Whistlefritz Spanish Review

OH MY! We have had so much fun with this review from Whistlefritz! We received the Educator's Spanish Collection, and I am so glad that we did. This collection included 5 DVDs and 3Cds, flash cards, and Spanish Lesson Plans for kids in a book format. 

This is a Spanish immersion program for children ages 1-7. We were excited to work through this lovely curriculum with my niece--age 2. I think my kids even learned something new. Each afternoon we would watch a portion of one of the DVDs and then work through a short activity. I did feel like I could adjust the activity suggestions in the lesson plans. Many of them could be repeated as the child ages.

Let me talk about the DVDs. I personally liked to leave the DVD playing for 20 minutes or so in the background as the kids played. The kids discovered that each DVD has English subtitles available so that is the way they liked to watch these with their little cousin. Remember this is an immersion program, so the discs are entirely in Spanish. Each DVD has a different theme:

• Fritzi's Party
• Inside and Out
• Animals
• The Seasons
• Let's Play

Each episode is so cute. There is a lady narrating in the episode and cartoon-ish type characters, puppets, and children all chime in to answer her questions on the episode. Fritzi, the mouse, is the star of the show, and Maizey loved watching Fritzi every time she was at our house.

The music CDs feature catchy little tunes, all in Spanish of course. These would be perfect for listening to on long car rides or while resting during nap times or quiet times. The three CDs include the following themes:

• Cha, Cha, Cha
• Let's Dance
• Sabor!

All of these components are contained in four DVD cases--each case holds two discs. They are then stored in a really nice cardboard slip cover so you can easily locate them on your shelf.

The soft cover bound lesson plan book includes 40 lessons. All reproducible pages and instructions for the lessons are included. There is a great variety of hands-on activities, from games to puzzles to craft projects. I was impressed with the variety. Like I said earlier, the activities are suitable for a wide range of ages and can be adjusted as needed if you like. I like that each lesson also includes a suggestion for which video or portion of episode to watch as a culminating activity. The lessons are written in English with the Spanish translations also.

The small flashcard deck coincides with the terminology learned in the videos. They can be used to play a matching game if desired. We enjoyed looking at them. The matching game is suggested for ages 3 and up and includes instructions in both English and Spanish.

I really enjoyed how this is put together. I had to keep reminding myself that we were using this program on the younger end of the age spectrum. I can definitely see the value in continuing to watch the DVD episodes and play the CDs over and over as you go about your day. Add in a game and an activity from the lesson plan book and the kids will really pick up Spanish very quickly. It's like they are little sponges and just absorb everything around them. So why not expose them to quality language instruction in a fun and easy way? 

The Educator's Spanish Collection can be purchased on the Whistlefritz website for $165. Their principle components of language philosophy are language immersion and fun. It is truly a unique program that includes: language immersion, live native speakers, natural language (not just flashcards used in isolation), fun, and a multi-sensory approach. I think they definitely deliver in all five of these areas. 

Curious what other reviewers had to say about this product? Head on over to the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read all the reviews.

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