How one Chattanooga startup is using escape rooms to help students learn a new language

A sinister plot, confusing puzzles and riddles, hidden clues and the thrill of a ticking countdown clock.

Escape rooms have captured the imagination of people - or thrill seekers - who like to solve puzzles under stress or while trapped alongside friends or colleagues and have become popular entertainment here in Chattanooga.

But what if you were trapped in an escape room where people were speaking only in a foreign language, one you were newly learning?

That's the idea behind Language South's new Spanish Immersion Escape Room.

The local startup is also behind the El Pueblo Spanish Camp, an immersive summer experience for students from elementary school to high school who want to learn Spanish.

Founders of Language South - Teo and Emily Valdes, a husband-and-wife team - dreamed of opening a language camp in Chattanooga, but as the camp has grown so has interest in opportunities for adults to learn a new language.

"We are trying to find ways to expand into adult language experiences," said Paige Moffett, operations manager and camp director for Language South. "[The escape room] came out of thinking of more evening events we could host."

The escape room experience is tailored to language learners, said Moffett and Emily Valdes. Though it's intended to expose participants to the new language - in this case, Spanish - and help them be successful, they won't fail to "escape" if they speak English or ask questions.

Language South's other programs have attracted a wide range of language levels, Valdes said. Most students who attend the immersive summer camp fall into two groups, she said.

"There are kids whose families speak Spanish or have Spanish language heritage and they are interested in their child connecting with that language outside the home, or they are children from families that value language and learning about others' cultures," she said.

Staff photo by Tim Barber/ Teo Valdes, left, Paige Moffett, Molly Grizzard, Jeff Grizzard and Emily Valdes gather around a computer at the outset of the escape challenge for the Language South Spanish (camp-like) Immersion program to help adults learn the language.

Many of the adults interested in language experiences aren't native Spanish speakers but might have been exposed to the language when they were in school, are interested in traveling more or work with a Spanish or non-English speakers, she added.

Research shows that language acquisition - or learning a new language - happens best when it is presented as "comprehensible input," or in ways listeners can understand what is being said despite not understanding all the words.

Using stories or talking about real things that students can relate to makes it easier to learn the language, Valdes said, and immersing oneself in the language, such as traveling to a place where the language is the main tongue, also forces students to use it.

The escape room idea itself was born from Moffett and the Valdeses' own interest in the activity.

"It was kind of a idea that popped into [Teo's] head," Moffett said. "We think it's something that is popular, we are able to do in Spanish and I don't think is offered anywhere else."

In Language South's escape room experience, participants will be preparing for a trip to a Central or South American country when they become trapped in the Language South's office because a villain - or villano - doesn't want them to learn Spanish.

A staff member, such as Moffett or Valdes, actually participates in the experience, as well, in order to help participants if they struggle with the language, nudge them in the right direction or slip them hints and clues.

The group had already tested the experience through trial runs with friends and former campers and their families, but its public debut was Wednesday.

The escape room experience is open to language learners of all levels, adults and even young people. Several upcoming dates are planned and Language South staff hope to expand evening programs.

Moffett said they already have plans for an adult learner paint night, similar to popular "painting with a twist" or "paint-and-sip" nights with local artists.

Mostly, the group hopes to offer unique experiences outside traditional classroom learning for those hoping to learn a new language.

"Our overall mission is - to be supporting people on their language-learning journey throughout the year and throughout their lifespan," Valdes said. "It's part of our idea of being lifelong learners - Learning a language is a lifelong experience."

Contact Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.