¡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, I needed extra help with my English. 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 finishing my degree in textiles at Duncan of Jordanstone Art School in Dundee I moved back to Glasgow and made a decision to set up my own Spanish Clubs for children as well as pursue my textile dreams. I immersed myself in resources for teaching foreign languages to children. I studied lesson plans and proven methodology for teaching a second language to little ones. I even came up with many of my own ideas for teaching.
One exciting new idea is the creation of ‘The Fruit Family’ from Spain - these are little fruit puppet characters each with their own individual personality and are used as teaching tools in all the classes. I hired an illustrator who perfectly captured what was in my imagination and this led to writing and publishing a bi-lingual Spanish/English children’s picture book introducing these delightful and funny characters. I can say with hand on my heart that these characters are the one thing that fully captures the imagination of all the children. They are fascinated by them and the best thing about them is THEY ONLY SPEAK IN SPANISH!
I love what I do and I am inspired every day as I watch children learn and progress.
I speak in Spanish as much as i can in class and enjoy sharing my own experiences of language learning with them and all things about my life which I think they find interesting!
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 also spent some time in Peru, 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 the years passed I felt the passion to go out and do this on my own using my own ideas and materials. I took a break for a year and have now become part of Lulu Maria Fun Spanish alongside Maria.
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. I also love to share stories with about my life and my travel adventures in class.
Aside from teaching I love to travel, I run an online shop selling vintage clothes and enjoy getting creative in my free time. I also volunteer with an Eating Disorder Support Group in Glasgow and love to practice yoga.
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