The snowfall last night reminded me that this can be a tough time of year for everyone, especially if this is your first New England winter. As a teacher, I love winter because it gives kids time to sit indoors, reading books. But even I have to admit that there can be too much reading and not enough playing! In January and February every year, I notice energy, attention, and grades going down for many kids. This is often because of less physical activity and less social time with friends. So kill two birds with one stone and invite a friend to go on an adventure with them.
Until May 10, the Boston Children's Museum has an exhibit that is all about moving our bodies: Run! Jump! Fly! Adventures in Action. The New Balance Climb and Kids Power are just two more exhibits to get them moving. A word of caution: their website explains that the subway is "about a three-block walk" from the museum, but they are three long blocks which will seem even longer going home when kids are worn out from all the fun.
For older kids, a visit to the Wellesley College Greenhouses can be a fun way to get out of the house. These are working greenhouses, with rooms of seedlings and experiments, as well as the beautiful permanent displays. Neither the delicate plants nor the other visitors make this a good place to run and shout, but there are strange plants to discover and it is warm! If your child likes to draw or write, bring a notebook and enjoy the benches tucked into quiet corners. The college's website has a PDF map to take with you and virtual tour to look at on the computer. The greenhouses are free, but a donation is encouraged if you can. Be sure to read the driving directions carefully, because the greenhouses are well hidden!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
English On The Radio
There are several excellent shows and segments on public radio which involve the English language. Some involve pretty advanced vocabulary, but they are enjoyable even if you don't know all the words - even the experts who are featured on the shows don't know it all!
WGBH airs Says You! on Sunday at 11am and Saturday at 8pm. It will tape an episode this summer in nearby Camden, Maine. WGBH also airs The Writer's Almanac weekday mornings at 8:55am. This short segment includes some literary history and a poem reading.
WBUR airs repeats of My Word Sunday at 10:30pm. This show was recorded by the BBC from 1956-1990. The British accents add an extra level of difficulty, but it is silly and reassuring to see experts making mistakes about English. too.
Weekend Edition Sunday (WGBH at 7 and 8am, WBUR at 8am) has a puzzle segment with Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle.
WGBH airs Says You! on Sunday at 11am and Saturday at 8pm. It will tape an episode this summer in nearby Camden, Maine. WGBH also airs The Writer's Almanac weekday mornings at 8:55am. This short segment includes some literary history and a poem reading.
WBUR airs repeats of My Word Sunday at 10:30pm. This show was recorded by the BBC from 1956-1990. The British accents add an extra level of difficulty, but it is silly and reassuring to see experts making mistakes about English. too.
Weekend Edition Sunday (WGBH at 7 and 8am, WBUR at 8am) has a puzzle segment with Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Weekend Fun: Eagles
The Massachusetts Audubon Society is hosting the 4th annual Merrimac River Eagle Festival this weekend. There will be tours, eagle demonstrations, and activities for children.
The bald eagle's name comes from its white head, but not because it appears bald (without hair), as many people assume. The word bald (Middle English: balled) used to mean "white." It is the national bird of the United States, chosen instead of Benjamin Franklin's choice of the turkey.
The MA Audubon Society also runs Drumlin farm, which BPPG mentioned a few weeks ago.
The bald eagle's name comes from its white head, but not because it appears bald (without hair), as many people assume. The word bald (Middle English: balled) used to mean "white." It is the national bird of the United States, chosen instead of Benjamin Franklin's choice of the turkey.
The MA Audubon Society also runs Drumlin farm, which BPPG mentioned a few weeks ago.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Weekend Fun: Magic Tree House Author
Mary Pope Osborne, author of the Magic Tree House books
will give a presentation, at 2pm at the Wellesley Middle School (map). After the presentation, Ms. Osborne will also sign books.
This event is sponsored by Wellesley Booksmith, an excellent local bookstore (its sister store, Brookline Booksmith, is also great). The store expects a big turnout, so read their information about when the doors will open, getting in line for autographs, and how many books the author will sign.
The books' vocabulary and grammar are both pretty basic, making them accessible to English learners. They can really help kids who are having trouble following social studies or science classes. If your child's class will soon be studying ancient Egypt, for example, have him or her read Mummies in the Morning a week or two before they start the unit at school. Students can read them at their own pace and get a head start on the special vocabulary for each subject. Many books also have non-fiction research guides (such as the Mummies & Pyramids partner to Mummies in the Morning), which can be a good second step if your child wants even more information about the subject.
