three4me Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 We live a hop, skip, and jump from Tijuana, which we visit semi-regularly to spend time with family members who live there. All but one person we know there speaks only Spanish. I really would like a plan for the kids and I to learn conversational Spanish over the next few years. The kids are young still - 5 and 3. I'm looking for resource recommendations to help get us started. I took Spanish in high school, so I've already got a head start. We occasionally do Salsa Spanish, but not with regularity. I've been looking at Song School Spanish, but I was hoping for a curriculum that would last more than just a year. Are they coming out with SSS 2 anytime soon? Other recommendations? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Good Spanish curriculum is hard-to-come by for those ages. I would run a search on here, see what you find. This is what we did this year. DD was five when we started. DD finishes up her current curriculum in a week or so. I'm not exactly sure where to go next. I ordered the Grade 2 book for this series, which I flipped through today. Not sure what I think yet. http://bluehouseschool.blogspot.com/search/label/Teach%20Them%20Spanish - Start with oldest post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 PS - I'm strongly considering Risas y Sonrisas Spanish for Kids. It's not cheap, but I think it will last us a good while. It's pretty much what I want out of a Spanish curriculum. http://www.spanishforkids.com/products/homeschool-parents-tutors/individual-self-study-program-2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
three4me Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 Thanks! That second curriculum is pricey, though! Will it cover more than one year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I love talking Spanish (although my English is better)! Your kids are young (which is great), are you looking for an all-in-one curriculum, or something more free-flowing, with emphasis on the free part? How lucky that you have studied Spanish AND have easy access to native speakers. In our house we have the best luck doing a little bit every day - maybe 15 minutes of instruction time? Then working it in as it comes up. Do you have a library near by? My kids love to listen to stories. It is OK if they don't get all the words, just hearing it is beneficial. My library has a decent selection of board books and picture books. Maybe discuss some vocabulary and read a book one day, watch Salsa another day, do a worksheet on a third day, have a day of review, play a game one day? There are so many resources available on the web. I'm just going to brain-dump some of my favorite links here... You may want to start at this website where one kind forum user has posted a 12 week immersion plan she put together. Alas, it was too late for us, but might be of interest to you. Somebody on the internet has lesson plans out for Salsa. A friend sent me this link today, it looks very promising with lots of printables, games and stories. If I were getting started I might spend some time printing their beautiful vocabulary cards and posting them around the house. Here is another website to poke around (same friend, also today) that is a blog about teaching Spanish to young children, particularly preschoolers. At this McGraw-Hill site you can print out little booklets for each week with reading and teaching activites in them, under Conexión con el hogar. I'm hoping to incorporate these Oh Noah! PBS videos and activities for a few weeks in the fall. Less educational perhaps, but fun for young kids would be watching Pocoyo - a YouTube search will bring up various episodes. Lots of games for kids can be done in Spanish (Guess Who?, Bingo, Twister, Hide and Seek - good for counting practice, etc.) Most of the traditional curriculum I've seen is for children who are reading and writing comfortably. Buena suerte! ETA: fixed the link in #3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
three4me Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 I love talking Spanish (although my English is better)! Your kids are young (which is great), are you looking for an all-in-one curriculum, or something more free-flowing, with emphasis on the free part? How lucky that you have studied Spanish AND have easy access to native speakers. In our house we have the best luck doing a little bit every day - maybe 15 minutes of instruction time? Then working it in as it comes up. Do you have a library near by? My kids love to listen to stories. It is OK if they don't get all the words, just hearing it is beneficial. My library has a decent selection of board books and picture books. Maybe discuss some vocabulary and read a book one day, watch Salsa another day, do a worksheet on a third day, have a day of review, play a game one day? There are so many resources available on the web. I'm just going to brain-dump some of my favorite links here... You may want to start at this website where one kind forum user has posted a 12 week immersion plan she put together. Alas, it was too late for us, but might be of interest to you. Somebody on the internet has lesson plans out for Salsa. A friend sent me this link today, it looks very promising with lots of printables, games and stories. If I were getting started I might spend some time printing their beautiful vocabulary cards and posting them around the house. Here is another website to poke around (same friend, also today) that is a blog about teaching Spanish to young children, particularly preschoolers. At this McGraw-Hill site you can print out little booklets for each week with reading and teaching activites in them, under Conexión con el hogar. I'm hoping to incorporate these Oh Noah! PBS videos and activities for a few weeks in the fall. Less educational perhaps, but fun for young kids would be watching Pocoyo - a YouTube search will bring up various episodes. Lots of games for kids can be done in Spanish (Guess Who?, Bingo, Twister, Hide and Seek - good for counting practice, etc.) Most of the traditional curriculum I've seen is for children who are reading and writing comfortably. Buena suerte! Wow, thanks! I took Spanish in highs school, but I'm by no means up to conversations in Spanish. I can, however, sort of follow a conversation when listening to others speak Spanish. I'll take a look at those links you gave me. Also, I'll have my sister bring some of her Spanish books the next time she visits. What a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
three4me Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 I love talking Spanish (although my English is better)! Your kids are young (which is great), are you looking for an all-in-one curriculum, or something more free-flowing, with emphasis on the free part? How lucky that you have studied Spanish AND have easy access to native speakers. In our house we have the best luck doing a little bit every day - maybe 15 minutes of instruction time? Then working it in as it comes up. Do you have a library near by? My kids love to listen to stories. It is OK if they don't get all the words, just hearing it is beneficial. My library has a decent selection of board books and picture books. Maybe discuss some vocabulary and read a book one day, watch Salsa another day, do a worksheet on a third day, have a day of review, play a game one day? There are so many resources available on the web. I'm just going to brain-dump some of my favorite links here... You may want to start at this website where one kind forum user has posted a 12 week immersion plan she put together. Alas, it was too late for us, but might be of interest to you. Somebody on the internet has lesson plans out for Salsa. A friend sent me this link today, it looks very promising with lots of printables, games and stories. If I were getting started I might spend some time printing their beautiful vocabulary cards and posting them around the house. Here is another website to poke around (same friend, also today) that is a blog about teaching Spanish to young children, particularly preschoolers. At this McGraw-Hill site you can print out little booklets for each week with reading and teaching activites in them, under Conexión con el hogar. I'm hoping to incorporate these Oh Noah! PBS videos and activities for a few weeks in the fall. Less educational perhaps, but fun for young kids would be watching Pocoyo - a YouTube search will bring up various episodes. Lots of games for kids can be done in Spanish (Guess Who?, Bingo, Twister, Hide and Seek - good for counting practice, etc.) Most of the traditional curriculum I've seen is for children who are reading and writing comfortably. Buena suerte! I think the link in #3 is the same as the link in #1. Can you try #3 again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Sorry. I updated the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 I just ordered it. Yes, I think it will last us 2-3 full years. That was the only way I could justify it. We only study Spanish twice a week and usually take three sessions for each set of new words. I'll try to remember to post an update after I receive it. I probably wouldn't use it right off with your children's ages, unless your older DC already knows how to write and the basics of reading. From reading up on it, it sounds like a pre-school child could tag along with an older one. Here's a write-up about the program by Cathy Duffy. http://cathyduffyreviews.com/foreign-language/Risas-y-Sonrisas-Spanish-for-Kids.htm Thanks! That second curriculum is pricey, though! Will it cover more than one year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.