Summer is a joyful season where scraped knees, sunburn, and bug bites are forgotten and replaced with memories of outdoor sports, trips to the beach, and camping bonfires. It is safe to say that everyone here is anticipating the arrival of summer, and we are tasting summer's weather more and more each day!
English Class is in the "homestretch" as we have begun our last theme before we break for the summer holidays. In Czech, the students have two months of summer (July and August), but we will finish English Class in mid-June. I wanted to joke with the kids a bit, so instead of telling them we will finish for the summer, I told them since they will not have school they will come to English Class with me all-day, everyday for more English practice! I expected to see shocked faces and negotiations from the students, but it was I who was surprised when many of the kids said - "Really? Cool!" I then explained we will actually break for summer, and I plan to resume the class again in the fall. The students seemed alright with this plan also as many of them will go on holiday trips with their families; yet, I was thrilled with their response as it shows their desire to continue learning - which is really the main goal of all teachers.
English Class Fun
These kids are quick learners, and they are especially getting the vocabulary and having fun with this last theme - Calendars! We kicked off the theme with learning the months in English, and practiced the days of the week the following lesson. Many of the older kids have studied these topics in their school classes; however, they seem to be simply memorizing the vocabulary in the school, so I am pushing the students to use the vocabulary while playing games, singing songs, and within sentences. This causes them to think about the vocabulary rather than racing to see who can recite the words the fastest.
Using the Vocabulary Through Singing Games
My students had been writing to American PenPals and also creating movies to share with their PenPals (which practiced speaking), but the Americans have ended school for the summer - which also ended our PenPal writing. To keep the kids engaged in writing practice, I create mini-journals for the students and challenged them to see how much they could fill the journals with English sentences. To encourage them, I printed all the words we have learned in English Class throughout the year - and they were shocked to realize how many words and phrases they have learned! It definitely motivated them as they are seeing how many of the words they can record in sentences in their journals.
Writing Practice
Summer-like weather has arrived, which means Club times have moved outside to the sport's field! Soccer is a very popular sport in Czech, and many kids enjoy spending afternoons running around the field with their friends. It was our first day at the field last week as a club, and it was full with 8 half-leaders, 11 girls, and over 20 boys! What I absolutely love about Elim Club in Letovice is the variety of ages. Our half-leaders (15-18yr. olds) divide themselves up evenly and team up with the younger kids to form the teams for playing soccer. They will regularly pass the ball to the little kids and encourage them while playing the sport. I was once talking with an adult friend who knows many of the older kids, and he suggested to have a club time for the older kids and then a separate club time for the younger kids. I quickly pulled a half-leader into the conversation and asked what he thought of the idea. His response was "I enjoy the time with the little kids. I wouldn't want to have club at a separate time." The half-leaders are learning leadership skills, the younger kids look up to the half-leaders as role models, and it helps the leaders with the organization of activities. It's a win-win-win!
Soccer Day
Sideline Cheering
At the Field
Back at the clubhouse, we are still embracing the outdoor weather. A couple of the half-leaders helped set up the trampoline for the summer, and the kids raced to get in line for the entrance to jumping! While waiting for a turn on the trampoline, many of the kids joined me on the sidewalk with chalk art or helped me learn how to ride a PennyBoard (skateboard). These kids definitely keep me young with trying new skills!
The Trampoline is Back!
Chalk Art - Drawing Beaches and Palm Trees
In our Boskovice Club, we have a new attraction; the leaders installed a computer for the kids to play some video games. There is usually a small group of kids who will take turns with a car racing game, but when I went over to see the game they were playing last week, I realized they had figured out how to fit three players on one keyboard! Their hands basically laid on top of each other; however, it didn't bother them as they were having fun playing all together at the same time. While many of their peers may be at home playing video games alone, these teen guys have found they have much more fun when they are playing together.
Three Players on One Keyboard
Our Kid's Bible Class is also taking advantage of the summer-like weather. For the past couple weeks, we have met at the soccer field and played many different games - like Running Rock - Paper - Scissors, Ships Across the Ocean, and, of course, Soccer. (I am trying to teach the kids Kickball, but it is a little more difficult in a nation where the kids don't grow up playing Baseball; still, I am determined we will play eventually!). After some time of playing, we group together in the shade of some trees and talk about God's love and miracles in our lives. I was very excited when a couple kids who know me from club saw us on the field and joined the Bible Class for games and also for the discussion time! I can see how God is using this Bible Class with the "church kids" to be a ministry to all the other kids in their city.
Bible Class PiggyBack Rides
Playing with Shadows
A couple weeks ago, we also had youth group on the soccer field - so naturally I played soccer with 15 guys! Later in the evening, a couple of the girls came to bring us sandwiches for dinner and we all sat and talked on the field until the stars were out. Last week, we had youth group in Boskovice. The pastor of our church in Letovice came as a guest speaker and shared about Jesus' desire to know each of us personally - no matter the mistakes or stigma society has covered us with. He used the story of Zacchaeus to illustrate his point. After the program, all the students divided into three teams, and we played Human Foosball! We lined all the sofas up to create a "field" and each player sat on a cushion as we passed the ball with our hands to score goals. Foosball is a favorite activity in our youth group, so Human Foosball is always great fun with everyone!
Playing Human Foosball
With summer just around the corner, there is lots of planning and preparation being put into all the summer activities - LetFest, camping trips, etc. God has been reaching the hearts of many of these kids as they start to consider His love for them, and we pray that these summer activities will give us more opportunities to share this love of Christ with the students. I am still patiently waiting for my next visa so that I can remain in Czech and continue being a part of God's work through Elim. Please continue to pray that the visa arrives quickly and that there are no complications in the process. Thanks!