It's a big week for King Richard III, or rather his Remains. More about that in weeks to come.

Keeping in historical mode, here is a short film explaining the history of English. I do wish they would speak more slowly on such films, but at least maybe it will help you all realize how s l o w l y and clearly I speak!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3r9bOkYW9s&feature=youtu.be


I'm a keen Facebook user thanks to my far-flung Family, but it's also great for finding help with learning English:

Voice of America:
https://www.facebook.com/voalearningenglish

BBC Learning English:
https://www.facebook.com/bbclearningenglish.multimedia

More Details on Wales:
https://www.facebook.com/storyofwales

And even some fun for you Grammar fans:
https://www.facebook.com/GrammarUpdates

Enjoy your day!

Just preparing some lessons about Pi day... great Information and Background here:

http://cheshirelibraryblog.com/

Of course Pi was first used by a Welshman from Angelsey:

http://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/2015/mar/14/pi-day-2015-william-jones-the-welshman-who-invented-pi

If you feel unsure about how to say different mathematical words and expressions, this YouTube Video can help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AOW3B1RKD4

And here's a fun online game to practice your maths:

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/me3us/flash/index.html?launch=true


Enjoy!

Good morning, cough cough. My Cousin helpfully told me this week that in the UK the current cold/flu is being called "The 100 day cold"! Way to go, Cousin Janice!

Last week some of had fun introducing our favourite books, and what a varied lot they were.
This next week I will be bringing some extracts with me for the VHS Groups.

I think all of you will enjoy Benjamin Zephaniah. He's a Poet, Performer, author and "Troublemaker" and I think to get the full effect you have to watch him perform his Poems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1DKCaR9OzQ

I love what he does with the English language and so do many others: in a BBC poll of the nation's favourite poets, he came 3rd after TS Eliot & John Donne!

Other students are going to be grappling with prepositions next week, here's some online practice:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/preposition_quiz1.htm

And this is a fun roulette-type game:

http://www.eslgamesplus.com/preposition-interactive-grammar-game-for-esl-wheel-game/

Now we all should go outside and get some sunshine!

I rise from my bed of sickness to pen you these lines...
Kidding aside I have really been what my Australian Cousins would call 'crook', but am hopefully recovered sufficiently to enjoy St David's Day, the Welsh National Day.
Climb onto our Magic Internet Carpet, and off we go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOv6qwIandk

Why not try a tasty Welsh recipe today?

http://mashable.com/2015/02/26/st-davids-day/

 And whilst you  tuck in, listen to some great Welsh Music:

The largest Male Voice Choir ever, in the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff (an older recording):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nFE3VSBWG0

 And our very own favourites, Only Boys Aloud, this time with subtitles in English & Welsh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwQu8aXl1b4


Hapus Dydd Gŵyl Dewi!

Good afternoon!
While I was looking for activities for next week I found some really exciting online things.
Macmillan has an excellent all-round site, but I have fallen  in love with this:
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/verb_wheel/

It's like a roulette wheel, or one-armed bandit, to help you practise your irregular verbs. Now that is fun!

Some groups have been listening to music to fill in the gaps in the lyrics. It is quite tricky. If you want to practise, try going to YouTube and then typing in the name of your favourite song then adding 'English subtitles'.
E.g.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJjvtNWV990

(That has Spanish subtitles too!)

A strange story this week was that Russian fighters were flying over (or near) Cornwall. So the BBC has published a handy guide to recognizing Russian planes:
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-31537705

The BBC Magazine is always good anyway: short articles, Video links  and more.

Hope you all have a good week.

Welcome back everyone, and I hope it's not too late to wish you all a Happy New Year.
The snowdrops and cyclamen are already through in the garden. The cyclamen are particularly special as they are from Cornwall and I didn't really expect them to survive in this climate. Here's where I bought them many years ago:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele/
I planted them so they are the first thing I see when I open the door - a little bit of Heimat.

Some of us have been reviewing the present tenses this week. Here's some online practice for Eager Beavers:

http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/prestensum.html

I'm really excited about this afternoon as the second round of the Six Nations Championship is this weekend. This afternoon Wales play Scotland at Murrayfield:
http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/home.php

Here's a cute online Memory game to practise your sports vocabulary:

http://www.eslgamesplus.com/sports-vocabulary-esl-memory-game/

Have fun and Go Wales!

It's all hands on deck this morning as a group of Brazilian students are arriving at 2pm to bake cookies. At 4.30pm they will be joined by a VHS Group of Brazilian-learners who will hopefully take the opportunity to Chat with some real live Brazilians.
Some lessons this week will  be about British Christmas TV ads - these have become a traditional part of Christmas, with one company doing its best to outshine all the others.

What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwjyYpXTGhU



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfLgmaUP6wY&list=PLkQik1PHOEcASsHLvlAPH2BT6VURLYQfD



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccscUFY860


PS The Penguinet will be taking a break until February 2015.
A Very Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year 2015.