If you can’t show your children the world over the summer, why not bring the world to them by enrolling them in a camp where they will be immersed in another language and culture?
As Jackie Friedman Mighdoll, founder of Sponge School, notes, “We’re raising global citizens, and it starts when they’re young.”
And as research has shown, learning another language has serious brainpower benefits for kids. At Seattle-area language and culture camps, kids can have fun and learn French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, Chinese or other languages. Most camps try to cater to the students’ level. If a camper is already proficient in Spanish, they’ll be spoken to in Spanish. If they are new to the language, the camp will adjust.
How to find the right language camp for your child? First, visit with camp staff. Ask them about their curriculum and what aspects of the languages’ culture they’ll explore. If you’re fluent in a language yourself, speak to the staff in that language to see if they’re up to snuff.
French is well-represented in the Seattle area with multiple language immersion camps. Sponge School offers week-long day camps at several locations. Sponge also has camps in Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin. “Early exposure,” Sponge’s founder states, “helps [kids] open their minds and embrace the world.” The school itself embraces most all facets of French culture including foods, crafts, science experiments, games and enrichment, all done in the French language.
Alliance Française de Seattle, based at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford, is Seattle’s leading French cultural and learning center. With classes all year long for kids and adults, its summer day camps, all in French, are thematic. Last year’s themes included circus arts, gardening and African travel.
Up north there’s a little bit of France on a 47-acre private island. Canoe Island French Camp was founded in 1969 and is run by director Conie Jones. “This is an amazing place for youngsters interested in learning about French to spend two or three weeks.” Indeed, the sleep-away camp offers weeks-long camps for youngsters ages 9–16 to be immersed in all things French – songs and games, history and food, with boating and swimming and fencing and camp fires as well. “It’s a wonderful time and sometimes a life-changing experience for our campers,” says Jones.
Persian camp
“There is more to Iran that what you hear about in the news,” says Jayron Finan, founder of the Persian Preschool, which offers week-long day camps for kids up to the age of 7 (camps unconfirmed for 2016). “The Persian culture has been around for thousands of years and is rich in tradition,” says Finan. By learning the language, campers will embrace their ancestry, Finan hopes.
The cultural aspects of such camps are as important as the language – to expose kids the wonders of other cultures and show them that there and countless people striving to learn more about the world.
Spanish camp
Barbara Ford of La Casita Feliz – Spanish Immersion Preschool points out that language and culture study brings brain benefits. She says that kids who learn another language tend to score higher on standardized tests on language arts, reading and math; score higher on the SATs and ACT; are more open to cultural diversity; and enjoy various other cognitive benefits.
Sarah Roseberry Lytle, outreach specialist at the University of Washington’s Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), echoes Ford: “Research shows that bilingualism may lead to some cognitive advantages, such as increased mental flexibility, improved cognitive control and self-regulation.”
Chinese camp
Roughly 20 percent of the world’s citizens speak Chinese. “Learning Chinese is like opening a door to a child,” says Jayme Liang of the Washington International School (WIS), an organization that offers Chinese-English classes all year, as well as a bilingual summer program five days a week. “The child can enter a new world with countless opportunities,” says Liang.
Like many of the camps mentioned, WIS offers experiences rich in stories, arts and crafts, games, music, drama, dance, magic and parties. Kids become immersed in a language and a culture, daily. Campers play games in Chinese, eat in Chinese, tell stories in Chinese and learn in Chinese.
“The language,” Liang says, “becomes a living thing. It’s not just words in a textbook.” Kids want to discover the world. Immersion camps help them do that.
Sponge School Languages: Spanish, Mandarin, French, Japanese, Hindi, German Camp basics: Kids play games, do arts, crafts, theater, sports, singing and cooking, all in the target language. Times: Week-long camps in Seattle and Bellevue. After care available. Cost: Early bird pricing through April 15: full day: $375; half day: $210 Ages: Pre-K–grade 2
Camp basics: Activities throughout the week include stories, arts and crafts, games, music, drama and more. Type of camp: Week-long day camp, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Ages: 2.5–15
French
Alliance Française de Seattle
Location/contact: 4949 Sunnyside Ave. N. #205, Seattle Camp basics: Themed weeks immersed in the French language Type of camp: Week-long day camp Ages: 4–10
Canoe Island French Camp
Location/contact: San Juan Islands, WA Camp basics: Sleep-away camp with a French accent: Campers enjoy the pleasures of a traditional summer camp – kayaking, photography, theater — on an island and immersed in French language and culture. Type of Camp: 2- to 3-week sessions of sleep-over camps, plus weekend family camps Ages: 9–16
The French American School of Puget Sound Location/contact: 3795 E. Mercer Way, Mercer Island Camp basics: A day camp experience that provides a multicultural environment where students are immersed in the language through learning. Curriculum includes arts and crafts, music, drama, cooking, and team sports, relay races, and swimming, plus field trips. Ages: 3–10
German
ABC German School
Location/contact: 15047 Bel-Red Road, Bellevue, 425-753-6195 Camp basics: A camp focused on learning the German language through songs, games and play, with small classes and small teacher/student ratio. Each week has its own theme with crafts, songs and games to match the weekly topic. Type of camp: Week-long day camp Ages: 3–10
Seattle Area German American School Location/contact: 11010 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle Camp basics: Fun-filled German cultural activities, including music and movement, stories, arts and crafts Type of camp: Week-long day camp Ages: 2.5–grade 6
Hebrew
Seattle Hebrew Academy
Languages: Hebrew Location/contact: 1617 Interlaken Dr. E., Seattle, 206-323-5750 Contact school for information about its summer offerings.
Japanese
Seattle Japanese Language School
Language: Japanese Location/contact: 1414 S. Weller St., Seattle Phone: 206-568-7114 Contact school for information about its summer offerings.
Persian
Persian Preschool
Language: Persian Location/contact: 11325 S.E. 79th Pl., Newcastle Contact school about summer offerings
Spanish
Language Link
Language: Spanish Location/contact: several locations Camp basics: The Spanish language and cultures of the world are celebrated and explored. Each week camp focuses on a different country – highlighting its artists, music, dances, food and more. Type of camp: Week long day-camp Ages: Pre-K–grade 6
Seattle Amistad School Location/contact: 1625 19th Ave., Seattle, 206-325-3172 Camp basics: Dual-language summer camp featuring nine weekly theme-focused camps designed to inspire creativity, education and personal growth for children Type of camp: Week-long, full-day day camp Ages: 3–10
Zoom Language Academy Location/contact: 1116 N.W. 54th St. Seattle, 206-783-5850 Camp basics: Spanish language camp taught by native Spanish speakers, with activities (from crafts to sports to music) designed to stimulate children’s cognitive, social and emotional abilities, and encourage verbal communication in Spanish. Type of camp: Two sessions, morning and afternoon camps. Ages: 2.5–10
Jonathan Shipley is a freelance writer living in West Seattle. He’s coming to the realization that his daughter doesn’t think he’s totally cool anymore. She’s 14.
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