Speak! Kids: Language and Culture Programs for KIDS!
Fall 2010 Language+Culture Classes for Kids!
Global Explorations Series
with Speak! and Explorations Play Studio
classes held at Explorations Play Studio
Mondays, 4-5:15pm (Sept 20-Oct 18)
Ages 3-8
Tuition: $75 per child, entire 5 class series
Explore five of the world’s languages and cultures with Explorations and Speak! Each session includes a dynamic 30 minute language lesson and 45 minutes of free play, during which the target language will be spoken (by the instructor!) to the children. A playful way to introduce your children to a new language and culture – Monday afternoons have never been so exciting. Parental participation welcome, but drop-offs are okay, too.
Sept 20: Italian; Sept 27: Spanish; Oct 4: French; Oct 11: Chinese; Oct 18 : Japanese
See Speak! and EPS in action in this video of our Italian Art Camp
Mandarin Made Easy!
4-7 year-olds
Tuesdays, 3:45-4:45pm
Sept 7 – Nov 9
Tuition: $175 (2 or more siblings, $150 each)
8-11 year-olds
Thursdays, 4-5pm
Sept 9 – Nov 11
Tuition: $175 (2 or more siblings, $150 each)
11-14 year-olds
Saturdays, 2-4pm
Sept 11- Oct 9
Tuition: $175 (2 or more siblings, $150 each)
Sensational Spanish!
Children will learn to speak Spanish in these dynamic ten week sessions involving lots of different games, stories and age-appropriate exercises. Ideal for home-schoolers and as an after-school enrichment.
Tuition for all ten week sessions: $175 (2 or more siblings, $150 each)
4-8 year-olds (2 sessions):
Tuesdays, 2:30-3:30pm
Sept 7 – Nov 9
-4 spots left!_
or
Wednesdays, 4-5pm
Sept 8 – Nov 10
4 spots left!
European Vacation at The Virginia Discovery Museum
5-10 year-olds
Wednesdays, 3:30-4:45pm
September 22 – November 17
Tuition: $150 members/$180 nonmembers
Grab your passports, pack your imagination and get ready to explore three of the world’s languages and cultures. Each session includes an interactive language lesson (songs, stories and games) and an introduction to each country. Dance the Flamenco in Spain; discover the artistic wonders of the Louvre (and French bread!) in Paris; learn to pronounce (and order!) a rainbow of gelato flavors in Italy; and find our what games children play in all of these countries. A delicious, authentic snack is included in the tuition.
Register through the VDM
Incredibile Italiano!
4-7 year-olds
TBA this month!
Speak! at School
Interested in having Speak! teach at your child’s school? Our Speak! at School program consists of customized after-school language and culture programs for kids of all ages. Dowload our Speak! at School flyer for more info
Speak! at School is currently available at:
- *Murray Elementary
- *Venable Elementary
- *Charlottesville Day School
(add your child’s school here!)
Individual Instruction
Speak! also offers individual instruction in Italian, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Japanese and Russian for children and adolescents. We work closely with area middle and high-schools to create demanding, effective one-on-one language courses when similar programs are not available at their school. Just contact us for more info.
Summer and Spring Break 2011 Language+Culture Mini Camps
At our Downtown Charlottesville Location
Our 1-2 week (10-30hr) language camps are an ideal way to introduce children and “tweens”/teens to a new language/culture – or to expand on what they already know. The daily practice is both effective and fun, as it allows incorporation of more stories, songs, films, games, crafts and, most importantly – speaking!
TANGO TOUR: Adventures in the SPANISH Speaking World
Did you know that Spanish ranks as the world’s no. 2 language (after Chinese) with 329 million native speakers? Spanish also happens to be the 2nd language in our own country – more than 34 million people speak Spanish as their primary language! Tango Tour is a Spanish language and culture camp that will introduce children to the traditions of several Spanish speaking countries: Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Peru – while teaching them to speak Spanish through a variety of age-appropriate activities and materials. We generally speak 99% Spanish – it’s amazing how quickly kids learn this way!
- Aug 16-20, 3-5pm (5-10 years) Tuition $125
- Aug 16-20, 3-5pm (11-15 years) Tuition $125
Register On-Line by clicking here
Teens 15 and older are eligible for our Plunge! Immersion Spanish courses:
- Aug 16-27, 9am-1pm
BON VOYAGE: Exploring FRENCH Language and Culture
Returning next summer and as an after-school program!
Get ready to speak lots of French and learn more about French culture (art, history, food, films, music) with Speak!‘s entertaining and experienced instructors. Younger children will follow the adventures of Tatou through stories, songs, games and loads of conversational activities. Older kids will improve speaking, reading and writing skills with engaging age-appropriate materials – songs, film clips and other dynamic language learning materials. Even those who’ve been previously exposed to French through school or travel will certainly benefit from this daily practice and the cultural-conversational environment and method created by Speak! Kids will be grouped with their age-group during the camp, which will take up the entire Speak! space (2 classrooms) – France on Garrett Street!JOURNEY TO JAPAN: Japanese Language and Culture Camp
Is your child fascinated by all things Japanese? Encourage their curiosity by sending them on Speak!‘s Journey to Japan, a fun and fascinating exploration of the Japanese language complete with age-appropriate investigations of Japanese food (learn to roll sushi!), crafts (origami), traditions, festivals and – of course – lots of anime/manga! Taught by an experienced teacher and a native of Tokyo.
MAGICAL TOUR OF CHINA: Mandarin Made Easy!
Join our wonderful instructors (all native speakers!) for this enchanting exploration of Chinese culture and an introduction to the Mandarin dialect. Younger children will learn the pin-yin sound system and learn to understand and speak through stories and songs. A few characters will be taught as well. Older children will also learn through stories and songs, but a bit more vocabulary and writing will be involved. Many cultural topics will be presented throughout the course, such as: festivals, traditional games, cuisine, history and fables. Introduce your child to the most widely spoken – and increasingly important – language in the world!At Explorations Play Studio:
Tutti in Piazza: Italian Language and Art Camp
at Explorations Play Studio in Charlottesville
August 2-6, 9am-Noon (FULL)
Tuition: $150
Register on the EPS site
Join Christina (owner/director of Speak!) and Nicole (owner/facilitator of EPS) for this delightful exploration of Italian language and art. Through a combination of language play (songs, games, conversation) and artistic creation, children will have the chance to both learn a bit of Italian and discover some of the artistic wonders of Italy. Mini Michelangelos will create masterpieces of their own inspired by those of the Italian masters. No previous experience is required – children should just bring their imagination, get ready to open their mouths (and ears, eyes!!) wide,and join us in the playful piazza of Italy in Charlottesville!
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