June 2023

English Class Level 1

Group A with completed Forest Pictures

English Classes Level 1 wrapped up their theme about the Forest with learning all about bugs, barriers, and a night sky.  I absolutely loved this theme about the forest and it was fun seeing the kids connect directly with the theme as it is common for Czech families to go on weekend hiking trips through the forest.  The kids even started giving more suggestions of what they could add to their forest vocabulary and some of them even added more details to the pictures (including more branches on the trees, forest growth, insects, animals, and even animal droppings... to complete that natural, lived-in forest look)! 

Group B Silly Faces

As we talked about how much we enjoyed the time together during the school year, the students started talking about some summer plans.  Soon, the conversation turned to ideas of what Opakovacka (our parrot-puppet friend) will be doing during summer.  A couple ideas from the kids included that Opakovacka will: "Sleep!", "Eat caterpillar ice cream!", "Go swimming and diving!", "Get a new summer hair(feather) cut.", "Get a suntan... somehow.",  "Go on a long trip.", "Come and visit us!"  Needless to say, it sounds like I might need to take some pictures this summer with a parrot-puppet to ensure to the students next year that Opakovacka did indeed have a good summer! 

After learning bugs in one of our recent lessons, I had passed around some plastic bug toys as we worked on the vocabulary.  I know one of my student's mother is a biologist and they have pet cockroaches in a container at their home.  As we passed around the plastic cockroach, this student mentioned she has real ones as pets, to which another student said, "Oh, we also have those pets in my house!  But not in a box... in the attic."  I said to my translator, "I think in this situation, the box makes all the difference in regarding this "pet"..."  We finished the class and the group went out on our terrace to wait for their parents.  Soon, two of the boys came rushing back into the classroom proudly using their new English vocabulary saying, "Kendra, SPIDER!" as one held a relatively large 8-legged critter in his tiny hands.  After applauding the boys for using their new vocabulary, I begged them to leave other living vocabulary examples outside.

Parachute Games

Group Game: finding the hidden "gate" and practicing vocabulary words "gate" and "fence"

English Class Level 2

The older kids and I wrapped up our theme about Summer with fruit taste testing and learning vocabulary about the night sky!  The kids loved the taste test and were not at all opposed to eating all the leftover fruit after the tasting was over - even my whole lime got eaten by this group!  As we continued learning about fruits, the students won fruit-smelly stickers to add to their notebooks for winning rounds of BINGO.  I import my smelly stickers from the states because I can't find them here, and the kids absolutely love them!  As we learned about the night sky, the students said that almost all the vocabulary was new for them, including "fireworks, shooting star, constellation, and space."  They created scratch-art night sky pictures for our storybook characters Gerald and Piggie and created a story about what they saw in the night.

We finished out our theme with an online review game.  I let the kids team up for the review game as it helps them recall more and discuss quickly in the limited time.  Two of my younger students paired together (and one who had missed a couple of the last few weeks), but I watched as their self-confidence grew with each question they got right and they ended up taking 2nd place!  I was so proud of them, especially because the winners of the review were the two oldest boys in the class and ones I have been training as new translators for next year, so for these two young students who came in 2nd, it made it feel even more lie a win to them! 

When your three older siblings are in the Second Level Class, you get to be "automatic teacher's helper" :)

Kendra: "The only thing left for us to do is take a class picture for the end of the year!  

Where should we take it?"

Student: (being silly) "From the ceiling!"

Kendra: "No problem at all!"

Homeschool Class

My Homeschool Group finished out the last couple weeks learning travel vocabulary.  We looked at different types of words we would need for all kinds of travel - local, international - by all sorts of transportation.  We then learned terms to identify monuments like "bridge, tower, statue, and cathedral."  Using old calendar pictures as backgrounds and monument cut outs, the kids made their own brochures to invite guests to visit their cities.  They described all the attractions that tourists could see there.

To finish out the year, we created Summer Bucket Lists in English.  The students decided on five top things they wanted to accomplish this summer.  Then, we all added a 6th - "do something bravely & adventurously!"  I then brought my five students to our main hall space at our youth center that has our newly completed Rock Climbing Wall!  They loved the final 15 minutes of the class and then ended with checking off one of their Summer Bucket List items. 

Little Linguists

Big sister brings her own "baby" so little sister can sit in Mama's lap!  Her babydoll is waving "hello" in our hello song

This month, the Littles learned about Circles, Mountain/Forest Animals, and Boats!  We had a lot of fun playing and singing together.  I love seeing how many of these toddlers are able to sing out "hello" and "bye-bye" songs as well as pick up a few of the words in our theme songs.  One of my littles continued to sing "merrily, merrily, merrily!" as she played after learning "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."  The moms and I have begun to have discussions about the vocabulary and grammar in the toddler songs too, and we have some fun discussions!  I make sure to choose (or create) songs that allow for repetition, growth, interaction between mom and toddler, movements, basic vocabulary, and that are grammatically correct (it is surprising how many nursery rhymes don't meet these requirements!).  Since I do know many parents are also using youtube songs for their children to interact with English music, I also try to include some traditional songs that they can then sing again at home.  Though, I have noticed more and more moms just take out their phones and record me singing one verse with the toddlers to replay at home!

