We have used Little Linguists as our weekly Spanish lesson for the children at For Your Child…read morePreschool for over 5 years and have had such an incredible experience. ALL of the staff are extremely professional, reliable, and energetic to keep our kids entertained for their classes each week! At the moment we have Ms. Marcela Peña as our weekly teacher and she is absolutely fantastic! I could not recommend this place enough!

My 5yo knows only basic Spanish, so I was super impressed with how the teacher engaged her in the…read morelanguage in a playful way at a trial class we attended. She didn't even realize that she was learning Spanish as they made crafts, sang songs and played games. I'm looking forward to seeing how much Spanish she learns at their summer camp, but I doubt she'll notice when she's just having fun with her friends and the high-energy teachers.

I spent many years learning French but have not kept up the maintenance. It had been on my list to…read morestart taking classes at L'ecole Francaise since 2014 but hadn't done so. It took COVID-19, me living in another city, and class via Zoom to finally bite the bullet. Currently taking Erwan's 104a course and absolutely loving it. Love the interactive style of the class and find myself coming out of each class being excited about all that I am learning. I recommend if you are even remotely interested to try out their classes and you will want to come back! Thanks Erwan!

This is hands down the best French school in Chicago. Don't waste your time at that other school…read moredowntown full of out of touch elitists who can't retain repeat students. Vive la Révolution!This school is well located in Lakeview, has experienced and friendly teachers . Erwin and Daphne are very good teachers. Your dollars will stretch further here so you can convert your left over to euros and take that annual trip to France or two. They also have cultural events in December I think these are for students only ;) so make sure you sign up this fall at L'école Française

Madrelingua Italiana, Inc. offers an innovative way of learning Italian and English and several…read moreother related services such as translation, interpretation, language training or coaching, tutoring and intercultural competence courses. Gianluca, the owner, will work around your schedule to accomodate all of your needs. He is the man you can follow with trust to get a very good Italian language level of competency and professional advice pertaining to all the services listed in their website.

I know Gianluca on a personal and on a professional level from years. As a world traveler, I enjoy…read morevisiting Italy and I can state with confidence how everything looks different when you understand the language and the culture of this gorgeous country. Gianluca is dedicated and patient with his clients and his services are highly result oriented. He is definitely an asset for all your Italian traveling and language learning ambitions.

I have been studying with Brazil in Chicago in some form since about 2006, either through…read moreindividual classes or group classes. The school and space have evolved/grown significantly, and the Lincoln Square location is a great facility. While we drink less wine than we used to during our classes, they are just as enjoyable as they were at the beginning, which I attribute to both the teaching style as well as the character of those who would choose to pick up Portuguese language in a city (as far from Brasil) like Chicago. One of the nicest things about the school is the continued support for and encouragement of participation in Brazilian/Portuguese/Cape Verdean/etc music/sports/cultural events in the greater area.

I took my first Portuguese class at Brazil in Chicago and I know these 12 weeks ahead are going to…read morebe a lot of fun! My first impression of our instructor Carla is someone who wants nothing but her students to understand and have as much fun with the Brazilian culture and language we are learning right now. Obrigado y Tudo Bem! The classes take place in the small rooms of a house or if you are lucky like me the living room. The best thing is that people are only there because they really want to learn the language...an atmosphere of passion. The neighborhood of Lincoln Square is easily accessible through the Metra (get off of Ravenswood) and the L (brown line Damen stop). Much to my delight there were some cool places nearby that I went to: Tiny Lounge and Book Cellar...reviews will come pronto. Come to Brazil in Chicago and learn the language of a country that has everything going well for it so far: Large oil reserves, The most ecologically diverse rainforest in the world, hot women and men, Carnevale, Samba, Jiu Jitsu & Capoeira, and Caipirinhas. What more could I ask?

I spent this summer in a 1:1 Zoom class with José Tuesta and am so glad I did! Though I was…read moretentative about the progress in an online class, this class was amazing. Unlike many language teaching styles, this curriculum helps you to get comfortable truly talking in Spanish. With Spanish LC, I was able to save much more money than taking summer classes with my university and I learned so much more.I really recommend choosing Spanish LC to anyone considering it!

There are a few boo-boos, but overall it's been pleasant…read more I can't complain about the service - one of their group courses was full, so they cut me a deal and gave me individual lessons at a group rate (yes!) My maestra, Gladys, is so nice and very informative. Even when I found some things to be too easy, she moved me right along to the next course materials (yes!) The materials need to be spell-checked and there were a few things in the exercises (tarea) that made me wonder "Why is that even in here?" I found it could be more challenging (no!) What they offer here is not what they will teach you at a university; having taken college-level Spanish (years ago; I didn't want to pay the hefty fee), I found this to be much less comprehensive - less homework, less reading, and less writing (no!). But, no one is forcing you to take exams/do the homework and so you learn at your own discretion (yes!). So with all this said, know what you want to get out of this; it's sort of what you make of it. Their services are more so for the person who wants to speak, rather than read and write. It's useful if you want to learn very quickly and have other Spanish-speakers around you to practice with (please let me emphasize that - I wouldn't have been as sharp without my bilingual friends!).

