What if your town spoke Basque?

A true how-it-works story for kids 6-8.

Watercolor illustration for A Preschool That Speaks Basque

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Kaixo! Can you say that? Kai-show! That means hello in Basque. Not far from here, there's a preschool where little kids learn everything in Basque.

Colors, counting, songs, all of it! Basque comes from a small, mountain-y place between Spain and France, way across the ocean. People think it's one of the oldest languages in Europe, and it isn't related to any language near it. It's like a puzzle piece that doesn't match any other puzzle in the box! Imagine asking for more crackers in Basque, and your grown-up just blinks at you.

The school is called an ikastola, which means a Basque school. Families started it so kids here could keep the Basque language alive. Only a few schools outside the Basque Country do this! The kids even learn Basque dances. Okay, everybody in the car, one more time, loud and proud: Kaixo!

Quiz the back seat

What does the Basque word Kaixo mean?

Show the answer

Hello. Hello! And if you want to say thank you in Basque, you say eskerrik asko.

3 fun facts

Boiseko Ikastola is a Basque-language immersion preschool in Boise, Idaho, where all subjects are taught in Basque.
It was started in 1998 by a group of families and is one of the few schools outside the Basque Country teaching Basque.
Since 2015 it has been in a brick house on Broadway Avenue bought by the Basque Museum and Cultural Center.

Questions kids ask

What language do kids speak at Boiseko Ikastola?: All the lessons are taught in Basque, a language from a small region between Spain and France.
Who started Boiseko Ikastola?: A group of families started the school so kids in Boise could keep the Basque language alive.
How do you say hello in Basque?: You say kaixo, which sounds like kai-show.
Are there many schools like this outside the Basque Country?: No, it is one of only a few schools outside the Basque Country that teach in Basque.

For grown-ups

Written with AI from public sources, then checked claim by claim against the sources below before it was published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.