¡Hola! Soy Katrín. Welcome to our cabaña (cottage) in the forest. I live in a small rural town in the mountains of upstate New York. My husband and I have five children, who we raise bilingually and home educate in the Charlotte Mason tradition.

I am a linguist (MA in Spanish Literature, PhD in Spanish Linguistics with focus on sociolinguistics and second language acquisition) and previously a professor of Spanish language and linguistics for over a decade. While I still enjoy teaching in the classroom on occasion, I stepped away from full-time academia to focus on my family and creative work. I enjoy weaving, sewing, gardening, and writing. Here you will see how Spanish and language-learning flow into all of these areas!

What started out as a desire to share Spanish (my nonnative language) with my children, has turned out to be a gift they return to me every day. I am humbled by and grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow alongside them. They have taught me that the power of the parent-child bond is not limited by the language or combination of languages we use - our ‘family language’ is uniquely ours and forms part of our special connection.

Under the manzano is a space to share Spanish-language resources that inspire families to use and enjoy the language together: nature journal prompts, recipes, scripture, poetry, instructions for handicrafts, stories about experiences in the kitchen, farm, and woods…

The ideas behind the content found here spring out of our family’s desire to maintain and thrive in our use of a minority language in a majority-language culture.

We invite you to share in our…

….curiosity for learning how to talk about and describe (in multiple languages) the flora, fauna, and home-life of our daily experience here in New England.

… joy found in ‘making’. Creating with our hands and with our words are intrinsically meshed. There is a natural longing to talk about and share our interests in the languages we speak. 

…efforts to connect with and learn from Spanish-speaking peoples and cultures both locally and globally.

…gratitude for the abilities of speech and creativity. As a family of faith, we delight in these gifts as a reflection of the Divine in us. We can glorify our Maker by using and enjoying these good gifts - a daily love offering of thanks and praise. 

In the shop . tienda you will find materials for reinforcing your family’s use of Spanish at home. These resources include field-sketches and drawings, most of which I have made alongside my children . I hope they will encourage your family to create Spanish-language art and learning tools together as you observe your home landscapes through a Spanish-language lens.

In aprender, I share Spanish-language tutorials, stories, poems and nature observations to help you and your family foster and grow a language-learning atmosphere in your home.