¡Hola! We are Luisa & Maria.
Thanks for visiting our page and showing an interest in our business. Here is a little info about us.
Let's start with Maria...
As a four year old I moved to a little fishing village in the South of Spain and started my education in a local Spanish School. My friends were Spanish and my childminders were a local Spanish family who spoke very little English. School life was tough in the beginning, I was taunted in the playground for being ‘tonta’(stupid), however, within four months of living in Spain I was chatting away effortlessly in Spanish, playing with the locals and getting on with my school work – I was as fluent as a native child of the same age.
When we moved back to Scotland my mum, much to my resistance, insisted I keep up my Spanish! I am now thankful for her perseverance.
On returning from Spain I became my mum’s ‘helper’ within her Spanish Clubs which she ran for children - her passion arising out of how easily and rapidly I picked up a foreign language. The classes were so much fun. I loved watching how the children picked up Spanish when it was taught in such a joyful way with lots of fun props, catchy songs, silly dances, creative games and storytelling. After attending a private language school in Glasgow for many years, I further pursued my studies in the language and advanced to a higher level in secondary school.
I pursued my own passions for art & fashion which led to studying a degree in textiles at Duncan of Jordanstone Art School in Dundee. Upon returning to Glasgow, I made a decision to join partnership with my mum running the Spanish clubs. Immersing myself in resources dedicated to teaching foreign languages to children, I delved into studying lesson plans and proven methodologies specifically designed for introducing a second language to young learners. As partners, we have collaboratively crafted our own distinct teaching methods, tailored to create a truly unique and effective language learning experience.
We've come up with a fantastic and fun idea called 'The Fruit Family' from Spain. These cute little fruit puppet characters have their own unique personalities and they are a hit in all of our classes, serving as awesome teaching tools! We teamed up with a fantastic illustrator who beautifully brought our imaginative ideas to reality. This collaboration inspired us to write and publish two fun and engaging bilingual Spanish/English children's picture books, introducing these lovable and hilarious characters. I can confidently say that these characters truly ignite the imagination of every single child, capturing their hearts and minds like nothing else. They are fascinated by them and the best thing about them is THEY ONLY SPEAK IN SPANISH!
I am deeply passionate about my work, and each day I find myself inspired as I witness the remarkable growth and progress of children in their learning journey.
In class, I make it a point to speak Spanish as much as I can and have a blast sharing my own language-learning experiences and all sorts of interesting tidbits about my life. The kids love it!
I recently spent a captivating five-month journey across South America, I had the incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the local culture and language. It was an enriching experience that greatly enhanced my Spanish skills. I fell in love with speaking the language and eagerly embraced every chance to practice and communicate with the locals. This adventure has deepened my passion for teaching Spanish and ignited a desire to share the joy of language learning with others.
Muchas gracias.
Maria
now let's meet Luisa...
My passion for Spain and the Spanish language started as a young child. I used to go to Spain most years on holiday when I was little and became mesmerised by Spanish culture and the language. My first opportunity to study Spanish came in secondary school and that was me hooked. I knew this was my path. I went on to study Spanish and Latin American Studies and Italian at university and spent time in both Spain and Italy. I have also spent some time travelling in Peru, Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia.
My passion for teaching Spanish to young children arose out of personal experience. I had always thought I would teach in a secondary school setting but whilst living and working in Spain I witnessed first hand how quickly Maria, my daughter picked up the language aged five after being immersed into a Spanish lifestyle. Within four months of going to school in Spain she spoke in Spanish as well as any native five year old. It was mind blowing.
When we moved back to Scotland it was clear to me that I had to pursue this passion. I knew that to encourage language learning the key was to get children as young as possible. I felt that the education system in Scotland was leaving it too late and not taking advantage of the window of opportunity and the inherent skills that every young child possesses when exposed to a second language in a natural and fun way. In 2003 I trained with a language teaching franchise whose courses are structured and play-based. I set up clubs within nurseries, schools, after school clubs and other private settings where children learned Spanish in an informal and fun way through songs, games, crafts, drama and storytelling. As time went by, my passion grew stronger, urging me to venture out independently, armed with my own ideas and resources. Taking a one-year sabbatical, I have now joined forces with Maria at Lulu Maria Fun Spanish, ready to embark on this exciting journey together.
I enjoy creating stories and learning materials that are colourful and fun and have collected many amazing props over the years which never seem to go out of date. It amazes me to watch children learn in such a magical and fun way without any inhibitions and a sense of curiosity. When their imagination is stimulated they thrive in a language learning environment. Moreover, I delight in sharing captivating tales about my own life and travel adventures with my students, creating an engaging and interactive classroom experience.
Aside from teaching I love to travel, practice yoga, I run an online shop selling vintage clothes and enjoy getting creative in my free time.
Gracias,
Luisa
"My little Boy absolutely loves it. Now he’s at school, a Wednesday night is his favourite time. He now does his maths homework in both Spanish and English.
It’s amazing to see how well he can speak and understand Spanish in such a short space of time, he now wants to learn other languages too. Couldn’t recommend LuluMaria Fun Spanish enough"
-- Kelly Louise
"Great introduction for children to learn a second language, my 6yr old loves it"
-- Pops Morrison