Such a great collaboration. Our daughter attended 'strike camp' with Source4 and loved it so much…read moreshe didn't want to return to school. They did a wonderful job of pulling together an engaging, creative curriculum for the kids on incredibly short notice and our daughter loved all of the staff involved with it. Will definitely take part in future programs if possible.

these guys were the BEST thing that happened during the strike! thank you! it was easy, it was…read moreorganized and my son had a great time:)

I started learning Italian while living in Italy more than a decade ago. While there I took group…read morelessons and private lessons. After returning to Chicago I took more group lessons, some private lessons, and back to group lessons. Approximately 7 years ago, I settled on Sentieri Italiani. Why? Because it was the best school I'd found and... because it's fun. There's a variety of things other than the standard classes to enjoy... movies, dinners, travel, game nights, etc. Currently I'm enjoying the Italian "book club" where we are reading not a text book, or a book written as supplemental material for a language class, but a book selected from the shelves of a bookstore in Italy where "real" Italians shop.

A friend and I snagged a Groupon deal for the Italian Language and Culture class at Sentieri this…read moresummer. Despite my love of classes, I approached this one with some hesitation - my lowest grades in school were always for Spanish class (well...and gym), I'm not naturally gifted at foreign language, I have no time/desire to study, and I'm not Italian. But my friend assured me there would be alcohol at every class and I would love to travel to Italy some day, so I bought the Groupon and enrolled. I'm so glad I did - it was a great experience! The school itself is fairly small - just a sitting room with couches and a large table and one classroom. I was greeted when I arrived for our first class by our adorable, enthusiastic instructor Enrico. Classes seem to be kept pretty small - we had about 10 students in ours. The Language and Culture course is split into two halves - the first half of the two hour class is a language lesson, which was taught by Enrico. Obviously there isn't a ton of language you're going to learn in three one hours sessions, but we were able to cover basic pronunciation and some key concepts for travel (time, how to book hotels, etc.) The second half of the class is about Italy's history and culture and is taught by the school's founder, Daniela. Daniela's theory, which I really appreciated, is that learning a language divorced of learning the culture is pointless - you'll never be able to make your way in the country. The culture lessons were fascinating and, yes, involve food and alcohol. Each session was incredibly enjoyable - I couldn't believe how quickly the time went. The school also really tries to foster a sense of community. After the last class we were invited to hang around and let our "liquore" wear off while enjoying cappuccino in the lounge area. The school also hosts book clubs, movie screenings, dinners and trips (they organize tours of Italy every year). Unfortunately my schedule doesn't currently allow me to take regular language lessons here, but this is a great resource in the city and I highly encourage everyone to check it out. Even foreign language study-phobes like me.

I love making things with my hands; I love the sense of accomplishment it gives me. My grandmother…read moretook up upholstery in her 70's and made some beautiful pieces, one of which I inherited. The fabric on the piece isn't really my style and I decided that if it was going to be re-done, I wanted to be the one to do it. There aren't many places to learn upholstery. I am lucky to live a few blocks from the shop; my classmates weren't so lucky, they all lived at least 20 miles away. I wasn't sure what to expect with the beginner's class, so it's worth noting that in the beginner class you most likely won't work on an actual piece of furniture.* What you will do is complete four projects that give you the skills to move on to actual furniture. The class is very hands on, you will thread a machine and start sewing in your first class. There are no prerequisites for this class; half of us hadn't used a sewing machine before. Owning a garment machine, there were a few things that took getting used on upholstery machines. There are two instructors; Jeff, the owner, taught my class and one of his staff taught the other. I can't speak to the other teacher's style, but Jeff is very laid back and a firm believer of learning by doing. Jeff is very generous with his time, knowledge, tools and materials; many students don't finish all of the projects in the allotted class time, but you're welcome to come back and finish after your session is complete (provided there's room). You're always your harshest critic, but I was so flattered when the manfriend thought my final project was something I had bought. I really loved this class and can't wait to start the intermediate class. The intermediate is like an independent study, you bring the piece you want to work on. If you've meandered by and seen the work in the window on Lincoln, those are student pieces. * One project is a bar stool cover. If you've got a piece to work on, you can use it. TIP: There's a lot of close work in the class and it's easy to get into a groove. Wear comfortable clothes you wouldn't mind getting dirty and bring your glasses, water and a snack.

I just took the "Beginners' Upholstery Class" with Jeff Kraut and LOVED it!…read more The class covers upholstery techniques that can be applied to automotive upholstery, furniture upholstery, and bag making. It is taught on industrial sewing machines (no previous sewing experience necessary). I already knew basic sewing and I definitely picked up lots of new tricks/techniques. Some of the topics we covered: * setting up the machines and basic sewing. * quilted stitching on vinyl (like on the back of a car seat or stuffed chair) * adding piping trim * zipper installation and sewing a small case * stapling construction and making a panel (like recovering a chair seat or a car side panel) * beginning pattern making and making a seat cushion Projects might vary a little from class to class. I've posted photos of my work. The class was Mon & Wed, 7-9pm for 5 weeks. It's located just down the street from Trader Joe's on Lincoln. Easy parking & near the El. You can get more info from Jeff at canvasboss@yahoo.com. I'm looking forward to the advanced class!