No comments about Intermediate English/ESL.

3 comments about Bilingual Baby, PORTUGUESE, Vol 8.

1. My 18-year-old daughter and I are traveling to Brazil this summer, and this video was a fun way for us to get back into Portuguese. The kids in the video are just plain CUTE and the visuals are great. It covers very BASIC vocab (colors, numbers, plus many nouns), and introduces singular and plural articles and sentence structure. The screen shows the Portuguese spelling as the words are pronounced. The Portuguese meanings are obvious from the video; you hear no English. This is a great confidence-builder and a great springboard into the language. It is fun to watch. The production is good -- very professional.

   Unfortunately, there is very little out there in video/DVD for learning Portuguese. This is great for an introduction to the language, but it would be nice to follow up with something that took it farther in video/DVD form.

   My elementary age son is interested in French. So I'm ordering this for him in that language as a starting point.




2. you will not find anybody speaking english on this tape. Just in portuguese with a good clear pronunciation and little accent.
   
   the format is simple and very much designed for learning and reenforcement of the language.
   For the parents the phrases are in english in small text that will not get in the way of the child watching.
   
   covers all the basic topics.....



3. Overall this is a pretty good video. I wouldn't recommend it for adults who are looking to learn conversational Portuguese. This is made for kids in the same style as the Baby Einstein video collection. The production is kind of cheesy, but it's great for Brazilian parents who want their children to speak Portuguese.
   Side note: This is Brazilian portuguese with a Sao Paulo accent.

5 comments about Lyric Language I (French/English).

1. This entertaining bilingual video is recommended for children who really want to learn French if they've heard of French. Even kindergarteners will tolerate this video. Throughout the video, children sing 11 songs in English and French and the lyrics are subtitled at the bottom of the screen. This and all other Lyric Language videos contain the songs:

   * At the Zoo * At the Beach * At the Supermarket * Happy Birthday to You * The Rain * The Seasons * The Days of the Week * The Night

   * The Alphabet * I Wish I Could Fly * Jump Rope




2. My 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 year old girls really enjoy this video series. We do not speak French but would like to expose them to the language as much as possible. I am not a video advocate, but when trying to expose my children to a second language it's the best I can do. The video is not cartoonish or puppets, rather video clips of real children playing, dancing, jump roping, and doing various other activities. They do activities to music sung by children too, which is a plus to keep a child's attention. I liked the ABC's and 1-2-3's done in both English and French. The entire video is done in alternating echo format, meaning, one line is sung in English (with an English subtitle) then sung in French (with a French subtitle). It's really worth the money. Since it has subtitles in both French and English, reading opportunities are present for the older children. I expect my children will watch this video up to age 11, if it does not break before then.



3. I purchased this for my 5 year old in the hopes that she might enjoy the songs and become familiar with some of the sounds of the French language. This is the first movie that she has refused to watch! (and she has watched a number of movies in French) It is very poorly made. The songs are terrible and the children singing them are tone deaf.

   The MUZZY tapes have worked much better.




4. I am the mom of a nineteen month old to whom I speak my mother tongue - French - everyday. He is learning so fast that I just can't keep up with him. I have been looking for so long for more French videos. I am just so happy I came accross this one at the library, now I have to have it! The songs are great and in tune. The pronunciation is perfect, and the topics are varied. We learn the vocabulary of animals at the zoo, the beach, the alphabet, the weather, the seasons, the days of the week... etc. In addition, it couples French and English which also makes daddy happy!!! Love it!!!



5. This is the only decent French video I have found for my daughter. We bought it when she was about 1 but it's only since she was two that she really started watching it regularly and loving it. Now, at 3, she knows all the songs, sings them and requests the video over and over again. Last week we were visiting the Santa Monica Pier and my daughter pointed to the beach and said "J'aime la Plage" (one of the songs) and then started singing the entire song in French. The others we have bought were awful (see my other reviews) but this one has really taught my daughter some French. Adults, however, will find it cheesy and somewhat annoying but no worse than putting up with Barney and Caillou : ) I highly recommend this video.

4 comments about Bilingual Baby, FRENCH, Vol 1.

1. Done all in French (with only very small English subtitles to help parents and only shown briefly) - only way for French immersion. Colorful images, children's faces, parents' faces. Learn good basics in French - colors, things, numbers, Maman, Papa, etc. Pronounced slowly the word first, then used in a small sentence. I recommend it highly. An introduction to French songs (music only) used at the end of the tape. On the tape box, it is recommended for ages 1 to 5. But I have used it already for a 3 month old to get the gears started for French.



