Why Customers Like Spanish Education Program for Kids

Teach Spanish to elementary level students.

Over the years, many individual customers and schools have purchased and used the Risas y Sonrisas Spanish education program. Below are comments from some of the Schools, Independent Instructors and Parents...

Schools

"We have been using the Risas y Sonrisas method with a group of 300 students between the ages of 3 and 12 years old. It has been such a positive experience to see children enjoying so much while learning Spanish. We highly recommend your program to schools."

Gloria Hayden
Eagle’s Nest Christian Academy
Milton, Delaware

"The Risas y Sonrisas Spanish program is wonderful. The color coded words and lively pictures and posters make learning language fun and easy to understand. The teachers’ manual is full of games and teaching techniques that create an interactive classroom. Students are encouraged to speak from the beginning. Our students love the songs and bingo games provided for each unit. Thank you for developing such a student friendly curriculum. Our students, staff, and parents are thrilled with the materials."

Kristi Papenfuss
Beacon Academy
Plymouth, Minnesota

"We have been using your Spanish language program Risas y Sonrisas for four years now at Steiner Ranch Elementary. All of our Spanish teacher volunteers are very pleased with the versatility of the materials. At our school we teach grades kindergarten through fifth grades. We are able to teach all the grade levels using the same materials. We are also able to mix and match the various subjects with each other. The teachers are also happy with the variety of subject materials provided. The elementary Spanish program has been so successful that this year Leander ISD has a total of seven elementary schools participating using the Risas y Sonrisas Spanish program. Thank you for putting together one of the best elementary Spanish language programs we have looked at so far."

Annie Barrera
Elementary Foreign Language Facilitator 1998-2005
(Leander Independent School District, Texas)

This letter was written in January of 2002. As of today, April 2006, there are 13 schools in Leander ISD, 5 schools in Lake Travis ISD, 1 school in Georgetown ISD, 1 school in Round Rock ISD and 1 school in Austin ISD using this curriculum with parent volunteers.

"I have used your program for a year now and I am planning to use it again this year. I teach Spanish in two different catholic schools in Seattle. I have found your program to be easy for the students to use, entertaining, and engaging. I have used it in classrooms from K through 8th and they all have seemed to enjoy it and most importantly, learned the material."

Thank you.

Lorena Munoz-Lipscomb
St. Anne School
Seattle, Washington

"Risas y Sonrisas was adopted by our school last year. I offer classes from pre-school to 5th grade using this program. I am a big supporter of children learning Spanish while they are young. This is the time when they effortlessly acquire pronunciation and other important language skills. My students love the songs, the games and the fact that they can read and start to communicate in Spanish. Risas y Sonrisas deserves UNA MEDALLA DE EXCELENCIA in language programs for children!"

Lupita Hannusch
Redeemer Lutheran School
Austin, Texas

"I am reading your manual and laminating cards and posters. School starts on Sept 6! I am looking forward to using your program with my students....and have a feeling they are going to LOVE it. Your hard work, intelligence and intuitive ways of knowing how to teach a language are clear in your materials. I do hope to share my successes with you.

Muchísimas gracias!"

Bendiciones desde Pasadena, CA
Tere Solis
Holy Family School

"For quite a while I've been thinking that I should tell you HOW WONDERFUL is the music CD! My students (K-8th graders) ask me for "Chiqui-Gua" all the time."

Marie Taraska
St. Mark Catholic School
East Peoria, Illinois

"Ms. Smith has developed a user friendly curriculum that reaches 40-50 students in our after school classes. She is a poised instructor who passes her joy of teaching Spanish to all of her students."

Dr. Doug Hall
Principal at Davis Elementary
Austin, Texas

Independent Instructors

"I love Risas y Sonrisas. I have been using your program for 3 years now. I teach at Capo District in California. Your program has proved to be very effective. The children retain the vocabulary in an easy way. They love to play the games suggested in the manual and they always ask to repeat them. The CD with songs to learn Spanish is wonderful! Thanks to Risas y Sonrisas I run a very successful Spanish Program in Southern California. I tried other programs before and no one worked as well as yours.

I am opening a new "Hola" Spanish in Arizona and I am going to take your program along. This time I will be teaching Spanish speaking children how to speak English."

Thank you so much,
Celeste Morais
“Hola” Spanish
Mission Viejo. California

"El programa de Risas y Sonrisas da resultados asombrosos en el aprendizaje de los estudiantes. Es un programa divertido, dinámico y muy efectivo. Uno como maestra también lo disfruta mucho, gracias al material interactivo que es tan original y creativo.

