A Magical Garden opened its doors in September of 2002. Offering a uniquely different approach to learning, this suburban Boca Raton Mommy and Me Center introduces foreign languages to children as young as 6 months old through music, crafts and lessons.

"The concept came from my knowledge of other languages and traveling abroad as a child, seeing a world far removed from the United States," says Marisa Poliafito-Ungerman, founder and owner of A Magical Garden. "Foreign language makes a more socially conscious individual and a more rounded and culturally tolerant person."

According to Poliafito-Ungerman, there are a myriad of studies that attest to the fact that children who are exposed to other languages early in life have stronger thinking skills, test better and can logically assess what is presented to them.

An Indoor Garden
The creative way in which the center is designed is second to none. Poliafito-Ungerman worked with a local artist to create colorful, three-dimensional scenes from children's literature and popular culture. With great attention given to detail, the scenes were created to be touched and played with by the children.

The play and learning area is designed to emulate a garden that a child might see in the Land of Oz, complete with a replica of the Emerald City and Toto. "Children learn best in a setting where it's not just a classroom," says Poliafito-Ungerman. "Your brain is just like a sponge at this age."

A Magical Garden, which is targeted to children up to 4 years old, boasts a blue lake sand box, a fun-filled adventure tree and countless other stimulating toys for play and learning. The inspiration for the garden idea for the center came from Poliafito-Ungerman's own experience with her oldest child who was not able to be outdoors when she was a child. "In my heart I envisioned a garden for her to play and be safe in," she says.

Stacey Jaffy from Boca Raton, Fla., has been taking her daughter to A Magical Garden since its inception. "She loves playing in the colorful, intriguing play area that has both stimulating and hand-eye coordination type toys," she says. "The owners have done a terrific job making the play area look like a forest with fake trees in the middle of the floor and the mural on the walls."

Parental Involvement
A Magical Garden is the only center of its kind in the entire country. A Magical Garden involves parents and caregivers in the programs they offer, making it more fun for the children and allowing parents the opportunity to share their new language skills with their child. "If you can get the parent involved in the learning process of a child, the child learns better," says Poliafito-Ungerman. She believes that language is extremely important in a child's development.

"A Magical Garden caters to both the caregiver and the child, as both are experiencing the magic of other cultures and learning the language as well," she says. "Every month our cover words evolve. For instance, in September we learned about the human body, sense and emotions."

Committed to teaching language through interactive play and learning, there are several options available at A Magical Garden. There are classes in Spanish, Italian and French for all ages. In the area that resembles more of a traditional classroom, but with whimsical features, children learn language through flash cards, songs, rhymes and more.

The one-hour classes include both a playtime and a learning time. "After playtime comes class," says Poliatito-Ungerman. "Our classroom is a creative center where your child can paint, mold clay, work puzzles, build blocks, imagine through dramatic play and much more."

The small class size makes the experience more rewarding for both the parent and the child, as it allows for the use of age-appropriate learning. Poliafito-Ungerman feels that the center is of great interest to parents who have more intellectual drive for their children. "Our parents take the position that they are conduits for their children in experiencing what the world can offer them and therefore driven by a simple concept," she says. "Give your child the tools, and they shall achieve. What better way to learn than through play."

Patricia Goodspeed, a mom from Boynton Beach, Fla., brings her 20-month-old daughter to the center once a week. "In addition to playing, doing crafts, singing and dancing with others, there's an emphasis on the introduction of a foreign language within each activity," she says. "It's a great way to instill social skills in your children in a controlled environment and also offers an added dimension of language introduction while the children are experiencing most of their linguistic development. I'm also learning some Spanish vocabulary and pronunciation."

Another mother, Debbie Reilly from Boca Raton, Fla., is enjoying the Spanish class that her 2-year-old daughter Lindsey attends once a week at A Magical Garden. "I am impressed with the atmosphere," she says. "I know it will open up a lot of job opportunities for her."

Reilly says her daughter is now understanding that there is more than one word for some of the things she is learning about – one in Spanish and another in English. "I think she will definitely get it," Reilly says, "I'm learning Spanish, too. That's another reason I picked Spanish, for myself."

Jaffy's 21-month-old daughter has shown a keen interest in the teachers and has picked up several words in her Spanish class, already. "The teachers say it's a subliminal type of learning process, and the children will pick up the language over time," she says. "As long as my daughter is showing interest, I will continue with these classes. It's unique because there is no program like the Magical Garden in the Boca Raton, Florida area. Children seem to learn a second language in our school system when they are older, and it's too late because it's more difficult to pick up."

The children who attend the classes at A Magical Garden will have the advantage of gaining a basic understanding of different languages. It will give them a jumpstart in the education arena where they will have a foothold on basic communication in different languages to help them as they enter elementary programs.

Let's Get Personal
"I found it pleasantly surprising that the staff gets to know you and your kids personally and develops a supportive friendship with you and your children," says Goodspeed. "When it comes to preschool activities, you either need to know other mothers who have children or join some sort of play group to get this type of social exposure for your child. In an area of the country that I consider to have a reserved, city-like mentality and where it just plain takes longer to establish friendships with other mothers, this is a nice solution."

Poliafito-Ungerman, a former high school teacher, says she had been thinking for years about creating a fun place where children could learn about other cultures. A Magical Garden is just that kind of place. From the moment you walk into the center, you are transported to a new dimension where children can learn through creativity and play.

To learn more about this innovative program, visit the center's Web site at www.amagicalgarden.com.

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