Spanish

Well, Spanish has fallen by the wayside.  Doing all languages together has not given them enough time on each language.  So we are focusing on learning Arabic and Mandarin and giving them exposure to French.  The Koine Greek program they are doing is a slow introduction to the Greek Alphabet right now so they only spend about 10 minutes on it per week.  It will increase as time goes on.  Arabic and Mandarin have been going well.  For Arabic I am using flashcards.  They learn well when I associate the Arabic word with something they know.  For instance kursee means chair so we made up a story about Percy from Thomas and Friends sitting in a chair.  For Mandarin we have been doing a few flashcards and Rosetta Stone.  Flashcards are more difficult for Mandarin because it is a tonal language and I am still learning the tones myself.

Alif Bah Taa Thaa Jeem Haa Khaa

The Arabic alphabet is becoming well-known in our household. My boys have really enjoyed the alphabet song. You can hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI3oBB_n1AU The boys are learning the alphabet for French, Spanish and Greek as well but Arabic has caught on much more. I caught my 5 year old singing it yesterday and he was so proud of himself. I've caught everyone in our household singing it, well everyone that is except the baby. My 7 year old will make sure he gets the glottal kh sound in khaa correctly. The boys look forward to Arabic and want to learn more. It seems as though French and Spanish are somewhat "boring" when compared to Arabic and Mandarin.

We are starting to learn Arabic script as well. I always wondered how anyone could make sense of it, but not anymore. At the beginning of the year I purchased some magnetic Arabic letters that attach together. Learning the alphabet has helped us start to understand script. Tuesday is the next day we do Arabic and I know we are all looking forward to learning more of the Arabic alphabet.

Right now I am in search of a good Arabic comprehensive program. Rossetta Stone is at the top of our list, but I am looking for what else is out there.