Spanish Reviews
*** Please note: our products used to come with 2 CD's, but we recently switched to a single USB key in the back of the book instead. The CD's are still referenced in some of the reviews below, please be aware that:
- Physical products include a USB key containing all the audio and printable content
- eBook versions include
- links embedded in the book to play the relevant audio
- printable pdf's are included in the download
Professional Reviews
I am so impressed with this Spanish curriculum from Marie and her husband. I love the Spanish language, and as much as I tried to get my kids excited about French since we live in Canada, it wasn't till we started on this program that they got really excited! The Easy Spanish is so much fun and so easy to implement, I just can't get over it. The program combines ease of use and sheer delightfulness with a focus on homeschooling and the Lord. You just can't beat this package!
Following the same format as their popular Easy French program, Marie and Peter introduce you through written and spoken stories to the Spanish language. You jump right into a conversation between two homeschool cousins who are meeting each other for the first time, listening to and reading a mixture of Spanish and English as you follow the lesson.
However, what really makes El Espanol Facil work, in my opinion, is its ability to provide something for everyone regardless of age or progression in the language. Whether you are a young beginner or an independent older learner, there are lesson components, activities, and enrichments that will meet you right where you are. I am astounded by how much scope and variety Marie packs into each lesson. The CDs that accompany the program are extremely well done, and the pronunciations are easy to replicate since they are recorded so clearly. The printable worksheets are also on CD.
Marie builds grammar into each lesson as well, so the student is not just hearing and repeating words but rather is growing to understand the syntax, the sentence parts, the "why" of the language....
(Read the entire review here)...Honestly, there are so many goodies packed into every lesson that it would take too long for me to list them. Every time I open the book or pop in a CD, I find new tidbits that show how much thought and time have gone into the preparation of this program... Totally cool, totally complete, totally amazing. Do this for yourself and your children--you will be SO glad you did.
-- Heidi Shaw, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
...greater fluency and more effective witnessing skills. The curriculum is designed for families with children of all ages. Our children range from 7-11 in age, and it should take about 3 years for them to complete this curriculum. For a high schooler, it would take 1-2 years.
With its simple layout, El Español Fácil is easy to use. All the work has been done for me. Every day we listen to and repeat the vocabulary and conversation on the CD's, which reinforce the concepts learned in the once-weekly class. We spend about 5-10 minutes every morning and then have a 30-45 minute class once a week. A high schooler would need to spend 45-60 minutes a day to complete the course in a year...
...If you're looking for a quality, Christian Spanish Curriculum, I hope you'll give this one a try!
(Read the entire review in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of HSE magazine)-- Emily Wyatt, HomeSchool Enrichment Magazine
Both [the French and Spanish] programs at all levels are easy for the parent to teach even if he or she does not know the language... The Level I program teaches the vosotros forms that are sometimes omitted when a program focuses only on Spanish spoken in Mexico. El Español Fácil aspires to educate children to share the gospel in Spanish speaking countries all over the world, so it uses the broader vocabulary as well as cultural references that include Spain and the Americas. It sometimes mentions differences in language usage from one country to another...
(read the entire review here)-- Product Review by: Cathy Duffy, widely recognized as the most respected name in Homeschooling Curriculum reviews.
Customer Testimonials:
What I really like about both Easy French and Easy Spanish is that the language is taught starting with the phonograms. Thus the child can soon read any word and know how to pronounce it correctly. Also there is good simple instruction on common elements of sentence construction. So many language courses discount such grammar teaching as boring, and minimize it, with the result that the child cannot create his own sentences except from very limited patterns. Easy French and Easy Spanish students get the building blocks first.
The lessons really are fun and are short enough to maintain the interest of even the squirmiest child. There is lots of variety, including culture and idiom, and scheduling is very flexible, with scope for changing things to suit. It is never an onerous part of the home education day.
Even more importantly, the courses are truly Christian and the child quickly learns to recite favorite scriptures and even prayers in their new language. The relationships between the characters in the books are positive and encouraging.
But even best, these courses are truly written for the home educating family, with all the different age groups catered for. Older students can quickly do most of the lesson with the audio recording, while younger ones can work at their pace with more parental guidance. There are things for the whole family to enjoy together too. We have found that it meets various family members' needs very effectively.
All in all, we have found Easy French and easy Spanish to be great products for Christian home educators, and are very pleased that they have been produced while our children are still young enough to benefit.
MarJo Angelico
Melbourne
Australia
We just started using this at the beginning of this school year. I am amazed at how much my children remember from lesson to lesson. And how much they use! Even if we miss a week of it, they come right back to it and remember the words and the pronunciation. My youngest daughter has the best "rrrrrrrrrr" in her pronunciation!!! I think Belicia would be proud!
We live in a suburb of Los Angeles so we are able to use this language on a regular basis. While in Wal-Mart the other day I kept calling out to the children to "follow, please" in Spanish. It was great because my voice stood out in their heads and they thought it was hilarious that Mommy was speaking Spanish in the store!
I also like it because I am learning right beside my children. We do it together. I love that it is easy to put together because it is all done for me. I just make copies of any activity sheets and off we go! It is great because we are learning Spanish the same way my 2 year old is learning English...phonics based and with everyday words we would be using anyway.
I love the gentleness of it as well. I would have called it The Gentle Art of Spanish!
Leslie Spaggiari,
California