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ESL Letter of the Week - L

5/10/2017

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letter l preschool words
RHYMES

Jolly Phonics - Letter L
We lick the lollipop
We lick the lollipop
/l/ /l/ /l/ /l/
We lick the lollipop

Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb,
​little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.


This Little Light of Mine
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.


BOOKS
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ACTIVITIES
Leaf rubbing is a great activity to get the kids outside and could be integrated easily with a science or art lesson. You don't need anything but a blank piece of paper and a crayon (and leaves of course!), but I have included a worksheet that you can use that reinforced the letter L and the spelling of leaf. After collecting and tracing all of our leaves, we even incorporated some math by organizing them from the biggest to smallest!
leaf rubbing activity, leaf tracing, fall preschool activity
l is for leaf
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l is for leaf
The letter L coloring sheet is another great way to reinforce vocabulary. And the picture story reviews vocabulary from i to L. Not only is this a fun activity to read aloud together. But if you are teaching a class, you can print copies for the kids to take home and practice with their parents. This is a great pre-reading activity that will help build their confidence for further skills.
letter l coloring worksheet, free kindergarten worksheet
phonics story, learning aides, esl, preschool, kindergarten, letter l story
FLASHCARDS
Print these letter L flashcards for easy practice of the L sound and vocabulary. You can use the black and white to let the kids make and color their own for practice outside the classroom. They are free to use, but do not advertise them as your own and do give proper credit when linking to them.
letter l flashcards, free flashcards, preschool alphabet
letter l words, letter l flashcards
letter l words, preschool, letter l coloring
letter l words, letter l flashcards, free coloring worksheets
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Travel by the Book Challenge - Sweden

4/6/2017

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Luke's great-grandparents immigrated to the US from Sweden, so I thought I should include it on my country list and learn a thing or two. I hardly scratched the surface of what there is to know about this rich and complex country, but I really enjoyed the month!
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HISTORY BOOK
I read the biography of Alfred Nobel by Kenne Fant, the Swedish scientist who both invented dynamite and established the Nobel Peace Prize. You can read my full thoughts from it here.
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FICTION BOOK
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson was a thoroughly enjoyable book. It reminded me a lot of Forest Gump, where the main character travels throughout the twentieth century impacting major world events without even realizing it. The author's matter-of-fact wit and way of describing things was pretty fun to read. 
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MOVIE
"As It is in Heaven" was by far my favorite experience from the month. I loved it! Although I've obviously never been to a small Swedish village, it seemed to be a very raw and authentic picture of the people and life. It is a movie where you are just waiting for tragedy to strike, but the ending still makes you oddly happy. 
MUSIC
I really dropped the ball on this one and actually forgot to listen to anything throughout the month! I did come across this video that has gone viral in the past few weeks, a parody inviting all world leaders over for fika, the Swedish word for a sweets/coffee break. 

CURRENT EVENTS
There is tension in Sweden over racial and refugee issues like there are all over Europe and the US. Recently a Muslim school has come under fire for allegedly separating girls and boys on the school bus. They also reinstated their draft for both men and women due to the decrease in volunteers, but growing threat from Russia. 
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FOOD
I think the only Swedish trait that was passed down to Luke is his love for Swedish crepes, or as his family calls them - "skinny pancakes". My kids know their great-grandpa as "the grandpa that makes pancakes", and it is always a tradition when we go to Kansas that we have his famous pancakes at his house.  I make them every time a kid has a birthday, which happened to be this month. But I also tried a new recipe which was Swedish Apple Pie. It was something in-between apple pie and an apple crisp. It was super easy to make and went great with ice cream and coffee!
LANGUAGE
In honor of Allan Karlsson (the hundred year old man...) and his love for vodka, Skal! Cheers!
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Alfred Nobel : A Biography - Book Review

3/22/2017

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  Yesterday I finished my non-fiction book from Sweden, which was my March choice for the 2017 Travel by the Book Challenge. I chose Alfred Nobel mainly because it was one of the few I could get my hands on for a decent price. (I am definitely looking forward to having access to a library next month!) Though he was from Sweden, I quickly realized Alfred Nobel did not actually spend much of his life there. From an early age he was raised in Russia and his inventions and business ventures led him all over the world. Alfred Nobel was known in his day as the man who invented dynamite, but we remember his legacy today through the annually awarded Nobel Peace Prizes. ​
 