Estoy muy satisfecha con los resultados que el programa ha dejado en cada uno de mis estudiantes, así como la aceptación que tienen al respecto los padres de familia y la cantidad de referencias que he recibido, debido al éxito que han tenido mis clases de español.

Mil gracias por haberme introducido a este método y dado la oportunidad de tener la dicha de compartir mi idioma natal con los niños de una manera tan divertida y fundamental."

Elizabeth Simmons
Austin, Texas

"I have been teaching Spanish as a volunteer for seven years in public schools and one year in a school for dyslexic students using Risas y Sonrisa’. One classroom teacher took a poll of her students as to which subject was their favorite. The students ranked their Risas y Sonrisas Spanish classes, measured and graphed, as their second most favorite class, right below their number one favorite, which was PE.

I have seen Kindergartners embrace Spanish classes with open arms and sparkling eyes using the Risas y Sonrisas songs, posters, and accompanying games. I have seen First Graders giggling and dancing and learning Spanish effortlessly through Risas y Sonrisas multi sensory lesson plans and materials. The curriculum builds on itself over time, and my students, from Kindergarten to Fourth Grade have grown in mastery with it over the years. The curriculum is designed to prevent the boredom and burn-out that many other Spanish curriculums have been known to foster. Risas y Sonrisa’ leaves the students wanting to take more and more Spanish. Many of my students are taking Spanish in Middle School as an elective after having been brought up on the Risas y Sonrisas curriculum, choosing Spanish over even Choir and Band.

Currently I am using Risas y Sonrisas curriculum to teach oral Spanish to dyslexic Fourth Graders. Dyslexic children have been told they cannot learn a foreign language, which I believe is far from true. Risas y Sonrisas is a very flexible curriculum and can be modified to suit the educational needs of varying levels of student capability. Avoiding reading and writing, focusing on conversational Spanish, combining Risas y Sonrisas curriculum's posters, games, songs, and lesson plan suggestions, delivered with multi-sensory Total Physical Response techniques has led dyslexic students to overcome their 'inability' to learn a foreign language.

I have also shown some of the Risas y Sonrisas posters to adults to clarify their misunderstandings of Spanish classes they are undertaking at Jr. Colleges. They were thankful for the Risas y Sonrisas visual aids.

Risas y Sonrisas curriculum is a tried-and-true teaching tool. I am very pleased with it."

Chris Rhoads
Austin, Texas

"I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful Spanish curriculum. All of your materials are so well thought out. It is such a complete curriculum without the boring workbooks associated with learning another language. This program is so practical because it teaches what is necessary for everyday use. The integration of the songs and games into what children are learning makes this such a fun way to learn the Spanish language. I love the flexibility it gives to be spontaneous whenever the occasion arises. I am presently teaching a group of home schooled children, ages 5-10, twice a week and a small group of public school children, ages 5-12, once a week. Both groups have responded so well to the curriculum even with the age difference. The suggested games are so much fun for the children that I have no problem with participation from them. They are all anxious to be the ones to give the answer to my questions. I know the kids love to hear the songs because they are always telling me, “I listen to all of them all the time, even the ones we haven’t played in class”. The parents are happy with their children’s progress. I get comments from parents like, “They are using the words that they have learned in class”, “Now, when I speak Spanish to my mom, they can understand me”, “My son really enjoys your class”, “I am so glad that my children are finally learning Spanish”. What is very rewarding to me is to see the kids run to cheerfully meet me at my front door when they arrive for their class. This makes teaching so worthwhile. I want to thank you for being there whenever I call you to share with you my progress or for suggestions that I can use to add to my teaching style. I cannot thank you enough for all your sacrifices to make this curriculum available."

Irene Salazar
A Home Schooling Mom
Sanger, California

"Currently I am using the Risas y Sonrisas program to teach Spanish as an Enrichment Program in Day Cares. I use the CD, posters, recommended games, and the flash cards to teach my class. The children have been extremely receptive and are enjoying learning and exploring a second language. I meet with the children twice a week for thirty minutes for a total of eight classes per month. I have gone through 2 months of Spanish classes and the children have done an exceptional job retaining the information that we have covered.

I am personally pleased with the Risas y Sonrisas Program and I look forward in continuing to engage and help children learn a second language using your remarkable program."

Thanks for all your help and continued support.

Diana Villanueva
Dallas, Texas

"What you have developed for the field is something I've been seeking for the longest time, and I have the utmost admiration for not only your ability to tackle the curriculum to develop one's SLA of Spanish but also for the teaching methods you incorporate in doing so."

