What do we do? We learn language in small class settings. Then we practice language by cooking, dancing, singing, playing sports, hiking, and making arts and crafts. We sit by language to eat our meals and we sleep in cabins by language. In the evening we share culture from all the languages through campfires, games and special guests. The week culminates on Saturday morning with breakfast and the final class for parents and friends.
Read the FAQs under the "more" section to find out additional information about how we operate.
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Week 1 | June 4 - 10, 2017
Languages: French, Japanese & Spanish Cost: $475 | early-bird by May 1 $495 | by May 21 $525 | after May 21 |
Week 2 | June 11 - 17, 2017
Languages: German, Russian & Spanish Cost: $475 | early-bird by May 1 $495 | by May 28 $525 | after May 28 |
Who: Anyone in grades 3-8
Levels: Novice for true beginners & Novice-Mid for returning campers
Where: at Templed Hills Camp 5734 Durbin Rd, Bellville, OH 44813 (Directions here.)
Levels: Novice for true beginners & Novice-Mid for returning campers
Where: at Templed Hills Camp 5734 Durbin Rd, Bellville, OH 44813 (Directions here.)
History of Camp OFLA
Camp OFLA is 13 Years Old
Camp OFLA began in 2005 as the Ohio Foreign Language Association’s (the state’s professional
world language teacher’s organization) response to the national Discovering Languages campaign. Camp OFLA was created for elementary students in grades 3-6. It was directed by Cheryl Ames, French and gifted teacher from Middleton and the OFLA Early Language Committee chairperson, and Lori Winne, elementary German and Spanish teacher from Toledo. Camp OFLA was a one-week residential camp and campers could select Spanish, French or Japanese for the week. The evenings were multicultural and multilingual, so that campers learned and experienced more than one language throughout the week with activities such as dance, crafts, movies or PowerPoint shows, and treasure hunts. High school counselors were selected from around the state, promised to speak in their target language and often discovered they had more to learn in their everyday vocabulary in order to lead a conversation at the lunch table, walk with their campers through the woods to class, or read a story at bedtime. Campers were encouraged to use their new language all week and rewarded with Euros or yen which they could spend at the Camp OFLA store on Friday.
Changes Throughout the Years
Camp OFLA experienced a number of changes over the next ten years. Eventually, campers had more choices in languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Campers wanted to continue beyond 6th grade, so now students can enter the 3rd grade or have graduated from the 8th grade to apply. CITs (Counselor in Training) were added for 9th and 10th graders to keep them involved before they could qualify for a H.S. Counselor position. The number of applicants for H.S. Counselor has grown from a handful to over 50 per year! This past year we added a position of Assistant Teacher to give a university student experience before he/she did their student teaching.
Campers often become CITs, then H.S. counselors. They have an opportunity to communicate all year long through Facebook. Parents watch the www.campofla.org website, especially during camp week, as pictures and videos are posted daily.
Camp OFLA 2015 and Beyond
Usually, an elementary Spanish teacher doesn’t encourage their students to attend camp because the lessons are beginning Spanish. Starting in 2015, however, Camp OFLA began offering a level 2 (novice-mid). Level 2 (novice-mid) will be for those campers who have had prior language experience in Spanish, French, German, or Japanese.
OFLA continues to support Camp OFLA with scholarships for campers and stipends for H.S. counselors and teachers. The mission of OFLA is committed to world language study beginning in the primary grades, so that every learner, from early childhood through adult, acquires a high level of communicative and intercultural competence. That mission is represented very well within the week of Camp OFLA and it is a mission for world language learners of all languages.
Camp OFLA began in 2005 as the Ohio Foreign Language Association’s (the state’s professional
world language teacher’s organization) response to the national Discovering Languages campaign. Camp OFLA was created for elementary students in grades 3-6. It was directed by Cheryl Ames, French and gifted teacher from Middleton and the OFLA Early Language Committee chairperson, and Lori Winne, elementary German and Spanish teacher from Toledo. Camp OFLA was a one-week residential camp and campers could select Spanish, French or Japanese for the week. The evenings were multicultural and multilingual, so that campers learned and experienced more than one language throughout the week with activities such as dance, crafts, movies or PowerPoint shows, and treasure hunts. High school counselors were selected from around the state, promised to speak in their target language and often discovered they had more to learn in their everyday vocabulary in order to lead a conversation at the lunch table, walk with their campers through the woods to class, or read a story at bedtime. Campers were encouraged to use their new language all week and rewarded with Euros or yen which they could spend at the Camp OFLA store on Friday.
Changes Throughout the Years
Camp OFLA experienced a number of changes over the next ten years. Eventually, campers had more choices in languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Campers wanted to continue beyond 6th grade, so now students can enter the 3rd grade or have graduated from the 8th grade to apply. CITs (Counselor in Training) were added for 9th and 10th graders to keep them involved before they could qualify for a H.S. Counselor position. The number of applicants for H.S. Counselor has grown from a handful to over 50 per year! This past year we added a position of Assistant Teacher to give a university student experience before he/she did their student teaching.
Campers often become CITs, then H.S. counselors. They have an opportunity to communicate all year long through Facebook. Parents watch the www.campofla.org website, especially during camp week, as pictures and videos are posted daily.
Camp OFLA 2015 and Beyond
Usually, an elementary Spanish teacher doesn’t encourage their students to attend camp because the lessons are beginning Spanish. Starting in 2015, however, Camp OFLA began offering a level 2 (novice-mid). Level 2 (novice-mid) will be for those campers who have had prior language experience in Spanish, French, German, or Japanese.
OFLA continues to support Camp OFLA with scholarships for campers and stipends for H.S. counselors and teachers. The mission of OFLA is committed to world language study beginning in the primary grades, so that every learner, from early childhood through adult, acquires a high level of communicative and intercultural competence. That mission is represented very well within the week of Camp OFLA and it is a mission for world language learners of all languages.