​    Through many struggles, Nobel achieved success to which most humans will never come close. But the book is hardly a tale of a happy successful human being.
He struggles through his life being misunderstood, depressed, weak, lonely and afraid. His devotion to his work was often a means to escape the dark feelings that haunted him. If we were his contemporaries, we would surely criticize him for being a workaholic and unable to appreciate the important things in life. The book was also not a captivating story, it was pretty dry and boring, at least saved by the controversial letters from Alfred to his mistress of twenty years. I trudged through (for the sake of the challenge, mostly), and ultimately I’m glad I did because it has made me think about a few things more deeply.

    In our obsession with enjoying life to the fullest, traveling, exploring and staying connected, do we forget that there were men and women throughout history that had to invent these things that we so casually enjoy? When we travel with ease across countries and borders, do we stop to appreciate the millions of people that have done something to make that possible? Alfred Nobel’s dynamite gave a huge advantage to the travel industry by greatly reducing the time to construct railways. Can I condemn him for creating something so destructive while enjoying the obvious benefits of it? 

    I have often sat at airports, gazing out the window as the planes are taxied, bags are loaded and passengers accommodated. So many people have to work hard at their jobs day in and day out to make my choice of life possible. This goes for almost everything I enjoy - the food I eat, the clothes I wear and even the books that I read. With all of the social strife that is raging today, maybe we should all stop and think about how the people that we judge, accuse and hate, might play an integral role behind the scenes of our daily lives and the luxuries we enjoy. Are we contributing to the future or just enjoying the fruit of other people’s past labors?
​

    I wonder what Alfred Nobel would have thought if he had lived to see the twentieth century, the most barbaric and deadly of all time. His last will and testament, which established the Nobel Peace Prize, was not just a last ditch attempt to make up for devoting his life to destruction. He actually had a keen desire for peace all of his life, and his greatest ambition was to create something so destructive and deadly that nations would be forced to live peacefully. As anti-social as he was, he had a deep concern for world peace that we would do well to emulate, first and foremost in our daily interactions with one another. 

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ESL Letter of the Week - K

3/6/2017

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Letter K preschool Flashcards, ESL
RHYMES

Jolly Phonics - Letter K
Kites are flying in the sky
/k/ /k/ /k/
Kites are flying in the sky
/k/ /k/ /k/
Kites are flying in the sky, flying in the sky
Kites are flying in the sky
/k/ /k/ /k/

Kick the Ball
Kick, Kick, Kick The Ball.
Kick it very high!
Kick it over the garden Wall.
Kick it to the Sky. 


Kangaroo
Kangaroo, Kangaroo, hop up and down
Kangaroo, Kangaroo, turn around!
You jump so high,
That you reach the sky!
Hold your Joey tight!


BOOKS
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ACTIVITIES
K is for Kick, K is for Karate, preschool coloring page
letter k book, preschool coloring activity
"K is for Kick" coloring sheet -Reinforces vocabulary and practice handwriting skills.

Letter K Coloring Book - Reinforces vocabulary and develops an interest and confidence in reading books.
1. Fold along the middle dotted line.
2. Fold back and forth along the dotted lines like a fan, ensuring the title page is on the outside.
3. Put two staples to secure the spine.
​4. Cut along the open edge so that all the pages open.

​"K is for Kite" Craft - Develop fine motor and problem solving skills

1. Print the template on various colors of card stock. There are three kites per template and I've done my best to set it up in a way that minimizes cutting.
2. Cut the triangle pieces out (or if you have older kids, you can let them give it a go.) You can use this as a good teaching opportunity both for triangles, and for "Big, Medium, Small" since there are three sizes of triangles.
​3. Mix up the colors, so that each student can get a variety of pieces for their kite craft.
4. Children can glue the pieces in the correct spaces on their kite picture.
Kite coloring page
Kite template
easy kite craft
DOWNLOADS
Download the preschool letter K vocabulary flashcards and activity worksheets to use for personal and educational purposes. Do not sell them or offer them as your own. Please give proper credit wherever you use them.
​
The flashcards are formatted for A4 and can be printed back to back, cut and laminated. There is a color and a black and white version in case you want to save on printing costs and do the coloring yourself.
k_flashcards_color.pdf
File Size: 162 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

k-book.pdf
File Size: 409 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

k_is_for_kick.pdf
File Size: 341 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

k_flashcards_bw.pdf
File Size: 169 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

kite_craft.pdf
File Size: 56 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Travel by the Book Challenge - Botswana

