C. Medina in Illinois
University Spanish Professor; K-4 Spanish Teacher
"I want my students to see that Spanish is used for everything, not just in the classroom. There is no other good program out there for fourth grade and under that teaches kids Spanish.
"The music with this program is just incredible. My students love the music, they love that they can look at the lyrics in the songbook, and they love anything we can do that has actions to it. They love the body song; we are doing all the motions for the body that go along with the song and enjoying it so much.
"I like so much about Calico Spanish that I'm already planning ahead for next year! There are so many different ways in which you meet the State standards, so I can just check the boxes that ask if we are doing tasks according to the standards."
Heather Laurance in Oregon
New Vision School Director and Teacher
"My students loved learning Spanish with the Calico Spanish Curriculum. The songs, music, activities and daily lessons were engaging and rich with content.
"In less than 6 months they were following verbal instructions in Spanish, integrating Spanish words into our daily school life, and were able to perform a play and sing many songs, in front of 50 spectators all in Spanish. Our class had a range of students from 4-8 years old, and they were equally engaged throughout the lessons. The curriculum is very well organized and a gift for both teacher and student!"
Nancy M. in Virginia
Montessori School Spanish Teacher, Grades K-6
"Congratulations! I received the material yesterday and I really like it and find it to be very handy and useful. The CD is clear with good songs, which are very appropriate for the children. The visuals are a great addition.
"The posters are a perfect size. I just browsed through the teacher's manual and already found interesting activities. I very much like that you integrate chunks of language for a communicative class. Congratulations again, and send me news about any new material!"
M. Rodriguez in New York, New York
"I have to say that Calico Spanish is wonderful. As a mother of 2 and a preschool teacher, I have to say how much I enjoy teaching the lessons. My kids are having a blast learning Spanish and their grades show how well they are retaining the material taught. The colorful pictures make learning fun and lessons easy to understand. The teachers' manual is a great resource filled with ideas and techniques that are fun and interactive. The songs are so entertaining they keep the children engaged and wanting more! They enjoy singing in Spanish! Thank you for developing such a wonderful curriculum; I am a happy to see my kids so eager to learn Spanish! I recommend this program to anyone looking for a fun interactive way to teach Spanish. I look forward to Level 2."
Susie in California
"As a credentialed teacher, I very much appreciate the way the teacher’s manual is laid out with clear verbal and visual detailing of your vision for teaching this material.
"The baby-steps plan for learning the numbers, alphabet, months, colors, etc, interwoven with the calendar and reinforced at the end of each week is very natural and smooth."
Katherine in Alaska
"The curriculum really helped us to think in Spanish. My kids felt like there were solving a mystery puzzle and loved that it was challenging but within reach to decode what I saying to them in Spanish.
"I particularly enjoyed using the Usborne book to go on seeking missions for words in Spanish and the activity each week (making hot chocolate, etc.) was a definite highlight. Sometimes activities in other curricula are an extra without substance, but the activities really gave me a chance to talk to my kids in Spanish in a real life context."
Sky in Utah
"Thanks for all your hard work on such a fun and effective program!"
Jo Ann in Alaska
"We ordered Calico Spanish and absolutely love it. It is a brilliant program. There is actually very little that you need to prepare ahead of time, but you do interact with the kids the entire class time. The teaching is immersion and includes a script. You rely a lot on music, and the music is absolutely wonderful! We love, love, love the songs. And, I can't believe how much my kids have already learned! I can selectively speak to them entirely in Spanish and they get it! It is the favorite part of our school day, and if I'm grumpy, I want to do it first because I just can't stay grumpy because Calico Spanish is so much fun!"
4 weeks later....
"The other day we did not have enough time to do our normal Spanish lesson, so I just had a conversation with the girls, totally in Spanish, based on things that we have learned so far in the first 5 lessons. We were in the living room and [my husband, a native Spanish speaker,] was listening in and he was really impressed. He kept saying, "Wow, the girls are really speaking Spanish, like they are really learning it!" Of course that inspired the girls to show off and they ran around the room naming what color everything was (in Spanish of course).Calico Spanish is not the first Spanish Curriculum we have ordered or used, but it is the first one that is really teaching the girls Spanish. They are able to actually talk and carry on a selective conversation and we are only on Chapter 5. We love it so much that we are going slower than we could because we simply don't want it to end! It is so rare to find such a treasure in a course that I just cannot say enough good about it. Thank you for putting so much time into developing such a great program. I had previously given up hope that the girls would actually learn to speak Spanish and now I know it's going to happen. Calico Spanish is giving them a great foundation to build upon and it is just soooo much fun!"
Stephanie in Minnesota
"First off, the bulletin board materials are excellent and really get the kids attention! The boys loved the Diego dice game yesterday. It is nice to have lots of ways for the kids to learn and not just be sitting in front of a book. The lessons are just the right length.
"You've really put some great materials together and everything is right there for us. "
Sky in Utah
"I had been looking for an immersion type of Spanish program that my whole family could use and finally found it!
"Calico Spanish is a practical, fun way to learn Spanish. It uses everyday conversation to teach vocabulary, which I found much more useful than other approaches. Our family was able to communicate using simple phrases right away. The teacher's manual provides the scripts (with English translation) along with a daily schedule and clear instructions for the various activities. Some previous knowledge of the language is helpful for the teacher for pronunciation purposes.
"My 5 children are young (9 and under), but we were all able to have fun learning together. The utilization of games like Diego Dice (Simon Says), songs (great memory tool!) and the repetition and review during calendar time - using small posters on a display board - made it so even my 3 year old can be heard singing the songs, participating in the games and increasing her vocabulary. There are also fun activities like simple art projects or kitchen activities like preparing hot chocolate, to cement the new vocabulary. Grammar notes are available for those that want to take their learning a step further.
"We all enjoyed using the children's books included in the program. The variety of learning tools made it fun, never boring, for all of us. The price is very reasonable especially with all that is included, not to mention the results you'll get."
Courtney B. in Oregon
"Erica, the curriculum set is amazing! My husband says he wants to learn along with kids!
"It's going to be so much fun for us. Thank you so much. I am putting the word out—especially now that I know first hand what [Calico Spanish is] like."
Heather in Oregon
"I really like how [the program] is laid out and easy to use. The Bulletin board is so nice to have as a reference point for me since I am not a native speaker and gives the children a great visual.
"I also like starting each lesson with the song. They really like it, too....they are belting out the songs. We are loving it and the kids are so happy."
Cheri in Washington
"Calico Spanish is an immersion program. For the duration of the Spanish lesson, your children are completely immersed in the Spanish language.
"The program is designed to be taught by people who know just a little Spanish. I was familiar with a few basic words and phrases, but other than that, I knew very little about Spanish.
"After two chapters, not only am I stunned at what I can communicate, I find myself purposefully trying to communicate to the children in Spanish at various times throughout the day. It has been a lot of fun for all of us!"
Rebecca in Oregon
"The music and use of the calendar are really fabulous tools as they are so familiar with the patterns and the routine. I am enjoying it!"
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