Felissa Taylor
Austin, Texas

"I began using your program for my after-school Spanish classes this past year. The students were very enthusiastic each and every week while using the materials contained in your program! The parents were also very impressed by the progress of the students! One mother who has one student in public school attending my after school Spanish classes and another child attending private school (which did not offer Spanish) went straight to the principal of the private school almost demanding that the private school begin offering Spanish classes using the materials her daughter was receiving at the public school.

It is amazing the small amount of "prep time" necessary when using Risas y Sonrisas. While other programs "suggest" games, activities and visuals, your program DELIVERS these items within the program. The amount of vocabulary retained by students is so much greater using your curriculum which is rich with visuals and varied activities!! Even though it may be a full week between Spanish classes, when students see the posters with the vocabulary again, all vocabulary comes back!"

Thanks for an outstanding program with a lot less "busy work" for us teachers!!

Celeste Green
Kalamazoo, Michigan

"Risas y Sonrisas is a very comprehensive and easy to use program, using so many appealing and catchy songs and bright and comical images. It really has been a pleasure to use. I searched extensively for a complete program for a long while and this has fulfilled my needs wonderfully. Leticia is so helpful and has been more than happy to provide advice with this venture. The schools in which I am teaching Spanish are thrilled with the program and our numbers continue to increase. I firmly believe that the teaching of foreign languages at Elementary level is the way forward to engaging students and embedding learning early."

Sarah Voss
Des Moines, Iowa

"I have been using your program for 3 years. I was checking your website and I am very impressed with your new posters and materials. I still have the old one that I had to color and laminate. Your CD is used constantly in my class. The children have learned the songs even though they are only 3-4 years old. I am looking forward to buying your new program in the future."

Astrid Montes
Norristown, Pennsylvania

"Risas y Sonrisas has a very good curriculum and teaching aids. It has made my Spanish classes more fun and educational for the kids. I recommend it 100%!"

Mónica Moreno
Young People’s Workshops
Austin, Texas

"I started teaching Spanish as a volunteer in the Leander School District using Risas y Sonrisas. I learned to speak Spanish from my parents. I never thought that I could have my own business teaching Spanish without formally studying the language. What I like the most about this program is that it is easy to use, children have fun learning, and I don’t have to prepare the materials for my classes. Almost everything I need is in the classroom program...music, games, posters, cards and wonderful ideas. It is very rewarding to see my own daughter and other kids enjoy learning Spanish from me.

Thanks for all your support"

Virginia Arredondo
Austin, Texas

"Spanish is still going awesome! I love your curriculum and just want to tell you thank you for all the neat things in it. I had a chance to speak at a local Middle School for an event called Great American Teach-In. Professionals come in and speak to classes about what they do. I shared your curriculum with a group of ESOL kids, they loved it! The teacher's aide in the class asked about a curriculum like yours for learning English. Have you ever worked with ESOL kids using your curriculum?

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. I enjoyed it!"

Cristina Foster
Dade City, Florida

"I am using Risas y Sonrisas with a group of homeschoolers ranging in ages 9 to 16 and a group of adults consisting of retirees as well as professionals. It is a curriculum that is easily adapted to any age group and proves to be a painless, quick and fun-filled method for teaching and learning the Spanish language. Just to prove this, one of my adult students said that he had learned more from this curriculum in three class sessions than he had in his two years of Spanish in college! Now that is an endorsement if I ever heard one.

Aquí me estoy reportando con la buena noticia de que la clase de español que comenzó a principios de mes me va de lo mejor, gracias a ti. Tengo 9 alumnos entre las edades 8-16 años; todos en la misma clase. Están aprendiendo con facilidad y con buena pronunciación. Una madre halagó tu cartelón de Cognados. La verdad es que es un sistema tan eficiente y divertido para enseñarles como formar frases de una manera rápida e inteligible. Es lo que todo alumno que está aprendiendo un idioma nuevo anhela poder hacer."

Judy Cárdenas
San Marcos, Texas

"Just to let you know how things are going for me here in Minot, we have a class of 9 students right now. I am meeting with a principal to see if we can start something at one of the schools in town. I am very excited. If you have any advice please send it my way. I really love all of the materials in the Risas y Sonrisas program. I am looking forward to next week and our first class!

Once again, Thanks."

