Learning a foreign language is not only a curriculum elective requirement in our state once you get to the high school level but is also a very necessary skill to have, so I was thrilled to get a chance to review the Spanish Program with the Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids® Spanish Program with Starter Set 1.
What is the Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids Starter Set?
The program is essentially a language immersion program, presented by children, with various components to use in reinforcing the lessons.
I received:
- DVD with videos for Levels 1-3
- 3 Parent-Teacher Guides
- Flashcards and Card Games for Levels 1-3
- Workbooks for Levels 1-3
- Stickers for Levels 1-3
The Parent Teacher Guides explain detailed lesson plans with suggested viewing schedules and a variety of fun, supplemental and hands-on activities to choose from to reinforce the materials taught in the videos.
I was also sent this informational page on 5 Tips for Learning a Foreign Language at Home.
Kit Strauss is the creator of the program. It was specifically developed to help children, ages 5-14, learn Spanish in an enjoyable yet effective manner that helps young children succeed. Her hope in developing the program was that the program would inspire enthusiasm for foreign language. So far, the reported results have been amazing as parents seem to love it, and one New Jersey public school district has incorporated it into their curriculum for more than 2,000 students. All of the Foreign Languages for Kids by Kids FL4K products come with a 100% quality, money back guarantee. So, there is no risk in giving it a try.
How Did We Use It?
I started by reading the Level 1 Parent Teacher Guide. I then got ready to watch the DVD with my soon-to-be 4th Grader. We started with Level 1 and used the corresponding Workbook, stickers, flashcards and games.
Even though the program is primarily intended for elementary or middle school aged students, I also looked over Level 2 and 3 with the idea of possibly being able to use it with my soon-to-be high schooler as an introductory course.
I put the DVD into our player to watch in the living room on our big screen TV. There are three video themes on the disc that progress through each level:
Basketballs Aren't For Breakfast
The Little Magic House Part 1
The Little Magic House Part 2
There is also geography introduced. In Basketballs Aren't For Breakfast, the student begins an imaginary flight from Washington, DC to Lima, Peru. In The Little Magic House Part 1, the trip is from Lima, Peru to Bogota, Colombia and in Part 2, the trip goes from Bogota, Colombia to San Jose, Costa Rica.
Each level progresses to introduce Spanish, from very basic words and phrases in Basketballs Aren't For Breakfast to more complex grammar by the end of Level 3.
Basketballs Aren't For Breakfast includes:
Crosswords
Word Searches
Idioms in an Instant
Introduces Squisher the inchworm
The Little Magic House Part 1 includes:
Geography in a Jiffy
Fst Facts
A Gus of Gtammar
Rapid Review
Introduces Hungry Helena
Part 2 includes:
Act out Skits from movie
Write a Postcard in Spanish
Create a Menu for your Restaurant
Introduces Lost Lina
The Teacher Guides lay out the plans for how much of the video you watch with each new lesson until eventually you watch it in its entirety and have had the repetition of seeing the earlier segments several times before the end, so the words really begin to sink in.
The lessons are presented with an airplane theme and a child introducing the on-screen stories, dressed as a pilot. The workbooks are intended to be used like they are your in-flight magazine.
The workbooks had fun hands-on activities to complete, and each lesson emphasized and re-emphasized the repetition of learning the words presented in the video story.
Then, there were card games, like Go Squish! It's like Go Fish only using Spanish word and picture cards, and this is the adorable blue guy it's named after:
There are also stickers that you use to place around the house on the objects they refer to. We found apples, and then this one is El libro (Book). Since the workbook is a book, it only seemed appropriate to place it here:
Even though the program is primarily intended for elementary or middle school aged students, I also looked over Level 2 and 3 with the idea of possibly being able to use it with my soon-to-be high schooler as an introductory course.
I put the DVD into our player to watch in the living room on our big screen TV. There are three video themes on the disc that progress through each level:
Basketballs Aren't For Breakfast
The Little Magic House Part 1
The Little Magic House Part 2
There is also geography introduced. In Basketballs Aren't For Breakfast, the student begins an imaginary flight from Washington, DC to Lima, Peru. In The Little Magic House Part 1, the trip is from Lima, Peru to Bogota, Colombia and in Part 2, the trip goes from Bogota, Colombia to San Jose, Costa Rica.
Each level progresses to introduce Spanish, from very basic words and phrases in Basketballs Aren't For Breakfast to more complex grammar by the end of Level 3.
Basketballs Aren't For Breakfast includes:
Crosswords
Word Searches
Idioms in an Instant
Introduces Squisher the inchworm
The Little Magic House Part 1 includes:
Geography in a Jiffy
Fst Facts
A Gus of Gtammar
Rapid Review
Introduces Hungry Helena
Part 2 includes:
Act out Skits from movie
Write a Postcard in Spanish
Create a Menu for your Restaurant
Introduces Lost Lina
The Teacher Guides lay out the plans for how much of the video you watch with each new lesson until eventually you watch it in its entirety and have had the repetition of seeing the earlier segments several times before the end, so the words really begin to sink in.
The lessons are presented with an airplane theme and a child introducing the on-screen stories, dressed as a pilot. The workbooks are intended to be used like they are your in-flight magazine.
The workbooks had fun hands-on activities to complete, and each lesson emphasized and re-emphasized the repetition of learning the words presented in the video story.
Then, there were card games, like Go Squish! It's like Go Fish only using Spanish word and picture cards, and this is the adorable blue guy it's named after:
What Did We Think?
I think the idea behind this program is really good. As an adult, I find it challenging to learn a foreign language. I'm thankful that I was exposed to a sampling of several languages in Middle School, from which I had to choose which foreign language to take at least two years of in high school. Usually, the approach is to learn all of the proper grammatical uses of words and sentences whether or not you would actually use these words or sentences if you actually had to speak the language to someone who speaks it fluently. FL4K approaches it as more of a Spanish immersion process, much like a child learns to speak a language naturally by living amidst those who speak it well. With that in mind, I think the program covers the bases of hearing it and then putting it into practice through hands-on activities. I also think the repetition it provides by the small snippets of video lessons that build upon themselves until you really find yourself understanding what is being said.
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Read what other members of the TOS Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:
