About Maracas | Maracas Spanish Language Program

About Maracas MARACAS began as a grant funded pilot program developed, written, and taught by Amanda Seewald. After seeing the great demand for this program, Amanda found a home for MARACAS both within the local recreation department and as a part of the curriculum and extra curricular offerings as several private preschools and elementary schools in New Jersey.

MARACAS grew and since 2002 has served hundreds of students each year to help them see their linguistic potential. Students who learn in MARACAS classrooms come out with a love of language learning and a strong sense that learning a language is a fun adventure.

What does a MARACAS class look like?

Thematic and Content based Spanish language for children ages 3-10.
Music, interactive play, literature and crafts expose children to the sounds and rhythms of Spanish in a fun and exciting way.
Uses a multiple intelligences approach where the teacher guides students through exploratory learning and activities.

In the schools and in our after school and extra-curricular programs, each weekly themed class is between 30 and 45 minutes and includes both whole group and paired activities with a hands-on approach that encourages exploration and investigation in Spanish. The teacher uses repetition and motion to help participants become familiar and comfortable with words, phrases, and songs in authentic conversational patterns.
MARACAS is extremely flexible and can be adjusted to meet the needs of your curriculum. The program can run either once or twice weekly. The timetable and breadth of the class can be either one semester or a full school year.

To find out WHERE WE TEACH and learn more about our LOCAL CLASSES, click here.

What are people saying about MARACAS?

“I like the small group size so Sra. Amanda gets to know each child.”
- C. Dean

“My daughter enjoys Spanish because of the story books she writes in Spanish and then brings home to read to us. She also loves all the great songs. I love it when she hears a word in Spanish and can tell me what it means.”
- J. Garnhart

“The teaching method is highly stimulating and involving with songs, art, and movement, etc. –not to mention the inspiring teacher! It completely captures the child’s imagination and development level and is absolutely wonderful! “She loves the songs and integration of art/movement. She can spontaneously start singing or repeating phrases with joy! Terrific!”
- S. Laitamaki

“She always practiced the songs and dance you taught at home. It was such a a pleasure to watch her perform. She loved to read the Spanish book she made to us and she tries to teach us in the same way you teach her!

Amanda has been an exceptional teacher/guide to her. She adores her. Thank you so much. We feel that she has not only learned language, but also about life among others.”
- S.Udupi

“My daughter loved her Spanish with you and we would like to try to continue in the summer.”
- L. Milo

“Isabel used to be very shy about using her “second language”. Since she started with her Spanish classes, she has become very honored and proud of her Spanish heritage and her skills. Thank you!”
- G. Prieto

“Amanda is a natural teacher. My children are excited to attend class. They are learning to understand and respect other cultures and are made to feel special each step of the way.”
- J. Keating

“We really enjoyed the program! I felt my daughter’s introduction to the Spanish language was positive – she wants more. The teaching style allowed for a relaxed and fun environment.

MARACAS has exposed my child to both the Spanish language and geography. It is a terrific program. My daughter clearly has developed her understanding skills,even at age 4. Introducing the foods and dances layered the concepts and made learning that much more interesting. Muy bien!”
- K. Mohr

“She had so much fun and did not even realize she was learning in the process – the best way to learn. She loved the crafts and music especially.

Not only has my daughter become more aware of different cultures/countries, she educates her parents every night on something new! She has been saying “gracias”, “adios”, etc. in place of English!”
- L. Verga

“He loves to walk around the house singing his Spanish songs and we love listening to him. On several occasions we have heard him teaching his younger cousins!!

The program was excellent! My son loved coming. The projects were great!”
- C. Brown

“My girls’ experiences have been extremely valuable both in terms of learning a second language and participating in a dynamic classroom. They love the Spanish songs and sing them all the time. They also love talking with the South American man at our local gas station.

They enjoy the music and art that you incorporate in each class. They like the booklets that they make and often refer to them at home. The loose structure of the class fits well with their Montessori background.”
- L. Burke