Drive-In Spanish for Kids: Songs and Games for On-The-Go Children (Drive-In Audio Packs for Kids) [ABRIDGED]

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST CHILDREN'S SPANISH LEARNING TAPE
Review: I AM A MOTHER OF FOUR AND WOULD LIKE FOR MY CHILDREN TO KNOW A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. WE ARE HAVING FUN LEARNING SPANISH. I HAVE PURCHASED SPANISH FOR CHILDREN (PASSPORT) AND LET'S SING AND LEARN IN SPANISH (NERAIDA SMITH) AND BOTH OF THESE ARE VERY GOOD BUT MY FAVORITE IS DRIVE-IN SPANISH. ON THIS TAPE THE NARRATOR ASKS THE CHILDREN TO LISTEN FOR SOMTHING IN EACH SONG SUCH AS WHAT SOUND DOES THE BELL MAKE IN THE SONG? (ANSWER TAN, TAN, TAN EN ESPANOL OR DING, DING, DONG IN ENGLISH)OR TRY AND PICK OUT THE SPANISH WORD FOR SATURDAY. (SABADO) THIS ENCOURAGES THE CHILDREN TO LISTEN BETTER AND THEN AT THE END OF EACH SONG THE NARRATOR DESCRIBES A FUN GAME TO PLAY AND ALL OF THEM CAN BE PLAYEDIN THE CAR. WE HAVE LEARNED A LOT AND CAR TRIPS ARE MUCH MORE FUN. ONE OF OUR FAVORITES IS "THE PIZZA SONG" IT ASKS IF YOU LIKE VARIOUS THINGS. "TE GUSTA?" I USE THIS A LOT AT THE GROCERY STORE. I'LL JUST SAY "TE GUSTA_______ ?" AND MY FIVE YEAR OLD WILL ANSWER SI OR NO. THIS IS A GREAT TAPE AT A GREAT PRICE. IT TEACHES GREETINGS, NUMBERS, DAYS OF THE WEEK, SEASONS, COLORS, CLOTHING, FAMILY MEMBERS, WEATHER, BODY PARTS AND MORE. WE LOVE IT!

Rating:
Summary: Good idea, bad execution
Review: I am sad to say I cannot recommend this tape. The songs are adorable and the games are fun. Unfortunately, the quality of the recording is not good. The English parts spoken by the "announcer" were obviously recorded at a different time and are clear and easy to hear. In additon, when they speak Spanish in between the songs, it is clear and easy to hear. The Spanish songs themselves, however, are muffled. The songs must have been recorded in a different studio and are not of a good quality. It goes without saying that having clear, easy to hear recordings are crucial when attempting to learn another language.

The booklet that goes along with it is a good one at least. I am using it to follow along to the tape and my daughter and I play the games reading them from the book. We are having to depend on my husband's high school Spanish to get the pronunciations right since the tape is not much help.

I am giving three stars because the book is good, and the games and songs are rather fun for a young child. However, because of the technical problems, I do not recommend this product.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult to follow
Review: I brought this tape hoping to expose my children to beginning Spanish in a fun and practical way. This tape was a big dissappointment. The layout of the tape is not entertaining and not easy for a beginner to follow. The quality of the recording is poor and there seemed to be no real effort in trying to make the tape both entertaining and educational. While the concept of "Drive-In Spanish" seems to be good, this tape does not deliver.

Rating:
Summary: Good idea, bad execution
Review: If you are looking for a Spanish tape to entertain you, this would fit the bill. My son (5yo) found it difficult to follow. We enjoy listening to it, but find that identifying vocabulary words from the songs a little hard.

Rating:
Summary: A little hard to follow...
Review: If you are looking for a Spanish tape to entertain you, this would fit the bill. My son (5yo) found it difficult to follow. We enjoy listening to it, but find that identifying vocabulary words from the songs a little hard.