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fun English language camps - English during the holidays
Bilingualism

Fun English language camps for the school holidays

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Need guidance on holiday camps? Get the lowdown on camps in Madrid and Spain 2014. With the Easter and Summer holidays just around the corner, many parents are looking at activities in English for their children during the vacations. With many questions swirling around parents heads I thought I’d share my discoveries of programs available in and around Madrid. It is important to bear in mind which camp is most suitable for each child. Do you need a flexible timetable? Is the group size an important issue for you? Are you concerned about the level of English required? What range of activities are best? Are discounts offered for siblings? Easter holidays School is out for ten days over Easter and many parents aren’t able to take time off work to coincide with their children’s mini-vacations. The obvious solution for many parents is to find a fun-filled urban camp to send their children to whilst they are at work… and if the camp promises activities in English too, then more the better. Fundaland in Montecarmelo opened last year with one clear vision in mind: if children play games that change the world, then the world will change. Run by the not-for-profit foundation Carmen Pardo-Valcarce it is the first playschool that mixes able-bodied children with those of different abilities in the Madrid area. On the 14th, 15th, 16th and 21st of April they are offering an Easter camp from 9:30am-5pm, meals included, for the price of 185 EUR per child (ages 3-13 years). The camp will include a whole host of indoor and outdoor activities, as well as two classes in English per day. Fundaland are also running a Summer Camp in English. La Huerta de Carlos in Pozuelo runs an incredibly exciting Easter program for all children that like to get their hands dirty and enjoy the great outdoors. On the 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 21st of April the city farm Mi Pequeña Granja opens its doors for youngsters aged 3-10 from 10am-5pm to join them at their allotment (the “huerta”) at a cost of 52 EUR/day or 250 EUR for five days. The activities alternate between English (with a native-speaking camp counselor) and Spanish. Language adventures abroad Jennifer Doran from English Escape has been running Irish and America Escape programs for 8 years with great success. Irish Escape is aimed at children aged 7 to 14 years old whereas America Escape is for kids aged 12+. Both programs are currently taking reservations and given their popularity I suggest any parent interested get their skates on to make sure their child doesn’t miss out – note that there is an 80 EUR discount for siblings. The joy of Irish Escape is that the children live together in their own household under the constant care of their native English-speaking supervisors. The kids go to day camp to practice their English with Irish students at amazing facilities which include tennis courts, baseball fields, etc. In the evening they return to their household where they learn to become much more responsible whilst at the same time continue improving their English. America Escape caters for slightly older children who are willing to embrace a new culture, to build new relationships and to grow in confidence both in English and in themselves as independent people. The program counts on a network of hand-picked responsible American families who open their doors to their Spanish guests. The children receive ten hours of English classes a week plus go on day trips organized by English Escape’s teacher who travels with them from Madrid and is available 24/7 for the students. If you are hoping to send your children to the United States this summer, it is also worth looking at the 20 day program run by GNP in Laguna Bay, California for teenagers aged 14+. The kids are taught English in intensive classes and the rest of the time is spent on the beach learning water sports. The experience is not to be missed! Closer to home, the exchange programs run by Inglaterra al Alcance come highly recommended. The owner of this company, Noemi Rodriguez, is a Spaniard who settled in the UK several years ago. She has built up an excellent, trustworthy and reasonably-priced alternative for parents looking to bring England within the reach of their children. She offers a wide range of services including summer schools and student exchange programs. Finally, I can’t finish this section without mentioning the wonderful Hogwarts School of English summer camp option in my home town of Newcastle upon Tyne! Run by Madrid-based GNP, Spanish children are invited to spend a fortnight in the North East of England where they will visit many tourist sites including Alnwick Castle (where Harry Potter was filmed) and the beautiful city of Durham. Furthermore they will have 30 hours of language classes and will have plenty of opportunities to speak English in this part of the UK where few Spanish-speakers are lucky enough to spend their summer holidays. Out of town camps – Spain Sherry Camps at Puerto Sherry, Cadiz offer a wide variety of sports-based activities in their multilingual summer camps where the predominant language is English and the predominant feature is fun. Depending on the age of the child, students from all over the world can take part in sailing and padel-tennis classes on a daily basis from 10-17h. An intensive sailing course is also available to kids aged 15-17 years in the eponymous Sherry 247 Camp. Closer to home Canadian Camp is located in Valle el Tietar, on the M501 road only 81 km from Madrid. For over 25 years a dedicated team of outdoor activities professionals have offered a residential summer camp where children from ages 6 upwards spend almost every waking moment outdoors – even the language classes are taught in the open air! They strike a good balance between water sports, team sports and individual achievements. From Monday to Friday the children also receive 3 hours of English

