mamiof5 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Has anyone used this program? Pros, cons? We have some Spanish programs (Rosetta stone, Spanish with Grace) and they just haven't worked for us. Hesitant about buying more. I like Rosetta Stone OK, but maybe for older kids (mine are 8, 10 and 11 yrs old). This one looks promising, but wanted to get some input on it first. Any help is greatly appreciated!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Do you mean Spanish for Children from Classical Academic Press? If so, it's a grammar-heavy program that relies heavily upon the student working hard at memorization. I found it to be a great tool for teaching Spanish, but I also thought it moved too quickly in places. If I remember correctly, there are at least 10 new vocabulary words to learn each chapter (and their conjugations) plus a few grammar rules. I thought the amount of work/reinforcement throughout the chapter was not nearly enough in relation to how much material was being thrown at the student. However, I don't think it is too much for a middle school student who is willing to do the work of memorizing, and not just doing the minimum amount of work in the workbook. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 I'm using it at half-pace with my 8yo (i.e., with the plan to spend two years in Primer A), and there is a lot of vocabulary, and a lot of memorize now/understand later. I was really hoping the DVDs would emphasize pronunciation and encourage practice speaking, but instead they explain the grammar. We don't love it. We used La Clase Divertida last year to get our feet wet. That was very slow, emphasizing the alphabet, colors, etc. I appreciated the modeling of good pronunciation, not so much the let's-do-crafts aspect. In your shoes, since your kids are older, I'd try DuoLingo. It's free. I like using it myself, but haven't had DS try it yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 I have it on my shelf but have chosen not to use it. It relied too much on straight memorization without full understanding, and that's just not the kid that I have. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Getting Started with Spanish might be worth a look. It takes things nice and slow, explains the why of conjugations and word endings, and also come with free pronunciation mp3s that you can download or listen to online. I think it would make a great intro of the basics for those ages and then you could add Duolingo about halfway through the book for extra practice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 If it's the A and B books, Christian Light is selling them as early high school level texts because of the grammar focus. They say the word children in the title is misleading. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue plaid Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 We tried to use it. There is a lot of memorization and very little practice using everything you have memorized, so it was not successful here though my kids were on the younger side for it, maybe 3rd and 4th grade. I think if your kids are really motivated and really want to learn Spanish and are up for a lot of memory work, it could work well, particularly for your 10 and 11 year old. Unfortunately I discovered that at our house, evidently I am the only one who really wants to learn Spanish :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Thank you so much for your responses!! Will check out the other book mentioned, and Duolingo might be a good option for us as well. As someone mentioned, this might be a better option for later for us. Ironically, Spanish is my first language. Don't ask me how or why I struggle SO much teaching it! I just don't use it, at all. I was never strong at grammar either, just never learned it. I need to make it a priority, my mom speaks mostly Spanish, and my kids can't understand her :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthylPie Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 My DS (8) is using The Complete Book of Spanish workbook ( on Amazon for about$9) and Duolingo. The workbook is a gentle introduction to Spanish vocabulary. He does one to two pages a day. He loves Duolingo so much that I have to get him to quit. He does it all by himself. I received CAP Spanish for Children last week but we will work that in gently next year. Another post summed it up well, SFC is grammar heavy, while Duolingo emphasizes usage\conversation. Duolingo has two settings to allow you just to listen or you can set it to require verbal answers. I think his workbook and Duolingo make a great pair and when he finishes the workbook we will start SFC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 We've had great success with Spanish for Children. It's easy to use and effective. I described how we use it in this recent thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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