Learning Spanish as a Family

My husband and I learned in Guatemala. There are TONS of schools that cater to Americans in which you spend 5 hrs a day in one-on-one study (there are so many schools you can pick one that would cater to your children specifically). I studied for 5 weeks, but some people did less. It was enough Spanish to land a job teaching literacy in a women's shelter and wing the rest for a while. You live with a family and your meals are provided.

For all of that, I paid $100 a week in the late nineties. There is a wide range of what you can pay.

It's an experience that your children will NEVER forget, and in my opinion, the only real way to learn a language is through immersion. I stayed in Central America (a cheap flight down and closer to you than LA is) for some years. I have translated for heads of state. All I ever studied was for those 5 weeks.

If you want more detials, PM me.

Have you heard of the Muzzy videos? I have not used them but would consider them. I think they are aimed at kids but I don't see why you and DH couldn't learn from them as well.

I was teaching an after-school French course and someone told me about them, but they were too costly for me to purchase.

Just something else to check into.

Have fun!

K. Z.

Haven't used them myself, but I know that homeschool families use Rosetta Stone with their children with good results. Even though the younger children may not be able to interact with the program as well, their little brains are still wired for language acquisition, so others in the household speaking the language will probably be very effective.

Be aware that working on two languages at once can delay your baby's attempts to speak any language, so don't be too concerned if that happens. Our neighbors spoke both English and German from the time their son was born, and he uttered not a word for his first two years. Then one day he simply started speaking both languages fluently, in full, grammatical sentences.

I sell Usborne Books. These are for kids Birth -teens. We have a great selection. We even sell books and flashcards for the different languages. Check out my site and private message me back with questions. Here is my website. (Ubah.com/T2267). It only takes a week for your order to come in. I still receive credit , if you order on your own. Hope to hear back from you.

J. R