I have pondered and prayed and toyed with the idea of adding a foreign language to our studies. There are so many language possibilities out there, I never made it much further than the thinking and researching stage. The Lord never directed us to a language, but I still knew that eventually, we would be learning something. When I found myself chosen to review R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish I was excited to finally be moving forward in this area I have felt was important. After using it for a bit, I can look back and see why nothing ever happened of my previous ponderings. This is absolutely the best fit of a language program for our family.
So what makes this program different from others? Firstly, I must share that I feel many programs are great and will work when you are motivated to learn a language. The biggest thing is every day exposure/practice/use. If a program is difficult to use or your children are reluctant it probably won’t get bothered with daily. The greatest thing about R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish is that it is easy and fun to implement daily.
We received the download version of the bundle with the daily curriculum guide ($59.95) The curriculum consists of the book, the activity book, the answer book and audio files. This is also available as physical books for additional cost. There is also a daily curriculum guide ($9.95 or an option to be included with the bundle purchase) which has everything scheduled for you. I am not a hard, fast scheduler. I have a goal for the week, but allow extra time if we become extra interested in something. I absolutely loved having this daily schedule to follow. It made R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish so easy to implement. If I want to get it done, it needs to be easy to just jump in and do it.
All of the fun extras are scheduled right in for you. One of the things that made this fun for my children were all the fun ways in which to practice and learn more about the culture. Besides the activities suggested in the Daily Curriculum Guide (drawing, using puppets, playing games, etc.) there are worksheet activities to reinforce vocabulary and grammar. Not grammar in the sense of identifying the parts of speech, but more the flow of conversation. In learning a language, speaking it is often the hardest part. How can you learn how to sound by reading a book? The included audio files made this part easy. It is very clear which file goes where in which lesson. To see some samples, check out this page.
Besides the Daily Curriculum Guide, my favorite aspect of R.E.A.L. Homeschool Spanish is the ability to teach all of my children together. The conversations are real conversations that even the youngest (speaking) one might have. All of the children from the newly 4 year old to the 11 year old participates and learns. There aren’t many things we do that everyone can fully do.
I truly could not have been happier with our first experience with learning a foreign language. My children were reluctant to start, but once we dove right into it, they started having fun. They love speaking little conversations when Daddy gets home and he doesn’t know what they are saying. I don’t feel this will prepare my children for college level Spanish, but it does not intend to. It is a great introduction for older students and probably all your younger ones need. If you are blessed with the opportunities to be around native speakers, this would be a great groundwork to be built upon by real conversations and experiences. I should note the Spanish taught is not that spoken in Spain, but from Central/South America.
Do you I think I sound a bit too happy with this curriculum? Be sure to read other reviews from my Crew mates. Check out the Crew blog to read more.
As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this curriculum to use in order to write this review. The opinions expressed are my own. A favorable review was not required.