This year, my children and I began learning Spanish together. I had studied Spanish all through college. I was, however, at a real loss as to how to effectively begin to teach my children the language. My friend introduced us to Speedy Spanish. So far, I am very impressed with what the children have learned.
Speedy Spanish is written by the Bechtel Family. The students learn Spanish through memorization, Christian songs, Bible verses and games. This program is very simplistic and level 1 is most definitely a level 1 program – meeting your entry level child at his placement.
This is a very inexpensive curriculum. The total cost is $15 for the workbook that the children all share. The sing-a-long book with audio CD is $11. For $69 you can order the Speedy Spanish book 1 set which also includes a test and answer sheet. Also included is a book of CDs that feature the authors speaking the words, sentences and verses. This is great for parents who are not Spanish speakers.
The workbook is divided into chapters 1-30 as well as a Monday-Friday sequence. Each chapter begins with the vocabulary for that lesson in addition to Hear It, Say it, Practice It, and Match It sections.
Once that is accomplished, the parent and the child will move onto the Memorize It and Sing It sections. These two parts are my FAVORITE! The child will memorize a verse in English and then Spanish. Also, they will learn to sing a song in English and then in Spanish. The songs are hymns, worship songs or Children’s Bible songs. In all honesty, the singing on the other end of the CD is a little too old fashioned sounding for me. Yet, that is merely a preference and not a deal breaker.
Finally, the lesson ends with a Bible Word Match and Review It section. With any foreign language, it will always help if you know how to pronounce the words to your child. Yet, again, with the $69 value, a parent can receive the book of CDs where the authors will go over the pronunciations with you. As I mentioned earlier, I speak Spanish so I did not order the pack of CDs. However, if you do not, I would highly recommend this!
Depending on the ages of your children (mine are quite young), you could have them do this independently or together. My children enjoy the program, the songs and learning Spanish. We look forward to slowly working our way through the program and moving through the various levels. This is a much cheaper option than Rosetta Stone. I feel that it is a great option for parents who want to expose their children to Spanish but are not quite sure how to do so. Dios le bendiga!
You can find more pricing information at Rod and Staff Books.
~ Written by Amanda, Spilled Milk and Wet Kisses
Hello! The best website to buy this is now http://www.speedy-spanish.com, not the Rod & Staff (broken) link above!