momof165 Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 My ds 9 wants to learn Italian. I thought at first, it's one of his crazy ideas - but he is begging me for months to start Italian. We are already studying German and Latin. Do you think this will be a problem? So far, he really enjoys all of the languages he is studying. Do you know of any good Italian language course for kids besides Rosetta Stone? I had set my heart on Spanish since I know the language - but ds just does NOT want to learn Spanish! Sigh!!! What should I do? I was looking into hiring a tutor - but honestly, we can't afford one right now. I don't even know if we can swing Rosetta Stone! Dh is going back to college in two months (he lost his job 1st of February and just picks up odd jobs right now to help us survive) - so, money IS a problem right now. Any ideas? Suggestion? Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Sonja ___________________________________ Homeschooling JUST ONE - ds 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I always say that the dc should study the languages he/she wants to study. I would just start looking around for whatever you can find for Italian, starting with your local library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Italian is close enough to Spanish that you should be fine with whatever program you find. I taught myself a bit of Italian when I lived in Germany and was going on a several week long trip to Italy. I spoke Spanish to them with a few words of Italian thrown in and communicated fairly well. I used a Department of Defense program that I found at our military library, it was actually pretty good, but I did end up skipping large portions of it because it was so similar to Spanish. It's easier than German! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vnvnvn2000 Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 My children were educated in Italy from the age of 3 to 11 and were fluent within a few months. We lived in a totally non English community and I found that I had to 'sink or swim'! My best advice is to buy childrens's comic books with pictures and words eg Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse etc. you can word associate with pictures. I also kept the t.v. or radio on all day whilst around the house, it's amazing how much sinks in. After many years away from Italy I am still bi-lingual and looking forward to practising again in June when we tour La Toscana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof165 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 Thank you so much for all of your replies. I can't wait to get started. I know, we'll have a lot on our plate (Latin, German, Italian) - but as long as my ds WANTS to learn these language, I'm all game. Sonja _____________________________ Homeschooling JUST ONE - ds 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof165 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 Italian is close enough to Spanish that you should be fine with whatever program you find. I taught myself a bit of Italian when I lived in Germany and was going on a several week long trip to Italy. I spoke Spanish to them with a few words of Italian thrown in and communicated fairly well. I used a Department of Defense program that I found at our military library, it was actually pretty good, but I did end up skipping large portions of it because it was so similar to Spanish. It's easier than German! Your are absolutely right - ITALIAN is waaay easier than German! Knowing Spanish I should be all right........ Sonja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof165 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 My children were educated in Italy from the age of 3 to 11 and were fluent within a few months. We lived in a totally non English community and I found that I had to 'sink or swim'! My best advice is to buy childrens's comic books with pictures and words eg Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse etc. you can word associate with pictures. I also kept the t.v. or radio on all day whilst around the house, it's amazing how much sinks in. After many years away from Italy I am still bi-lingual and looking forward to practising again in June when we tour La Toscana. Where do you find children's books, comics, etc in Italian? I have checked out amazon.de - but I couldn't find any of these listed there. Is there another place I don't know about? Thanks. Sonja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) Livemocha.com is free, and the community can comment on the work (written and spoken) submitted, too. It's pretty basic so far (I'm doing German 101), and I also review on people's submitted work for English.You can also request a tutor. Edited March 23, 2009 by Renai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsquared Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Your Spanish will help immensely. I speak Spanish and have picked up basic Italian quite quickly through Rosetta Stone and work my DD has at Italian school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 THe Italian comic books with disney are called Topolino and Paperino. We have a ton of them, but they aren't going anywhere! maybe those titles will help you search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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