The fun of learning a language

by Brie My three-year old girl has had a great time so far this summer. A big part of that was due to the international language classes she took through the Ottawa-Carleton school board during the month of July. Every weekday morning for four weeks she joined some new friends and had a chance to speak Japanese.

What? You didn't know we spoke Japanese? We don't. Does the girl? Well, kind of. Or as she would say arigato.

Another mom told me about the international language classes being offered at a school near our house. I reviewed the options, none of which we or the girl speak, and decided on Japanese. I mean, why not! She loves sushi. How could it go wrong?

It didn't. She loved the Japanese class. The teacher was very patient with her. The fact that she wasn't the only non-Japanese speaker in the class helped. It was great to see a mix of kids who spoke Japanese at home and other kids just eager to learn.

I would recommend the summer langauge programs to any parent looking for something different for their elementary school-age kids to do next summer. You also can't beat the cost. Have I mentioned the only class cost was a $10 registration fee?

The Ottawa-Carleton school board has come out with the Fall schedule of language classes for elementary and secondary school-age children. If you speak a language other than English or French at home and think your child would benefit from learning the language in a classroom setting, you should definitely investigate the langauge programs on offer. Maybe you want your child to better communicate with their grandparents or extended family? Maybe your child wants to explore a new language? Whatever the reason, this is a great, low-cost learning opportunity for your kids.

The only hard part? For me, it's deciding which language to pick.
