Review: Flip Flop Spanish

Flip Flop Learning has developed a Spanish program that can be used with children as young as 3, yet is also great for the adult learner.  This program is See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish, and I was recently sent a copy to review.  This two-year program is priced at $99.95.

See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish comes packaged in a nice little box.  Included in the box are:

• 3 sets of flash cards
• 2 card holder pages for a 3 ring binder
• 4 audio CDs and a sleeve for a 3 ring binder
• lesson plans (3 hole punched)
• white board paddle & marker
• cover inserts and spine insert for a 3 ring binder

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box were the 3 Easy Steps to Get Started.  These explain how to set up the binder, and the next step is to open up to lesson 1 and play the CD.  It doesn't get much easier than that!

There are 45 lessons, and each lesson is designed to take one week (and there is a break week about every 6 weeks).  It's recommended that you work on Spanish 3 times a week.  Lessons take about 15 minutes.  At the end of the course, you'll have learned 160 Spanish words that will allow you to make your own sentences in Spanish.

The bulk of the teaching is done through the flash cards and the CD.  The flash cards have a photograph on one side, and on the reverse side is the Spanish word (with pronunciation) and English word.  The CD walks you through the pronunciation and has you practice speaking.  You're instructed to like up the cards (picture side up) and then repeat the Spanish word while touching the correct card.  Next, you'll move along to creating sentences.  As an extra step, older students are encouraged to flip the cards over and write the Spanish sentence.  As you progress in the program, you are instructed to make additional flashcards for words like "and" and "is", allowing you to make more complex sentences.

Throughout the lesson  manual are Grammar Notes for Parents.  These explain various Spanish grammar concepts quickly and simply.   There are also Grammar pages that go a little more in depth on the grammar concepts (they may be skipped if needed).  There are also crossword puzzles and word searches to review vocabulary.  There are fun activities, like watching a movie in Spanish or seeing who can make the longest sentence.

See It and Say It is a very engaging program.  It's so simple to use, but it's also very effective in teaching vocabulary and how the language works.  Even my 37 year old brain was able to retain the vocabulary!  I also love that it can be used with a wide range of ages.  We enjoy learning together, and it's great to have a program that will work with our range of ages (7-14).  But the best part?  It's just plain fun! It has kind of a game feel to it so you want to pull it out and work on it.

For more reviews of See It and Say It Flip Flop Spanish, visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew.