by Gwen O’Neill

Counting puppets. Staff photos.

Imagine a preschool that offers games, singing, storytelling, art and cooking in a peaceful, colorful environment. Does that sound like a well-planned class for young children? Now imagine that preschool also providing a Spanish immersion program.

In a large, sun-filled room, Patricia Bodas greets her eager students with conversation about the weather, the days of the week, the alphabet, or the names of colors — and teaches them songs and games — all in Spanish.

Instead of waiting to enroll their children in the popular immersion program at Hatch Elementary School, parents now have the option of introducing their children to the sounds of Spanish at the optimum age — the age when children learn largely through hearing and imitation.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think my home would be a studio for teaching Spanish to English-speaking preschoolers. A friend of mine in San Francisco began a program and as I watched what she was developing it made me excited to follow in her footsteps,” said Bodas.

Bodas wanted to work less at her career as a pediatric occupational therapist and be at home more with her own children. She also wanted to speak Spanish with them so they would retain fluency as they got older. “As I thought about what kind of home-based business would be right for me, I thought more and more about the popularity of the Hatch program and began to look at the possibilities. It took a full year to get certified as a small family child care business. There are a lot of standards to be met but here we are, more than a year later, and expanding our program.”

Bodas talks to the children about which ingredients are going into the mixing bowl. Staff photo.

Bodas was born and raised in San Francisco, but her parents emigrated from Mexico. A large part of what she gives to her students is the experience of a different and very colorful culture. Art projects often revolve around a holiday or cultural event, which helps the children learn how other people live. “What we do here is not just about language. We have piñata parties and do traditional baking and cooking to introduce a wide variety of different foods,” Bodas said.

The day I was there, the children were totally engaged in making tortillas which they enthusiastically ate after Bodas cooked them. She said, “We also cook things like beans, corn bread and Mexican-style hot chocolate.

“The biggest advantage of teaching language to this age group is that when they enjoy what they are doing, they don’t even realize they are learning. Of course, we want it to be a strong learning experience but they don’t know that. They play and dance, we tell stories and sing and it is all just great fun!”

The children have a chance to help with mixing before shaping the dough and pressing the tortillas.

Bodas frequently hands out cards to the parents with words the children used that day, so the parents can provide support at home for what the children are learning in class. “Often we are talking about everyday things like food and bugs. That’s why a little follow-up at home is so good for them and the parents get engaged in speaking conversationally with the children,” she said.

There is a strong trend in the Bay Area to learn conversational Spanish; why not introduce it to the age group that traditionally picks up a second language the quickest? Bodas said, “It is amazing how much Spanish   they absorb even at this young age.”

A summer session will be offered. For information on scheduling, please phone Bodas at 650-728-7132 or e-mail patriciabodas@yahoo.com.

Preparing the tortillas for cooking.

Washing up before eating tortillas.

Children eating the tortillas they made.