Magic Tree House: The Musical will be in Boston February 21-28. The 40th MTH book, Eve of the Emperor Penguin, was published last September
will give a presentation, at 2pm at the Wellesley Middle School (map). After the presentation, Ms. Osborne will also sign books.This event is sponsored by Wellesley Booksmith, an excellent local bookstore (its sister store, Brookline Booksmith, is also great). The store expects a big turnout, so read their information about when the doors will open, getting in line for autographs, and how many books the author will sign.
The books' vocabulary and grammar are both pretty basic, making them accessible to English learners. They can really help kids who are having trouble following social studies or science classes. If your child's class will soon be studying ancient Egypt, for example, have him or her read Mummies in the Morning
a week or two before they start the unit at school. Students can read them at their own pace and get a head start on the special vocabulary for each subject. Many books also have non-fiction research guides (such as the Mummies & Pyramids partner to Mummies in the Morning), which can be a good second step if your child wants even more information about the subject.Magic Tree House: The Musical will be in Boston February 21-28. The 40th MTH book, Eve of the Emperor Penguin
, was published last September
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Valentine's Day: Playing With Language
Valentine’s Day is this Saturday, February 14. This holiday is celebrated romantically, and it's also a time for kids to celebrate their friendships. But I like it for the way Valentine cards play with the language, using puns and idioms to make jokes.
Even romantic-seeming phrases are acceptable for kids to give each other in friendship when using these kinds of jokes, such as a card with the phrase “Here is a flower for my Valentine: two-lips,” and a picture of a tulip. It is a joke about kissing, but only a joke. Depending on your child’s age and your own family’s culture, you may choose not to have your child give this sort of card, but there is no need to feel uncomfortable if they receive them.
Puns
Puns are jokes using homophones (words which sound alike but have different meanings) or near-homophones. (Knock-knock jokes use puns, too.) Puns are also a great test of English listening skills – the words look wrong when written, but make sense when spoken.
Idioms are phrases which use words to mean something other than their literal meaning. I use two books frequently when discussing idioms with ESL students: the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms, which gives examples, definitions, and history in a kid-friendly format; and the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs, which is much more comprehensive, but also gives less explanation.
Even romantic-seeming phrases are acceptable for kids to give each other in friendship when using these kinds of jokes, such as a card with the phrase “Here is a flower for my Valentine: two-lips,” and a picture of a tulip. It is a joke about kissing, but only a joke. Depending on your child’s age and your own family’s culture, you may choose not to have your child give this sort of card, but there is no need to feel uncomfortable if they receive them.
Puns
Puns are jokes using homophones (words which sound alike but have different meanings) or near-homophones. (Knock-knock jokes use puns, too.) Puns are also a great test of English listening skills – the words look wrong when written, but make sense when spoken.
- Bee my Valentine!
- I love you bear-y much!
- You’re purr-fect!
- Tanks for being my Valentine!
Idioms are phrases which use words to mean something other than their literal meaning. I use two books frequently when discussing idioms with ESL students: the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms
, which gives examples, definitions, and history in a kid-friendly format; and the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs, which is much more comprehensive, but also gives less explanation.- Wear your heart on your sleeve.
- You’re the cat’s pajamas (or cat’s meow).
- I only have eyes for you.
- I’m head over heels for you.
- You’re the apple of my eye.
- You’re the cream of the crop.
- I’m bananas (or nuts) for you.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Movies: More Than Just Entertainment
When kids are new in town and trying to make friends, seeing a few popular movies can give them something to talk to their friends about, even if they don't understand all of the words yet. Also, sitting in a movie theater with other people will help them find out which parts are the jokes, which may not be easy to understand when watching TV or a DVD at home.
For movie information, Rotten Tomatoes gathers reviews from many different websites and newspapers. The Washington Post's weekly Family Filmgoer gives information on what films are appropriate for different age groups and why.
If you are looking for a DVD, perhaps for a playdate with a new school friend, Wall-E is an excellent film for kids still learning English. The robots communicate with sounds and body language, not words. In fact, Wall-E can also help a child understand that you don't need to know lots of words to make new friends.
