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I received a sample of this product in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.
I received a sample of this product in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.
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Maybe you learned Spanish way back in
school, or German is part of your heritage, or you’ve always thought it would
be cool to speak Chinese, or you just want to help your brain stay healthy like this book suggested, or you have big plans for an international trip someday,
but you don’t ever get beyond the dreaming phase because learning a new language
just seems too overwhelming and the thought of spending hours memorizing flash
cards and figuring out excruciating grammar rules has you running to hide...
Friends, there is a different way to
introduce your family to another language: Talkbox.mom
What I love most about this subscription
service is that you not only get great language resources, but your own
personal cheerleader. Creator Adelaide’s mantra is to take a cue from the way
babies learn to talk and just start speaking – without getting hung up on grammar
rules or worrying about pronouncing everything perfectly or memorizing all
sorts of vocabulary that you’re never going to use!
As I said in my other post, we'd tried the most to introduce Gv to Italian, since that's the language G and I often use here at home. When we visited Pam this summer and her family shared all the exciting aspects of their Talkbox, we were super-jazzed, but left wishing that Italian would someday be part of the program.
Imagine our excitement when I listened to this podcast and learned that it was being added!
Gv and I eagerly watched the mail each day for our first box to arrive. It was so fun to open and explore; she couldn't wait to get started on the first challenge!
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| The presentation of this box is fabulous -- you'll feel so pampered the minute it arrives! |
Your first box (no matter the language) centers around snacks and food, because who doesn't love snacks and food -- and besides, think of how many conversations in your family either revolve around food or occur while eating!
The box comes with three challenges, which you can tackle a week at a time to finish in a month, two weeks at a time to digest over two months, or a month at a time, to absorb over a quarter.
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| I love the flexibility with this program and how you're not tied to a particular schedule, but can adapt it to what works best for your family! |
Within each challenge, you'll log into your TalkBox.Mom account to access the audio files (on your phone, computer or tablet!) that provide readings of everything you'll be learning, all done by native speakers.
** Get $15 off your order when you use the code REF7S6MGTKANZ
** Get $15 off your order when you use the code REF7S6MGTKANZ
You'll post the challenge guide in a prominent place and then spend each day making an effort to use the phrases that are applicable to your family.
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| We decided to highlight the phrases that we use in our family -- and we even adapted one to match our snack habits! |
You don't have to be perfect to mark the challenge complete -- just after you've consistently used the phrases for whatever length of time you've chosen to work on them, even if you have to peek at the posted guides for help!
The guides are colorful and engaging and some even include pictures, which makes things a snap for even non-readers!
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| Kids can point to a photo and then you can say the phrase, then they'll start to point and say the phrase on their own! |
You also get a progress chart to hang up, which Gv loves to mark off each day after we've done our practice listening to the audio files.
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| Gv really enjoys marking off our progress each day! |
The audio speaks each word in a phrase slowly, allowing you time to repeat the word, then says the full phrase again so you can repeat it all together.
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| Gv even added a phrase she felt needed to be on this chart, all on her own! |
As I shared in my post over on Pam's site, G and I have been slowly integrating Italian into Gv's life since day one. Her motivation switch flipped on when she learned we'd be traveling to the actual country for a trip, but that desire really kicked into high gear when we started using TalkBox.Mom.
The box is a blast to work on as a family and really does a great job of engaging everyone with phrases that you'd be using anyway in your native language.
** Get $15 off your order when you use the code REF7S6MGTKANZ
Oh! And if subscription boxes just aren't your thing, you can also just grab the "Use Italian at Home" (or French, or German, or Russian, or any one of the 17 languages being offered) book for more of a do-it-yourself version.
In this handy book, you'll read several pep-talky chapters from Adelaide that will give you the confidence to get started speaking your new language, then over 1,750 A-Z phrases to get you on your way.
You'll also receive audio access to every phrase, allowing you to hear each one read properly by a native speaker.
You can easily create your own DIY version of the TalkBox.Mom subscription box with this book, writing the phrases on index cards and placing them in the appropriate spots around the house.
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| It's not quite as cute or easy as the box, but still effective if the subscription is out of your budget. (You can see Gv wants both French and Italian up here in our hallway!) |
Whether you choose the book or already-done-for-you, super-cute subscription box, TalkBox.Mom will get your family speaking a new language in no time!
Click on over here to grab your resources and get started today!
** Get $15 off your order when you use the code REF7S6MGTKANZ
** Get $15 off your order when you use the code REF7S6MGTKANZ
Have you ever wanted to learn a new language with your family? Which TalkBox.Mom option do you like best? I'd love to hear! Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
Also, if you don't want to miss a single minute of great tips like this and all the fun around here, be sure to sign up for free updates and then look forward to having each post delivered right to your inbox.
Are you still using it? How much effort did you put in and what was your results?
ReplyDeleteHello Isabela! We still include these materials in our homeschool foreign language work. Usually we rotate through our collection of materials (think block schedule, but within subjects) and so we'll spend a chunk of time (a month, several, it depends on our "groove") with that one before cycling onto something new. When we're using this, we probably spend 15 minutes on the "lesson" portions per day, but then try to reference the posted words whenever we're doing something that uses them (for example, while making dinner). The more we look for ways to use the language, the better the results! Hope that helps answer your question and have a great day!
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