I used your Puertas abiertas program for my daughter last year. She was in first grade. I started teaching her Spanish daily in kindergarten. One day I was talking to my husband about how the program works and told him English is never spoken. My daughter interrupted and argued that of course they spoke English because otherwise she wouldn't understand. A few weeks later she stopped in the middle of class, looked at me and said, “Mom. I think you're right. They don't speak English, I just hear it and understand.” That was proof that I had finally found what I was looking for in a Spanish program for my young kiddos. I started them young because I don't want their language courses to be a waste. I want them to actually learn and hopefully hold onto the language so it can do them some good. I wanted to take a moment to share with you how awesome your program is and how eager I am for level two!

     Sincerely,

     Amy Parsons
     _____________________________________________

We are finding PUERTAS ABIERTAS a very proficient and pleasurable way to introduce students to the Spanish language.  We feel that the immersion technique is highly effective as it clearly helps the student to associate spoken Spanish with graphics and visual performance. 

The children AND teachers are enjoying this new challenge and learning together.

     Grace Community School Kindergarten Teachers
     _____________________________________________

More than twenty years of teaching high school and college Spanish, plus a Master's degree in linguistics, left me at a loss for finding a home school Spanish curriculum I liked for my own children.  Nothing on the market taught the way I knew would be best -- the Natural Approach.  Natural Approach teaching allows the brain to acquire language in a separate language center, instead of creating a "translating dictionary" in the English language center.  On the verge of writing my own curriculum, I found Puertas abiertas.  Puertas does everything I would have done in writing a curriculum.  It follows the natural order of language acquisition -- listening, speaking, reading, writing.  It is not heavily dependent on the written word like many other programs, a real plus for getting the student's brain to avoid dependence on English and its pronunciation.  Puertas abiertas immerses students in Spanish in a way that I have not seen in any other home school program. 

I could not wait for my kit to arrive, and I look forward to every lesson, knowing that my children are getting the best methodology available on the market today.  My children love the lessons, and they are using Spanish naturally in everyday situations, making the most of what they have learned.  Even my three-year-old daughter and my mildly autistic eight-year-old son are enjoying Spanish! 

No lectures, no senseless repetitions, no translation lists, no heavy reading programs, no English-dependent programs ever met my standards.  Puertas abiertas meets them, and exceeds them!

     Patsy Arnold
     Home School Mom; Spanish lecturer, UT Arlington
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Just a note of kudos to the team for producing this program!  My kids just finished video 1 and the corresponding workbook exercises and have been thoroughly enjoying the lessons.  Puertas abiertas stimulates confidence in learning Spanish by excellent cues and reinforcement. We look forward to the remainder of level 1 and moving up to level 2 when it becomes available.

     Sincerely,

     Sharon Masayda
     _____________________________________________

The Puertas abiertas Spanish program is a wonderful language program especially designed for children. I have a four year old son and an eight year old daughter who have used it and they absolutely love it!  It is perfectly designed to captivate their attention with the animated dramatizations, beautiful art work and live photography.

Children have to have a lot of repetition and re-enforcement to learn a new language. This program includes both of these elements in such a way that the student doesn't grow tired or bored with it. The videos, cassettes and workbooks work together superbly to complement each other by presenting the material in various learning styles (visual, oral, and kinesthetic). If they don't learn by one method, they are sure to learn it by one of the others.

I was born in Costa Rica and speak Spanish fluently, but have failed to teach my children to do so. When I try to, I always end up explaining things in English to them, and it defeats the purpose. One of the reasons I like Puertas abiertas is because the videos and cassette tapes are all in Spanish. The students quickly learn to follow the simple instructions—all given in Spanish. The visuals which accompany everything the instructor says leave no room for confusion or mistakes.  My kids have learned more Spanish in the last few months from watching the videos than I have been able to teach them in their entire life.

     Gena Easterling
     _____________________________________________

I would highly recommend this Spanish program!  As a former educator/English as a Second Language teacher, I have long known the benefits of introducing a second language to children early on in their development.  As I began homeschooling my children, I very much wanted a good way to incorporate Spanish instruction into our activities.  However, nothing I tried seemed interesting or versatile enough to use with young children.  Puertas abiertas is a fun approach that is educationally sound—the children are not just translating from English; they are hearing and learning the language naturally.  My children love watching Pepe Tropical, singing the catchy tunes, and greatly enjoy the video and workbook activities.  It is adaptable enough for use with all ages, whether in small group settings or classroom situations.  It is, in my opinion, the best Spanish program available today!

