A new Spanish summer camp will pitch up by the River Kelvin this summer.
Oso Spanish says it offers a whole new approach to learning a language for children aged 5 to 10.
The school is based in Ha'penny Bridge House in the Botanic Gardens – thanks to a partnership with the Friends of the River Kelvin.
Oso Spanish was launched this year by Rose McGinty, who is a native of the West End.
She told Glasgow West End Today: “Our concept – a full immersion language school where the native tongue is rarely used – is very effective abroad, but not so common over here.
“We have combined that structure with our unique teaching style which we believe really encourages young children to enjoy Spanish.
“We are passionate about young people in Glasgow."
Rose - who graduated from Strathclyde University with an Honours Degree in Spanish and Italian - has taught and studied in Italy and Spain where she learned continental language teaching methods.
This summer's series of camps, each lasting a week, will see ositos (meaning 'little bears', the children who take part in the camp) enjoy the fresh air and wildlife of the River Kelvin.
It is against this background that children learn the key building blocks of the Spanish language thanks to the native and fluent Spanish speakers leading the camps.
Native Spanish speakers from Madrid and Gijon along with Spanish teachers from Glasgow will also be helping out with the camp.
Rose says: "Oso Spanish is not about teaching Spanish to just any English speaker, it's about bringing the best of Spanish language and culture to the people in and around our city.
“This summer we'll be offering our ositos a range of activities such as zumba, arts and crafts and even a mini-Olympics on the final day.
"Having activities like these means the children have the chance to be creative, relax and play all sorts of games, but at the heart of it they're learning a fantastic skill.
“Our camp is fun and interactive and our end goal is that the children associate learning a language with being relaxed and happy.”
Rose McGinty:"Oso Spanish is not about teaching Spanish to just any English speaker, it's about bringing the best of Spanish language and culture to the people in and around our city.
“This summer we'll be offering our ositos a range of activities such as zumba, arts and crafts and even a mini-Olympics on the final day."
She adds: “We're designed for beginners but we already also have a number of ositos who've been learning Spanish from a very young age.
“We organise them based on their age and ability, so when parents fill out the consent form we ask them to give as much information as possible to allow us to best accommodate each individual, their abilities and even their personal interests.
“The children are divided into small groups, and most importantly no one is put on the spot.
"We have a lot of beginners, so we'll be making sure to do a lot of work in pairs and small groups so that none of our ositos feel embarrassed or are discouraged.”
* Oso Spanish can be contacted at hola@osospanish.com or 07729467799. Special offers apply until June 12 meaning that parents booking now can get a 15% discount on the standard price of £150 for each week-long camp. A sibling discount of 10% also applies.
