Educator's French Collection: A Whistlefritz Review
DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVED THIS COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCT THROUGH THE HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW.
At one point I was a performance major in college and that required a second language course. I had already Spanish as my first so naturally French was my second choice. I had never taken French, but I thought it was pretty close to Spanish and thus not too hard. Well, it was way harder thank I expected and not really at all like Spanish. I quickly withdrew from that class and never looked back! Until now! A few years ago we reviewed a Spanish Language Program from Whistlefritz and I had never taught my kids anything related to the French language, so when this review opportunity came upI decided to review the Educator's French Collection this time around.
What We Received:
We received one book of 40 French Lesson Plans for Kids, 4 DVDs, 3 CDs, and a box of French Matching Cards from Whistlefritz.
How It Works:
This program is geared towards Pre-K/Early Elementary children ages 1-7. The different resources in this program can be used independent of one another or independent of a set lesson plan. No matter your French language education level, these elements can support a greater familiarity with the language. For example a matching game is always relevant and adjustable depending on what words have been taught. The Lesson Plan book provides 40 lesson plans that include the DVDs and CDs, lessons that are activity-based, content based and cross-curricular too. Each lesson has a clear goal and objective stated, along with different types of activities suggested.. The videos and songs provided on the DVD and CDs are critical to the program at the very least for pronunciation purposes, but also vocabulary and context for many of the lessons. Fritzi, a mouse, is the main character in the videos and songs that often ties in the lessons and activities. The Matching Cards are a hands-on tool to help students begin to remember words. The entire program can be very flexible to students’ needs, but it also has a clear progression that can serve well too.
What We Thought:
My difficulty with French hasn’t improved over time, but at least this time I didn’t have quite the same kind of stress. I currently have an 11, 8 and 5 year old all of which have had zero exposure to French. They have had some Spanish and a good amount of Sign Language so learning a new language itself is familiar to them. Still, French is a different ballgame which made this program more challenging just by nature. Still, when all the components were used together, we started to get the hang of things. My 11 year old son and 8 year old daughter are outside of the target age for this program, but considering the challenge they were content to go along for the ride. My 5 year old followed suit, but did complain about the length of the videos at first. I think this largely had to do with his complete unfamiliarity with the language and the immersion approach the videos take. When we could be clear about it being a school thing and perhaps give them a task of finding a particular word in a song, things got easier. Despite my unqualified state in regards to French, this program did not require me to know anything prior in order to teach it. Overall, this is a fun and effective way to learn a new language!
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The Crew reviewed both French and Spanish versions of this program. Check out other families’ experiences with Whistlefritz through the link below.
