Materials for learning Russian

[SSSandy]

Can anyone recommend CDs/tapes/DVDs that they found helpful when their kids were acquiring Russian? My dd is 5.5 so I am not looking for really babyish stuff, like the equivalent of say Teletubbies. We have Nu Pagodi which she likes but there isn't much actual language used in it.

I'd really like to get nice CDs or tapes with Russian children's songs but haven't a clue how to find out about them.

Don't feel up to reading books in Russian but DVDs, maybe of children's TV series, would be good.

All tips really welcome!

There are gorgeous Russian kids' cartoons, etc.

The easiest way is to get them in Russia, do you have any contacts there? Any big bookshop has loads of stuff.

I found this site in the US where you can order the sort of thing you want; they do books, CDs and materials to make adopted Russian children feel at home, so all the classic stuff:

www.adoptedfromrussia.com/russianlullabies.html

best of luck!

Just out of interest is Pingu, as in the tv penguin, Russian?

Have never taken much notice of sound track but spotted Perestroika and Glasnost written, in cyrillic, on a signpost in an episode.

Do yuo live in Russia SSS?

Thanks Gemitygem, I'll check that out. Great tip.

Moondog, I live in Berlin, my dd's father lives in Moscow. We're not on great terms so I haven't asked him to send us any material. In any case, I've found a school near Moscow which she can attend in the summer holidays from the age of 6, so I was planning to try it out next year. Seems very affordable. www.dubravushka.ru/detaileng.htm

Oh ,just interested in the reasons why.
Is he Russian?
I used to live in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.

DA! Funnily enough he studied in NN and lives in Moscow :)

sssandy, if you're in Berlin, should be much easier. I used to live there and was struck by how many Russians are there (40,000). I remember seeing a Russian bookshop, somewhere in the East (not very exact I know. it could have been Friedrichshain), and I wouldn't be surprised if there were Russian speaking playgroups or after school groups etc.

You could also maybe consider getting a nice Russian teacher for your daughter, who would play games etc. They are very good with kids and really get them learning. you could probably get a nice energetic ex-teacher granny or something..

otherwise summer school or a holiday with relatives there sounds good. Anyway, best of luck!

Privet I have some really nice little Russian songs that I found on Amazon. Have you tried a search on there - also go for Karaoke dvds and cartoons. I teach Russian in UK and my dd 4 is picking up quite a bit this way. Do you speak Russian yourself? just pointing out household objects is also really good. Good luck Ishall post the name tomorrow as itis in school at the moment the book that is - sorry late!

Thanks Sarotchka,

Could you let me know which Russian CDs or tapes you found with good songs on them? It's so hard for me to judge from looking at a cover what they will be like.

I did make some progress learning Russian but I'm not fluent - the birth and the baby and then everything else got in the way of mastering the language.... usual excuses. I don't feel secure enough in the language to teach her myself, unfortunately.