Hello, great video and I love your calm, clear method of communicating! We are homeschoolers touring the Nicoya penin for a couple of months this year. Your description of the teenage CR boys interacting comfortably with babies reminds me of many homeschoolers as well- lots of love and freedom makes happy connected humans of all ages! Can you tell me if there are any private small bilingual waldorf-y middle or high schools you know of? Or... after Waldorf, where might you send your kids? Can you recommend a rural ish beach town we might settle for Spanish immersion classes? Thanks!!!
Thank you very much for watching and for the great comment and questions! We do not have a set plan for after my kids leave Waldorf. Given they are in kindergarten and first grade there, we have 4-5 years before we have to address the question. Personally, I'm hoping that our school expands to junior high and high school, and that I don't have to find an alternative. If we do though, there are two schools I've heard of that really attract me for the next step. One has to be Journey, where I've heard spectacular things about the director (and had some personal interaction). They have a project-based approach. Second would be La Paz; I interacted with groups there for a long time as a non-profit director, and I very much liked that they focus on asking kids questions, forcing them to work together as a team and not just staying in a classroom. That was a while ago though! There are other schools for which others have given great feedback; those are just the top two that at the moment I think would be the best follow up for our kids leaving Waldorf & moving to higher grades.
I really enjoyed your well informative videos, and this, raising a family in Costa Rica. Your family is beautiful, and your kids are lovely! Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the information. We both me and my husband speak 4 languages, and now we live in USA as well 5 years in Florida where our kids awarded to learn Spanish i tried and its very hard for me ...but its doible. We think moving down there in Costa Rica but still so many concerns... education is very important to us. Will be nice to stay in touch with you!
thanks for your video Matt really informative.... we are thinking of relocating to Costa Rica from the UK with a 10yr old girl and 8yr old boy.... would you have any additional advise for with older (younger) kids?
Hi Kirsty and thanks so much for watching, I appreciate it! My main advice from this video is really what I think is the most important dynamic --- will older kids actually love relocating from the UK to Costa Rica? Have they lived in other places before and are they generally adaptable to a wildly new surrounding? If they have only lived in the UK their entire lives, it might a rough transition. I might suggest renting for a year or two first to make sure they fall in love (or don't!) before you've invested your nest egg. One key factor will be to focus on finding a place where they can have access to other kids, if and when you do decide this is the right place, and figuring out how to plug them into a social scene. Schools are the easiest way, and in general you will need to focus on an expat hub where they'll have opportunities to meet lots of international kids. If they aren't fluent in Spanish - and accustomed to how Costa Rican kids are - then their best bets for making friends early on will inevitably be expat families.
I have really enjoyed your video on raising a family in c.rica . Very informative Matt . Keep producing these great videos on due dilegence on moving to c.r. as a north American typical life up north . Dave from Vancouver bc.
Great Job! Thank you for the information. My two kids are 11 & 13 now, I hope they get to experience some of this amazing country. Maybe your next topic could be how to convince your significant other to move to Costa Rica ;-)
Hi Matt We are planning to move in CR with our 3 kids as well in a couple years (max) I would like to get in touch with you in a near future Thanks a lot for your professional video From a ‘French’ family ;) Alberta Canada
Thank you Matt and hello from the Midwest. We are in your neighboring state. We are looking to move to either Costa Rica or Panama in the next couple years. I was hoping to visit this fall but it looks like that won't happen. In another one of your videos, it looks like CR may opens up next month. I have visited JS and Jaco in more touristy areas and didn't like it. I want to check out the peninsula since I have heard it is a different vibe. Could you do a video discussing more of the schools in the area? We started home schooling this year with the pandemic. I have head that even the public schools are good in the major areas. I am interested also in how their college preparation is in the schools. For us, we have a 3 & 6 yo. My wife is from south america so the kids are being raised bilingual.
Hey Jeff, hope things are well in the Midwest! Would be happy to discuss schools more though my experience is limited to just one year of my son’s kindergarten at the Waldorf school near us. There is definitely a different vibe than Jaco in our area!!
@@CostaRicaMatt My wife is a fan of Waldorf so any honest opinions would be appreciated. I have only seen a handful of private schools on the Azuero so I am not sure if they are only a few or just not marketed well enough for me to find them. On your point of vibe, maybe you can do a video discussing the different areas and their vibes. Me personally I would like some expats but not all expats. Also not overly tourist, more family oriented.
Will try to do this soon. Are happy that there is a Waldorf inspired school near us and it has been a unique opportunity for our oldest. Like every school they have had big changes lately and it might be best to make it a private video since I am not a spokesperson for the school. Maybe an interview?
@@CostaRicaMatt Thank you. I understand with Covid, a lot of school are having problems there. It would be nice to hear your insight but the reality is it may change.
Great video! "Magical language acquisition" is indeed a myth. If their school isn't bilingual, their Spanish probably won't be as good as they want it to be.