For movie information, Rotten Tomatoes gathers reviews from many different websites and newspapers. The Washington Post's weekly Family Filmgoer gives information on what films are appropriate for different age groups and why.
If you are looking for a DVD, perhaps for a playdate with a new school friend, Wall-E is an excellent film for kids still learning English. The robots communicate with sounds and body language, not words. In fact, Wall-E can also help a child understand that you don't need to know lots of words to make new friends.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Salted: The Globe Talks About Boston Slang
The Globe Sunday Magazine has a great article about local slang. "Salted" is a word that I'm too old to use, unless I wanted to make a teenager fall down from laughing at me. But there is a list of other local terms like jimmies and frappe, and an interesting discussion of how words can be a way to express the city's identity and history.
The writer uses a self-deprecating and sarcastic humor that can be difficult to notice if English is not your first language. Enjoy sentences like, "'[T]onic' is fading from use, thanks in part to the realization that it's actually the name for a completely different beverage."
The writer uses a self-deprecating and sarcastic humor that can be difficult to notice if English is not your first language. Enjoy sentences like, "'[T]onic' is fading from use, thanks in part to the realization that it's actually the name for a completely different beverage."
Monday, February 2, 2009
Beantown And The Beanpot: Some Local Culture
Today and next Monday is the 58th annual Beanpot Hockey Tournament, among local colleges Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern. This 58-year tradition will be broadcast on NESN on TV, and by each of the four colleges' radio stations.
Boston is known as Beantown because baked beans was a commonly eaten dish in the past. This dish was common because it used molasses (a kind of sugar). Boston had plenty of molasses, unfortunately, because of the path of ships in the "triangle trade": slaves were brought from Africa to the Caribbean, molasses from the Caribbean to New England, and rum from New England to Africa.
The final chapter in Boston's beans-and-molasses history is both humorous and tragic. Molasses is a thick, sticky form of sugar which oozes so slowly that we sometimes describe things as being "as slow as molasses." It is hard to imagine not being able to simply walk faster than molasses would ever flow. When people hear the phrase "The Great Molasses Flood of 1919,"* they usually laugh, never imagining that it actually was a deadly event. But on January 15, 1919, a tank of more than 2 million gallons of molasses burst. The wave of molasses destroyed buildings and killed 21 people. My grandmother once told me that for many years after the event, downtown Boston would still smell like molasses on hot summer days.
Understandably, the smell and taste of molasses - and therefore baked beans - were unpopular in Boston for a long time after that. The companies which made baked beans either moved or closed. Ninety years later, Boston still doesn't eat many baked beans, but we use the nickname to express affection for our city.
*The Yankee magazine article available on this site may describe the tragedy too graphically for some children, but otherwise the site is an excellent source of information.
Boston is known as Beantown because baked beans was a commonly eaten dish in the past. This dish was common because it used molasses (a kind of sugar). Boston had plenty of molasses, unfortunately, because of the path of ships in the "triangle trade": slaves were brought from Africa to the Caribbean, molasses from the Caribbean to New England, and rum from New England to Africa.
The final chapter in Boston's beans-and-molasses history is both humorous and tragic. Molasses is a thick, sticky form of sugar which oozes so slowly that we sometimes describe things as being "as slow as molasses." It is hard to imagine not being able to simply walk faster than molasses would ever flow. When people hear the phrase "The Great Molasses Flood of 1919,"* they usually laugh, never imagining that it actually was a deadly event. But on January 15, 1919, a tank of more than 2 million gallons of molasses burst. The wave of molasses destroyed buildings and killed 21 people. My grandmother once told me that for many years after the event, downtown Boston would still smell like molasses on hot summer days.
Understandably, the smell and taste of molasses - and therefore baked beans - were unpopular in Boston for a long time after that. The companies which made baked beans either moved or closed. Ninety years later, Boston still doesn't eat many baked beans, but we use the nickname to express affection for our city.
*The Yankee magazine article available on this site may describe the tragedy too graphically for some children, but otherwise the site is an excellent source of information.
Update: Groundhog Day
I am sorry to report that Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. However, the Pennsylvania groundhog does seem happy that the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl last night.
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