host family in UK - British eating habits
Bilingualism, Education

Advice for kids staying with host family in UK – daily habits

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Spending a fortnight with a host family in UK will give your children the perfect chance to observe our quirky habits as well as taste our cuisine. Seeing the steering wheel in the passenger’s seat of a car, driving on the wrong side of the road, catching double decker buses or getting up and going to bed much earlier than in Spain are just a handful of things that may surprise your children when they are there. The UK is a country where many cultures and nationalities live together in harmony and yet where hardly any child speaks a second language to the level that most Spanish children understand and express themselves in English. British children find it unusual that their Spanish friends have two surnames; unless your children let their host family know otherwise, they will probably call your child by his/her Christian name and his/her second surname, not realizing that the first surname is the predominant one in Spain. As schools in the UK don’t break up until the middle or end of July, this month is a perfect time to send your children on an exchange as the chances are they will be able to see what a normal British school day is like. One thing they are bound to notice is that all children wear school uniform, whether they go to a State or Private school. “Concertado” schools don’t exist in the UK, although there are RC Primary and Secondary State schools in every town & city that take students that have been baptized Catholic. Primary schools are generally much smaller than those you find in Spain, with the norm being one class per year (not 6 classes per year, as is the case in my son’s mega-school in Madrid!). It is also worth remembering that school age runs in line with the academic year (Sept-Aug) rather than the calendar year (Jan-Dec), meaning that autumn-born children are the oldest in their class, unlike in Spain. Everything happens earlier in the UK than in Spain. It is not unusual to find the whole family having breakfast together at 7:30am on a weekday. Lunch is usually eaten between 12am-1pm and the evening meal can be eaten any time from 5pm onwards. Most working days end by 5:30pm and a lot of British parents work flexi-time so that they can spend time with their children who usually finish school by 3:30pm. After- school activities and birthday parties are often between 3:30pm and 5:00pm, the latter usually being celebrated at the child’s house with a few friends (not the whole class!). Another fun option is going to the cinema, although this may be a bit adventurous for young Spaniards who are just learning English. If they are brave enough to watch a film in “versión original” and without the help of subtitles, then its worthwhile remembering that children’s films are shown earlier in the UK than in Spain, with sessions after 8pm being considered to be too late for children. Finally, if the host parents go out for an evening meal and a drink they are usually home by 11pm at the latest… which is probably why Brits enjoy the Spanish nightlife so much when here on holiday! British children’s telly isn’t limited simply to cartoons and serial dramas. UK children often watch nature documentaries, real life animal or zoo related programs such as Animal Hospital or Animal Park, or quizzes to help learn phonics or numbers. Don’t worry, not every afternoon is spent in front of the TV! British children don’t let the odd shower or cloudy sky interrupt their outdoor play – so don’t forget to pack waterproofs and an umbrella. Almost every UK household has a pet – and we’re not just talking about cats or dogs. Pet guinea pigs, tortoises and rabbits are often found in host families’ gardens, hamsters and gerbils are commonly kept in the children’s bedroom and lots of British families have fish bowls. A word of warning: there are a lot more spiders in the UK than in Madrid and in the summer there are lots of wasps and moths too. If visiting in autumn your children may have the chance of spotting hedgehogs among the fallen leaves. Squirrels, seagulls and foxes are also quite common all over the UK. Onto other matters, it may be surprising to note that British children don’t necessarily take a shower every day. I mention this because lots of parents have told me that this was the one thing that most surprised their children when they stayed with a host family. Second to that was the fact some houses don’t have showers but just a bath. Sometimes the bathroom and toilet are separate – and the room with the toilet may not have a sink or bidet. Sanitary waste can be disposed of via the toilet if bins aren’t provided. Perhaps as compensation for any inconveniences, your children will discover that many British bathrooms are carpeted, along with the rest of the house (apart from the kitchen). Follow our blogs for more tips about staying with a host family in UK.

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