pls recommend French & Japanese DVD

[Keeli]

Hi Izp11
No it's not all total immersion in French. The football cartoon bit and the French children bits are total French with no English.  Sege the monkey speaks French only but the parrot speaks English and French, she translates the gist of what Serge is saying but not word for word, very often she just answers what he has asked.  There is English but its not excessive I personaly felt that the English was helpful in keeping my children engaged and stopped them getting that glazed over hypnotised look that they get if i put something like a French Disney movie on (which is just too complicated and fast).  I also like it because I can switch on the English subtitles so I know whats going on.  It has a mix of different learning methods I'd say.  As I said my two loved it and learnt a lot from it and I'd recommend it to anyone but then Aangeles daughter didn't so with everything it depends on the child.  I really wish they made another one though because like you I've purchased a few DVDs that are really disappointing, and far too much English and I'm fed up with waisting money.  I've asked my friend who is French to have a look for any good French preschool programs, ones that are designed for young French children so they are simple and clear.  I'll post up anything that she comes up with.  Merrilises French teacher this week suggested   Barbapapa and Babar the elephant in French (both of which you can watch on Youtube but I'm not convinced by them at the moment.  I have two problems with them, first I wouldn't let my children watch them very often in English so I'm not keen on doing so in French I'd rather have something more educational but in French if I'm going to have these then I might as well get Fifi and  the Flower tots in French.  My other problem with these things is that they are all cartoons so children dont get to see the mouths of the speakers.  Seeing how a mouth forms a word is quite important.  Does anyone know if the Wink language DVDs have real people talking in them?  We have a fantastic program in England called "Something special"  It teaches makaton sign language (sign language for disabled children) but it is fantastic, I used it to teach my first two to sign, now something like that in French would be great.  Any way those are my thoughts.  I'd like a pre schooler type programs with real people in them.

[hypatia]

Hi Keeli
I'm French and findibg it difficult to find ressources in French too, especially reading ones!

[Keeli]

Hypatia well if you cant find French resources what hope is there for the rest of us .

I also have Muzzy but I wasn't very impressed especially as it was do expensive.  Though they have brought out their 20 year anniversary set which I think has all the languages except Chinese.  That has no English in it you can get it on ebay cheaper.

[riskbreaker]

thanks for sharing.

mummy here veri powerful, your kids can learn so many language.

[lzp11]

Keeli - thanks for that helpful information.  I've ordered from Amazon and looking forward to giving it a try.

For info, the other DVD I tried was called French for kids: Simple words and Shapes and numbers.  (Link here:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Kids-DVD-Set-2011/dp/190807907X/ref=pd_cp_d_h__3)

It had nearly all 5* reviews on amazon, so I was very hopeful.  One teacher reviewed and said her class had learned a huge amount of French from it.... I could not believe it when I started to play and the woman just spoke English most of the time (with a French accent  ) and then said only very occasional words in French.  Others may disagree with my view but I was sooo disappointed

I am also from the UK and we also LOVE Something Special.  It would be fantastic to have something similar in French (and for us Spanish as well would be great!).  I agree that there is a big problem with cartoons and not being able to see how the mouth moves differently for different languages.

How are people finding the babybit DVDs?  They look good but are expensive - do they teach the language or is it more about reading indvidiual words?

[2010BEBES]

Graceho,

As lzp11 comment there are some products that are definitely a disappointment but it is also true that other products that seem good for the parent may not be the same for the child.

I have Muzzy which i like very much specially because it came with the 5 languages: english, spanish, french, italian and german. But unfortunately my grandson did not like it too much and only ask for the spanish version which was not my intention since we are a spanish speaking family. Maybe a little older (he is 4 now) he would change his mind and accept other languages.

On the other hand i bought French is Fun from amazon uk after reading a review in this forum. He likes it very much. Such is the case that once his father ask me 'what is he leraning that he kept singing: 'parlez moi, parlez moi, parlez moi de ta famile, di moi, di moi, di moi  C'est qui, Cest qui C'est qui. That song about family and serge the monkey sleeping while the parrot talk and talk to him, are his favorites.

If you can afford it i would get both and if i have to decide, i would pick French is Fun even though it is not all french.

Good luck.

[luckybabe]

Hi Keeli & Hypatia,

thanks for the recommendation.. serge the monkey looks interesting!

[WINK to LEARN]

Dear All,

Perhaps you would like to check out our curriculum as well as free video previews for both Speak & Read French and Japanese via this weblink: http://www.winktolearn.com/About-Our-DVD-s/speak-a-read-dvds.html. Pardon us as we will be uploading all the French words corresponding to the English words in a few days' time into our website.

Our Speak & Read DVD series are probably one of those few flashcards-inspired programs that bring your child from words to phrases and then to sentences. Of course, you may also email us @ [email protected] if you need any further assistance.

[NadiaD]

Here is the link to Wink to learn French video.
LOVE IT!
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/7MngpjIkiUw&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/7MngpjIkiUw&rel=1</a>

[DannyandAmy]

I'm sooo sorry it's taken forever for me to reply. After the 3/11 earthquake we've been so busy doing our part to help.