2. I purchased baby bilingual French and Spanish about a month ago. The Baby Bilingual series is a great idea, but don't expect baby to be engrossed in the images on the screen as he or she might be with other baby videos.

   The music in the background is nice, classical music. The visual component is nice, as well, and shows real life people and toys. My one year old enjoys watching the videos, but they don't hold her attention as well as other classical music based baby videos have done. I would have liked to see more movement and variety on the screen to hold my babie's attention better.

   The videos don't hold my attention too well either, as both the French and Spanish versions are very similiar (actually, almost identical) as they show almost identical visuals and teach baby exactly the same words. Again, more variety would have been nice.




3. I began showing this video to my daughter when she was 6 mos. old (once a day) and two years later she still loves it. She will stop whatever she is doing and sit down and listen from beginning to end. On the other hand, my 1 year old daughter has never been interested in it-- even though I introduced the video in the same way as I had with my older daughter. As for me-- I like the music, the format, and the fact that they do not introduce too much information.



4. First of all, the above is true. I made the poor mistake of buying both --mostly because this one was so terrible and I thought the other one would be better. It was terrible for the following reasons: 1. The narrator is NOT a native French speaker as the video advertises and thus she mispronounces many of the words 2. I also really hate the fact that the words are not introduced with their articles, as they are supposed to be in French. You never just say "ball" in French as we do in English, you would say either "un ballon" or "le ballon" ("the ball", "a ball"). Moreover, without the articles, you don't learn the gender of the nouns, something we don't have in English and one of the most difficult things for us to learn in foreign languages. I am STILL struggling with genders after 20 years of speaking french (because I am not a native speaker but have lived in France for many years). More aggregiously, instead of including one of the many charming French childrens songs, they include a translation of "Mary had a Little Lamb (it doesn't even rhyme). This is all quite disappointing bc the whole point of teaching your child a foreign language at this age is that they don't need to learn it in translation (or in an English language context) they can learn it within the French language and cultural context. Please, don't waste your money. I can only imagine that the Spanish language version contains all of these same problems, by the way...

No comments about Fun with Colors - English-Portuguese.

5 comments about Signing Made Easy.

1. I found this vidio hard to learn by. But unfortunitly I have to put up with it because it is the only VHS Sign Language vidio I have.
   PROS: -gives a wide selection of signs
   -One can learn ASL by seeing somebody DOING
   it.
   CONS: - unclear signs
   - introduction is too long...it dosn't get to the :) point
   - it has an unneaded example of a hearing person :) meeting a deaf person
   - Scenes do not run very smoothly....they are random
   To some up....NOT A GOOD BUY. If you happen to have
   at your Library, borrow it there.....DON'T BUY IT!!
   
   NOTE: Try their other vidio:
   Sign Language Fun for Everyone: How to Talk to a Person Who Can't Hear
   It's reviews are much better, people rate it 5 stars. I havn't bought it, but it appears better put together.



2. Arrived on time as described I would use this seller again and would recommend this seller to a friend.



3. It's a really good movie for most of the basics and important things in sign language. It's fun to watch, you should watch it over and over and that's how you learn. It also teaches you a little about deaf culture which is also important, not only knowing how to sign, but knowing about deaf people. I give it two thumbs up!



4. I really enjoyed viewing the DVD and find it is a good start for a beginner. The lessons progress in a logical manner and the ASL Alphabet is presented very well. If you do not learn the first time around, you can select the portion of the DVD to review over and over. Once you progress in ASL, the DVD becomes less useful, but still entertaining and helpful in understanding the Deaf culture.



5. You can only take so much text, flash cards, and study ... then you need to see it in action. part of the learning process is not just learning the signs, but being able to read them when someone else uses them. Looking for perfect? Language is not perfect. This is a great primer as it also gets you exposed to someone who has had to learn speach without the aid of hearing. this is a great DVD,

5 comments about Hola Amigos (3pc).

1. Don't love this video, the animation is poor and my kids just don't enjoy watching it. It tends to drag on a bit slowly.
   Not a great way for my kids to learn spanish.



2. My daughter did not like this video. There appeared to be very little animation, just a series of drawings, like a film strip. She asked me to turn it off after a few minutes. She preferred Professor Parrot.



3. I purchased this DVD for my bright grandchildren, aged 4 and 2 because they seemed to be very attracted to "DORA" and her Spanish pronunciations, often using her simplistic lessons in their everyday vocabulary with ease.
   
   When I sat with them to view "HOLA AMIGOS" for the first time, I realized that it was definitely not for beginners, using complicated sentence structuring and often blurred pronunciations. I had four years of Spanish in school and know that this DVD is definitely not an entry presentation, especially for young children.
   
