Oh my. There are a lot of things in my I never thought I'd be doing, which, for one reason or another, I am. I converted to the Church almost 2 Easters ago. I am homeschooling my children. I'm teaching myself to draw and knit. And now, I'm going to be teaching my littles GERMAN.
I am a Francophile, and always have been:) I took several years of French (and Latin) in high school and college. I like French food and art and wine and films. But I married a Swiss citizen with family still back in the old country, and though they all speak English and French, their heart is German. Over lunch today, I asked my husband and multi-lingual in-laws for their thoughts on what language our little guys should begin, and the hands down choice was German. Big surprise:)
Here's the catch. The family language is Swiss German, not standard German. Didn't know there was a difference? Neither did I until I met my husband 15 years ago! And Swiss German is not a written language, really. There are very few written or audio resources for teaching it. It's just a dialect you learn by hearing it used. While my husband and his parents could technically teach the kids Swiss German, they aren't with them everyday...I am! So, standard German is the best option, with the idea that somehow the two will eventually meet and our kids will be able to talk to their family in their native tongue.
I ordered a few resources today which should be coming in the mail next week. Side note: there is almost nothing out there! Spanish or French, yes, German for kids, no. Humph. I'll check back in to let you know how our first forays into German are going! Should be interesting....I don't know a word of it, and my French won't be helping me out:)
I am a Francophile, and always have been:) I took several years of French (and Latin) in high school and college. I like French food and art and wine and films. But I married a Swiss citizen with family still back in the old country, and though they all speak English and French, their heart is German. Over lunch today, I asked my husband and multi-lingual in-laws for their thoughts on what language our little guys should begin, and the hands down choice was German. Big surprise:)
Here's the catch. The family language is Swiss German, not standard German. Didn't know there was a difference? Neither did I until I met my husband 15 years ago! And Swiss German is not a written language, really. There are very few written or audio resources for teaching it. It's just a dialect you learn by hearing it used. While my husband and his parents could technically teach the kids Swiss German, they aren't with them everyday...I am! So, standard German is the best option, with the idea that somehow the two will eventually meet and our kids will be able to talk to their family in their native tongue.
I ordered a few resources today which should be coming in the mail next week. Side note: there is almost nothing out there! Spanish or French, yes, German for kids, no. Humph. I'll check back in to let you know how our first forays into German are going! Should be interesting....I don't know a word of it, and my French won't be helping me out:)
That's the problem I have encountered with Italian--so few resources for children compared to those for Spanish or French! Actually, I think both the resources we are using this year (the Judy Mahoney books and Pimsleur) are available in German too--might be worth looking into; I'm pleased with them so far. And please do share what you find!
ReplyDeleteTo Celeste - What about Tagalog?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rosettastone.com/homeschool-german
ReplyDeleteRosetta Stone - German - Designed for Homeschool
To Jeremy - Not happening. ;)
ReplyDeleteHey Lisa, Yes, I have seen the Rosetta Stone homeschool version. It seems to be for slightly older kids, so my plan is to use the Kinder level stuff until next year, and then probably try Rosetta.
ReplyDeleteNice! I would be very interested in how you like it and how the wee ones respond to it. Again, I have heard nothing but positive things about Rosetta Stone. Was wondering if you would be teaching French to the babies at a later date?
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