I absolutely agree, every year I see kids struggle to acquire a new language with parents optimistically hoping it will be seamless. Some are ready to handle their child's frustration for sure, and if they are younger it can be easier for them to find a creative way to communicate.
I need to cover this soon! You can see schools in the $8-12k range, after all costs, where tuition might be $6-8k and the rest either enrolment fees, lunch etc. It can be one of the biggest costs of living if you are a parent here.
Thank you for watching! I live just outside of Playa Junquillal, about 30 minutes south of Tamarindo. Our 5-year-old started at the Guanacaste Waldorf School last year - he loves it. We feel it's extremely congruent with the kind of life we want our kids to live, but at the same time, we can see we will end up supplementing the "academic side" a bit because Waldorf is VERY focused on skills other than reading/writing early on.
@@CostaRicaMatt There's a reason waldorf schools do this, it's more developmentally appropriate and the way many successful european countries do it. Trust the process, unless they are children who struggle with reading they will. It will come. The play develops the capacities for them to be able to. Play is powerful for learning
Here is my Facebook Sean! -- facebook.com/CostaRicaMatt In CR the primary asset you bring to advise clients on their purchase is your knowledge of the market, the laws, the pros and cons for any particular property and neighborhood. I'm afraid U.S. real estate experience doesn't translate well, you need to live/work here. Also, you have to be a permanent resident to legally work here.
![[Re:all TREASURE] EP.6 in 방콕ㅣ🚩 쩡캠의 방콕 투어 빵 마이 와이 👍](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uyFw-nItA_s/mqdefault.jpg)
Hello, great video and I love your calm, clear method of communicating! We are homeschoolers touring the Nicoya penin for a couple of months this year. Your description of the teenage CR boys interacting comfortably with babies reminds me of many homeschoolers as well- lots of love and freedom makes happy connected humans of all ages! Can you tell me if there are any private small bilingual waldorf-y middle or high schools you know of? Or... after Waldorf, where might you send your kids? Can you recommend a rural ish beach town we might settle for Spanish immersion classes? Thanks!!!
Thank you very much for watching and for the great comment and questions! We do not have a set plan for after my kids leave Waldorf. Given they are in kindergarten and first grade there, we have 4-5 years before we have to address the question.
Personally, I'm hoping that our school expands to junior high and high school, and that I don't have to find an alternative.
If we do though, there are two schools I've heard of that really attract me for the next step. One has to be Journey, where I've heard spectacular things about the director (and had some personal interaction). They have a project-based approach.
Second would be La Paz; I interacted with groups there for a long time as a non-profit director, and I very much liked that they focus on asking kids questions, forcing them to work together as a team and not just staying in a classroom. That was a while ago though!
There are other schools for which others have given great feedback; those are just the top two that at the moment I think would be the best follow up for our kids leaving Waldorf & moving to higher grades.
I really enjoyed your well informative videos, and this, raising a family in Costa Rica. Your family is beautiful, and your kids are lovely! Keep up the good work!
I appreciate the perspective. My kids are grown, but it is always good to hear about the children as they are the future.
By the way, congrats on raising kids. Who knew this would take so much effort....
My first semester of college was in Indiana. It was a shock.
This made be burst out laughing - thank you. Don’t get me wrong, I love where I grew up. But Indiana can definitely be shocking for outsiders!!!
Costa Rica Matt it was in Vincennes. Not many fond memories but in fairness it was a bad period in my life.
Thank you for the information. We both me and my husband speak 4 languages, and now we live in USA as well 5 years in Florida where our kids awarded to learn Spanish i tried and its very hard for me ...but its doible. We think moving down there in Costa Rica but still so many concerns... education is very important to us. Will be nice to stay in touch with you!
Thanks for sharing and my apologies for the delay in responding! I will soon be doing a video (or several) on schools in our area; stay tuned!
thanks for your video Matt really informative.... we are thinking of relocating to Costa Rica from the UK with a 10yr old girl and 8yr old boy.... would you have any additional advise for with older (younger)
kids?
Hi Kirsty and thanks so much for watching, I appreciate it! My main advice from this video is really what I think is the most important dynamic --- will older kids actually love relocating from the UK to Costa Rica? Have they lived in other places before and are they generally adaptable to a wildly new surrounding?
If they have only lived in the UK their entire lives, it might a rough transition. I might suggest renting for a year or two first to make sure they fall in love (or don't!) before you've invested your nest egg.
One key factor will be to focus on finding a place where they can have access to other kids, if and when you do decide this is the right place, and figuring out how to plug them into a social scene. Schools are the easiest way, and in general you will need to focus on an expat hub where they'll have opportunities to meet lots of international kids. If they aren't fluent in Spanish - and accustomed to how Costa Rican kids are - then their best bets for making friends early on will inevitably be expat families.
I have really enjoyed your video on raising a family in c.rica . Very informative Matt . Keep producing these great videos on due dilegence on moving to c.r. as a north American typical life up north . Dave from Vancouver bc.