   The visual seemed to have clear connective attraction which kept their interest but the overly complex sentences lost appeal.
   
   If this DVD was created by someone who did not already have a Spanish accent, it might be more easily assimilated for someone new to the language, English speaking and not of Spanish descent.
   
   I feel this DVD was incorrectly marketed under the guise of entry-level. It is not.



4. I only write this to save well-intentioned people from wasting their money and suffering disappointment. I checked out this series from our local library (big fan of 'try before you buy') and I'm glad I did. Seeing the poor animation and 'teachy' structure of the videos helped me avoid spending my hard-earned money. My daughter, who has a good share of quality Spanish books, CDs, and videos, asked me to turn it off after only a few minutes. The best Spanish products are engaging and and true learning happens as a result of the child being engaged. This was your run of the mill, poor quality, "listen and repeat" format, that tried way too hard to TEACH and not enough to ENTERTAIN. (bored kids aren't learning kids) Please keep searching.



5. My Daughter loves this movie, for that matter she loves all movies. This is a gift I bought for her because I want her to show interest in different languages.

5 comments about Follow Jade! Learn Chinese: Let's Visit Chinese Kindergarten.

1. My 4-year-old and I are both learning Chinese (Mandarin) from Jade's video, so I would say that it helps both kids and adults alike! Jade uses fun techniques to make learning enjoyable...my daughter loves watching this show and I love the fact that she's learning at the same time! Recommended!



2. I am always amazed at phony reviews from pseudo professionals who recommend titles like this. Who is Dr. Toy? Is he a real doctor or just play one while doling out awards. Or is he like Dr. Seuss, and not really a Dr. at all? I'd like to know what planet he is living on to recommend Follow Jade! as one of the best children's products.

   In the video, Jade, the instructor is attractive, well-groomed, pleasant and charistmatic. She used props in many cases to illustrate her points about the all sorts of items in a Chinese kindergarten. There are a few attempts at interaction with clapping and singing along but mostly the exercises fail to capture your attention.

   In fact, this video did not appeal to me, my students or my 4-year old. The entire video is incredibly slow-moving and speaks to you as if you are incapable of swallowing.

   The majority of the video is presented in a classroom setting: the instructor held up different items and named them in Chinese. In many instances Jade's pronunciation was less than perfect. Then she drilled the audience on the names again. I guess the drills were attempt at a game, but weren't at all interesting or engaging and, over time, became extremely irritating. The video did not have much to keep me, my students or my child interested. Afer a partial viewing we immediately sold this tape on eBay.




3. I¡¯m considering Chinese lessons for my 5 & 6 year old sons, and picked up the Follow Jade videos to try and get a feel for what we¡¯d be in for. In the first half of the summer, my sons (and I) have managed to learn the numbers, fruits, and other basic words. But perhaps most importantly, I feel that the videos have helped to train my ears in preparations for Chinese lessons in the fall.
   
   Jade¡¯s videos are not a Chinese emersion program. If that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for, you should just take your kids to China for the summer. What the videos do, and do very well, is teach kids some basic Chinese while familiarizing them with the correct sounds, all while presenting China in a positive, colorful light



4. It appears that some reviewers are expecting Hollywood production when purchasing videos for learning Chinese - both by Jade and by Mei Mei and then they feel dreadfully disappointed when they find out that's not the case.
   
   Nevertheless, if your purpose for buying these videos is to learn few basic words and expressions in Chinese - the videos will help you to do just that, and enjoy the learning process.
   
   The songs in Jade's videos have mixed English and Chinese words.
   The videos are made for kids, but I purchased them nevertheless when I was learning my first words in Chinese, together with many other programs and the songs in Jade's videos had enough of catchy tunes that the words and tunes stuck in my mind even a year later without reviewing those programs.
   
   Even people with same backgrounds pronounce words in slightly different ways and I've found no problem with Jade's pronounciation. If you are not mingling with Chinese community, just pick and watch some of the Chinese movies to experience the difference.
   
   Other than that, if you're serious about learning more Chinese, you should expose yourself (or your children) to as much spoken language and different pronounciations as possible.



5. The Follow Jade dvd's are great. There are two, one going to Kindergarten, and one going to the market. Only thing is that she teaches you the name of things, but doesn't teach you how to ask for it in a sentence. Hope she expands on that with more dvd's.
   
   Also, we love the Mei Mei DVD's. We have all of them. The best one is the Sing and Learn one because the songs are very catchy. We also bought it in a cd.
   
   Plus, we also bought this gorgerous "ASIAN AMERICAN BERENGUER GIRL DOLL" from EBAY, and my daughter absolutely loves to play with the beautiful doll and watch her Chinese dvd's.
   
