Organizers of the Children's Language Academy at Humboldt State University say it's a joyful and non-intimidating way of introducing children ages 8 to 10 to French, German, Japanese and Spanish. Introduced last fall and sponsored by the university's Office of Extended Education and Department of Modern Languages, the academy gives up to 50 youngsters a chance to reach across linguistic and cultural boundaries in a fun-filled environment. A one-hour orientation for parents will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. l0, in Room 150 of the University Annex, at 14th and B streets in Arcata. By the end of the seven 90-minute sessions, she expects the youngsters to know how to communicate common greetings, colors, numbers and the like in a second language and be motivated to learn more. The academy plans to add more age levels and more languages, such as Chinese and Portuguese, in the near future, said LaBahn.
Some partial scholarships are available.
For details, call 826-3731. The instructors are Humboldt State faculty, language instructors from local schools and advanced Humboldt State students who served previously as teaching assistants.