Quoted Text

Recommended Website:  BookBox

http://www.bookbox.com/free_stuff.php?cat=mp3

Age Range: 3-10 (approximately)

This website offers a selection of culturally diverse children's fairy tales and stories that you can download and listen to for FREE in a variety of languages! In addition, you can download and print the text of the stories, coloring pages themed around the stories, and play interactive puzzles and games based on the stories.

The free audio stories in MP3 format are an adjunct (and a teaser) to the commercial sale of digital books at the site.

The "for purchase" digital books synchronize text, audio, and visual media to create an educational and entertaining reading experience for children. The digital books are based on proven methods of Same Language Subtitling (SLS) that not only enhance children's basic literacy, but also facilitate their proficiency in foreign  anguages. You can preview one digital book, "Symbiosis," by clicking on "Home" on the menu bar.

Again, the MP3 and PDF files, along with the interactive games are FREE.

When you get to the site you'll see a menu of 13 stories. Select a story and choose the language you prefer (some stories come in more languages than others). Wait for the story to download and then listen to it online. If you want, you can download the free PDF so that you can read along. Then, once you've listened to the story, you can do the free activities that are themed around it. (Note: Not all of the stories have accompanying activities.)

This is a terrific resource for encouraging the development of language arts and foreign language skills that will engage the young and young at heart.