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Younger family with kids


k2family

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We arrived just less than a month ago and we've been trying to find activities for our kids (ages 12 and 5) to participate in - both to get exposure to the language and culture, and to have other kids their age to play with. So far, we haven't found much.

We did attend the art class at LCS last Saturday, but I don't think just that is going to provide enough interaction for the kids.

We are homeschoolers, but we're here for another 5 months and would really like to get our kids "out there" to learn the language and have some fun. We're somewhat open to trying a school, but we don't have a car and didn't consider private school into our budget for our trip here. We would also need to pull our kids out before the school year ended and would like to take them out when we go on day excursions to other cities, etc. (I don't know how flexible Mexican schools are about that sort of thing).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

HeatherDawn

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I would recommend you go and speak with the principal of your local school and explain your situation. I have a feeling that once the fees, etc are paid, you are free to attend on your own terms.

Great immersion experience, and the sessions are not full day.

Let your kids have the best of both worlds while you can. What a wonderful opportunity.

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Well, if its just 5 months, it sounds like a wonderful exchange program kind of thing. If you want them to do an emersion into the language, the best option is a school. Most run just from 8 to 2pm. Depending on your location there are various schools in the area. We are raising two American kids in the area 3 and 12 years old. I would look for an all Spanish school (they are cheaper than the bilingual schools). Many parents are afraid to send their kids to a school that is not bilingual because they think their child may not adapt unless they hear equal amounts of English, but what commonly happens is that the child gets lazy and bonds and hangs out mostly with the kids that speak good English. Ages 3 and 12 are both very young and you will be surprised at how quickly they adapt to an all Spanish environment, it may be weird for the first week to a month but more than likely they will adapt very quickly. Our 12 year old was 8 when we arrived here and we put him in an all Spanish school in Chapala for the first 4 years so he could become fluent in Spanish, he was the only American kid there and he made tons of local friends and learned fluent Spanish in under a year. You could probably place your 5 year old into a day care, many are very affordable. If it were summer, I would suggest you placing your kids into one of the many summer camp programs called cursos de verano. With whatever you decide, good luck and I'm sure your kids will have a blast down here.

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We have children's activities at our church, Abundant Life/Vida Abudante in San Antonio Tlayacapan. You're welcome to send me a private message for more information. There is also a program called King's Kid's at the YWAM base in Chapala. If I were in your position, I would keep homeschooling so you have travel flexibility. Private schools are expensive here although more affordable than in the states.

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