kokotg Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I've been trying to use Elementary Spanish from United Streaming with my 5 and 7 year old, and they're just really not into it. Last year we did La Clase Divertida in our co-op, which they liked okay, but it kind of drove me nuts. Then it occurred to me that I actually know a good bit of Spanish--I took it all through middle school and high school, took several semesters in college, and retained enough to pass a translation test in grad school. So, you know, I'm hardly fluent, but I think my memory of it and my pronunciation are decent enough that I can get by without extensive video or audio. So...looking at this from a different angle now, what's out there that's primarily text-based? I'd like something overtly "fun" with games and projects and whatnot--not just a workbook to learn vocabulary kind of thing. I keep looking at Lively Latin and thinking of forgetting Spanish and using that, but I think I want to hold off on it until my 5 year old is a bit older. So I think basically I want Lively Latin only for Spanish. Anyone use anything that fits the bill? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Well, The Fun Spanish is more of a supplement than a full program, but it is fun. We printed out the 2 week sample in the spring & my kids enjoyed it. I'm getting ready to order/download the entire program as a supplement to our Spanish studies this year. (We're going to use Spanish in 10 Minutes a Day as our main program, though I'm not sure that would be a good fit for the age of your dc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 OH sorry... my links all include mostly audio, but they are not video or computer based. The Fun Spanish sounds just right for you. "I ran across these Spanish flash cards last summer and I had the children memorize them. Well the only ones that stuck were the silly sentences, such as "The Chicken is wearing a jacket". So, I decided to put together a list of silly or rather Fun sentences of my own that would cover the words I want them to learn. Everyday nouns and verbs. I was initially going to have them copy the sentences only to help with memorization. Well, then I decided they needed to remember the verb conjugation of some important verbs, such as (ser, estar, run, jump, want, eat, and a few more) . So I added the verb conjugation. Then I decided that they needed to try and make new sentences from the one I made up. So I added that. Finally I decided that we needed a weekly review of the new vocabulary and the verb they learned for the week. And there you have it, "The Fun Spanish". They memorize sentences about flying houses, chickens running through the kitchen. Basicaly, I watched my 4 children tear up my house and put that in it. I made it as silly as I could, because my 8 year old loves it that way. It is her favorite subject. You can see it at the link below. We have not finished the book, but it is only for one semester of 17 weeks. I really hope that my dc and I can actually start speaking Spanish after we finish it. I have taken 2+ years of Spanish and I understand 50 % of what's on TV. I can conjugate in my dreams, for real. But I freeze when I'm on the spot. I think sentence memorization will be the solution to that block between learning it and speaking it. At least that is how Charlotte Mason taught a new language." Learnables www.learnables.com Berlitz http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,313996,00.html http://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Language-Pack-Berlitz-Kids/dp/2831562244 Language Quest http://www.languagequest.com/utilities/search/search.php?mediaType=All&startPoint=1&endPoint=10&searchString=songs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 There is the Easy Spanish and the Easy Spanish Jr. RR carries them as well as Timberdoodle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted October 8, 2008 Author Share Posted October 8, 2008 I'm resurrecting my own thread, since Spanish stuff comes up pretty often and someone else might be interested.... I looked through all these links and a gazillion more (more or less), and finally ordered something! I went with Espanol para los chiquitos plus The Fun Spanish (thanks, Stacia!). The Fun Spanish hasn't gotten here yet, but the other one came today, and I'm pleased with what I've looked at so far. They have another program for older kids, but this one is aimed at ages 4-7, so I thought it would be good for us since my 5 year old will be doing it, too. It has a workbook with CDs, an activity book with flashcards and a bingo game, and then a teacher manual. There are 12 themed units, and the teacher's manual divides each one into 4 lessons plus a review. The workbook is really colorful and there's lots of fun stuff like drawing and games. So I'll report back after we've tried it out for awhile, but it looks good at first perusal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Wow, thank you for posting this! I speak Spanish fluently but have been wanting something to give me some framework - it seemed like most of what I saw was either too simplistic or aimed at older kids. The Español para chicos y grandes might be just the thing! For my older kids (10yo) I'm using Spanish the Easy Way - that's working well so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 If you don't mind scripture verses and hymns, there's always Speedy Spanish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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