{Review} Spanish for You!

 Foreign Language has always been at the top of the list in terms of what I want my kids to know. I think it's an important and marketable skill to have. But even though I know that the younger you are, the easier it is to learn a new language, this particular subject always got pushed to the back burner. Lately the kids' exposure to Spanish has been much more frequent, so I was happy to be asked to review a new Spanish curriculum called Spanish for You! and to see how effective it would be for our family.

 

About the Product:

 

Spanish for You! was created by an experienced Spanish teacher to effectively and affordably teach children the Spanish language. It teaches reading, writing and speaking skills so that students can really communicate in Spanish. Just a few of the key points of the program are:

• It is flexible in many ways. This curriculum has been tested in the classroom, in homeschool co-ops, and at home. You can mix and match your activities to best suit your situation and you can move at your own pace. 
• It's affordable. Starting at only $39.95 for an entire year's worth of curriculum, this program is very budget friendly. 
• It's ready to go. Weekly lesson plans are included, so all you have to do is print and go. 
• The program is designed to teach multiple ages at one time. 3rd grade or 8th grade, they can all work together on the same material. 
• The Spanish for You! website contains ideas and instructions for many different games and activities to keep the learning new, fun and exciting
• 2 Audio files are included. One is spoken by a non-native speaker and one is spoken by a native speaker.  
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How I Used the Program:

 

My boys are currently ranging between 7th grade and Kindergarten, so I got to test just how well this program is for teaching multiple levels. When you order Spanish for You! you will receive a physcial copy of the text book in the mail and all other supplies are provided via PDF download. I will admit to being a little overwhelmed with the size of the downloads and the amount of files. So I suggest you locate and open the lesson guide first. Each Sunday I printed out that week's lesson guide (2 pages for me...one fore grades 3-4 and one for grades 5-6). The lesson guide will tell you exactly which files to locate and print for the week.

We would all gather together over the book and listen to the audio for that day. I paused it as we needed to repeat, answer questions on pronunciation, etc. We made flash cards for new vocabulary, which could later be used in a variety of ways to help solidify the learning. I received the Estaciones Book, so all of our learning revolved around the seasons. And right off the bat the kids were speaking the days of the week, months and various weather terminology.

Each day the kids would speak, read and write in Spanish. The program covers vocabulary, common phrases, commands, verbs....lots of stuff! But it wasn't overwhelming since it was broken down into small parts with lots of practice. And since it's a combination of spoken repetition, written dictation/worksheets and listening to the spoken language, it's very good at appealing to all sorts of learning styles. And at the end of the very first day, the kids took their flash cards and ran up the hill to talk to their Aunt Lili, who is a native Spanish speaker from Colombia. I loved that they were excited to show off their new knowledge!

The Bottom Line:

 

What I liked most about this program:

• I do not know/speak Spanish. I know the[very] basics, I've watched Dora and Diego over the years, but that is where my knowledge ends. Thanks to the audio files, I don't have to guess on how to pronounce things and I can learn right along side of my kids. 
• You really can teach all levels at once. The worksheets are different for the various grade levels, so each child can work on the exact same material but at a higher or lower level depending on age.
• It's affordable. You can get materials for all grade levels (3rd-8th) for an entire year for under $65. 
• The flexibility. You can take a little or as long as you need for any given part. The lesson guide breaks it down into a 4 day week, but you can take longer or shorter than that if needed. Some times we need the extra practice and some times things just click right away. 
• The extras- if you visit the website there are links to lots of free mini-lessons, worksheets and activities. All to help you get the most out of the program.

What I didn't like.....well, this might be a first, but I don't have anything to say here. The one downfall I was going to mention has already been taken care of, which means I should probably add great customer service to my list of what I like!

Where to Buy:

 

If you would like to purchase Spanish for You! for yourself you can buy online through their website. You can choose from Estaciones (Seasons), Fiestas (Celebrations) or Viajes (Travels).

Each package will consist of a soft cover book, PDF Files of the lesson guide, worksheets and flashcard pictures. You will also receive 2 mp3 audio files of the lessons. You can choose to purchase a package for grades 3-8 for $64.95 or individually (3-4, 5-6 or 7-8) for $39.95.