I have heard of Speekee and seen the cute puppet. You probably have, too. I know, I know, younger children pick up foreign languages easier than older children. But, I don’t want to add more work to our school day. If I had known how much fun and how little work there would be, I would have tried Speekee much sooner!
The target age range is 2-10 and it does really appeal to younger children. My 2 1/2 year old son asks for Speekee regularly. My older girls thought it would be just for the “littles”, yet they never leave the room and are just as glued to the screen as their siblings. With all of the printable resources available with the FastTrack option, there is enough work for them to count it as a subject (without any work on my part – yay!).
There are 10 videos to Speekee TV that you can complete at your own pace. The videos are a mix of real children and adults and puppets. The settings are common locations in Spain – the park, the home, the market, etc. with the vocabulary being learned related to the location. With the words being learned common, everyday words, it is easy to practice throughout your day. What is being said (solely in Spanish) is also subtitled in both Spanish and English. This is great for your older children who can read along as well. The songs help, too! They are so catchy, we all sing them throughout our day.
FastTrack is a schedule to work through the 10 videos in 40 weeks. You can see the schedule on the webpage (which is also where you download the flashcards by video) and click each activity for more information and accompanying worksheets to print. I thought that FastTrack meant working through the program quicker, but this stretches it out and allows more practice and review. If only my older girls were doing this, we would probably work quicker. The activities and vocabulary being learned is perfect with my little ones — it ties in great with the preschool work I am doing with them. And I was so resistant to working with them especially, in learning a foreign language. *sigh*
The FastTrack option has been a huge help to me. I truly don’t have to think about or plan much. I get a weekly e-mail with tips to use throughout the week. These are easy ways to use our Spanish throughout the course of our day or simple activities for review. This is the same information as on the website, but those e-mails give me just the “bites” I need to get it done but not feel overwhelmed. My two youngest love to play “what’s in the bag” – one of the activities frequently used. I am amazed at what they remember. The older girls are doing great, too. This has them excited to learn more. I had thought to put off foreign language until it was “required” in high school due to the struggle it was in the past. Maybe we don’t have to. Thank you Speekee!
Speekee TV is a subscription to the website for viewing online. You can subscribe month-to-month ($7.50/month) and cancel anytime. You can also subscribe for a year at a time for $60. The first two weeks are free to try. Speekee is also available as a DVD set. The format is European which may or may not work with your DVD player (it should according to the manual on our newer one, but not our older one). The price listed is only in GBP but would roughly be $150.
To read other reviews of Speekee TV, head over to the Crew blog.
