Rosetta Stone-any experiences? Worth the money?

[fillyjonk]

I want something I can use to learn another language, but also something accessible to the dc.

I will be supplementing this with lots of foreign language films (oh the hardship , kids dvds, books and radio stuff. )

In the fullness of time I will also sort classes etc but I can't afford 1-1 atm and there are NO local clubs for the kids.

Rosetta Stone thus far front runner. Anyone with any experience?

ps I have not decided on a language yet! Sorry that thats vague. We are home educating and I want to introduce a foreign language but we are not sure which (if it was up to me I'd choose swedish but I accept that this is perhaps not so practical unless you are a moominfan)

I would chose spanish. Most of South America, Spain of course, it's very widely spoken

Sorry don't know Rosetta Stone

hmm have done a bit of spanish. didn't massively get on with it but not sure why... not french?

Aren't you in Wales?
Why not Welsh?

it is tricky to get hold of swedish lang materials in the UK

i AM moony I am

I have no justification for not learning welsh with the kids really

I feel like it is the virtuous choice but I am also tempted by other things

swedish I am not doing but could use rosetta stone for it

( shhh.... you can prob try to download it for 'free' although this may not be strictly legal! but i have 'heard rumours' that if you download a programme called 'azureus' and then search for the torrent on bit torrent.. you may be able to acquire it...

also try looking for Muzzy, the bbc dvds...

All hear'say i tell ya...

lol can't, married to intellectual property mandarin so much restricted re illegal downloads!

muzzy is CRAP, btw

The bbc do basic tuts on their website for free, I think. Mainly so you can get by on hols, I think but you could start off with that if you're a complete beginner.

Filly,your choice of course but them not learning Welsh shuts the door to a lot of exciting career opportunities in Wales,it really does.

Not having a go at all,just something to consider.I could never have been a salt if my father hadn't made the effort to speak Welsh to us (his mother tongue admittedly but not fashionable thing to maintain in 60s and 70s )when we were home schooled on a tiny tropical island in the middle of the Pacific.

Without it,my life would have taken a very differeent course.

oh welsh i have an on off relationship with

every few years i gear myself up to do the intensive cwrs wlpan. I actually did the gcse last time.

They WILL do welsh, I think thats pretty much a given.

There are also other problems. I can't find any welsh conversation groups for kids, for example, it seems to be assumed that you either go to a welsh school or don't really learn at all.

I know i should. I am just uninspired atm.

Gcse? Good for you!

it's a shame re Welsh thing as you say but a language only realy of use when it's used,which goes for any language obviously.

I would be very surprised if yuo get anywhere with any language at all unless you have a real reason to use it.Films thing not good enough frankly. (Speak as a linguist,salt and member of multi-lingual extended family.)

I think its better to have SOME aquaintance and appreciation of other languages than NONE, even if fluency is not going to happen. Something is usually better than nothing IMO.

Whats the alternative for those of us with no language ties? To do nothing and raise another generation of monolingual kids with no knowlege or appreciation of other languages? I am very aware that kids need to be exposed daily to a language to become fluent. I am not planning to teach them to become fluent, I can't. I am planning to open a door for them and they can see where it takes them. Thats more than I had.

Fair enough

am sorry

am feeling very despondant about the kids learning welsh, if i am honest

i can't seem to find any resources at the right level for them. bear in mind they hear virtually no welsh in the home.

i have made numerous efforts to get child friendly groups together for welsh learners but no sucess.

I am feeling a bit unmotivated

I am getting to a stage where I think the best thing to do is to wait til they are old enough to do the wlpan course for themselves-and I am not talking 18, i reckon they could do the intensive 6 week courses at much younger.

I have been thinking a lot aobut this (we discussed it briefly some time ago)
The Welsh issue highlights to me one of the big problems with HE. Whatever you think of organised schooling,surely on some level HE means that the children will miss out on a lot of what goes on around them?

Something you may be fine with of course.

But y'see no point in having extra curricular Welsh conversation classes when it is happening naturally everyday in school.Can you see that?

oh agree really. if you he in a family speaking non-fluent welsh, your kids won't be fluent.

For me, on balance, the postives of HE for my kids outweigh this.

I know plenty of adults who have learnt welsh (and other languages) as adults who are in jobs requiring fluency. It just takes some determination.

I think the wlpan/pellach etc are ideal, its just a shame there is nothing for kids outside the school system.

and re the extra curricular stuff

agree, theres the problem

as far as i can see, welsh teaching in english medium schools is not great

but there is a multitude of practical reasons why some people don't choose welsh medium. so i am suprised there is nothing in between

nost recruiting kids to welsh stuff is aimed at families with at least 1 welsh speaker ime. yet there are a LOT of families who are just as welsh but with no welsh speakers, eg most of the valleys. And they are being utterly missed.

Filly,I am in the North so different but friends in the South say that Welsh medium school are over subsribed by people who often have no Welsh language skills at all.

I think that's great.

It's tremendous to see a little English/Turkish/Indian kid speaking fluent Welsh.

Re rosetta stone
I had a demo cd (www.rosettastone.com/personal/form/demo-request) sent to me. might be an idea before spending hundreds of £££.
I don't think it is really suitable for young children though - at least I would wait a bit before introducing it to my 5 month' old DD

Also investigate Michel Thomas - I got a free demo 1hr CD in Spanish and it's really good - like sitting in on a small language class hearing other students participate too. Feels a very natural way of learning. Think it's cheaper than Rosetta Stone as well.

I have been doing rosetta stone with my 3 year old for a few weeks, she really likes it and sees it as a game. we do the same bit a few times though. Think they need to be about 3 though before they understand the listen repeat point to the appropriate picture thing but she does remember it.

Oops, sorry ... Michel Thomas' UK site...

@RubberDuck
Thanks, I ordered a free trial CD as well. Having said that my past experience with audio CDs is not very good. Last time I ended up with the instructor's American English rather than the French promissed on the box

Have a look at wwww.lajolieronde.co.uk they specialise in teaching children at a young age, theyve also got an online shop...french and spanish I think..maybe worth a look

Fillyjonk - I have no idea whether Rosetta stone is any good, all I know is that it has got something to do with Dr Suess!!!