Customer Reviews

Hola Amigos: Spanish Made Easy for Children, Volume 1, Ages 4 to 9 [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I had my doubts about this video before I actually sat down to view it. The animation, although it is 2 dimensional, is far from boring. The producer took pains to keep the story going with nice background music, and well placed repetition of key Spanish words. The story changes scenes fairly often to keep boredom from setting in. My children were captivated by the video and sat throughout all 3 sets, singing along and repeating the lessons with the characters. Before I got Hola Amigos, I also bought the french set (Bon Jour Les Amis) made by the same company, and I must say the French set did not keep my kids attention for long. I myself felt quite bored with the French one, which made me very skeptical about the Spanish one. But it was a nice surprise to see that Hola Amigos was well worth its investment. My only complaint about it is that it would have been better if it were completely in Spanish, rather than mixed with English. I believe that total immersion in a language education experience is the most effective way of learning.

Paco and Lupe, a couple of cutesy chihuahuas, with the aid of a human or two, help children of all ages learn Spanish vocabulary and fundamentals. I teach Spanish and use it to encourage enjoyable learning for my grandchildren and my high school classes. Whether you're 5, 15, or 50, the songs and silly patter will enliven your lessons.

I agree with the other reviewer. I was disappointed at first by the 2 dimensional animation. But all my kids (1, 3, and 7) love the videos. My 3 year old is especially fond of these tapes and wants to watch them constantly. The lower quality animation actually may be a positive because the kids focus more on the audio. I also believe there may be too much English, but the kids are definitely learning Spanish and having fun while doing it. The meaning of the Spanish words they teach are very clear and reinforced several times. I recommend these videos for a fun introduction to the language.

I only write this to save well-intentioned people from wasting their money and suffering disappointment. I checked out this series from our local library (big fan of 'try before you buy') and I'm glad I did. Seeing the poor animation and 'teachy' structure of the videos helped me avoid spending my hard-earned money. My daughter, who has a good share of quality Spanish books, CDs, and videos, asked me to turn it off after only a few minutes. The best Spanish products are engaging and and true learning happens as a result of the child being engaged. This was your run of the mill, poor quality, "listen and repeat" format, that tried way too hard to TEACH and not enough to ENTERTAIN. (bored kids aren't learning kids) Please keep searching.

My two year old daughter really enjoys the videos. I was disappointed like the other viewers intially with the animation. However, my daughter loves the tapes. Although, she is only two (the recommended age for viewing begins at four) she was saying several spanish words after watching the tapes for the first time. The videos are easy to understand the spanish words and allows time for the child to repeat the words. My husband and I have also learned from the tapes.

My daughter did not like this video. There appeared to be very little animation, just a series of drawings, like a film strip. She asked me to turn it off after a few minutes. She preferred Professor Parrot.

Don't love this video, the animation is poor and my kids just don't enjoy watching it. It tends to drag on a bit slowly.
Not a great way for my kids to learn spanish.

Hola Amigos is volume 1 of a 3-DVD set, written and produced by language experts specifically to introduce children to the vibrancy of Spanish. Two simple lessons, a sing along with songs, word and phrase guide, and printable word puzzle games, as well as a simple adventure following Paco the animated Chihauhua, his sister Lupe, the Perez family, and Pepe the Clown that covers basic introductions and numbers. An engaging and truly fun way for young folks to get acquainted with a brand new language and culture. 50 minutes, color.

My three year old son has been watching these now and then for several months. He (and I) went from knowing no Spanish at all to having a decent beginner's working vocabulary and knowing a few fun songs. I have been very impressed with how much Spanish these videos cover. I have yet to find another children's foreign language DVD that covers a comparable amount of material in the same amount of time. I was going to make a list of the covered topics, but there are simply too many, everything from numbers and colors to family, household objects, shopping, the outdoors, playing, and so on. The animation isn't slick, but my son loves it, and I appreciate the slower pacing as I try to avoid showing him quick-cutting, in-your-face children's television programming.

I'm not sure why people have complained that these DVDs are not for beginners. They are definitely for beginners, but you're supposed to watch them multiple times. If you do, they are extremely effective. My son loves using his Spanish now, and he learned all of it from these DVDs.

I am very pleased with this video. My son is 3 years old and he loves watching it. He already is singing along and saying phrases from it. He knew a little spanish before watching the movie so I think that helped him a little too. The movie is a little slow but very easy to understand. I especially like how it says the word in english then in spanish and shows you how the word is spelled in spanish...very helpful.