Halo, apa kabar kamu?
It never ceases to amaze me of all the resources that are available for homeschoolers. My daughter has a great interest in learning languages. A few years ago she had a friend who gave her some beginner Japanese lessons and last year another friend was teaching her Indonesian. So, when the opportunity to review Mango Languages came up, I was excited, and so was she!
We reviewed the Mango Homeschool Edition, and honestly from the start we have loved it. It is an affordable online course with over 60 foreign and English language courses to learn. After looking through the different languages, Autumn chose Indonesian. We live in the top end of Australia, Indonesia is very close, and many Indonesians live here (Americans, this would be similar to you learning Spanish). We also have very dear friends who are missionaries in Indonesia, so that's a bonus!
(stock photo)
Mango Languages is recommended for ages 7 and up. Autumn is 11 and it was really perfect for her. Although I often sat with her when she did the lessons, Mango Languages is great because it's independent work and she could often do it on her own.
Cody (6 years old) also had an account set up, and he learned a bit of Pirate (although I really didn't like all the slang words), and he also has done a few Spanish lessons.
The Indonesian Course has 2 units (people and travel), each unit had 5 chapters. The chapters are broken down into lessons, the number of lessons for each chapter vary, but for the Indonesian Course, there are 55 lessons total. I'm sure this also varies by languages, but since we only reviewed Indonesian, this is what I'm sharing with you.
Halo, apa kabar kamu?
Hello, how are you?
Kabar say baik.
I am fine
Bagaimana dengat kamu?
How about you?
Saya baik.
I am good.
She had a notebook and wrote down every new word or phase that was taught in both Indonesian and English. She often refers to it, and has quickly memorized most of it.
One of the fun things about Mango Languages is that you hear the language being spoken by someone with the accent. They teach you a new word or phase (it's audio clips, no videos), then you can record your voice and play it with theirs. This helps you to see if you are getting the accent correct. It's also easy to go back and do reviews. The lessons are marked so you know where you stopped last, even if you stop in the middle of a lesson.
Mango Languages do have apps, but we only used my laptop for the class. The app is not available in the homeschool addition yet, but when it is I am planning to download the app. Apps are cool to kids right now, and it will increase the learning!
Although we didn't need any help or tech support from Mango Languages, I hear they are easy to get ahold of and return emails quickly.
One of the things I wish they had was quizzes or tests so I could see how well Autumn was doing. Although this is also not available now, I hear it's in the works.
The website is easy to manage, and it didn't take long for Autumn to be able to sign on and do it on her own.
The website is easy to manage, and it didn't take long for Autumn to be able to sign on and do it on her own.
Autumn's opinion of Mango Languages: "It's awesome!" (She is rarely a girl of few words, but she summed it up well.)
They are continuing to make Mango Languages even better, and I want to share with you what is available right now, and what will soon be available.
What is currently available on the site:
- Over 60 different languages
- Progress Assessments
- Built-in journals, discussions and wikis
- Collaborative learning spaces
- eNote messaging /chat rooms
- Access to embedded/downloadable content
- Support from other community members
- Calendars to schedule meetings or study groups
Over the next several months, they will be introducing other exciting features like:
- Enhanced Tracking and Progress Monitoring - including seat time (for students and parents)
- Goals and Personal Lesson Plans (both stand-alone and tied into Mango courses)
- Resume and Portfolio Builder
So how much does it cost?
1 subscription is $18/month or $125/year total
2 subscriptions is $28/month or $175 /year total
3 subscriptions is $38/month or $225/year total
4 subscriptions is $48/month or $275/year total
5 subscriptions is $58/month or $325/year total
I've never paid for language lessons, but I think this is a great price. (The number of subscriptions are the number of children using the program, and each person can learn as many languages as they want.) I love to try things before I buy them, and I suppose you're the same so if you're interested in trying it for free - click here!
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1 comment:
My son uses a notebook with his Mango (Spanish) lessons, too. I appreciate your comment about Pirate. I considered suggesting it to them for fun but we haven't made time for it yet.
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