Product Details
- Directors: Cecilia Poole
- Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, HiFi
Sound, NTSC, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.
Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rating:
- Studio: Poole Productions
- DVD Release Date: April 30, 2008
- Run Time: 30 minutes
- Average Customer Review:
(12
customer reviews)
Rating:
-
I was so disappointed to see such a negative review come up when talking about
the Frank and Paco series. I found many opposites when I viewed this with video
with my nieces and nephews. They took to it so quickly! They were singing songs,
dancing and saying words immediately after the video. And, what's not to love
about a Texas accent--friendly, welcoming and easy to understand! Your kids will
love this product! Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco
Rating:
-
Below is some direct feedback from a friend who received Frank and Paco as a
gift from us.
"My girls give it a thumbs up.
They viewed it first on the way back from Houston, and were disappointed that
rather than being able to watch Toy Story 2 , they were going to be subjected to
an "educational" video.
After the first couple of minutes tho, I heard both of them engaging in the
participatory parts of the video. I mention both girls since as you know,
Trinity being 6 and Isabella 3, their attention/attraction to videos tends to
vary significantly. For purposes of this review then, I concluded that it does a
good job of engaging a notable range in age focus.
Content and Format:
I found the content basic but solid (as it should be for an introduction to any
language) and the format seems to engage the little viewers. I should mention
that I have observed my 3 year old to be hesitant to engage in participatory
parts of such leading videos like Dora the Explorer" but observed her readily
participating during Frank and Paco. This too I found of relevance to the review
as verbal participation is key to cementing language skills.
I also conclude that the length is appropriate as both my girls remained engaged
for the duration of the video (I have observed them "tune out" on longer leading
programs).
Quality of Spanish
I definitely see the effort put in the use "international" Spanish (Castellano)
as opposed to regionalized. I believe this is the right approach as it this is
the Spanish that is understood across the Spanish speaking world and in business
and broadcasting."
Henry Garcia
Austin, TX
Rating:
-
For this type of dvd (translation as opposed to immersion), I think they did a
good job. It was nice to hear native Spanish speakers which I think is very
important for children to be exposed to when learning a new language.
I liked the Rapid Review option at the end. It's a good way to go over the
vocabulary without going through the entire dvd. Also, the grammar explanations
will be quite helpful to monolingual parents who want to introduce Spanish to
their children. That was impressive to me.
On the other hand, I still think there was too much English in my opinion. Also,
I think it would've have been nice if Paco the rooster had been more lively. He
talked in a monotone voice.
My 5 year old son said he enjoyed it, but hasn't asked to see it again. My eight
year old was less than enthusiastic about it.
Rating:
-
I thought this video was excellent. My daughter is 5 years old. After she
watched this video for the first time she began calling her little brother "hermano"
without prompting. She found it entertaining and very easy to understand and
follow. What was ideal was the repetitive words in both english and spanish. I
speak spanish but my husband does not. I found this DVD very helpful in
validating what I am trying to teach her at home. I cannot wait for the next
follow up video.
Rating:
-
I'm always looking for new ways to keep my kids (ages 5 and 7) interested in
learning Spanish. Based on the glowing reviews for this DVD, I was hoping for a
lot more.
First, the Let's Learn Spanish with Frank and Paco says it is intended for
children ages 2-10. It will definitely NOT hold the attention of kids above the
age of 2. The main characters are hand puppets in the shape of horse and chicken
(Frank and Paco). All the visual elements look amateur and children nowadays
will not be impressed.
If by some strange chance it does hold your child's attention, whether anything
will be learned is doubtful. Most educators recommend immersion or
near-immersion as the most effective technique for teaching children a foreign
language. The main language in this DVD is English (around 80%). The Spanish is
taught as standalone words or phrases that are repeated after the English. They
are not put in use so we don't learn how these words are used in actual
conversation. Furthermore, the Spanish is not always clear because 1) sound
quality is not good and 2) words are repeated by a group of children and/or
young child who pronounces the word in an awkward fashion.
The format is extremely repetitive and tiresome. It goes like this: the annoying
narrator (a horse hand puppet with a Texas twang) introduces the word in
English, and then the chicken hand puppet says the word in Spanish. A woman pops
up and asks in English "How do you say (word) in Spanish" and is answered by
children's voices. This continues for the entire length of the video.
Finally, there's a song at the end of the DVD which reviews the words. It's
probably one of the most obnoxious songs I've heard in a while (think old
western tune with poor rhyming). In summary, this DVD is just awful. There are
much better products in the market.
Rating:
-
My kids love this. They have watched it many times and have learned all the
Spanish words already. Great product.
Rating:
-
I had to order this DVD after my young daughter saw it at a friend's house and
wanted one of her own. Now my daughter is teaching her little brother Spanish!
Love it. Great for all ages. The music keeps the children engaged. Can't wait to
see if there will be more in this series.
Rating:
-
I love "Frank and Paco" video because it targets to the beginning of a child's
vocabulary. It is engaging for little ones and for adults too.
I like the grammatical information that the DVD provides (easy to select from
the menu).
Rating:
-
My four-year old loves this video and sings along in both Spanish and English.
It really engages her attention and is introducing her to Spanish vocabulary. I
hope there will be follow-on videos that will focus on conversation!
Rating:
-
My sons fell in love with this DVD - they want to watch it over and over again.
My 3 year old loves singing along with the theme song and is already picking up
some Spanish words after only a few viewings. We will definitely be purchasing
the future volumes as they come out. I recommend this for parents who want their
kids to have fun and be entertained as they learn.
Rating:
-
This DVD is a real groundbreaker when it comes to finding tools to teach our
children new language skills...and entertaining, too! My granddaughter and
nieces and nephews enjoy it tremendously and are hilarious when they sing along.
Rating:
-
Our 2 year old can't say "Frank and Paco" yet but he asks for this DVD by name,
calling it "Pagu"!
He's a little young to pick up on the Spanish, but he loves the bright colors
and happy music. And he matches the English words he does know with the images
on the screen: "Milk," "Eat," "Fruit," and so on.
An extra bonus on this DVD is that, after it ends, it starts right over from the
beginning. So we adults don't have to keep selecting "Play" from the menu!!
I give this DVD five stars!
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