Thank you! Will do! I appreciate the positive feedback and you watching.
Thanks Matt for your reply about private school costs . Dave in Vancouver bc Canada
Great Job! Thank you for the information. My two kids are 11 & 13 now, I hope they get to experience some of this amazing country. Maybe your next topic could be how to convince your significant other to move to Costa Rica ;-)
Thanks Andrew! The only tip for getting your significant other to move down: visit, have a great time, repeat... hope that they fall in love too!
Thanks for this great video. I like the way you speak. Very peaceful and informative.
Thank you very much for such positive feedback and for watching!
Hi Matt
We are planning to move in CR with our 3 kids as well in a couple years (max)
I would like to get in touch with you in a near future
Thanks a lot for your professional video
From a ‘French’ family ;)
Alberta Canada
Bonne chance :)
Great video Matt
Thanks, glad you like it!
Thanks for the video! How often do you find you go back to the states to visit family and friends?
Unfortunately we're only back there once per year, sometimes two at a maximum!
Thank you Matt and hello from the Midwest. We are in your neighboring state. We are looking to move to either Costa Rica or Panama in the next couple years. I was hoping to visit this fall but it looks like that won't happen. In another one of your videos, it looks like CR may opens up next month. I have visited JS and Jaco in more touristy areas and didn't like it. I want to check out the peninsula since I have heard it is a different vibe. Could you do a video discussing more of the schools in the area? We started home schooling this year with the pandemic. I have head that even the public schools are good in the major areas. I am interested also in how their college preparation is in the schools. For us, we have a 3 & 6 yo. My wife is from south america so the kids are being raised bilingual.
Hey Jeff, hope things are well in the Midwest! Would be happy to discuss schools more though my experience is limited to just one year of my son’s kindergarten at the Waldorf school near us. There is definitely a different vibe than Jaco in our area!!
@@CostaRicaMatt My wife is a fan of Waldorf so any honest opinions would be appreciated. I have only seen a handful of private schools on the Azuero so I am not sure if they are only a few or just not marketed well enough for me to find them. On your point of vibe, maybe you can do a video discussing the different areas and their vibes. Me personally I would like some expats but not all expats. Also not overly tourist, more family oriented.
Will try to do this soon. Are happy that there is a Waldorf inspired school near us and it has been a unique opportunity for our oldest. Like every school they have had big changes lately and it might be best to make it a private video since I am not a spokesperson for the school. Maybe an interview?
@@CostaRicaMatt Thank you. I understand with Covid, a lot of school are having problems there. It would be nice to hear your insight but the reality is it may change.
Great video! "Magical language acquisition" is indeed a myth. If their school isn't bilingual, their Spanish probably won't be as good as they want it to be.
I absolutely agree, every year I see kids struggle to acquire a new language with parents optimistically hoping it will be seamless. Some are ready to handle their child's frustration for sure, and if they are younger it can be easier for them to find a creative way to communicate.
What has your experience (if any) been as far vaccinated vs unvaccinated children? Do private schools accept medical exemptions?
In my experience, private schools are not asking for any kind of vaccination proof whatsoever.
@@CostaRicaMatt Thank you
Hola saludos desde San Ramón de Alajuela costa Rica,como les va en su estadía en nuestro país?🙌🇨🇷☔
GREAT VIDEO!!!!
Thanks very much Brandon!
Just curious how much is private school per yr /per child. In Canada it's about $20,000 a year. Each child.
I need to cover this soon! You can see schools in the $8-12k range, after all costs, where tuition might be $6-8k and the rest either enrolment fees, lunch etc. It can be one of the biggest costs of living if you are a parent here.
Thanks Matt, do you mind sharing what town you live in and what school you chose?
Thank you for watching! I live just outside of Playa Junquillal, about 30 minutes south of Tamarindo. Our 5-year-old started at the Guanacaste Waldorf School last year - he loves it. We feel it's extremely congruent with the kind of life we want our kids to live, but at the same time, we can see we will end up supplementing the "academic side" a bit because Waldorf is VERY focused on skills other than reading/writing early on.
@@CostaRicaMatt There's a reason waldorf schools do this, it's more developmentally appropriate and the way many successful european countries do it. Trust the process, unless they are children who struggle with reading they will. It will come. The play develops the capacities for them to be able to. Play is powerful for learning
Mind mentioning a range for private schools
Not at all! The private schools in our area are generally $6-9,000 per year per student, more or less.
@@CostaRicaMatt Thanks.
Of course! Thank you for watching.
Do you have Instagram or Facebook. We are considering moving down there. I also sell real estate in the states. How well does that translate to CR?
Here is my Facebook Sean! -- facebook.com/CostaRicaMatt
In CR the primary asset you bring to advise clients on their purchase is your knowledge of the market, the laws, the pros and cons for any particular property and neighborhood. I'm afraid U.S. real estate experience doesn't translate well, you need to live/work here. Also, you have to be a permanent resident to legally work here.