     Tammy Vierkant
     B.A. Elementary Education
     M.S. Education
     _____________________________________________

Just a note to let you know how wonderful and fun your Puertas abiertas program #1 has been.  As the facilitator of the program for my daughter, I have learned a lot myself.  The program is very easy to comprehend and has been fun for the whole family.  The videos are really great.  My daughter is 13 years old and I thought she might think it was for a younger group.  She has really enjoyed it.  It’s wonderful!

     Sincerely,

     Pam
     (Mixon, TX)
     _____________________________________________

I can't tell you how much I love your program. I teach Spanish classes in my home to children in Pre K Thru 3rd grade in small groups of 6 for 1 hour a week. It is presented in a way which is easy for children of all ages to follow and is beautifully scripted and organized. I am well into the 2nd unit and the children are really picking up the language and having fun with it. Also, I have to add, Pepe is a huge hit with the kids. He is quite entertaining! I look forward to going on to teach them your level 2 program.

Thank you for your exceptional program.

Melinda Johnson
Spanish/English Bilingual Teacher
     _____________________________________________

Me complació mucho hablar con Ud. y poder compartir impresiones sobre su programa de español, Puertas abiertas.  Mis niños están muy felices con las lecciones y están aprendiendo el español de una manera muy natural.  Sus materiales audiovisuales han demostrado ser muy efectivos para enseñar español a mi hija de 9 años quien tiene autismo.  Mi hijo de 10 años se expresa muy bien y sobre todo con una gran confianza de hablar el español.  Su programa altamente visual y que usa sólo el español para enseñar la lengua, ha contribuido indudablemente al éxito de mis hijos en aprender el idioma castellano.

Muchas gracias por sus servicios e interés en que otras personas aprendan español.  La Profesora y Pepe Tropical son parte de nuestras lecciones semanales, las cuales esperamos con ansias para aprender más español.  Que Dios la siga guiando para que pueda dar el regalo de la lengua española a muchos otros niños y adultos….

Espero que muchas personas interesadas en que sus hijos aprendan español, pero especialmente los padres de niños con necesidades especiales, lean mi comentario y compren su programa.

Es sorprendente lo que mi hija ha aprendido con Puertas abiertas. Hace unos días estábamos aprendiendo el significado de la palabra "enormous". La lección fue enseñada toda en inglés. Practicamos la palabra haciendo dramatizaciones de elefantes, dando ejemplos de cosas muy grandes comparadas con cosas muy pequeñas, coloreamos animales y objetos enormes, etc., etc. Cuando llegó mi esposo del trabajo quise que él viera lo que Katrina había aprendido. Le pregunté a Katrina: "What does enormous mean?" y me contestó: "elephant". Entonces le dije: "Yes, an elephant is enormous, but what does enormous mean, what is it?" y para gran sorpresa de nosotros me dijo: "grande". Esta clase de reacción y contestación por parte de una niña con autismo es muy rara. ¡No sabe lo contentos que nos pusimos! Mi esposo me dijo todo emocionado: "No sólo te dijo lo que 'enormous' significa, sino que te lo dijo en español".

Lo sorprendente es que durante esta conversación con Katrina, nunca le hablé a ella en español. De verdad que su programa enseña al niño de una manera muy espontánea, natural y efectiva. Me encanta cómo ella disfruta los videos repitiendo todo y completa los ejercicios del libro de trabajo sin ninguna frustración. Es un programa como diseñado para ella. Ningún programa académico que he comprado para Katrina en otras áreas ha sido tan exacto y preciso como Puertas abiertas.

Que Dios le pague por los beneficios tan grandes que está brindando a mis hijos, pero especialmente a mi Katrina. ¡Mi sueño de verla un día hablar y comunicarse no sólo está sucediendo en inglés sino también en español! Gracias mil. ¡Que Dios la bendiga muchísimo a Ud. y a toda su familia!

Atentamente,

Beatrice García
Educadora