See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish by Señora Gose (Schoolhouse Crew Review)

We received See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish, by Señora Gose, for review purposes.

Product Link: See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish

Vendor Contact Information: Flip Flop Learning

Age Appeal: Ages three and up

Format: two-year curriculum with three different sets of flash cards (135 cards), four audio CDs, white board paddle and pen, and 150 page manual

Price: $99.95

See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish uses picture flash cards, repetition, and sentence making to learn more than 250 words and make many different sentences.

The children will select the lesson flash cards, play the CD, and follow the instructions.  They will do one lesson a week.  Days one and two use the CD and the flash cards.  Day two is a repetition of day one.  On the third day the parent is the teacher and reads the transcript and works with the children. 

Go to the website to see samples of the lessons- See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish

Our Experience:

C and I were very excited when we were chosen to review See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish.  C really enjoys learning Spanish and I was intrigued by the use of flash cards and short lessons.

The first day we did the first lesson we got out the necessary cards and the CD.  I played the CD and C did what the CD asked of her.  She was very surprised when her lesson ended.  She wasn’t expecting it to be so short.  She wanted to practice more.  I thought it was great, because I teach using the Charlotte Mason Method, which means short lesson times.

We consistently did the lessons for the recommended three days a week.  B also worked on the lessons though not as consistently, because we only had one complete set of flashcards.  I think I will increase it to five days a week, because it would give C and B more practice.

I Liked:

• I liked the short lessons.
• I liked the photos on the front of flashcards and the pronunciation guide and English word on the back.
• Having the CD helped the children have more control over the lesson and a different teacher.  I was still there for each lesson, so I could make sure everything was done properly and I got to help with day three!
• Having everything  in a nice, easy-to-close box made storing easy.

I Disliked:

• It was hard having only one set of flashcards and two children, because B was usually the last one to touch the card and he was bummed.  It might just be easier to practice separately.

What B (boy, age nine, officially in fourth grade) Liked and Disliked:

I don’t particularly like Spanish, but I liked the program.  I liked touching the cards and saying the words, that was pretty fun.  It is a good product if you want to learn Spanish.  I recommend See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish for all ages.

What C (girl, age seven, officially in second grade) Liked and Disliked:

I liked learning the Spanish words.  I can’t wait to do more. 

It would be good for kids of all ages and grownups.

Dad’s Call:

My first impression of See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish was a positive one based on the packaging and arrangement of its contents. Even after reading the lesson plan layout, the flash cards and listening to the CD's I was still impressed.  It's a high quality program with just enough quantity per lesson to challenge but not overwhelm B & C.  The games are fun and the kids really seem to be picking up Spanish quickly and easily.

I agree with Mama that having 1 set of flash cards presents problems when you have 2 or more students but I also agree with her that letting B & C do each lesson separately is a good solution.  I did like length and number of times you do each of the lessons.  See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish is a well designed product to add to your homeschooling curriculum.

Mama highly recommends See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish by Señora Gose! 

Spanish For You!- Estaciones (Schoolhouse Crew Review)

We received Spanish for You!- Estaciones for review purposes.

                           

Product link: Spanish for You! curriculum page
Product page for Estaciones  (we reviewed)

Vendor Contact Information: Spanish for You!

Age Appeal: 3rd to 8th grade (we focused on 3rd to 4th grade)

Format: PDF and MP3 audio files

Price: $64.95 for complete package (visit the curriculum page for more options)

Is it important for your family to learn a language which is not your native language?  Does your family want to learn Spanish in a non-textbook format?  Spanish for You! is a themed Spanish curriculum.  The current themed packages are Estaciones and Fiestas.  In June of 2013 Viajes will be available.

Included in the complete package are.

• soft cover book or e-book (we had the e-book)
• 24-30 week lesson guide as a PDF download for the grades you need (free lesson guide)
• self-checking worksheets are a PDF download (free worksheets)
• MP3 downloadable audio files of the book in both native Spanish and by the author
• flashcards as a PDF download

Our Experience:

I did not actively learn Spanish until I was in high school and I had to repeat much of it in college.  I was at an age, where I could not easily retain it.  I want more than that for my children, so I am glad they are beginning to learn when they are in first and third grade.

I was really interested in Spanish for You!, because it was in themes, not in the typical textbook form.  When I received my e-mail with the downloads I downloaded everything at once and printed the e-book and flashcards for the children.  I printed the Lesson Guide for myself and then we got to work on our first lesson.  The first lesson took us around twenty minutes.  I was pleased, because our classroom time was designed so that each lesson would only take twenty minutes.  I was disappointed in the following lessons, because it was taking us forty minutes to complete one lesson a day.  It took the children around fifteen minutes to complete one worksheet and some days had more than one worksheet.  I decided to make each lesson take two days if needed.  It worked well and made the children happier.

I Liked:

• That the children were learning Spanish by listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• That there were fun worksheets and games like; Charades, Memory, and Hangman to make learning fun.
• The grade divisions, so if we had other grades in our family we could all do it together.
• The detailed Lesson Guide.

I Disliked:

• Each daily lesson took much longer than our usual twenty minute lesson times.

What B (boy, age nine, officially in third grade) Liked and Disliked: Spanish isn’t really for me, but I did like some of Spanish for You!  I liked playing Charades, learning the days of the week, and filling out the worksheets.  I think Spanish for You! would be good for kids my age. 

What C (girl, age seven, officially in first grade) Liked and Disliked: 

• I liked learning the days of the week.  It was really easy.
• I liked the worksheets.  I had fun circling and drawing my answers on them.
• I had fun learning the different verbs like, dibujo (I draw).                    
• It would be good for kids my age and older. 

Dad’s Call:

• I liked that Spanish for You! had the singular and plural versions of words and phrases along with the English version for clarity.
• Using well known simple games like Hangman and Simon Says helps to reinforce the lessons.
• I like the Lesson Guide which helps the teacher to effectively teach the materials to the kids. It’s well laid out and easy to follow.

I certainly recommend Spanish for You! 

Mamma recommends Spanish for You!