On May 18, the European School Bergen is hosting their annual “Euromarkt”. For those of you lucky enough to live within reach, it will be a day spent in multilingual activity and enjoyment. The school parents’ committee hosts the event, and different country groups provide entertainment, food and fun. There will be a multilingual book market (great place to pick up some affordable books in other languages!), a flea market (multilingual fleas?), as well as a wide variety of games and activities for all ages of kids and kids-at-heart. Entry is free, everything else is pay-as-you-go. Details can be found here: Euromarkt

I had the pleasure of visiting ESB recently, as they will be partnering with CEC for the 2014 DRONGO Festival of Multilingualism in Amsterdam. Although my children also attend a European school, it is a new school and not fully up and running. The opportunity to visit a “full-fledged” European school and visit all the age levels, from nursery through secondary school, was a great visual and aural reminder for me of how multilingualism in schools can be not only achieved but also nurtured and celebrated. For more information, visit the school website: European School Bergen

For any parents in the Bergen/Amsterdam area who might be considering a multilingual school for their children, you can visit the school and chat with one of the staff or heads during the Euromarkt, and get a feel for what the school is like for kids and parents alike. For those raising children speaking other (mainly European) languages, it is also a great opportunity to show your children a community of practice, where other parents and children use their language, and within a school environment. This, in itself, it an invaluable opportunity for minority language speaking families.