Discovering a New Way of Learning: A Danish Family’s Journey in Costa Rica

When Maria and her family moved from Denmark to Costa Rica, they expected a change in scenery—but what they found was a whole new perspective on education.

In this post, Maria shares how the unique approach to schooling in Costa Rica has broadened their horizons, from surfing lessons and nature adventures to hands-on environmental projects. Join her as she explores how these experiences are shaping her children’s education in ways she never imagined possible.

There are so many things about my own culture that I never noticed or thought about until we moved abroad.

Take schools, for example. We are from a very small, uniform country, and choosing a school is usually not something we think a lot about. Most people just choose the nearest school. Private schools are not really a thing in Denmark. We all go to public schools, and income doesn't make a difference.

Schools in Denmark are very traditional. Students sit at their desks most of the time, and there is a lot of focus on academics and learning through books.

When we moved to Costa Rica, we arrived in an area with so many school options. I am guessing at least 25 schools within a 40-minute radius.

We then had to think about what type of school we wanted for our kids and what was important for them to learn.

Some schools here are all about academics, some are all about being outdoors and learning through experience, and some are bilingual, with instruction in both English and Spanish.

I spent all of my school years in just one country, so it's fascinating to see my children experiencing school in another country, especially one as different and exotic as Costa Rica.

We chose a local Spanish-speaking preschool for our 3-year-old. He did not speak a word of Spanish when he started. It's so cute to watch how little kids communicate with each other when they don't share the same language.

Our older boys, who are 8 and 10 years old, go to a small English-speaking international school in the middle of the jungle with only 12 students from all over the world. They didn't speak English when we arrived, so they felt a bit lonely in the beginning because they couldn't talk to the other kids. Now, 1 1/2 years later, they are completely fluent in English.

Even school lunches here are very different from what we used to have. Local kids mostly eat a warm meal with rice and beans, while we always had our Danish black rye bread for school lunches, which simply doesn’t exist here. We would usually only eat a warm meal for dinner.

One day a week, they go surfing with an instructor during school hours, and every Friday, they go on adventures around our area, visiting waterfalls, rivers, and various nature spots. They often visit animal sanctuaries and learn about the wildlife in Costa Rica.

They plant trees, do beach clean-ups, go zip-lining, take boat trips, and even have sleepovers at school.

This is possible because they are such a small group and the school gets a lot of support from parents. Us parents and siblings often join these activities, which has been a perfect way for our youngest to sometimes join his brothers in school and socialize before he started preschool himself.

This way of schooling could not be further from what my kids were used to in Denmark. The experiences we are having here have expanded my horizons in so many ways when it comes to education.

Moving to Costa Rica has not only broadened our educational perspectives but has also enriched our lives with unforgettable experiences and connections.

Our children are really thriving in this new environment, and as a family, we feel so lucky and grateful for the opportunity have this experience together in such a vibrant and diverse culture.

We look forward to continuing this incredible journey and embracing all the lessons and adventures that come our way.

This is the second in Maria's three-part series, written exclusively for Tom & Teddy.

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