Giveaway: 'Early Lingo' Language DVD

UPDATE: Congrats to Marcela, who won the "Early Lingo" DVD! Please email me at losangelesstory@gmail.com with your mailing address. Thanks to everyone who participated, and stay tuned for more giveaways!

CC loves languages. And living in Los Angeles, she gets to hear a lot of them. In fact, she has friends in her preschool class who speak Spanish, Japanese and even Greek. It's pretty amazing.

That's why I was more than eager to review a copy of the "Early Lingo" language series, which offers children's DVDs in languages including Spanish, French, Mandarin and Italian ($19.99 each).

The series, created by L.A. mom Caryn Antonini and which recently received the Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA) Winner's Seal of Approval, is a smart way to introduce kiddos as young as 6 months old to another language (or English as a second language).

The DVD I reviewed with CC, "Colors and Shapes in the Park" Part 1 (of 12) in Spanish, features two friendly, animated characters -- Jojo the monkey and Lulu the bird -- who take viewers on a vocabulary-filled journey through familiar territory -- in this case, the park.



Children are able to see and hear everyday words (colors, shapes, action verbs) and phrases spoken in another language by a cheerful native speaker.

And what's great about this roughly 25-minute DVD is that it's totally immersive. No English whatsoever. So it makes kids -- and parents -- work a little bit to put words with the images on screen. The DVD also repeats words and puts them into different contexts, such as adding color to, say, a boat or a car. It's not just "un coche" but also "un coche azul." (Translation: the blue car.)

While phrases like that were simple, figuring out that "jugar" means "to play" took a little more brain power, which is wonderful. We see children with tea sets, toys and in the sandbox, while Jojo repeats "jugar." The little monkey then asks questions, such as "What color is the car?" In Spanish, of course.

This series is a great way to enhance a child's second language skills or give her a head start on elementary school language classes.

And for kids who are immersed in a multicultural classroom -- and hometown -- it gives them one more way to connect with friends.

*** GIVEAWAY ***

I'm giving away 1 copy of an "Early Lingo" language DVD.

To enter, check out Early Lingo's website, Facebook page and/or Twitter stream, and leave a comment below saying which DVD you would like and why. (Parts 1, 2 & 3 are available in French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin and English as a Second Language.)

For more chances to win, follow me on Twitter and retweet this giveaway. I'm at @la_story. Or you can "Like" the L.A. Story Facebook page.

Just be sure to leave extra comments telling me you did so.

Good luck, and I will announce the winner (on this post, not a separate one) on Thursday, July 28!