Baby Bit French and Spanish

Early Learning Teaching Your Child - Signing, Speaking, Languages
1

I own Baby Bit French, level 1 (which cost me 58 euros… :wub: )
I’ve seen on their website that they now offer level 2, 3 and 4 DVDs (with couplets and sentences)
If you have them in French or Spanish, can you tell me what you think of them?
Thanks!

2

I would be interested to hear other’s replies as well! Considering in investing in the Spanish.

3

Babybit is currently offering 15% discounts on 2-3 DVD purchases and 25% off on purchases of 4 DVDs or more. http://www.babybit.com/en/DescripcioProductes.asp I am SO tempted to go ahead and get the Spanish ones since I don’t have nearly as much Spanish resources as French ones and it seems like it’s going to take another half-year or more before the LR Spanish curriculum comes out! I have vol 1 of the French and I like how the lessons are organized into 3 lessons per day per week so it’s almost as easy keeping track of lessons as LR.

4

Hi Hypatia,

Can you please tell me about the vol 1. I am interested in french. Thank you.

5

Swathi,

Here are sample videos from volumes 1-4 French:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B7ZtMqILOo&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDXVE-jUEcM&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYSXODk7PYI&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKyUI-4E8J0&feature=player_embedded

The lessons follow the Doman method closely but not completely. Each volume is divided into 15 weeks and each week is divided into 5 days (Mon to Fri) with 3 lessons per day. So it is really easy to keep track of where you are in the lessons. I have been showing French vol 1 to my 2 year old. She really likes it and has picked up a lovely French accent :laugh: which is why I am getting the Spanish ones too.

Hope this helps! :smiley:

6

Thank you so much for your reply. The video looks good. After i get funds i will buy it.

7

I am wondering why the dvds are so expensive. Over 100 dollars Canadian for one.

8

That’s exactly what I though! I assumed I was converting wrong.

As an aside, where in Canada are you?

9

Surely 58 euros is not over 100 dollars canadian?! :ohmy: :tongue: Is it not around 80 dollars canadian? Or am I the one converting it wrong? And if you buy 4 or more, each one will cost 43.50 euros after the discount, which is around 60 dollars canadian. Still very expensive, for sure, but not over a hundred.

10

oops, but 80 dollars still too much. I am too poor for baby bit lol
I would like them those.

11

aangeles,

How often do you show babybits? Do you completely follow the program? And about how long are the segments (one sit down session)?

12

The program is meant to be shown 3x a day for 5 days a week. Each session consists of math and reading lessons. The math lesson shows 10 red dot cards per session, retiring 2 cards (the 2 lowest numbers) and adding 2 new cards per day. The reading lesson has 4 categories with 5 words per category. The same 20 words are shown for the whole week but are randomized differently for each session. These are retired at the end of 5 days and 4 new categories with 5 new words each are introduced. For example:

Mon: Session A - Math: numbers 1-10 (shown in order)
Reading: farm animals (5 words), things in the home (5 words), in school (5 words), transportation (5 words)
Session B - Math: numbers 1-10 (shown in random order)
Reading: same 20 words but categories and words are in different order
Session C - Math: numbers 1-10 (shown in random order)
Reading: same 20 words but categories and words are in different order

Tue: Session A - Math: numbers 3-12 (shown in order)
Reading: same 20 words but categories and words are in different order
Session B - Math: numbers 3-12 (shown in random order)
Reading: same 20 words but categories and words are in different order
Session C - Math: numbers 3-12 (shown in random order)
Reading: same 20 words but categories and words are in different order

and so on and so forth. Once numbers 1-20 are introduced, addition lessons are added into the math lessons, then subsequently subtraction, multiplication, division, equations, algebra, etc. The math lessons follow Doman strictly; the reading lessons do not. I used to think that it would have been better if they also retired the word cards according to the Doman schedule, but now I realized that it actually works out better that the same 20 words are shown for the whole week since I am using these to teach non-native languages and Ella is not going to pick them up as quickly as English or Chinese. And since the words are randomized each time, she does not get bored either. Each sit-down session takes 5 minutes.

That being said, I don’t follow the program completely because I am teaching Ella multiple languages and we just don’t have the time to do this everyday for each language (plus math, plus music, plus other subjects.) This is our schedule for languages: English and Chinese reading everyday, French and Japanese lessons (mon, tue, fri), Spanish and Filipino lessons(wed, thu, sat).

On French days, for example, she watches Babybit 3x a day plus 1 educational video (I rotate Little Pim, Professor Toto, and Muzzy) and 1 short cartoon (Bali). In daycare, her teacher reads French books with her and she plays with her French Montessori nomenclature cards/books (she does not go to a Montessori school but I provide Montessori materials for her to bring to daycare which her teacher is very happy to do with her.) Then at night, she listens to French music CDs and audiobooks.

I don’t have as much materials in Spanish but I will be getting more soon. Hopefully by the end of this month, her Spanish days will look like this: Babybit 3x a day plus 1 educational video (Little Pim, Whistlefritz, Professor Toto, Muzzy) and 1 short cartoon. Spanish books and Montessori cards in daycare. And Spanish music CDs and audiobooks at night.

I’ve tweaked her schedule for languages multiple times in the past already according to her needs and the current one we have seems to be working best for her. She is now reading sentences in French and Spanish without foreign accents, at least as far as I can tell. And she enjoys her language lessons and cartoons immensely!

Sorry - this seems to be much more information than what you were asking for, but hope this helps! :smiley:

13

Nope. That was just what my questions would have led up to. :slight_smile: I am currently trying to plan out a schedule for Josiah that will include a lot of language exposure. Knowin the details of other Mom’s plans really helps out a lot!

Thanks :yes: