Have any of you tried those Muzzy foreign-language videos?

[gatorsmom]

I fully believe that the younger you start teaching your child a foreign language, the easier it is for them to understand and speak it. Since Cha Cha has such a fantastic vocabulary, I'd like to start teaching him some foreign languages, but I'd like to start with something simple here at home (because I'm in no shape to be running him around town) like a video series.

Anyone know if these are any good? Or, is there another video series that might be better?

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005
and surprise! twins due 11/07!

[emmiem]

Have you seen how expensive the Muzzy videos are?
Michele

[gatorsmom]

I never paid attention to the price of the ones on TV, but the videos on Amazon are about $14. That didn't seem all that unreasonable. I would certainly pay more than that for a language class or tutor. I thought this would just be a good start. And since repetition is really the way to learn a language, he could watch and rewatch the videos.

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005
and surprise! twins due 11/07!

[o_mom]

I checked them out of the library (you might look into that) and previewed them. I ultimately decided against it since the whole premise of the program is that they watch the videos as much as possible and that really didn't fit with our nearly TV free policy for the kids. It also seemed kind of dated and I'm not completely sold on the concept.

[tiapam]

I always got the impression that you need the whole set for Muzzy to be effective. But maybe that is because they want you to spend more money. I would definitely try to check them out of a library first. I took a look at it a long time ago and honestly cannot remember anything except it was a little dated (though they may have updated it) and "European", for lack of a better word. I think listening to music in the target language would be another good idea. It helps immensely with pronunciation, and is a good way to introduce vocabulary. Also, lots of DVDs have a second language track option.

-Pam

DD - 3 YO

[floridamommy]

I randomly came across a set of "French" Muzzy VHS tapes at a kid consignment store and bought them b/c the whole set was under $10 (store did not know what they were). Granted, I only took high school and college French and by no means am I proficient...but, I watched two of them and was not impressed. Definitely thought it was dated and it was not my kind of learning. I gave them to a friend who has a daughter in first grade who has shown very good language skills with Spanish. Her daughter did not care for them. Not trying to knock them...because I had heard very good things about the Muzzy series, but IMO...I would pass if I was seriously trying to teach my child a foreign language. To me...they did not make learning "fun" - if that makes any sense. It just seemed to me there had to be something better out there (especially for the retail price). HTH

[mamicka]

I agree with PP's descriptions of the videos. We have both the French & Spanish versions & both older boys *love* these videos - they think Muzzy is hilarious. That being said - neither one can speak a word of either Spanish or French. (I didn't expect them to learn another language just from a video - I just want them to be exposed to it early.) We have lots of foreign language CDs & have seen lots of DVD's but I haven't seen anything that seems more effective than Muzzy - I think they're all equally as ineffective - at least for my kids.

Allison
DS1 2003
DS2 2005
DS3 2007

[katydid1971]

You have help coming into the house (if I remember right from a pp). Have you considered finding someone who speaks another language? From what I learned in college is you can't really learn a langauge from TV that why kids who are put in front of the TV a lot have such low vocabularies. That being said, if you took a language in school it might help you remember it and you could use it with Cha-Cha. I also suggest getting some books in that language and reading them aloud to Cha Cha. That will help some but its best to hear it from a native or at least fluent speaker before age 12. (Learning a second language after puberty is very difficult.)
Sorry if that isn't helpful.
Sarah

[miki]

My kid is bilingual and we do the one-parent-one-language method. When I researched the subject before DD was born, the info I looked at indicated that simply exposing your child to a second language through videos was not going to teach them how to speak that second language. They might pick up some vocabulary words but to learn grammar in a meaningful way, you need the child to be able to use the language in social situations as often as possible. So ideally, either a parent or other caretaker who is with the child on a regular basis should be speaking to the child in the second language. Videos, recordings, and books would be a good supplement to that.

[stefani]

I was considering the Muzzy Mandarin Chinese before, but ended up not getting it (the price was what discouraged me). So I don't really know its effectiveness.

What language(s) are you thinking of? What kind of level do you aspire for him to achieve? Do you speak those languages yourself? One website you may want to check out is www.multilingualchildren.org.

DS is trilingual, with me speaking Indonesian to him (and prompting him to speak Indonesian when he speaks to me or to someone who speaks Indonesian), and he goes to a Mandarin Chinese daycare. So many hours of exposure in a week in all the languages. I do have a few DVDs (and VCDs) in Indonesian and Chinese, but mostly DS gets the words from me, a little from DH (in Indonesian), and teachers and friends at school (Mandarin).

Is it possible for you to enroll Cha-cha in an immersion school in your target language? Or a nanny who speaks the language?

HTH.

[WooChx]

I recently came across the best DVD's for Spanish language learning. They are called Vamos a Jugar (Let's Play): Spanish for Beginners and Los Animales (Animals): Spanish for Beginners. I bought them on Amazon. I know that people say you can't teach a child a true language from a dvd, but I can tell you that after the first viewing my dd was laughing along with the full immerision program! Its been a few months now, she still likes to watch these dvds and she can answer all sorts of questions in Spanish! I am completely sold on this series, I wish there were more than just 2 dvds. I personally recommend starting with the Let's Play video.