“La Ronda, la ronda, la ronda de los amigos,
La ronda, la ronda, la ronda me gusta a mí…”
La Ronda is Spanish for “circle time”. The term is usually used when people hold hands to form a circle while singing songs, dancing and playing games. At La Ronda we do this in nature and in Spanish.
Spanish is the language we mainly use as we go, do and play, providing meaningful and genuine situations for children to use it.
Children and nature are meant to be together. Children thrive in constant interaction with the elements and their appreciation for nature grows naturally. Children also thrive in community. Their innate need for communication helps them to embrace new ways of human expression and other cultures and languages. La Ronda provides a little window to see a bigger world in a nurturing way.
La Ronda was born in 2020 as an outdoor alternative to remote learning. Since then, our programs have been modeled to build in flexibility to adapt to the changing family needs and situations.
Learn more about our journey.
My daughter grew up being a bilingual child and she had been very fluent since she started to talk. As a matter of fact, she talked Spanish before English. Then things changed when she started to go to school and had a more social life. Although I have family close by who speak only Spanish with her, it was very difficult to keep her fluent with it. In a community where English is the only language you hear, it has been a real challenge to get her engaged.
Then, COVID hit, and came a chance to homeschool her. Pre-pandemic, I was an elementary school teacher and a Spanish teacher for many years but never a lead kindergarten teacher, yet my path was clear to me. That school year 2020–2021, I ended up homeschooling three (5 year-old) girls in my own house, mainly outdoors. This program is called La Rondita and it means “small circle time.” On that year, we got our labrador who, given the circumstances, grew up being surrounded by little children and easily became part of the outdoor crew joining us in our excursions into the forest.
This is how I started to teach Spanish immersion in early childhood and I have not stopped since then. When I went back to teach as an outdoor kindergarten assistant, I continued being the Spanish immersion teacher. Then, I could witness that after a year being together with my little students, I could communicate in Spanish with them, especially in the use of the daily commands and routines. The constant practice and the use of the language in meaningful and real-life experiences is the key!
—Mabi Fernandes
Every season is the best season for kids to experience nature while doing projects, having fun and learning a new language—Spanish.
Wildlife awakes and roaming around the forest is a thrilling adventure in itself. The garden also wakes up and the projects around it beggin!
Summer months offer long hours for community-building and a lot of fun in the sun! We become even more adventurous and explore our local parks, beaches and farms.
The forest musty aroma invites shelter-building projects and leaves collection. Our harvest season is at its peak and then we get the garden ready for its winter bedtime.
The rain offers countless puddles and ponds in unimaginable places; the wind plays with our leaf kites and the cold is the perfect excuse to start a campfire and enjoy “chocolate caliente”!
Outdoors and environmental education is the pillar of our programs. Children need nature and nature needs them. Our goal is to provide plenty of outdoor time enjoying the woods, sandpit area and garden. We also extend explorations to other parts of the island such as beaches, local farms and parks. Being in contact with nature and witnessing its changes, helps children develop a reverence for the environment and wildlife. They are more aware of the diversity and the intricate weblife. They also learn where their food comes from as they do seasonal chores around the garden “Jardín de los niños” and make compost with the leftovers from snacktime.
We use natural materials such as wool, cotton, silk, beeswax for modeling, beeswax crayons, wood, non-toxic and high-quality paint for watercolor. I have learned over the time that the experience that natural material provides to the senses ignites the sensorial memory and helps children to connect learning moments with the object itself in a more significant way. Another plus is that they are biodegradable! We reduce, reuse and recycle our materials to the best of our abilities.
Currently, we have four offerings. We are constantly adapting our services to better address families and their needs.
We play, sing, dance, explore the forest and cultivate a garden while learning Spanish. Our daily routine varies with the seasons and offers multiple opportunities to get immersed in the Spanish language and culture in a nurturing way. Our flexible enrollment plans and comprehensive tuition system is some of the highlights of this program. School year: 2025-2026. View details.
