Customer Reviews

Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volume 1

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm always looking for new ways to keep my kids (ages 5 and 7) interested in learning Spanish. Based on the glowing reviews for this DVD, I was hoping for a lot more.

First, the Let's Learn Spanish with Frank and Paco says it is intended for children ages 2-10. It will definitely NOT hold the attention of kids above the age of 2. The main characters are hand puppets in the shape of horse and chicken (Frank and Paco). All the visual elements look amateur and children nowadays will not be impressed.

If by some strange chance it does hold your child's attention, whether anything will be learned is doubtful. Most educators recommend immersion or near-immersion as the most effective technique for teaching children a foreign language. The main language in this DVD is English (around 80%). The Spanish is taught as standalone words or phrases that are repeated after the English. They are not put in use so we don't learn how these words are used in actual conversation. Furthermore, the Spanish is not always clear because 1) sound quality is not good and 2) words are repeated by a group of children and/or young child who pronounces the word in an awkward fashion.

The format is extremely repetitive and tiresome. It goes like this: the annoying narrator (a horse hand puppet with a Texas twang) introduces the word in English, and then the chicken hand puppet says the word in Spanish. A woman pops up and asks in English "How do you say (word) in Spanish" and is answered by children's voices. This continues for the entire length of the video.

Finally, there's a song at the end of the DVD which reviews the words. It's probably one of the most obnoxious songs I've heard in a while (think old western tune with poor rhyming). In summary, this DVD is just awful. There are much better products in the market.

For this type of dvd (translation as opposed to immersion), I think they did a good job. It was nice to hear native Spanish speakers which I think is very important for children to be exposed to when learning a new language.

I liked the Rapid Review option at the end. It's a good way to go over the vocabulary without going through the entire dvd. Also, the grammar explanations will be quite helpful to monolingual parents who want to introduce Spanish to their children. That was impressive to me.

On the other hand, I still think there was too much English in my opinion. Also, I think it would've have been nice if Paco the rooster had been more lively. He talked in a monotone voice.

My 5 year old son said he enjoyed it, but hasn't asked to see it again. My eight year old was less than enthusiastic about it.

My kids love this. They have watched it many times and have learned all the Spanish words already. Great product.

I love "Frank and Paco" video because it targets to the beginning of a child's vocabulary. It is engaging for little ones and for adults too.
I like the grammatical information that the DVD provides (easy to select from the menu).

Both my 2-year-old and 5-year-old love this video. My 5-year-old now speaks his Spanish with an "accent" like the video. Very easy for him to pick up. Sweet and simple.

I was so disappointed to see such a negative review come up when talking about the Frank and Paco series. I found many opposites when I viewed this with video with my nieces and nephews. They took to it so quickly! They were singing songs, dancing and saying words immediately after the video. And, what's not to love about a Texas accent--friendly, welcoming and easy to understand! Your kids will love this product! Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco

I thought this video was excellent. My daughter is 5 years old. After she watched this video for the first time she began calling her little brother "hermano" without prompting. She found it entertaining and very easy to understand and follow. What was ideal was the repetitive words in both english and spanish. I speak spanish but my husband does not. I found this DVD very helpful in validating what I am trying to teach her at home. I cannot wait for the next follow up video.

Below is some direct feedback from a friend who received Frank and Paco as a gift from us.

"My girls give it a thumbs up.
They viewed it first on the way back from Houston, and were disappointed that rather than being able to watch Toy Story 2 , they were going to be subjected to an "educational" video.

After the first couple of minutes tho, I heard both of them engaging in the participatory parts of the video. I mention both girls since as you know, Trinity being 6 and Isabella 3, their attention/attraction to videos tends to vary significantly. For purposes of this review then, I concluded that it does a good job of engaging a notable range in age focus.

Content and Format:

I found the content basic but solid (as it should be for an introduction to any language) and the format seems to engage the little viewers. I should mention that I have observed my 3 year old to be hesitant to engage in participatory parts of such leading videos like Dora the Explorer" but observed her readily participating during Frank and Paco. This too I found of relevance to the review as verbal participation is key to cementing language skills.

I also conclude that the length is appropriate as both my girls remained engaged for the duration of the video (I have observed them "tune out" on longer leading programs).

Quality of Spanish

I definitely see the effort put in the use "international" Spanish (Castellano) as opposed to regionalized. I believe this is the right approach as it this is the Spanish that is understood across the Spanish speaking world and in business and broadcasting."

Henry Garcia
Austin, TX

I had to order this DVD after my young daughter saw it at a friend's house and wanted one of her own. Now my daughter is teaching her little brother Spanish! Love it. Great for all ages. The music keeps the children engaged. Can't wait to see if there will be more in this series.

My four-year old loves this video and sings along in both Spanish and English. It really engages her attention and is introducing her to Spanish vocabulary. I hope there will be follow-on videos that will focus on conversation!