Engaging Outschool Classes for Spanish Learners and Bilingual Homeschool Students
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Maybe it was Colleen Kessler, or maybe it was Julie Bogart.
I don’t remember exactly which homeschool mentor got me started down this path, but sometime before my homeschool career even started, I fell in love with the idea of interest-led learning.
As I heard more about this idea in homeschool circles, and looked back on my own education, I saw that my most fulfilling learning experiences were the ones I designed myself. One memorable moment happened in 5th grade, when I insisted on memorizing and reciting a Shakespearean soliloquy to my language arts class—confirming (to them) that I was an absolute weirdo (but I would have been a great homeschool students!). But it definitely peaked in grad school, when I got to design a whole course of study around my passions. What a privilege, and what a great experience of school!
Because of that, when I started homeschooling my oldest, I prioritized following his rabbit trails. To a large extent, I was able to organize our bilingual preschool and bilingual kindergarten years around the subjects he was most interested in: art, the Magic Treehouse books (okay, any books), pirates, and science.
But as we’ve added kids to our family, and students to our homeschool, interest-led learning has had to take a different shape. I have less bandwidth for endless read-alouds, and so I’ve had to outsource some of my son’s exploration to others.
Enter Outschool.
We started experimenting with some Outschool classes at the start of the pandemic—largely as a way to fill time—and now, have tried quite a few that we’ve enjoyed. I wanted to share a list of those today, along with a list of similar classes I’ve found, in case you’re looking for something like this for your homeschool Spanish student.
This is a great way to supplement your homeschool foreign language curriculum, by the way, or even just to give you, as the homeschool teacher, a break! While your child is engaged in an Outschool class, they’re getting the regular, real-life language practice they need (without you having to lead it yourself).
If you’re a bilingual family, Outschool classes can help you schedule in more hands-off language exposure for your kids, and, as we’ve seen personally, help them grow in their confidence when speaking Spanish with others.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Outschool is offering a special deal for new students. Sign up for any of the classes below, and you’ll receive a $20 credit towards your account! At that price, there’s really no risk to trying them.
Also, if you’re interested in a class that is not currently running due to lack of students (Outschool requires a minimum of three), don’t forget that my Facebook group is a wonderful place to find like-minded parents who can join in with you!
*The links below are affiliate links—meaning that I receive credits for future Outschool classes for any purchases made through them (at no additional cost to you). For my full disclosure policy, click here.
Outschool Classes for Homeschool Spanish Students (Non-Native Speakers)
These are classes that are available for children learning Spanish, from absolute beginners to advanced learners. They’re arranged by age, so if you have an older student, scroll on down!
Spanish Puppets in Outer Space
Ages: 4-6 yo
Language: Spanish and English
Description: In this playful class hosted by the very popular teacher, Mrs. A., puppets introduce budding astronauts to Spanish vocabulary about the solar system.
Spanish Puppets on the Farm
Ages: 4-5 yo
Language: Spanish and English
Description: Another class offered by Mrs. A, this one focuses on teaching children farm animal vocabulary in Spanish, with puppets!
Ocean Animals in Spanish
Ages: 5-8 yo
Language: Spanish and English
Description: For the budding marine biologist, this class is great! Students learn the names of marine animals in Spanish (no prior exposure needed) through songs, games, and visual vocabulary exercises.
Minecraft Conversation in Spanish
Ages: 7-12 yo
Language: Spanish (conversational)
Description: This class is designed to help reluctant Spanish speakers build their conversation skills while discussing their favorite obsession—Minecraft! What a great way to motivate kids to speak!
Among Us in Spanish (Safe Server)
Ages: 10-14 yo
Language: Spanish only (suitable for advanced or native speakers)
Description: If your child enjoys the popular game Among Us, why not add a little language practice to it? This class is designed for conversational and advanced speakers. Students play Among Us on a safe, private server monitored by the teacher, Miss Mariel, who leads conversation in Spanish. Who is the impostor? Who should be voted off? Students will use Spanish to practice these phrases and more during their game.
Werewolf Murder Mystery in Spanish
Ages: 9-13 yo
Language: Spanish only (suitable for advanced or native speakers)
Description: When I was a kid, we called this game “Mafia,” but I guess it’s called “Werewolf” now. In this murder mystery class, each student is assigned a role. The appointed “werewolf” tries to “eat” the other students without being found out….but only time will tell if he’s tricked them all! Miss Mariel, the teacher of this class, focuses on encouraging a lot of conversation among students as they work together to identify the monster in their midst.
Outschool Classes for Bilingual Homeschool Students (Native Speakers)
These are the classes that we have personally taken and recommend.
Club LEGO Junior
Ages: 4-6 yo
Language: Spanish (with some English accommodation for non-native speakers)
Description: In this class, children practice the alphabet in Spanish while building with LEGO. The teacher, Miss Yenny, chooses a letter for the day, has students brainstorm things that they could build that start with that letter (A for avión, for example) and then sets them off to start creating! Yenny is bubbly and engaging, and she does a great job getting even younger students to participate in the class conversation. At the end of the session, students do a show-and-tell of what they’ve made, helping them develop presentation and public speaking skills.
Club LEGO
Ages: 7-9 yo
Language: Spanish (with some English accommodation for non-native speakers)
Description: This is a slightly faster-paced class for older students, with the same basic model as Miss Yenny’s other LEGO club (above).
World History with LEGO
Ages: 8+ yo (possible exceptions for younger students—just message the teacher)
Language: Spanish (no English)
Description: This creative class is a wonderful hands-on experience for any Spanish-speaking elementary school students who are interested in ancient history. It is four weeks long and each week focuses on a different civilization: Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt and Imperial Japan. Students study pictures of ancient architecture and then choose a building to construct while Miss Cindy, the teacher, offers a brief lesson on the civilization of the week. This isn’t a class that requires a lot of participation, although the teacher did make an effort to engage each child. Personally, I was impressed with the depth of her lectures (and they are lectures—so best for kids who are good listeners). Even though we’ve done a lot of reading on each of these civilizations, my son walked away with new information.
Are you looking for Spanish homeschool classes on another subject? Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to help you find one!