3/1/2017

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Having picked Botswana completely at random, I couldn't have been more interested and impressed by this little country! A population of just 2 million, it is an example for the entire continent being the least corrupt, least violent and most politically stable country on the continent. 
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HISTORY BOOK
This is a fascinating look at the life of the first president of Botswana, Seretse Khama. Before gaining their full independence from Britain, Seretse was the rightful chief and would assume the throne after coming of age and receiving a top-notch education. But when he fell in love and married Ruth, it had worldwide repercussions. The book included a lot of pre-independence background of Botswana and what really struck me was how Botswana was able to avoid many pitfalls of colonialism and stay true to their culture and identity. Even in the fiction book I read, I got a sense of the great love and loyalty that the people had for their leaders, and their leaders for them. The beautiful story of Seretse & Ruth has also been made into a movie for your convenience. Check out the trailer here, it looks wonderful!
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FICTION BOOK
This is the first book in a whole series about Botswana's first and only female private detective, Precious Ramotswe. This book takes you through several cases, which she solves in some very unconventional ways. While mostly just good entertainment, the book also gives some insight into the darker side of the culture, including the prevalence of witch doctors, marriage infidelity and abuse. But McCall is somehow able to pull off everything in a very light-hearted easy-to-read way. I would definitely read another book in the series.
​
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MOVIE
I actually remember watching "The Gods Must be Crazy" as a kid. My parents loved it. The first 10 minutes is the best, but the whole thing is entertaining. The premise is that a small dessert tribe comes across a foreign object (coke bottle), which they come to believe is a great evil because of the jealousy among the people that it provokes. Xi sets out on a noble journey to drop it off the face of the earth, but along the way he encounters civilization for the very first time.
MUSIC
My favorite music was this guy Ronnie on his guitar. Overall the music was beautiful and soothing to listen to. I listened to some very traditional songs where they were singing accapella as a group and it honestly sounded like a choir of angels. 

CURRENT EVENTS
While the country has been peacefully and democratically ruled by the Khamas since independence in 1966, more political parties are forming and the current government has been blamed for slow economic growth and for high unemployment about the youth. The next elections will be held in 2019 and prior to that a coalition has united against the current government. I hope that they can continue to maintain peace even if such a massive transition of power takes place. Also this month, Botswana was hit by a cyclone which has left flash floods and many damaged homes. It is hard to believe there are flash floods in a country that is 70% desert!
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FOOD
This month I opted for an easy dish and made a dessert called Malva Pudding. It is not really pudding at all (at least not the way mine turned out!) Mine came out as a super moist cake with a nice carmelized edge along the top. It would have been delicious with ice cream!
Find the Recipe Here!
LANGUAGE
Laleme le le lengwe ga le a lekanela - One language is never enough! So true, I wish I knew more!
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Perfect DIY Earring Travel Hack

2/9/2017

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My very favorite thing to buy when I travel is EARRINGS! It is completely possible to have too many coffee mugs and magnets, but I don't think it is possible to have too many earrings, especially when each one has a story. However, packing earrings when traveling can be a nightmare. I usually put them in a small pouch and they end up in a tangled mess.  Knowing we will be on the road for roughly 7 months of 2017, I knew I needed a better solution. I scoured the house for something I could repurpose, and I ended up with this great solution without buying anything new!