Adele Reimann-Grosz
Minot, North Dakota

"Fuí maestra de Nivel primario, Vice-directora y renuncié al cargo de dirección por haber venido a Estados Unidos en el año 1999. Después de 5 años viviendo en Rochester Hills, Michigan con mi esposo, comencé a enseñar Español a niños Americanos Nativos en la Escuela Privada "Trinity Christian Academy". Quisiera contarle una historia muy bonita: Cuando comencé a trabajar en la escuela, había muy poco material sobre Español, pero encontré un CD que decia : "Risas y Sonrisas Songs to learn Spanish by Leticia Smith", lo llevé a casa lo escuché, canté todas las canciones, y fué tanta la alegría que sentí, que empecé a planificar mis clases en base al famoso CD. Mis estudiantes son de Pre-K hasta 3er grado. El 1er día de clases les presenté las canciones del CD "Risas y Sonrisas" Songs to learn Spanish. Todo el mundo quedo enloquecido de escuchar y aprender canciones en Español. Y cada vez que terminaba una canción terminábamos con un proyecto. Por ejemplo, hicimos El Alfabeto y Vocales (de 1er grado a 3er grado), Las Vocales en Kindergarten, Los Colores PreK 3 y PreK 4. Desde Agosto del año pasado hasta el día de hoy les encanta escuchar la canción que hicieron a los niños. Un día la Directora Mrs. Tindal decidió hacer un open-house. Todos los padres que llegaron al salón de Español, quedaron sorprendidos de los trabajos que hicieron sus hijos con las canciones aprendidas.

Algunos de los comentarios de los padres ese día fueron: “Mi hijo se la pasa cantando todo el día y no se lo que dice!”. Con las canciones del Cuerpo I y II hicimos un proyecto en el que tracé la figura del cuerpo sobre papel y ellos escribieron en él las partes del cuerpo. El Proyecto “Mi Cuerpo” estuvo en el corredor de la escuela; fué uno de los proyectos más grandes.

Gracias Sra. Leticia Smith por hacernos tan felices a todos con sus canciones. God bless you! Por tener una persona como usted que trabaja para gente como yo que quiere enseñar nuestro idioma a niños como los de “Trinity Christian Academy” de Pontiac Michigan que quieren aprender el español usando música.

La alegría que sienten mis alumnos y yo es tan especial que las maestras de otros grados, la directora y la secretaria también han aprendido las canciones de su CD. Cada vez que nos encontramos en el pasillo siempre aparece una canción.

Gracias y mil veces gracias."

Claudia Civeriatti
Rochester Hills, Michigan

Parents

"We homeschool our 4 children in Canada and we have spent several months searching for the best and most economical Spanish program. Thankfully, we found “Risas y Sonrisas” Spanish Program for Kids!! The drawings, colors, and color coding are engaging. The explanations are clear and easy for children to understand and instructors to explain. Our 6 & 8 year old children absolutely love the program and think “it’s fun”. They already know most of the verbs and vocabulary by heart. They are beginning to put sentences together and they especially like to make up their own sentences using the Spanish words they have learned. They practice conversations using the patterns in the book. They are already beginning to ask about conjugating verbs into different tenses and they frequently ask “How do you say ____ in Spanish Mommy?” They have learned all the songs, including our 5 and 2 year old. Our satisfaction level with this program cannot be overstated. We highly recommend this program. We love it and even mom and dad are learning too. As you can tell there is a lot I could say about this program but for the sake of space I will stop here."

Lavern McGhie
Canada

"Thank you so much for creating this program. You have condensed a wealth of information into one book and CD. The material is well organized and very parent-children friendly. The illustrations are clear as well as very entertaining. The songs are fun and set to tunes with which most American children are familiar. You have also done an incredible job of rhyming between English and Spanish at the same time as you are organizing each lesson into easy to remember categories and relationships. My kids (4 and 6 years old) beg me to let them listen to the Spanish songs! I am delighted to hear them singing the songs to themselves while they are playing."

Charlene Anderson - parent
Cedar Park, Texas

"Thank you so much for your generous gift of the Spanish Program for Kids. I did not want to write until we had studied it together. Well, on our trip to Colorado to a medical meeting, we took it along and were delighted and blessed at how practical and straightforward your program was. My children are singing the songs and ask me to play the CD. Your talent in this area is excellent. Congratulations for taking the trouble to compile the program."

Tom, Nancy, Matthew and Amy Westwick
Temple, Texas

"My daughter attended four semesters of Risas y Sonrisas Spanish program for kids from the time she was 5 years old with Leticia Smith. She learned an exceptional Spanish vocabulary with perfect pronunciation. She is at the point that she can understand Spanish conversations and she can read Spanish books. Most importantly Risas y Sonrisas is not only academically strong but also child-friendly and an attractive learning program. My daughter always liked to attend Leticia's classes. I would strongly recommend every child to join the Risas y Sonrisas Spanish program!"

Radmila Hrdlickova - parent
Austin, Texas

"Risas y Sonrisas is an extraordinary language program - creatively designed to be entertaining and rich in content. Kids are quickly immersed in Spanish and having a ball. Short of a trip abroad I can't imagine a better learning experience."

Pam Parker – parent
Austin, Texas