This is a simply wonderful, relaxing, FUN video program for your younger kids! They will have an absolute blast with this one - do they like puppets? Sesame Street? Do they like to sing with friends? Do they like Barney? Then they'll be begging you to get this! It begins with some songs and the appearance of some puppet friends, who start with combinations of simple conversation, co-mingling English and Spanish so everyone watching can understand. That includes you!

We say "hi" to each other, we talk with our friends, we talk about our home, our friends, our desk, our table, and we have lots of fun. The Spanish goes from beginning conversation to numbers, colors (highlighting them in the appropriate shade, as well as saying and visualizing them), counting, and more household items as before. Once these have been introduced verbally and visually, they are reviewed visually in a sentence, and we begin to create sentences, to add plurals, and so forth. The meanings are again reinforced, spelling and punctuation are reviewed, and the sentences emerge and are recreated with the addition of simple phrases, such as "there is" and "there are." The children are given time to think, create, and to respond appropriately.

They use a catchy song, a comfortable and familiar tune that our children have heard many times before. Our friends along the backyard fence appear and disappear (again, a la sesame street and the puppet shows) - it's very cute! For a while after the video, these stick with the kids; the next morning, they want to put the video back in and watch it again. They get to meet new instructors and some new children, as well. For our kids who are a little older, the instructors review the words, reminding the children to write their new vocabulary and sentences in their notebooks. This program comes with a video and corresponding spiral-bound workbook.

The video has a very straightforward approach, extremely friendly and familiar for the little ones. Educational statistics uphold the belief that for foreign language, earlier is better for our children, as they begin to lose their capacity to easily absorb foreign languages by around age 12. This is a good program for little ones to begin their day, and to whet their appetites for some friendly foreign language instruction. The set retails for $49.95 and includes the fun video, student book, and a tape. For an extra book, the cost is $9.00. Not a bad deal when you are using the course for several children in one family. Homeschool Specialists has a whole line of catalog items that are helpful to homeschoolers. Check them out!



-- Product review by: Karen Houston, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine