Review: Whistlefritz Spanish Learning Program

As another school year begins, it's time for a new review of another Spanish-learning program. You can find a complete list of programs available for homeschoolers here. 

Name of program: Whistlefritz (Educator's Spanish Collection)
Target age: Preschool - early elementary
Amount of materials: Comprehensive
Price: $139 - $169.99
MommyMaestra Rating: ♥♥♥♥

THE REVIEW:

Whistlefritz is a complete program designed for preschoolers and early elementary students. What I love about this program is that each lesson is centered around an activity that teaches a specific concept and new vocabulary. Little kids are so hands-on and project/game-based learning is often the best type of education that they can receive.

I received a copy of Whistlefritz's Educator’s Spanish Collection. This includes:

• 1 lesson plan book
• 1 set of DVDs and CDs
• 1 set of Memory Matching Cards (game)

The book contains 40 lessons each of which takes 30 - 40 minutes to complete. The spiral curriculum builds on previous lessons and allows children to master their Spanish by providing them with multiple opportunities to revisit previously taught concepts. 

Some of the lessons are cross-curricular, teaching not only Spanish, but also science, art, and even physical education. ***Added Bonus: because most of the lessons focus on preschool concepts, I think this curriculum would work as a preschool curriculum for Spanish-speaking children.

Each lesson contains two sections. The first has...

1. a description of each lesson
2. the goal
3. the objective
4. vocabulary
5. materials
6. estimated time to teach

The second section is on the activity itself and it has...

1. the focus (and review)
2. teacher input
3. guided practice
4. independent practice
5. the closure
6. and extension activities

Quite a lot of thought has gone into each lesson and I really appreciate the guided practice section because it is thorough and provides the teacher with exact text to help their students.

Although the text is written in English, Spanish text for all speaking scripts is included. But there is also a completely new Spanish version available here, making this a good choice for immersion programs/homeschoolers.

I really love that the video series is purely supplemental and not a required part of each lesson. They are occasionally recommended in the extension activities. I feel like kids today already stare too much at screens. But these short videos are a fun way to complement the lessons. In some of the videos, students meet Fritzi the mouse who is always in the middle of some sort of adventure. He really is adorable. But they are all about learning the concepts being taught.

And finally, there are the CDs. They are full of fun music that will make your kids move! Carnaval is the most recent release and it is really just top-notch. Listen to clips of the songs yourself here. My 2yo just can't help but dance when the music starts.

Overall, I think this is a really great program for little ones. You don't have to take my word for it, though. As always, I recommend that before you purchase ANY curriculum in any subject, always visit their website first and download samples. When you go to Whistlefritz, you can listen to a sample, watch a clip, or download a sample lesson to see if this will be a good fit for your (home or school) classroom.

Disclosure: I asked for and received this curriculum for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.