   Highly recommend.

5 comments about Bilingual Baby, SPANISH.

1. We purchased this video based on other Amazon evaluations. We are so happy we purchased this video. We wish it was on DVD, but it's not available that way. Even still, it's no big deal to fast forward past the very brief intro (no commercials for other videos, YEA).

   We got this for my son when he was 8 mo. old (now 18 mo). He loves Bilingual Baby - Spanish even over the Einstein Videos - of which we have like 10! He happily watches it without getting distracted.

   Additionally, I think this video quickened his learning of the concepts of yes and no.

   It's so easy to watch. My husband and I have learned - especially the pronounciation. The video focus is on phrazes and words babies and toddlers use most, making it practical too!

   As a Mom (and the primary cargiver) I find none of it offencive. Which is saying a lot for this neurotic Mom!




2. My 10-month-old daughter absolutely loves this video and so do I. I bought it for her when she was 8 months and she loves it even more now. She sits there and watches attentively. Funny part is that my daughter goes buserk with excitement during certain phrase or images in the video. When the video is over, she'll make a moaning sound until we re-play it and surprisingly she'll sit through the entire thing.... again!!!! It's very simple for children and it uses images and repetition to re-enforce the words. I am a native speaker and love the fact that the narrator uses a Spanish accent. I've heard and seen samples of other videos and audio and was disappointed to hear an English accent. I think it's important for children to learn to speak Spanish with the correct accent and not sound like someone speaking broken Spanish. Other reviews criticize the quality of the video, but I thought it was pretty good. All and all...buy it; it's worth it.



3. This VHS tape is the exact same as Brainy Baby Spanish DVD. I checked them both out from the library and was surprised to find they are the exact same video. So there is a DVD option for this video if you need one.



4. This is an OK video, but not worth all the high marks it has earned. It has one monotone womans voice saying spanish words for actions shown on the screen. There really isn't much action or "feeling" in the voice. Some of the images are confusing It reminds me of my adult Spanish learning tapes which are very boring. MY 2 year old loves videos but she doesn't seem overly impressed with this one. She does perk up at some of the images (ballons, dog, kittens, exc..) but overall there isn't much to keep her attention.



5. My kids, who are 4 and 2 1/2, love these Bilingual baby videos. They are always asking me to watch them. I know that they are learning from them since they use the words daily, especially the colors and numbers. I definately recommend them.

5 comments about Talking Hands: A Sign Language Video For Children.

1. I got this video from the library. I am glad I did so I didn't spend money on buying one. They teach 30-some signs in this video. The signs are:
   
   mother, father (daddy), baby, boy, girl, grandmother, grandfather, love, please, thank you, eat, drink, more, cookie, potty, help, socks, shoes, hat, open, close, stop, go, sit, stand, off, on, play, ball, car, bubbles, books, video.
   
   Here's an example of how it's done. For the word "mother" a woman signs it 3 times, a boy signs it twice, a girl says, "mama" and signs it twice. The little dark-skinned girl that does the signs and talks is just so adorable. The other people, for the most part, are looking at an angle away from the camera and it's a bit annoying.
   
   At the end of the video they have a review. They say, "Do you know what this sign is?" and they show a person doing the sign. The audio is off but you can see them move their mouth while they say the word. It doesn't take a genius to read their lips and know exactly what word they are saying. I don't know how effective of a sign review that is.
   
   I thought a few of the people doing the signs did them a little wrong. I am no expert (we started signing with my daughter 9 months ago) but for "bubble", as an example, they have someone signing it and it looks like bubbles are bursting; which is correct. But, then another lady will sign it and it looks like she is grabbing bubbles instead of popping them. Your fingers should be together and your fingers burst out, like a bubble popping. But that one signer has her fingers out and then brings them together as if she is grabbing the bubbles and not popping them. Also, the sign "boy" wasn't done the best. Some of the signers look like they are just closing and opening their fingers by their forehead. They really should have moved their hand forward a bit while doing that. It's just a little thing but it should be done correctly, in my opinion.
   
   If you really want some excellent signing videos definitely go with "Signing Time" and "My Baby Can Talk". My baby is 18 months old and has been watching these since she was 9 months. She now knows over 50 signs. She loves those dvd's so much and watches them everyday. If we owned Talking Hands I really doubt she'd want to watch it. I have other reviews for you to read.



2. If you have other signing videos and environments for your child, he or she may not like Talking Hands much at first. He or she might come to appreciate it over time, however... quite a bit. Other reviews here describe its content fully; I write here to testify that your child's first impressions of it can change.
   
