. HOWEVER the missed pronunciations were like nails on a chalkboard for me!! 100% unacceptable.

 

Should a spanish program be completely discounted because someone might not roll their R's?

I would discount it. For me, teaching my children my mother tongue is about savoring, appreciating, understanding, and respecting the culture. Mastering the rolling "r" is fundamental to the language, and although it will be difficult for some non native speakers to master, it is vital because without it, the authenticity will be amiss.

 

I DO think that how the teacher pronounces r in Spanish should be a deal breaker, assuming the goal is to (eventually) be able to communicate with native speakers. To paraphrase the late Don Casteel: if one is unable to properly pronounce r when speaking Spanish, the result will be at best unintentionally funny, and at worst, unintelligible.

 

If you are having trouble with r, find yourself a native speaker who can provide tutoring and/or search online for resources to help you learn to pronounce the Spanish r correctly. (You are NOT the only one who has faced this particular challenge!) With effort, you WILL learn to pronounce it properly. If Spanish is worth studying, then it is worth the effort it takes to learn correct pronunciation. And your kids deserve good models to imitate!

 

(And besides, if the pronunciation of vowels and consonants in this program is flawed, how can you be sure there aren't also serious errors in the content? If you aren't a fluent Spanish speaker yourself, you won't catch errors, will you?)

Si, lo que ella dijo (Yea, what she said)!

[Luvmy3kids]

Thank you everyone for your opinions! I appreciate them =) Two of my great friends have spouses who are native speakers. So I will definately be having some conversations with them. One is Mexican from Mexico and the other is Puerto Rican. I only took spanish 3 years in school. I wish now that I did more:glare:!

 

I forgot where I was reading, but someone who is a native speaker was saying how she can not roll her R's. This might sound dumb, but are there certain exercises to get the tongue to roll properly? I can do it a little bit, but it is forced and feels strange.

 

Thanks!

[jplain]

This might sound dumb, but are there certain exercises to get the tongue to roll properly? I can do it a little bit, but it is forced and feels strange.

That's not dumb at all! It is common to have difficulty with one or more new sounds when learning a new language. I would suggest searching the archives of two other online forums: Notes From Spain: Learning Spanish and the Language Learning Forum at how-to-learn-any-language.com. That second forum definitely has relevant threads, but it has a pretty pathetic search engine, so you might want to use the G-search tab. There might also be helpful info on the about.com webpages for Spanish.

 

Good luck!

[Luvmy3kids]

That's not dumb at all! It is common to have difficulty with one or more new sounds when learning a new language. I would suggest searching the archives of two other online forums: Notes From Spain: Learning Spanish and the Language Learning Forum at how-to-learn-any-language.com. That second forum definitely has relevant threads, but it has a pretty pathetic search engine, so you might want to use the G-search tab. There might also be helpful info on the about.com webpages for Spanish.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Thank you!

[JenC3]

I'm interested in the rolling R theory. My dh cannot, no matter how hard he tries, to roll his R's. Should he not try to learn Spanish? I want to get the kids an immersion program so I have been watching this thread. I can roll my R's well and have a decent accent with Spanish since I grew up with a best friend who is half Hispanic. I will be the primary teacher of the language, but dh was interested in participating as well.

[jplain]

My dh cannot, no matter how hard he tries, to roll his R's.

Obviously I don't know what he has tried, or how motivated he is to master the sound, but I can offer a few thoughts.

 

A speech pathologist would tell you that hearing a sound over and over won't necessarily help your mouth figure out how to form it. That is because hearing a sound doesn't explain to your brain how to use the available muscles to make that sound. Most people learn via experimentation, and probably don't remember that process, as it occurs during toddlerhood and the preschool years! Others do need direct instruction to produce specific sounds, via speech therapy.

 

In a way, it can be similar to an athletic activity like pitching or shooting baskets. Both take a lot of concentration and deliberation at first. However, with enough practice, once the neural paths are in place and the necessary muscles have been strengthened, these actions become more natural.

 

It may help to read descriptions of how the parts of his mouth (tongue, teeth, lips, etc.) should be moving while making the sound. Sometimes a description using specific imagery will click and suddenly it'll be easier to produce a desired sound. It may help to carefully watch a native speaker's mouth (or non-native, if articulation is good) as s/he speaks slowly and clearly, exaggerating the sound and making an effort to demonstrate what is going on inside her/his mouth. I believe there are videos on YouTube that provide examples as well, though I haven't gone searching for them myself.

 

Good luck!

Edited July 27, 2010 by jplain

[Grace]

I emailed their customer service but have not gotten any response yet. For the few who have reviewed this program, maybe you can answer my questions....

 

ARe there teachers materials telling what is taught in each lesson if we wanted to supplement the materials or use the vocabulary at home?

 

And how long is each video lesson? Is each lesson meant to be watched once or several times (like La Clase Divertida)?

 

What age group is this for?

 

Someone mentioned speaking/emailing with a rep. How did yo locate him/her?

 

Thanks,

Grace

[Luvmy3kids]

I emailed their customer service but have not gotten any response yet. For the few who have reviewed this program, maybe you can answer my questions....

 

ARe there teachers materials telling what is taught in each lesson if we wanted to supplement the materials or use the vocabulary at home?

 

And how long is each video lesson? Is each lesson meant to be watched once or several times (like La Clase Divertida)?

 

What age group is this for?

 

Someone mentioned speaking/emailing with a rep. How did yo locate him/her?

 

Thanks,

Grace

 

 

Hi! This is their email: pmpebay@gmail.com

 

There will be a workbook shortly to go along with the lessons. Each lesson is about 12 minutes. I would say each lesson should be watched numerous times.

[Luvmy3kids]

I just want everyone to know, I posted a new thread with my partial review.