Whistlefritz has done it again! I am seriously so impressed with this company and their line of products. They make exposing your child to different language fun with their immersive language techniques. As you guys may know, I homeschool my son and am intent on him learning multiple languages — namely Spanish and French. However, I am not fluent in either so I am having to use a variety of resources to teach him. Whistlefritz is a company that has been helping me tremendously.
The thing I really like about the Whistlefritz line of products is that they implement immersion. This means that their products are presented fully in the other language. No English whatsoever (except in the guide). It is widely believed by language experts that the best way to learn a second language is through complete immersion, which is when you hear nothing but that language for a period of time.
Christian and I own and love the Dedans et Dehors French DVD, the Cha Cha Cha French CD, and the Adentro y Afuera Spanish DVD (scroll halfway down on that link for the review). We recently received a copy of one of the newer products — Allons Danser! French LearningCD.
The music is really catchy and the singer (Marie-Louise Desage) has a lovely voice. I sometimes find myself listening to the music when I am doing my work. It’s not like some children’s music that annoys you after you have heard it a lot. In fact, I am listening to it now. And as I sit here typing, Christian is taking the title to heart by dancing his little tushy off, using a baseball bat as a makeshift guitar and trying to sing along (un, deaux, et trois!). (Why does he do all of the cute things when I don’t have my camera available, but when I have my camera he acts shy?!). The fact that I actually enjoy the music means that I don’t mind playing it repetitively. And repetition is definitely a key to language acquisition.
I also like that the singer is a native of France rather than an American who is trying to affect the French accent. The authenticity rings through perfectly. She also performs the songs with passion and it sounds like if you were to see her perform she would be really into it.
This cd comes with 20 songs. Some of them will be familiar (like Old MacDonald and Head & Shoulders). I think this is great, because most kids know this song, so when they recognize it, they have an idea of what is going on and can make the connections between the English vocabulary and the French vocabulary. Some will be new. But they are all fun. Most of them implement actions so that you can really get your kids moving and learning the vocabulary. You can see the list of songs here as well as listen to short snippets.
Speaking of the vocabulary, they include a pamphlet inside the CD that goes over all of the vocabulary, so you know what they are singing and can relate it to your children through your actions. It’s great! Especially if you are like me and are NOT fluent in French. It’s a great way for you to learn while your child is learning. Speaking of this, they teach you the actual vocabulary for each word rather than just giving you a translation of the song (which doesn’t always add up). I appreciate this.
Another great thing that Whistlefritz includes is a document that goes over six tips for ensuring second language learning success for kids. It really helps you to do your best to help your child to learn another language.
Overall, I highly recommend that you check out Whistlefritz’s Allons Danser French Learning cd as well as their entire awesome line of language learning products. It’s a great way to introduce your kids to another language in a way that they could actually learn it.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of Allons Danser to review. However, I only review products that I personally want or need and always give my honest opinion.