   My son received this as a gift for his first Christmas. It was his first signing video, and he was just beginning to see a few signs from us as a support for learning language and speech. He found it unengaging and, frankly, we did, too; it's slow and pizzazz-free. It went to the back of the video drawer for a loooonng nap.
   
   Two years later, our son has had a year of structured signing-supported speech instruction and signing/talking playgroups. He knows all the video's signs and their accompanying spoken words now. Suddenly, he wants to watch it more than any other - even Thomas the Tank Engine, and that's saying something. He's seen several Signing Time videos and likes them for their entertainment and energy, but this production's admittedly deliberate pacing and presentation hit the target for him right now. It's not teaching him or compelling him to learn, but it IS reinforcing him for signing AND speech that he HAS learned. At this point in his development, when he's just really starting to Get It, it's his hands-up favorite.
   
   Had we only seen it briefly as, say, a rental, we would have no more use for it than the reviewers who panned it on first impressions. If we didn't own it, we'd never have seen it again. Right now, though, we see it nearly every day - by request. It could, and has, become a valuable team member as part of a signing-video collection that varies in energy and style. In six months, it will probably be in the back of our drawer again; our son will have grown past it in knowledge and zip. Today it supplies a validation - or something - that he's hungry for, at a pace he can easily keep. It might fill a niche for your child, too.



3. This video MAY have its place, but teaching signs isn't it. However, my baby loves watching scenes of other kids at play, and was as captivated by the kids in this video as she would be with any other, non-signing video.
   
   The video introduces about ten to twelve (maybe more?) VERY basic signs - mother, father, baby, on, off, love, etc, plus cookie (which I personally don't feel is necessary for a baby to learn).
   
   There IS a nice diversity of kids and adults shown - different races and differently-abled kids - though I didn't see hearing aids on any of them, which might have been a nice nod to the non-hearing community (I realize, however, that today's hearing aids are so tiny that they're hard to spot if you're not looking for them!)
   
   This is truly a video for hearing children, as many scenes rely on a voice-over of the word being taught with no visual cue as to the sign. There are no animations (except one scene where six cookies appear in two rows) or anything else to break up the talking heads interspersed with video footage instructional format. None of the glitz of the Signing Time videos, for example - this is a bare-bones vocab lesson in 45 minutes.
   
   Scenes of doggies at play are interesting for a baby, but would quickly grow tiresome for older children (I watched the video with my 11-year-old just because he'll watch anything, but I don't imagine even he would watch it twice willingly :-) ), or for any adults in the home.
   
   I got this out of our library as a starting point, and will probably watch it once with my baby - a few minutes at a time as it's a nice way to distract her when she's being changed. I know she likes watching the other babies, and the animals... but for that, I could put on any kiddie video - making this one a redundant addition to our repertoire.
   
   Save your money; I'll keep searching and report back when I've found something better!



4. I have 3 sons and they all enjoyed watching this video, and learning to speak with their hands.



5. My wife.. She is Deaf, and taught Sign Language, she laughed at the movie MORE than I did.
   Signs were inconsistent, example: The other people were signing "Ball" and one woman was signing (looked as if...) "Certificate or Certification".
   The sign for "Go" is traditional (yeah.. like 30 years ago). A sign for "Sock" was pointed down and looked like the sign for "handicap"...
   The sign for "potty" (as they put it), looks like the one handed sign for TOY(s)(look at the sign for "play" here and you'll understand the orgin) potty should be the "T" sign short shaks from left to right, "potty " here is signed left to right..turning in and then turning out, this is more like LAZY sign, this It goes on and on.
   We are of the belief, teach it RIGHT to begin with.. then the "lazy" (I hate this term.. my wife uses it ALOT)sign develops naturally with time and conversations and culture. THEN you can take that SIGN they way they USE here and understand the context in which it is used. OHHHHHHHHH the sign for "video" is a signed english form of the word from the sign "movie".. it's dumb and incorrect, DON'T USE THIS SIGN! (PLEASE)
   When you have a bunch of Hearing people, (probably instructed by OTHER hearing people) this is probably what a sign language video will look like.
   Deaf people HATE expressionless people! (esp expressionless faces)..
   For hearing people it's the same as sitting thru a mono-tone lecture where sooner or later the speaker sounds like the teacher from Charlie Brown (wha waa waa, blah waa waa, waa blah blah etc... boring huh?)
   Want a GOOD investment in your child and money!? Get the Baby Einstein Sign Language videos... Professionally done, NOT BORING for toddlers that will probably get up and walk away... and Baby Einstein videos HOLD the interest of the short attention span mind.