STEP ONE :

Find a pouch that is the perfect size for your earring collection. If you travel a lot, you will probably have something like this lying around. Otherwise you could sew something with scrap fabric, or pick up an inexpensive one at the store. 
monogrammed travel pouch

STEP TWO :

Cut a piece of extra-thick card stock to fit easily inside your pouch. I cut out the side of a cereal box and it was the perfect thickness. 
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STEP THREE :

Lay out all of the earrings you want to bring on your trip. You'll want to organize them by length on your diy earring rack, so its good to be able to see everything you are working with.
costume earring collection

STEP FOUR :

When organizing your earrings, you will inevitably find that one who's match has completely disappeared. I used this to punch my holes. It will work best if it is a straight, thick stud. It will probably end up bent in the end, so don't use a good earring. You could also poke your holes with a thick sewing needle. After punching each pair of holes, go ahead and put the earrings in the holes, so that you can get accurate spacing for the next pair. 
diy earring holder

STEP FIVE :

Continue until your card is completely full.
diy earring organization

STEP SIX :

Slide the card easily into your pouch and you are ready to go!
diy earring organization travel

BONUS :

Add a mini-binder clip and hang up your earrings at home or on-the-go for easy access anywhere.
diy earring hanger
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Travel by the Book Challenge - Cameroon

2/2/2017

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It seems like just yesterday we celebrated New Year's, but we are already winding up the first destination of the 2017 Travel by the Book Challenge!  This month took me to Cameroon, a small country on the western coast of Africa. When I began the challenge, I didn't realize how difficult it might be to find books and movies without a proper library and without Netflix... so I took whatever I could find.
​Here's my Cameroon Travel Log :
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HISTORY BOOK
​
This ended up being the hardest category! I could not get my hands on a good history book without spending tons of money. I also realized that I know next to NOTHING about Africa's history in general. So I opted for Fortunes of Africa, which details the last 5,000 years of African history.  I also did some basic research online to get a better understanding of Cameroon's specific history. Cameroon was first colonized by Germany in 1884, but after WW1, it was split up between the French and British. In 1960, it gained its independence, but has since struggled with national unity, even until today. 
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​FICTION BOOK
​
Though not set in Cameroon, "Behold the Dreamers" is written by a Cameroonian immigrant to the United States and seemed like a timely read with current events. You can see my full book review of it here.
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MOVIE
I explored all that YouTube had to offer in Cameroonian movies. I watched a bit of some recent amateur films, but then found the full length version of Chocolat (1988) which is set in colonial Cameroon and would help me with the historical side of things. Even though it was in French, I was able to follow the plot through wikipedia as I watched. I am still going to try to get my hands on a subtitled version, because the movie really centered on carefully nuanced dialogue between the characters. It focused the racism and irony of the time, but told through the eyes of a small girl.
MUSIC
I listened to some Cameroonian radio stations online, which mostly resembled R 'n B music that you hear in the United States. 

CURRENT EVENTS
The current situation in Cameroon is fragile. There is a huge division between the French speakers and the English speakers. Late last year, the predominately French-speaking government passed laws that were seen as discriminatory to the English-speakers. While protests have been largely peaceful, the government has taken measures against them including blocking the internet in the English-speaking regions and jailing some activists who have been blamed for stirring up the protests. 
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FOOD
One of Cameroon's signatures dishes is Ndole Soup. More than a soup, it is similar to an Indian curry, with a thick gravy and meat. I had fun cooking it and it tasted good enough for us to finish all in one sitting! Traditionally it would be eaten with a fermented tapioca dumpling called fufu. We ate it with rice. I made a variation of the recipe here, using shrimp for the meat and leaving out the dried crayfish since I had no idea where to find it.

LANGUAGE
Along with French and English over 200 other tribal languages are also spoken in Cameroon! In Pidgin English, Dis chop too sweet means This food is delicious!

Since it will take me another month to finish Fortunes of Africa, I'll be changing up my schedule and camping in Africa for the next two months. So for February, I'll be visiting Botswana. Happy Traveling!
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ESL Letter of the Week - J

1/23/2017

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RHYMES

Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after
(Use some good videos/images so that the students understand what is going on in the rhyme. You can do the same learning activities as with Humpty Dumpty.)

Johnny Johnny
Johnny, Johnny?
Yes, Papa
Eating sugar?
No, Papa
Telling lies?
No, Papa
Open Your mouth!
Ha! Ha! Ha!

