Spanish Magazine, June/July 2007 (Issue 42)
By Judy Darley, Copyright Homes Worldwide (Merricks Media Ltd)
SPEEKEE ESPAÑOL
Whether you have small children yourself or just have some you can borrow for the day, this pack of four DVDs plus a 34-track CD is an fantastic way to ensure that the Spanish you learn sticks.
Speekee is aimed at children aged from two upwards, designed by professional educators. The key characters are Speekee herself, a creature who resembles a purple gremlin, Jim, a friendly expat Brit, plus sock puppets Dino and Lupi and a crowd of cheerful Spanish children. Each of the ten episodes involves an excursion to a new setting, from the park to the zoo, with key vocabulary explained by a series of visual devices, repetition and songs. You can play the DVDs with Spanish or English subtitles on show, while the 34-track audio CD of relentlessly catchy songs is ideal for journeys in the car. The accompanying booklet which gives outlines of each episode with key vocabulary, lyrics for the songs in Spanish and English and a mini English/Spanish dictionary, as well as directions on how to make your own sock puppets.
The course covers a good range of useful Spanish words and phrases that children are encouraged to listen to and repeat, with lots of praise words following each request for interaction, ranging from “Fenomenal!” to “Perfecto!” This is a lovely positive way to learn, and the sock puppets are especially vivacious, aptly demonstrating the Spanish verve for life, as do the Spanish children when introducing their brothers and sisters.
