English Clubs are back! October 21, 2010
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School is back in session and guess what? So are the English Clubs!
English Clubs have started again at the Kherson Oblast Children’s Library. Every other Sunday, we have three English Clubs – 10 a.m. for beginners, 11 a.m. for mid-level or middle school children and noon for advanced speakers.
Last Sunday we had lots of fun talking about Autumn in Ukraine. If you did not make it, take a look at the pictures below to see of the things we did. We:
- talked about the seasons of the year
- discussed what we like about Autumn
- played Jeopardy – a fun game that helps us learn new English words while competing to earn points
- decorated our word-tree with lots of leaves
- and the most fun of all was bowling!
Join us on October 31 for our annual Halloween Party. There will be lots of games and fun and candy, of course.
We hope to see you on the third floor of the Kherson Children’s Library at 10 a.m. on October 31.
The Children's Librarian, Ira, talks with students about the seasons of the year.
We colored and decorated leaves for our "word tree."
I don’t want school to start! August 6, 2010
Posted by americanex in Peace Corps, Uncategorized.add a comment
During the summer months, we have English Clubs at our Library every other week. This week, one of the topics we discussed was school and if everyone was happy to see it start. There were many groans and moans at the mention of school. One of the students said, “I don’t want school to start. I cannot wait to be done with learning!”
We may get finished with school after high school or after we attend a university, but the fact is, we are never done learning. All our lives we continue to learn new things, no matter how old we get.
When we graduate from the university and go to work, we have to learn how to do our job. When we get married, we might have to learn how to cook and sew. When we have children, we have to learn how to keep them safe and healthy. And if you travel, you may have to learn a new language.
No, we are never done learning new things!
I recently went to a Language Camp put on by the Peace Corps. I spent a week in Russian classes trying to learn more about the Russian language. It was frustrating and difficult, but well worth the effort.
I was not alone. There were 50 other Peace Corps Volunteers with me, people of all ages – some my age, some younger and some much older. Take a look at some of the photos below.
At camp, we combined learning with fun. We watched Russian movies, read Russian books, sang Russian songs and played Russian games. Learning became fun.
Because we will be learning new things our whole life, the best thing you can do when you have something you need to learn is to try to make it enjoyable.
Here are a few ideas:
- If you are learning how to cook, make something you like to eat.
- If you are learning how to swim, do it with someone you like and they will make sure you have fun.
If you are learning English:
- talk to your friends in English
- watch a movie in English
- listen to music in English
- play cards and say the numbers in English
- make up your own games such as seeing who can name the most things in a room in English
- draw a picture of your house and label all the items in English
- make a “memory” game by writing the English names for farm animals on paper and then the Russian names for the same animals. Turn the papers over and mix them around. See if you can match the English words with the Russian words by remembering where each word is.
The important thing is….
Have fun while you learn and you will never tire of learning!
Below are the photos of Peace Corps Volunteers having fun while they learn:
Playing football and only talking in Russian with your team mates.
Watching Russian movies with friends.
Drawing posters in Russian.
Playing games - guess what we are in Russian - a coffee pot!
Listening to Russian music and trying to guess the names of the songs.
American Express for future leaders 