Jolly Phonics - Letter J
Jelly and Jam
Jelly and Jam
Jiggling on a plate
Oh what shall I eat it with?
/j/ /j/ /j/ /j/ /j/

BOOKS

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ACTIVITIES

The Letter J Coloring sheet is a good reinforcement of the vocabulary words. Try to repeat the words a lot while the kids are coloring so that they remember the words and the J sound.

The paper plate jellyfish craft is super easy! If you can't find paper plates, you can always cut semi-circles out of a thick white paper. Review the parts of the body by asking the kids to draw "eyes, mouth and nose" on the jellyfish. 

You can use whatever is available to you for the tentacles. I like to use gift wrapping ribbon, but other ideas are tissue paper, construction paper, pipe cleaners, or even newspaper! I recommend also watching some jellyfish videos so that kids can connect what they are crafting with the actual animal. Its not one that they see every day!
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DOWNLOADS

Download the preschool letter J coloring sheet and letter J vocabulary flashcards to use for personal and educational purposes. Do not sell them or offer them as your own. Please give proper credit wherever you use them.
​

The flashcards are formatted for A4 and can be printed back to back, cut and laminated. There is a color and a black and white version in case you want to save on printing costs and do the coloring yourself.
j_flashcards_color.pdf
File Size: 110 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

j_flashcards_bw.pdf
File Size: 99 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

j_coloring_page.pdf
File Size: 434 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Book Review - Behold the Dreamers

1/18/2017

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I just finished my first book of the new year, and also the first book of my Travel by the Book Challenge for 2017, Behold the Dreamers by first time author Imbolo Mbue. It is a new novel from 2016 that tells the story of an immigrant family from Cameroon - Jende, Neni and son Liome - that has landed in New York City to pursue a new life of opportunity and happiness. It begins in 2007 and follow through the financial crisis and historic presidential election in 2008. ​

It is an easy read, has an interesting plot and was pretty clean in content.  The story depicts everyday reality, so it is not overly predictable or overly surprising. At times I felt like there was something lacking in the character development and some stiffness in the dialogue. As the characters started to change toward the end of the book, I did not feel that I knew them as well as I would have liked to, in order to feel the full weight of the internal changes that they were going through. 
Even though it was not set in Cameroon, I appreciated the peak into the Cameroonian culture, via the family life, food references, and the characters' reminiscing of their hometown and childhoods. One big cultural dynamic that was highlighted in the story was the relationship between the Cameroonian husband and wife. The main characters had an intense loyalty to one another and took their roles in marriage seriously. The husband was willing to make difficult decisions that he thought were best for the wife, even when he knew it would make her mad. He was willing to go to great lengths to supply for and protect his family. The wife was committed to standing by her man and did so by submitting to decisions she didn't like and forgiving both verbal and physical abuse. I thought it was brave of the author to present this aspect of her own culture, especially to a western audience that might be really put off by it. She highlights this through several characters in the book, other than just Jende and Neni, which made me think she was portraying the normality of it in her culture.

I thought the core theme of the book was "Is the 'American Dream' worth it?" A lot of people around the world believe that America is the promised land of success and happiness. Jende and Neni are willing to pursue that dream at almost any cost because of the lack of opportunity in their own country and their desire to impress everyone back home. Their wealthy employers, the Edwardses,  appear to have everything, but are still zealously pursing the same dream at a much higher cost. The ending of the story for everyone is both tragic and hopeful. 

I hope the author, who is herself an immigrant from Cameroon to New York City, continues to write from her cultural background and experiences. It is such a helpful way for us to get insight that we normally wouldn't have and to be able to relate with people who are different than us. I would recommend the book to anyone who is looking for something that will both entertain and enlighten you.
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Off the Beaten Path

1/5/2017

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During our recent road trip, which ended at the Sula Vineyards in Nashik, we diverted from the main highway and took some back roads through the rural farmlands of Maharastra. Not much needs to be said apart from these gorgeous pictures. Enjoy the pictures and Happy Weekend!
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    Julie

    Luke and I are married and have five little munchkins that travel the world with us. I blog about living overseas, travel, kids, homeschooling  and graphic design.

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