Mommy and me/toddler Spanish classes/immersion preschool? (Chattanooga: homes, live in)

[Jai27]

I am interested in raising a Spanish-speaking child. I speak some Spanish, but I am not fluent. Are there any mommy and me or toddler classes and/or Spanish immersion preschools in the area?

[MtnMama2]

It sounds like we are in the same boat. Sometimes I wonder if it is better for me to take classes to improve fluency so that we can learn more naturally or to find some program for my children to have fun learning Spanish words and phrases.

Probably "both" is the answer, but we don't have the time or money to do all of that right now.

I was thinking about getting a small group of preschool or early elementary homeschoolers together for some activities, but we've had a busy summer and haven't lined anything up yet.

If you hear of something already in process that we can join or if you want to work together to get something going, let me know!

[LostNJax]

I am not from the area, so as far as classes... I'm clueless.... but I thought I would add some ideas to your list.

The first thought that came to mind after reading your post was Muzzy. It's a great program with a big green monster thing that teachs all sorts of languages. It is something that you can do at home or even as a small group. Most of the information is presented through T.V, but it's great for the younger crowd with shorter attention spans. Check it out... www.muzzy.com

The other idea is to look up simple words on the internet and incorporate them in to your everyday life. The best is to start out with foods and toys. Then move to different items. Nouns are always the easiest to learn. Animals would be great after foods.

I teach sign language to many children and while fluency is great, it's not the top priority. You'll actually be surprised that their fluency will pick up much faster than yours. I have actually had to ask children to slow down and do it again so I can understand what they are saying... too fast for me. LOL.

I hope this was helpful.

Oh yeah, if you have the spanish channel with cartoons on it... that's helps too.

[mvives]

I have a 3 1/2 years-old boy and an 11 month old girl. My husband is from Chattanooga and I am from Puerto Rico and we both speak Spanish at home. Our boy is now bilingual. I've had a hard time finding playmates that speak Spanish and I have not been able to find a preschool that has an immersion program. They only offer Spanish once a week. I am a teacher (not working right now), live in Chattanooga and I would love to find a few children who speak Spanish or want to learn and maybe start an immersion play group. Let me know!!