Lindsay is participating in a Spanish immersion summer camp, called Isla de Fiesta, for children ages 6 to 12. The camp takes place at Lexington Elementary School for four one-week sessions, allowing students to experience another language and culture that isn't part of their normal school curriculum.

Isla de Fiesta is sponsored jointly by the Los Gatos­Saratoga Community Education and Recreation Department and The Atheneum Center, a nonprofit community organization offering enrichment programs for children and adults. Another form of the Spanish program is offered during the regular academic year in the Los Gatos Union School District, for one hour after school Monday through Thursday. Half of that hour is spent receiving homework help, while the other half is spent learning Spanish in small, intimate classes. The program is so popular that there are only openings left in the after-school Spanish program for kindergartners at Blossom Hill.

Alicia Barton, one of the co-directors of the program, said the children learn Spanish from teachers who are native speakers.

Barton said the summer program isn't about translation; rather, it's repetitive learning at a slow and fun pace. By the time the summer ends and the students head back to school, they will have participated in Spanish games such as decorating and then hitting piñatas, learning Spanish songs, reading Spanish stories and crafting memory books, or libros.

"The commitment to learning a second language is like learning to read," said Trixi Menhardt, the other co-director of the program.

Katie Gentile, 10, of Los Gatos, who attends Waldorf School of the Peninsula in Los Altos, and Michelle Cummins, 10, of Monte Sereno, who attends Foothill Elementary School in Saratoga, are both enrolled in the summer program. Katie said she enjoys learning Spanish because she wants to move to Mexico when she gets older to be an archaeologist, while Michelle thinks Spanish will be useful since she wants to become a doctor.

"I know a lot of sentences," Katie said. "But I'm not as good at putting them together."

The girls said they liked making flour and egg tortillas during class one day, learning the names of all the ingredients in Spanish as they cooked.

"They're not being controlled in a room where they have to be quiet," Barton said. "This is really a unique opportunity for them, where they get to play sports in Spanish and cook in Spanish."

The full-immersion program includes everything from drama and athletics to cooking, simplified art projects and camp-like activities. Each week follows a theme, such as parts of the body, shapes or animals. The children walk away from the program with an improved Spanish vocabulary ranging from colors and numbers to fruits and vegetables.

For more information about the program, visit www.theatheneum.org.