Lately, I have had the opportunity to virtually meet and follow a group of non-native Spanish speakers that have graced my bilingual circle, two of which were my IG Live guests this July. First, the lovely Corrie Wiik founder of MamaLlamaLinguist, and last week, Spanish educator and twin mom Naomi Noyes, founder of Niños and Nature, a play-based, natured inspired site that offers Spanish courses for families.
Naomi has a double BA degree in Spanish and International Studies and a Master’s Degree in Spanish Education. She has taught at both public and private schools throughout the country and loved bringing Spanish into a variety of classrooms from pre-k all the way up to 12th grade. But she always felt like there was something missing about the curriculum. She didn’t like worksheets and would encourage dancing and play and new active ways of teaching language. “I knew that one day I would branch off, start my own program or school, I just had no idea what that would look like or how it would happen.”
Enter Niños and Nature, a place that offers fun and creative ways to nurture Spanish learning at home, especially for non-native speakers. Through DIY projects, playful activities, and courses, Naomi motivates families to go outside and use nature to learn and practice the language.
I invite you to watch our IGTV!
Naomi believes strongly that the more we play, the more we learn. In her blog, she offers bilingual home learning resources, that include homeschooling curriculum ideas and suggestions like Spanish in the garden, how to plan your homeschool year, best Spanish books for children, and geography for preschoolers, among many others.
Tips to raise children to love nature and Spanish
- Focus on joy – things that make your child happy (birds, vegetable garden)
- Keep it slow- Language learning is a process, a life-long journey.
- Keep in mind the child’s needs and wants- they might be different than yours. Focus on the connection aspect.
- Bring passion into your teaching – it’s contagious!
Next for Naomi, is partnering with a local park, Albermarle County Parks Department for Niños and Nature Forest School, a bilingual outdoor early education program immersing students with Spanish and nature. And hopefully soon after, a Language Center where she can offer a series of Spanish classes for adults in her area, focusing on the connection aspect of language learning.
For more follow @ninos.and.nature on Instagram.
Thank you, Naomi!