Sept 4 – Jun 18
Sept 4 – Dec 18
Jan 12 – Mar 19
Mar 23 - Jun 18
Whether you want to keep up with your Spanish or learn it from scratch, we offer multiple immersive opportunities to learn it in a fun way. We explore in the forest, play musical instruments, bake bread in an outdoor fire, grow our own fruit and vegetables, and eat them in the garden. All while learning Spanish! We also have seasonal projects which mix arts, crafts, science, history and nature sciences with learning. These create opportunities to practice conversation, reading and writing. View details.
Thursdays, 3:15 - 5:15 pm.
A 100% outdoor Summer Spanish Camp: Join us for an immersion experience in Spanish while having fun in nature visiting different local parks and beaches. We will play games, go on hikes, and explore, sing songs, dance, have a story time and do arts and crafts. Do not worry if you do not speak Spanish at all, you will learn it just by playing with us! View details.
Once a month we have playdates to meet and greet in Spanish and learn more about La Ronda. It's a great way to experience the program and meet the teachers. Email us if you'd like to attend a play date. View details.
We are inspired by Waldorf Education and The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB Curriculum).
The Waldorf curriculum is based on the phases of child development in which childhood is honored and respected. Thus, the curriculum is flexible to meet the children's needs and kindle their curiosity in the appropriate way, at the right time. We use age-appropriate materials and activities that inspire the mind, heart, and soul of the children. We work with rhythms which helps to create a sense of understanding of boundaries and of discipline. Learn more about Waldorf.
The primary years program in the IB Curriculum is an inquiry-based and transdisciplinary approach in which the students work from big ideas towards the small ones, basically using deductive reasoning. Most of the ideas are worked around meaningful projects. Learn about the IB Curriculum.
Every season is a celebration of nature, and we celebrate these changes with festivals. Harvest & Courage Festival "Festival del Coraje", Family Cultural Heritage Festival "El Festival de la Cultura Familiar", Christmas Spanish Caroling night "Noche de Villancicos" and Summer Festival “El Festival del Verano” are some examples. Families and friends from all the programs are invited to these festivals which provide a great opportunity to meet and celebrate together while experiencing Hispanic culture and language. You will receive the invitations to these events in our weekly newsletter.
Nestled in the heart of Bainbridge Island, our location is surrounded by the best that the pacific northwest has to offer.
Watching the tides change, observing the marine ecosystem, digging in the sand and splashing in the water are some activities that trigger children’s senses during our exploration time. Learn more
A beautiful place to enjoy the colors in the fall, walk along the duck’s pond, try to catch some fish with our handmade fishing sticks and relax in our hammocks. Learn more
This place provides nice trails with different levels of difficulty for our young hikers. Along our walks and if we are lucky we may hear the sounds of nature: sea lions, bold eagles and the wind brushing the treetops. Learn more
What a perfect spot to improve our building skills using so many logs. Besides the beautiful and endless shore, this area is perfect to explore during low tides. Learn more
My name is Mabí Gutarra Fernandes. I am from Lima- Peru and I moved to the US in 2013. I live with my husband, our daughter and our dog. I have a major degree in education from San Ignacio de Loyola University – Peru and a Master’s Degree in Education for Sustainable Development from Griffith University – Australia. I also hold a Washington State Teaching Certificate. I have been teaching since 2003 working in Peru, Australia, and the US with children of ages: 0 – 14. During my career, I have worked in IB programs, Waldorf education and classical education. In my previous lives, I have volunteered for the education department at Islandwood, Bainbrdige Island as well as worked as a park ranger in Paracas National Reserve, Peru.
What I love about my job is to be able to witness how children thrive in contact with nature and in community. La Ronda is a space to create community and bring awareness to our children that there is a bigger world out there, with different people, culture and ways of experiencing life. In my classes I include living arts, plastic arts, imaginative-free play, music, movement, and storytime.
My name is Francys Casamayor Melendez, and I am from Barquisimeto, Venezuela. I moved to the USA in 2018 and now live on Bainbridge Island with my husband and our twin children.
I hold a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado in Venezuela. I have a deep passion for baking and pastry, and I am an animal lover—especially dogs and cats.
Since moving to Bainbridge Island in 2022, I have discovered a newfound love for education and teaching children. Contributing to their learning has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I enjoy seeing how children explore nature and how it fosters their personal and educational development. I also value the beauty of multilingual interactions and the impact they have on a child's growth.
