6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Over $1 per word!, November 16, 2008
This review is from: Kids Love Spanish: Volume 1 - Basic Words (DVD)
Here's the good news. This is a professionally edited DVD filled with attractive children posed in natural settings or against interesting cartoon backdrops. The background music is pleasant, and the participants seem enthusiastic.
Now for the bad news.
First, the opening and closing songs are in English, and the opening song is repeated over the closing credits. That's a lot of program time spent on music in English!
Second, only eighteen Spanish words are taught: hello, food, water, mother, father, house, dog, cat, baby, good, yes, no (which, in Spanish, is "no"!), more, friend, ball, car and goodbye. The DVD costs $20, so the consumer is paying over $1 per word---an expensive way to learn Spanish!
Third, this is not a green company. The Kids Love Spanish series contains seven volumes, and each volume is only 30 minutes long. Why waste resources and clutter people's shelves with four DVDs and four DVD cases when you can sell the same amount of information on one disc with one DVD case?
Fourth, because most of the participants are not native speakers, the pronunciation can be iffy. Everyone on the disc (even the adults!) pronounces the Spanish word for water, agua, as "ah-wah" (silent "g"). When a couple of kids say perro (dog), it comes out as pero (but). Carro (car) sometimes sounds like caro (expensive).
Finally, there are some puzzling errors in the DVD. Why, when the Spanish title is "Palabras Básicas" (Basic Words) does the child accompanying the title just say, "palabras" (words)? Why, when the visuals show that the word for "friend" differs according to the gender of the friend (amigo for a male, amiga for a female), does the voice-over during another scene say, "She's a new amigo!" Ack!
I know that DVDs are expensive to make and production costs are high, but I do expect more in exchange for my family's hard earned money. I therefore suggest that if your family really wants to watch this DVD, you save your money and borrow it from your local public library.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A simple, fun and educational DVD, July 10, 2007
This review is from: Kids Love Spanish: Volume 1 - Basic Words (DVD)
Kids Love Spanish Volume 1: Basic Words is a simple, fun and educational DVD for children of all ages, offering an introduction to Spanish words anyone can use every day. Created by two mothers who happen to be sisters and grew up speaking Spanish, one of whom is a credentialed bilingual teacher, Kids Love Spanish Volume 1 is a great way to expose young people to the wonder and creative potential of learning to communicate in a new language. Highly recommended. Approximately 30 minutes, color.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT DVD FOR YOUNG CHILDREN!, April 15, 2007
This review is from: Kids Love Spanish: Volume 1 - Basic Words (DVD)
I have two toddlers ages 2.5 and 1.5 and have been searching for the right vehicle to introduce them to Spanish. I bought all seven of the Kids Love Spanish DVDs because we were wearing out the one we bought originally! My two-year-old is so fascinated with the kids on the video he just sits there and repeats the Spanish words. Working the Spanish vocabulary into our family dinners has become a nightime ritual in our household. I think he has more fun with these words than with new English words because he thinks HE'S teaching US new words that he learned first!
My husband and I feel a lot more comfortable with our kids watching this series than even the popular educational TV programs out there because this feels so much more interactive to us, like we're engaging in a game with our children because we're all so actively involved in learning together. I hope other people's children enjoy this DVD as much as ours do!
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