Get in touch
Saturday language club · South London

For little why-askers
growing up bilingual

We read and play in Russian — no desks, no drills, no pressure. Learning through curiosity rather than obligation. Taking Russian from the language of home to the language of friends, brilliant books, and joyful discovery through games, experiments, quests, and real adventures!

Our programmes Get in touch
Мамонт и Мята — клуб русского языка, Лондон
Why Mammoth & Mint

Not a Russian lesson.
A Russian childhood.

Play-led, not classroom

Sessions built around stories, songs, games, and movement — not worksheets. Children absorb language the way they were designed to.

Made for bilingual homes

We understand the specific dynamics of heritage language at home. Our approach supports both you and your child — not just the child alone.

Small groups, real bonds

Maximum 8 children per group, grouped by age and ability. Enough peers to spark interaction, small enough for every child to be seen.

Our programmes

Two ways to dive into Russian

Book Club · Logic · Maths

We read, think, and make things

Every session focuses on language development through play. As a teacher of Russian as a foreign language, I know what heritage speakers need most: word endings, prepositions, prefixed verbs. Alongside: arithmetic basics, memory, logic, attention. Phonemic awareness, neuro-games, emotional intelligence — everything a child needs when growing up across two languages.

Each session

  1. Book + discussion
  2. Craft
  3. Break
  4. Maths · Logic
  5. Neuro warm-up · Games
Board Game Library

Playing — and it genuinely works

Board games build real skills: patience, teamwork, resilience. They train visual memory and strategic thinking. And they embed grammar naturally — case endings, plurals, counting out loud. Our collection has over 80 games, most in Russian.

Where we meet

Upper Norwood Library Hub

39 Westow Hill, Norwood, London SE19 1TQ

Separate street entrance — you'll spot us right away.

Near Crystal Palace station (London Overground)

About me

Hi, I'm Diana

My name is Diana. I am a philologist, educator, and mother of two children — we are growing up across three languages: Russian, English, and Spanish.

I graduated with honours in Russian philology from Novosibirsk State Technical University, then completed a Master's degree in Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language at Herzen State Pedagogical University in St Petersburg. Alongside my teaching career I worked in broadcast journalism, before leaving Russia in 2014 and spending several years in Latin America — teaching, travelling, and learning to hear language from the outside. In London I worked as a Russian language teacher with children aged 4 to 16. Alongside teaching, I work for an international NGO.

I love books — my children's library alone has grown to over five hundred. In my work with children I use modern methods: mathematics through play, neurogames for speech and writing development, exercises for spatial thinking and emotional intelligence.

Mammoth & Mint is a space I am building with my own child in mind — a place where children develop and play together in Russian. 🐘🌿

Get in touch

Register your interest

We'd love to hear about your family. Fill in the form and we'll be in touch within a couple of days.

What are you interested in?