Is this a stupid idea? Learning Spanish in Spain.

[DandelionDahlia]

The DC want to learn Spanish this summer.

They’re 13 and 10.

I’m happy to take them to Spain (DP can’t take holiday then).

I can’t drive and we like town/city not countryside.

I actually speak good Spanish but am a bit shy and have a comedy English accent. DC speak basic Spanish, they can hold a conversation.

I have 2 options and would REALLY value any feedback.

1. Two weeks in Castelldefels near Barcelona, language camp for the kids during the day (it’s called Don Quijote), lessons in the morning, activities in the afternoon, sleep in a holiday flat with me at night.

Advantage: not too scary. Fun place by the sea. Plenty for me to do during the day while they’re in camp.

Disadvantage: we are pale and don’t love the heat. Also will they just talk English all day? Also will they hear lots of Catalan and get confused?

1. A northern town - maybe Santander? Gijón? Bilbao? And a daily holiday camp aimed at Spanish kids. Something sporty or cookery. Sleep in a holiday flat with me.

Advantage: much cheaper. Cooler. The possibility of actually talking Spanish to Spanish kids.
Disadvantage: not sure their language level is really up to it. Hard to find and book from the UK. Feels like a leap into the unknown.

What would you do?
Any other options I’ve missed?

Do it! I learnt Spanish in Spain as a 20 year old. I was ok beforehand but being amongst only spanish-speaking people (I was living in a v Spanish area, no expats or tourists) improved my language skills immensely once I’d got over the shyness. If they are keen I would absolutely go for it.

I learnt another language by going to an intensive course in the country and it was the best option for me. Of the two you propose, I suggest the second option. I liked Bilbao when I visited, cannot comment on the other two northern cities.

One.

Mostly because I moved to Spain after uni and it was great, but they could tell I was English and talked to me in English even when I explained I was trying to learn Spanish. I did 7 months in Northern Spain and 9 in Southern Spain and it happened everywhere. Very friendly, but not good for learning!

I cannot speak another language but both ideas sound wonderful! I’d favour option B - if your DC are outgoing and confident enough to mix with Spanish kids. Good luck!

Why not have a homestay holiday - staying with a Spanish family, having lessons with them and going on trips together?
You could combine this with the camp for Spanish children, too.

Do it. There's not that much difference in temperature between the areas you mention, although the Atlantic coast can be rainier. Santander is lovely.

Surf school? globaladventure.es/campamentos-de-verano/cantabria/campamento-surf-santander/

The Spanish word you are looking for is "campamentos" - summer camps. This website lists loads on the north coast.

www.buscocampamentos.com/provincia/cantabria/

And you can also search by other regions.

I’m Spanish. I wouldn’t go to a region with another main language so option 1 would be a no.
I would go for Santander in option 2. Gorgeous place and plenty of opportunities for beaches (Santander, Comillas, San Vicente, etc.), nature (Cabárceno, etc.) and history (Santillana, Covadonga is not far away),
Also consider option 3, Valladolid and Salamanca are also great for young students.

This is all giving me loads of food for thought.

Rrrob I would love a proper Spanish immersion without too many other tourists, where were you based?

I’ll look at Bilbao, balalake and Valladolid and Salamanca LaBrujaPiruja. By the sea would be such a bonus, so Santander/Bilbao may have the edge.

Thank you FoxyFoxyLoxy for the hugely helpful links.

It’s so frustrating that I keep finding a million fun camps for Spanish kids who want English lessons in the morning.

My issue with the kids being confident/outgoing enough to cope with a challenging environment, Mybestyear is that one of the kids is super confident and one is more like me…. I don’t want to traumatise them by throwing them in the deep end. I might be projecting a bit here. 😃

I would love a home stay, Gerbilteeth but can’t find one that would take three of us. I suppose no-one has that kind of spare space in a city.

A few years back DD1 did 3 weeks with Don Quijote in Salamanca. She apparently has a fab accent. No they won't speak English the whole time as kids come from all over.

Option 1 will be pure Catalan. Beware!

@KuwaitCanWait

Option 1 will be pure Catalan. Beware!

Yes we avoided Barcelona for DD for this reason.

@DandelionDahlia
I wouldn’t do Bilbao because of euskera.

Try my hometown, Valencia. We also speak Valencian but in town most people speak Spanish. Sea, art, history, nature… but can be hot in the summer. Like option 1. If you do not want to feel the heat, Santander.

I recommended Valladolid and Salamanca because of the good accent. Santander is also good. But if you venture further west to Asturias and Galicia the accent is not as pure and Spanish can sound almost unintelligible for you. If you venture further east to Bilbao and San Sebastián you will find bilingual children using euskera for games and social activities.

Do it. I'd go for the second option. When I was 13, I did a school exchange trip to a European country whose language I'd been learning for just six months. Within 48 hours I was talking fluently. It was the most important experience of my life.

How about something like this?

www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/13640/learn-spanish-and-family-activity-holiday-in-spain

Sounds fab. I would definitely do Santander over catalunya - most kids in catalunya will speak Catalan. And it sis much hotter. Santander is lovely as is all of that coast.
Salamanca is also fantastic but v hot in the summer.

There are plenty of homestay options for families on Lingoo.com.

@Gerbilteeth

Why not have a homestay holiday - staying with a Spanish family, having lessons with them and going on trips together? You could combine this with the camp for Spanish children, too.

Ooh this sounds nice. Any links?

I learned Spanish in Spain and so grateful I did. I would go fit option 2 personally, OP.

I tried to learn Spanish in Spain and didn't get on very well. The teacher didn't speak any English (fair enough, we were in Spain) so this meant I wasn't picking up a lot of what was being taught as I was unable to clarify if he was saying what I thought he was saying. I subsequently started learning on Italki with a bilingual Spanish/English teacher and got on really well. I know it's not exactly what you asked but just my tuppenceworth!

Yes, the accent is really important to me.

I would LOVE it if they developed great pronunciation, unlike mine.

The Responsible Travel one looks amazing although my youngest is too small at 10. If I wait another year, my oldest will probably decide Spanish isn’t cool any more 😂

Really appreciate all the ideas.

That’s a fair point, TyrannosaurusRegina. They could practice on Italki before they went. Might boost their confidence.

Sorry, didn't spot the age restriction, although one of the reviews mentioned a 10 year old, so there might be some wiggle room...

I’m not so good with Spanish but immersion does seem to be best. I speak German and my friend moved to Germany a year ago without a single word and she has just basically had to learn if she wants to eat or do fun things! Now we bounce off each other and I love it. I’ve always dropped German in with my kids while growing up and now they have a great understanding but don’t ever speak it. It just feels natural to them. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. I’d go with B

I would send them to an option 1 style camp rather than the camp for Spanish kids. The most important thing is that they come away having loved it and there’s a risk that they won’t love it if the course is led by adults who don’t know how to interact with ELE (Spanish as a foreign language) students.

The don Quixote course in Catalonia is presumably advertised as a camp for foreign children who want to learn Castilian? So I wouldn’t have thought there’s too much of a risk of the kids picking up Catalan. Will there even be any local children there?