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Spanish Camp provides learning, fun

ELKINS - Last week, 12 campers "traveled" to five different regions to learn Christmas traditions from around the world for this year's Spanish Camp at the Kump Center, titled, "La Navidad en Julio," or Christmas in July.

Spanish camp was taught by Leah Devine, a Spanish teacher at Elkins High School, with the help of four recent EHS graduates. The five-day camp ran from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.

The students, ages 5-10, learned about a Christmas tradition from the country of the day. The campers got to experience a blend of traditions, and learn about different cultures and the way others celebrate Christmas.

The camp provided an introduction to basic Spanish, allowing students to hear, read and speak the language in every day words and phrases, such as greetings, talking about their interests, introducing themselves, and polite requests like "yo quiero el marcador por favor" (I would like the marker please).

Daily activities were taught in a bilingual mix and games for the students helped bridge together language, such as passing a ball around and saying their name, favorite color, or counting numbers in Spanish. The classroom was filled with posters and labels for items such as markers or crayons in Spanish. Activities included coloring a rainbow, and sharing crayons aimed at having students practice asking for things and familiarizing themselves with colors and numbers.

The overarching goals were to "build skills, communicate politely and have fun," Devine told The Inter-Mountain.

Spanish Camp is a way to educate children about different cultures. Sophie Graham, a recent EHS graduate and counselor, explained, "It creates empathy, exposing yourself to different cultures and different ideas, not just your own, which is a very big deal for my generation and for the future. It helps to get it in their heads that everyone's a little bit different and that’s OK - you can still know about their cultures and enjoy it."

One way to learn about and enjoy these cultures is through experience. Students spent time doing activities and crafts that represented each country. Kids created their own "Tió Nadal" from Spain, which is a small, decorated log that they sing to and feed, in hopes of finding a candy present left by the log the next morning.

The campers also celebrated the Mexican tradition of "Las Posadas," a traditional reenactment of Mary and Joseph's journey and search for lodging in Bethlehem, with songs and piñatas. On the fourth day, students experienced a Venezuelan "Patinata," which is a tradition of roller skating in the street while Christmas music plays.

In addition to the crafts, students not only got to taste traditional Christmas food from each country but also cooked it. Campers got to prepare Spanish tapas, small appetizers that accompany social gatherings, a Spanish tortilla of egg and potatoes, tamales, and Mexican flour tortillas.

Devine explained how allowing the students to assist with the cooking provides an opportunity to build motor skills, math skills and a time for language input. She instructed the students using a mix of Spanish and English while explaining the recipe, "dos tazas de masa, add agua, make a ball, una pelota, of dough and smash it in the (tortilla) press para cocinar."

After introducing a word or phrase in Spanish such as "tengo hambre" ("I'm hungry"), Devine and the camp counselors would encourage the students to repeat it and use the word or phrase when talking with each other. Graham mentioned that making lunch was most of the students' favorite part of the day, and that there was something special for the kids about being able to eat and enjoy a meal they made themselves.

The student-made lunch on the day dedicated to learning about Mexico included tortillas amarillas (yellow tortillas), tortillas azules (blue tortillas), guacamole, carne (meat), arroz (rice), frijoles (beans) and an ensalada de manzanas (fruit salad). It was also a camper's birthday, and the students helped to prepare a traditional "Tres Leches" cake and sang a Mexican birthday song.

This is the fourth year for the camp, each year revolving around a different theme for the week. Last year's camp was "A Trip Around the World" and explored different foods and activities across the Spanish-speaking world.

Devine has been teaching Spanish for 19 years and hosted a variety of Spanish camps.

"I had done one up in Tucker County and one in the Arts Center in town about seven or eight years ago. They (Kump Center) wanted some different educational opportunities, and they approached me and asked if I wanted to do a Spanish camp. I said yeah, let's do it, and that's kind of how it got started." The camp has gained attention and popularity through the past few years, she added.

Spanish Camp is not only a learning experience for the students, but also provides experience for the counselors, two of whom are planning to pursue degrees in education. Devine talked about the camp being a great opportunity for these kids to get teaching experience while they're enrolled or recently graduated from high school.

Graham will be pursuing a degree in bilingual education this fall, and explained the value of gaining experience while also being able to provide an experience for the children.

"Overall, it's about teaching them about other people, other cultures and empathy," she said. "But it's also about them having fun and building motor skills."

The students concluded Spanish camp with a celebratory party, and parents were invited to attend. The party blended together all the students had learned throughout the week and gave them an opportunity to share their knowledge with their families.