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No! So, how on earth am I going to teach home school Spanish? Or any other foreign language for that matter!
Many parents who home school wonder how to tackle subjects they have little (or no) knowledge about. We definitely faced this dilemma. Sean was beginning tenth grade and wanted to take a foreign language. I successfully passed two years of Spanish in high school, my husband French and Latin. Unfortunately all memory of anything learned has also passed.
Never-the-less, I’m a big believer in the motto “No task is too large if you’ve got the right tools.”
Therefore I began to research home school Spanish curriculum, videos, audio tapes, online tutorials, books, and other products designed to foster foreign language learning. I also asked other home school parents what worked for them.
I’ve listed the most helpful resources as well as some tips for enhancing your student’s foreign language experience.
Learning is most effective when teachers (parents) can find unique ways to make the home school Spanish curriculum meaningful.
Here are some fun ideas to stimulate your child’s foreign language skills:
Find a local restaurant where the workers speak the foreign language you’re studying. Speak to them in their native tongue. We have a favorite Mexican restaurant near us. It’s very authentic and the waiters/owners love helping customers speak Spanish.
Sponsor a child from a country that speaks the language your child is learning. Study the country through books and videos. When you get letters/cards from the child, translate foreign phrases into English.
Find a pen pal in a country that speaks the language your child is learning (missionaries are great resources and they love getting mail). Your pen pal can teach you about the country where they live as well as the language spoken there.
Take your family on a mission trip to a country where they can practice their foreign language. Mexico or Haiti are common mission trip destinations for many youth groups and are great places to practice Spanish.
How about trying a Sunday morning service in another language? Many churches now offer Spanish services. Go and practice your Spanish. (Latin services are still held at some churches as well)
Find someone at your church or neighborhood who speaks the foreign language you want to learn. America is truly a melting pot and people of different cultures are usually easy to find. Ask them to help your child practice speaking the language.
Get audio books (see audible.com) in the foreign language your child is learning so they can hear the language spoken by native speakers.
Rent a movie and select the foreign language option!
So What Spanish Curriculum Should I Use?
Here are Christian-Parenting-Source.com's Top Picks
1. Visual Link – Spanish
FREE Spanish Lessons - Learn Spanish on-line for free, using interactive audio/visual lessons.
I personally recommend this home school Spanish program for so many reasons. First of all, I like the fact that it focuses less on grammar and more on really communicating as well. Secondly, I love that you get so much for the money with this program.
Included are two computer CD-ROM’s with over 200 interactive lessons, ten audio CD’s for your car (or CD player), and a conversation manual. The web site has a great home school section and lots of freebies such as a weekly newsletter, free CD-Rom, and a free translation tool.
I also love that you can try before you buy. There is an online demo so you can check out the program before you buy and there is a 30-day free trial available.
They've even allowed us to offer their free spanish lesson course right here at Christian-Parenting-Source.com. If you're ready to start your home school spanish program, click on the link between the flags above and start right away!
2. Musical Spanish
Another fun way to learn a foreign language is through music lyrics. This home school spanish curriculum was featured on Dr. Laura.com. You can choose from book, audio CD, interactive CD-ROM, or all audio learn-in-the-car format. There are also many free helps on this site such as a free la bamba Spanish lesson, free tutorial, free weekly e-mail learning newsletter, and more. Musical Spanish - learn through pop music
This is a wonderful Christian Spanish (and French) curriculum. Your children will learn Spanish Scripture, songs, and games. It's great for your homeschool or co-op group.
The curriculum comes on a digitally mastered enhanced CD for audio and computer. Printable activity sheets are provided: no purchasing consumable activity books or photocopying. Spanish language and grammar is taught through literature based entertaining storylines No prior knowledge of Spanish is needed. There is a 3 year program for younger students, 1 to 2 year program for older students and 1 year Fast track option for teens
5. Rocket Spanish
Learn to Speak Spanish with Rocket Spanish: Increase your confidence and fluency with Spanish, while getting satisfying results FAST. Learn to speak Spanish with Rocket Spanish, the downloadable learning package! And, this is an extremely affordable Spanish program for the penny-watching homeschooling family. Why not add this to your home school Spanish program today?!
- Learn Spanish on-line for free, using interactive audio/visual lessons.