I understand you're showing you child Inai Inai Ba- and Anpanman. They are both TV shows made into DVDs and socially/culturally educational. Anpanman especially, since the animation aids in the comprehension of the language. Inai Inai Ba- focuses on daily life, songs, etc. The downside to Inai Inai Ba- is that "chairs" are characters, using "-issu" as a word play replacing "-desu." Non only is this grammatically incorrect and hard for your little one to catch the joke, but these chairs have limited 'facial' expressions, and you cannot see their mouths moving to formulate the Japanese words. I think that would make it difficult for your child to learn the language, especially if it isn't her native tongue.

Some other options are:
Okaasannto Issho (おかあさんといっしょ) by NHK - Similar to Inai Inai Ba-, but a little better. At least the performers are professional singers and actors. A classic TV show for kids in Japan.
Shizennto Asobo (しぜんとあそぼ) by NHK - This, I recommend. Very informational, teaches biology, great videography.
Tsukutte Asobo (つくってあそぼ) by NHK - An arts and crafts in Japanese! Very creative and fun! Recommend. There are maybe 6 of these series out there.
Kodomo Challenge (こどもちゃれんじ) by Benesse - I think you've heard of these before. There's a Shimajiro (tiger) character, and although I don't see the point in this character, the content is very good for tiny children. About brushing teeth, going to and using the potty, taking a bath, eating properly, crossing the street safely, listening to mommy/daddy, sharing, that kind of stuff! Also has a rhythmic section, an exercise section, a warabeuta (Japanese nursery rhymes) section, story section. I think the only way to get these is to sign up for their monthly package.
Nihonngode Asobo (にほんごであそぼ) by NHK- Japanese exploration for Japanese kids. A little advanced, but creative and very.. well, Japanese. Maybe for kids 3 or 4+.

Basically anything you find in an amazon.co.jp DVD search on Doubutsu (動物/animals) or Aiueo (あいうえお/Japansese phonetic chart) will be a good start!

There are also many cheap DVDs at the local grocery store, but I doubt you'll find the same online. Well, there will be something similar for a higher but still affordable price. There are many kids' documentaries similar to Shizennto Asobo on subjects like vehicles, animals, etc., also old Disney movies recorded in both English and Japanese (with subtitles,too), and traditional fables. The ones at the grocery store are about 370 yen each.

Hmm that's all I can think of right now! If I think of or come across any more, I will let you know!

[jane_dmitrova]

DannyandAmy, thanks a lot for such extensive list of resources.
When you have some time, could you please fiind these items on, for example, ebay.com.jp and give a link? I was trying and trying myself but could not (I do not know Japanse). I tried both Japanase and English names but sometimes they are giving something else or nothing. It would be of great help if you can provide links.
Thanks a lot in advance.

[DannyandAmy]

Hi jane_dmitrova,

I got these links from amazon.co.jp:

Okaasannto Issho (おかあさんといっしょ) by NHK
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_n_binding_browse-b_mrr_0?rh=n%3A561958%2Ck%3Aおかあさんといっしょ+dvd%2Cp_n_binding_browse-bin%3A644356011&bbn=561958&keywords=おかあさんといっしょ+dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1309650910&rnid=622811011

Shizennto Asobo (しぜんとあそぼ) by NHK
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search/ref=nb_sb_noss?__mk_ja_JP=カタカナ&url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=しぜんとあそぼ+dvd&rh=n%3A561958%2Ck%3Aしぜんとあそぼ+dvd&ajr=0

Tsukutte Asobo (つくってあそぼ) by NHK
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_n_binding_browse-b_mrr_0?rh=n%3A561958%2Ck%3Aつくってあそぼ%2Cp_n_binding_browse-bin%3A644356011&bbn=561958&keywords=つくってあそぼ&ie=UTF8&qid=1309650522&rnid=622811011

Nihonngo de Asobo (にほんごであそぼ) by NHK
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_n_binding_browse-b_mrr_0?rh=n%3A561958%2Ck%3Aにほんごであそぼ+dvd%2Cp_n_binding_browse-bin%3A644356011&bbn=561958&keywords=にほんごであそぼ+dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1309650618&rnid=622811011

Shimajirou (しまじろう) similar to Kodomo Challenge (こどもちゃれんじ by Benesse)
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_n_binding_browse-b_mrr_0?rh=n%3A561958%2Ck%3Aしまじろう+dvd%2Cp_n_binding_browse-bin%3A644356011&bbn=561958&keywords=しまじろう+dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1309650681&rnid=622811011

(For the Kodomo Challenge series you have to register for monthly delivery. It's about 1650 yen every month and they have a yearly program for every age. http://www.shimajiro.co.jp/)

Doubutsu (animals) / AIUEO (Japanese phonetic chart) 動物／あいうえお
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/search/ref=nb_sb_noss?__mk_ja_JP=カタカナ&url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=動物%E3%80%80あいうえお&rh=n%3A561958%2Ck%3A動物%E3%80%80あいうえお&ajr=0

Amazon ships internationally; where are you located? To North America it costs 1700 yen for CD or DVD delivery, plus 300 yen per item. That can be a little pricey! If you want, and if we can figure out a way for reimbursement, you can have them shipped to our place (it's free domestically anyway) and I can send them all at once to you where you are. PM me and we can discuss the details. It'll just have to be soon because we are planning to move to the states this summer.

[jane_dmitrova]

DannyandAmy, thanks a lot for your work and all links! Much appreciated!!!
We are from Netherlands. I will check the shipping costs and if it would be very high I would ask you for your help. Thanks!

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