Can anyone compare "The Learnables" with "Écoutez, Parlez!"

[Julie Smith]

I'm thinking of getting one of these to learn French with - but can't decide which one.

Écoutez, Parlez!
http://kaleeka.com/id1.html

or

The Learnables
http://www.learnables.com/index.html

I would love to have both in my hands to look at, but that isn't going to happen.

Thank you. :)

[Joyce in ON]

My daughter is using Ecoutex Parlez, and at one point in time we tried Learnables.

She hated learnables, loves EP. Though I don't love it, I much prefer EP over Learnables, too. (We use other programs, too, for French.)

Learnables is black and white line drawings. EP is full colour pictures.
Learnables moves into phrases faster than EP.
Learnables was harder to follow along (due to the boredom factor noted below).
EP is much more gradual in it's progression.
Both dd and I found Learnables boring... even I had trouble focusing to complete the lesson. (I really struggled not to let my mind wander.) I didn't have that problem with EP, neither has dd. She really enjoys doing the lessons.
Repeating the lessons 9 days in a row actually helps her remember the vocabulary/sentence structure.
Learnables goes to a higher level, if you can stick to it.
There isn't any English translation in Learnables (or french text, either), so sometimes it was hard to know what the audio was refering to, unless you already knew some french vocab - elle mange le biftek - with a drawing of a woman eating something that looks like meat on a plate, with a chunk on her fork - does it mean eating a pork chop? Eating with a fork? Sitting at a meal? -- I'm sure I mangled the french sentence, but it's my dd learning, not me :o) It was frustrating for her not to know what the clip was referring to.

I'm sure it all depends on the learner and their preferences... some will prefer black and white to colour, or the faster progression.

I hope someone else chimes in with a response so you have a more balanced perspective.

[Shannon]

No advice, just an add-on question. :o
What ages would you use these with?

Joyce in ON, what other programs do you use for French?

Thanks.
Shannon

[Julie Smith]

My son is 4. Right now he goes to French preschool 2 mornings a week. After lunch we sit down and do something French. Listen to audio tapes, play a computer game, ... for as long as he is interested. Depending on what we are using this is usually 10 to 15 minutes.

The problem is I'm running out of things to use from the library.

Here are the things I got from the library so far.

When he was much younger I got:
Brainy Baby French (movie)
Bilingual Baby French (movie)
Lyric language French (movie)

In the past year we have tired:
Bonjour Les Amis Volume 1 (movie)
I also got volumes 2 and 3. But he did not like them.

Hear and Say French (tape-book)
I have had this out from the library twice. We have listened to it many times.

Drive in the car French for kids (tape)
We have listened to this many times in the car. I really like it. I am just very tired of it!

Professor Toto (movie)
I thought I would really like this, and actually bought it. The only problem I have with it is it makes a really loud DING! after a new word is introduced. By the time my ears have recovered from th ding the new word had already been introduced and the DING! happens again. The kids don't mind. But it drives me CRAZY, which isn't a good thing since we usually watch all movies while on car trips.

Apprenez le Francais - Euro Talk Vocabulary builder (computer game)
I really like this computer software.

Children's living French lessons (tape)
I have this reserved at the library and should be getting it soon.

It's fun to speak French with Zozo (tape-book)
The audio tape for this doesn't match the book. And the audio story is so wordy in English .... "It's ZoZo, and it was for there in the sky floating in a large brown wicker basket which hung from a big red hot air ballon was ZoZo. He was wearing dungarees, a stripy shirt and a big smile. He had carroty colored hair that hung over his...." that we couldn't get through it. This story lasts 30 minutes.

KidSpeak Spanish French … (computer game)
I don't like the graphics on this one. The graphics are very pixely, and all the animals look like they have been flatten by a steam roller.

Let’s sing and learn in French – Matt (tape)
French songs. The book has the music notes so you could play along on piano.

Teach me More French (tape)
We liked this one okay.

Teach your baby French (tape)
The library just got this. I'm on the waiting list.

Learn French in the kitchen (tape-book)
Learn French together for the car (tape-book)
I got this out a year ago. At the time they were way to advanced for my son. I will try them out again soon.

I just want something we can use while snuggling on the couch. I have a CD/tape player beside the couch. Our library has a poor selection of French audio books. I have looked at a few things. But I don't want to have to buy LOTS of books. At the time I priced out buying these 5 books. Which tax and shipping from the USA to Canada it would come to almost 100 dollars.

Learn French through fairy tales.
http://www.slangman.com/store_one/index.php?cPath=21

Easy French Storybook: Little Red Riding Hood
Easy French Storybook: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
http://www.amazon.com/Easy-French-Storybook-Little-McGraw-Hills/dp/0071461671/ref=pd_sim_b_img_4

[Shannon]

Have you used "I Can Read and Speak in French"? It uses symbols to represent words so it would work for a pre-reader.
I've been using it for a week or so with my son and he really enjoys it!
Shannon

[Joyce in ON]

Shannon,

In addition to Ecoutez! Parlez! we also use:
French in 10 Minutes a Day
The Easy French (francais facile)
Rosetta Stone French
Usbourne Easy French
Instructional Fair French Elementary

We use Ecoutez! Parlez! everyday, because dd likes it, and it really helps to not skip days.

We do The Easy French MWF, and Rosetta StoneTue and Thurs.

French in 10 Minutes a Day we started because dd requested it. She is really interested in languages, and it's a simple book she can use on her own (she's 11). Much of it is review and reinforcement, so if she wants to do extra, or substitute it occassionally for one of the others, I'm ok with that. There isn't any audio component to this program, so I don't think it'd be a great choice as a stand-alone. That, and it's definately geared to a traveller.

The instructional fair book is more for days when dd is feeling bored or moody (lovely life of a pre-teen), or the Usbourne book when I'm feeling lazy or stressed. Neither of them would be my first pick, though there isn't anything inherently wrong with either of them.

The Easy French is written by a native French speaker, and I like how it weaves increasingly larger amounts of french into the english dialogues (so right from the start, students are hearing the new french vocab in the context of speech), and dd likes that she can do an activity if she wants.

Rosetta Stone we both like. Dd because it seems more like a game than schoolwork (not a terribly fun game, but she likes getting the sound bites when she gets a correct answer - and likes changing the sound from clapping, to dings and all the other options). I'm sure it's been discussed on the board the negatives of this program (not as comprehensive as they claim it to be), but I find it works really well for us. I read all the manuals that it came with, and the authors of the manuals say it's only part of a french program, to enhance regular classroom instruction. We use it that way, and I see definate benefits.

That's a bit more than you asked for :o)