Raising a bilingual toddler

We have had so much luck trying to impart my life-long knowledge of second-language learning to my toddler.  Since birth, I have incorporated songs and read books to him in Spanish.  When he was one he had a native Spanish caretaker who taught him his ABC's and songs in Spanish for him to internalize the language. My house is English-dominant, but he will initiate Spanish language conversation with me.  I have spent hours and hundreds of dollars seeking out programs for my particular toddler, who is amongst things, active (some would say hyperactive), intensely curious, hyper aware, super smart and inquisitive. My comments, observations and recommendations are below.

1. Pandatree.com

We recently took advantage of the free trial 25-minute class they have for preschoolers 3-5 on this online platform that uses live classes.  At first I was a bit nervous, as my child is active and likes hands-on learning.  However, they didn't disappoint.  It took about 2 sessions for him to catch on and respond to the teacher's prompt.  She also speaks English and I would say 90% of the lesson is in Spanish.  I also participate, but think a parent who is not a Spanish-speaker would be able to follow along too.  I found a coupon for $60 (instead of $80) a month subscription for four 25 minute lessons.  This is one of the more pricier subscriptions out there for this age group.

2. mylingokids.com

I found Pandatree.com to be entertaining and interesting, but I wasn't impressed with the pricing.  Perhaps because I am a fluent Spanish speaker, and I am using the online platform to build a Spanish-speaking community and as reinforcement of what is learned from me as we have no bilingual schools in our town, I have a cap on what I am willing to pay for supplemental learning.  However, if he were learning Chinese, I know that I would be more open to pay more as I have no knowledge of that language.  My Lingo Kids is available in multiple languages.  You can request a free trial.  This online platform with live classes is advertised for kids 3 - 12 years old.  The costs start at $150 for 10 thirty minute lessons.  After requesting a free trial, you will be asked some questions and then receive a personalized email from a tutor to set up the first free lesson.  I found the lesson to right in line with the other lessons we have experienced.  With this company, you pay the teacher and not the company directly.  The enrollment process isn't as streamlined as I would like, so I will pass on this one, but it is worth a shot.  They offer other languages as well.

3. Spanglishschoolhouse.com

I have a dinosaur-loving toddler and this website offered free dinosaur week curriculum that I could download and talk about dinosaurs to him in Spanish.  They also offer other Spanish-language curriculum for a fee.  Since he's so young, we love worksheets to practice.

3. Speechblubs.com

This is a multi-lingual platform that teaches toddlers to elementary-aged students sounds and vocabulary.  It is used as a supplement to speech language therapy, but its end goal is to get kids talking and using repetition to do so.  The recommended practice with this app is 5-10 minutes a day, which is very achievable.  The subscription is $9.99 per month with no cancellation fee or $4.99 a month if you choose the yearly subscription.  We use this about once or twice a month.  I am not impressed, but again, its another way to keep him engaged in the target language.  They show a word, a pre-recorded child says the word, and your child has to repeat for a predetermined time and then they give an explanation of the word, with images. They also have these cute filters for pictures that get stored to your phone, related to the word.  My son does his lessons in Spanish and after awhile, he will say, "I'm done" and go to the next activity.

4. ReadingA-Z.com

This is the downloadable book session of a larger literacy program called LearningA-Z.com. Teachers, homeschoolers, parents and students can download books from novice to advanced readers.  I have chosen theme-based books that we read over and over that go over concepts that he is interested in (grande, pequeño). I like these books because he can color them and if they get destroyed, I can print another one.  They are easy to read.  I have also used them in my classes.  You can sign up for a free 14--day trial.  The subscription is $118.00 a year.

5. BilingualPlanet.com

This website offers literacy support to classes with materials that are helpful and useful for teaching both English and Spanish.  I have used their resources in class.

Websites I have reviewed or tried and am not sure it meets my immediate needs

1. www.hootreading.com

This Canada-based program allows for students to receive one-on-one tutoring in English or Spanish.  They just started a new French program as well.  This program is very pricey at $180 a month for two lessons a week.  They offer reading support in English as well.

2. matitalentinstitute.org

Mati Talent Institute is a school for prek -12th grade.  For the preschool/kindergarten level there are printed materials for 120 days of class. There is also assess to i-station on online component for reading.  The cost for this curriculum is $500.00.  Parents can choose to register in a certified version of the homeschool, or not.

3. idealschool.education

Accrediated by Cognia, Ideal School offers a certified curriculum for students K-7th grade.  Students in the traditional program have class all day, except for Fridays.  Students meet with other children all over the USA and Latin America.  Some courses are in English and others are in Spanish.  This is a US based school and the teachers offer live classes each day.  There are options to take one or two courses for families not wanting the full curriculum.

4. nobispacem.com

This is an entire certified curriculum that starts at Preschool and goes to 12th grade.  It is targeted towards homeschoolers who want to give their child a Catholic education.  It is the only comprehensive curriculum in Spanish that I have seen that uses print materials.  The preschool curriculum 1 starts at ages 2-3 and with Preschool 2, students have to be 4.  The cost is $81.00 and you still are encouraged to buy the materials to do the activities with.  The only reservation that I have is that it appears that the only option is the formal certified registration, and we don't need that.  Also, I am looking towards Afro-centric materials in Spanish to give my child a sense of worth and identity, and I don't think this is it.  I would still have to supplement.\

5. www.lingualearner.com

I subscribed for three months at $9.95 a month.  What I loved about this program was that it was 100% Latina owned, so I felt as though I was supporting a woman and minority owned business.  The lesson plans were parent friendly, written in both English and Spanish and did not assume that parents had previous pedagogical training.  I definitely appreciated the scripting that was provided to give instructions in English and Spanish.  For non-native speakers, scripting is so important.  I don't 100% follow anyone's script, but it is a nice support to have.  One of the downsides to this program is that it requires a lot of materials and prep and printing in my opinion and at this particular time, I cannot commit to that.  I think this is the benefit of comprehensive curriculum like Nobis Pacem, even though I am not 100% sure their lesson plans have scripting, but