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As summer begins to seem farther away and daily routine takes its place, Boiseko Ikastola is already in full swing at its new location, on Broadway Avenue, in downtown Boise, Idaho. “The first week was a little bit crazy, because most of the material was brand new and it was like Christmas for the kids,” teacher Oihana Andion told EuskalKultura.com. “Now they’re more relaxed and everything is working perfectly,” she added.

Boise, ID, USA. There are currently 20 kids attending Boiseko Ikastola, after 10 of the oldest have moved on to kindergarten and 9 new students joined the Basque pre-school, including: Hudson Burton, Sorin Carter, Deacon Everson, Henry Gandiaga, Kade Gandiaga, Brayden Petty, Margo Sword, Juliet Wigglesworth, and Jakobe Williams.

During these coming months, teachers will be using the teaching program acquired about a year ago, Nubaris, and will work in Basque mainly on topics like: “All about me” and “My family”.

Oihana Andion, one of the teachers along with Megan Otteman, told us that “the first week was a little bit crazy, because most of the material was brand new and it was like Christmas for the kids.” However, she added, “now they’re more relaxed and everything is working perfectly.” And not just for the kids −whose favorite activities are Mathematics –“it’s a very physical area,” explains the Navarrese teacher−, the hearing center, and the Hugglepod, a sort of hanging house in the patio−, but also for the educators: “Since the classes are opened, now we have more contact with the kids than before, and they can also move from one area to another more easily.” Andion also pointed out that one of her favorite places is an empty closet where they put a mattress for the kids to relax, while they listen to stories read by their teachers.

Plans for autumn

The Ikastola always organizes fun and learning experiences for the kids, for example, the National Cheese Pizza Day, for the students to learn basic cook skills; Halloween at the Botanical Garden; a visit to Farmstead Farms; and the Pay It Forward day, when the kids send anonymous messages to each other, praising them on something that they like about them, just to make others happy.

The exact dates are yet to be determined, but these special events will probably take place between September and October.