To create a true immersion experience, all staff members speak only Spanish and encourage the campers to speak only Spanish as well. “It was basically to create what I was looking for as a fi rst-time mom, wanting to raise my own kids bilingual and in a healthy way,” Standridge said.Ĭampers usually come to camp with varying levels of Spanish and Latin culture knowledge, including kids with no experience to children who have been in immersion programs since birth.Ĭasa de Corazón’s summer camp curriculum is adapted from the school’s early childhood immersion curriculum to fit elementary-aged children and combined with the AMAZE curriculum, which encourages discussion about diversity and acceptance across races, genders, sexual orientations and more.Ĭamp instructors, who are required to be fluent in Spanish, often come from existing Casa de Corazón faculty (including many from various countries in Latin America) as well as other bilingual educators from around the metro area.įor example, Amparo Sabogal, who is native to Colombia and teaches at Casa de Corazón throughout the school year, co-led a 2017 camp with Stacey Kinsella, a middle-school teacher from Robbinsdale. Natalie Standridge, a mother of two, founded Casa de Corazón in 2002 to provide Twin Cities families the opportunity for their children to learn Spanish as well as valuable lessons in cultural competency and health. This Spanish-immersion preschool offers early childhood education all year long at its locations in Minneapolis, Edina and Maple Grove, catering to infants, toddlers and preschoolers.īut it also offers summer programming - exclusively at its Maple Grove location - for about 30 school-age kids (in grades 1–6 grade), who learn about different cultures, nutrition, health and environmental stewardship, all while learning Spanish. Studies have shown that learning a second language is easier for children ages 5 and younger, and Spanish-immersion primary schools - as well as preschools - have been sprouting up all over the country, including in Minnesota.īut what about grade-school kids who want an immersion experience just for the summer? Spanish is the second-most-spoken language in the United States, and educators are taking note.
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