(1) Forest Animal Masks (2) Circle Painting!

Boats!

Some of these toddlers are starting preschool next year, and others are looking forward to September activities again.  The moms and I are definitely looking forward to starting Little Linguists again in the fall!  A couple of the toddlers who will start preschool will only attend part-time, and the moms are saying they want to leave Tuesday a free-day from preschool so they can still attend Little Linguists.  I am so happy to have these connections with the young families in my community.

Picked up these three little toy boats in the "summer pool toys," and we had so much fun with boat races on the slide, hooking them together to drag across the carpet, and looking for the differences in the styles of the boats.  I was so impressed how much we were able to do with a "Boat" Theme without any water involved! 

 Kid's Club - Letovice

At the start of the month, we had some friends from America come to encourage our students and share in youth groups the "Evidence of God."  The seminars and programs really caused the students to think and I was so happy that these American friends came for the week to share their stories with our youth kids.  For weeks now afterwards, we are still using their illustrations at church services and youth meetings!  It was fun for the youth kids to reconnect with these American friends who they saw last year at LetFest and the encouragement they brought with them was amazing.  (It was a blessing for me to have these friends here with me, because I ended up getting sick and my friends helped to care for me, making me chicken broth, and bringing me medicine and tea.)

The last month of clubs in Letovice were typically pretty relaxed, and we enjoyed many of our favorite activities, both indoor and outdoor.  For the last week of club, we had two special activities, a bike trip and a water balloon fight!  The bike trip was a fun way for us to spend time with a small group of the youth and we enjoyed that one of our kids met us halfway on his motorcycle.  We joked that we had never specified what type of "bike" was actually necessary for the "bike trip," and we all enjoyed the time.  The water balloon fight - like any good water wars - ended with just getting dumped with buckets of water and everyone left soaked and with smiles.  The heat really hit these past weeks, so it was nice to have a cool-off activity.

Kid's Club Outreach

During the year, I have the opportunity to visit many different schools, but one that has really captured my heart is a village school just a ways outside of Letovice.  It is a two-room school house for 1st-5th grade, and the schooling there feels more "down-to-earth" and focused on the whole child rather than textbook learning.  I always love visiting the school.  This year, there are seven fifth graders who will start at Letovice Elementary school for 6th grade.  Their teacher (a good friend of mine), had an idea to bring the fifth graders to ELIM, our organization, to show the kids a place where they can come after school while they wait for the bus back to the village.  They loved the two hours we spent together to get to know club. We played ping-pong, foosball, billiards pool, table games, soccer, rock climbing, and did some crafting activities.  It was perfect since the kids already knew me and are comfortable with each other and their teacher.  The teacher and I remarked that when these seven didn't have the little kids around, they started acting more like pre-teens and just having fun together!  As they left, one student said, "I will definitely be coming here after school!"  To which all the kids chimed in, "Me too!"  The first child (clearly the organizer/leader of the group) said, "Okay then, it's agreed.  If we end up in different classes next year, we all meet here after school, hang-out, and then go to the bus home together."  I think it sounds like the perfect plan.

Kid's Club - Velke Opatovice

 

The kids at our youth center in Velke Opatovice enjoy moving between outdoor and indoor activities.  Often, we are taking the kids down the road to get ice cream or playing soccer out on the grass outside of the clubroom.  We open the window to the clubroom, which is on the second story of the building, and one of the leaders manages the clubroom and another the outdoor activities.  We try to stay near the window in case the outdoor leader needs something and it is nice to connect the spaces in this way.

Our American friends also had the opportunity to share at each youth club, and the kids were attentive in Velke Opatovice (a couple had to leave early to catch the bus home, though I was happy many came and were looking forward to the program).  It was a deep topic that I could tell caused them to think and began processing how they need to be able to prove what they believe.  It was a great theme for this group of teenagers. 

Youth Group

A few weeks ago, I spoke at youth group about the power of encouragement.  With our summer outreach event, LetFest, right around the corner, it felt like the perfect theme to create team unity among the youth students.  We talked about how all forms of constructive comments - whether encouraging or not - shapes us.  God reminds us through scripture to make sure our communication is encouraging.  It is so fun to watch this group together.  They are a tight-knit group and they love spending time together.  Lately, the youth have been organizing Sunday afternoons outside at the open sport's field to play sports together and just spend more time together (because three times a week and Sunday mornings wasn't enough!).  I love their friendships and watching them lead these activities!

Testing out our indoor court for dodgeball - it's ready for LetFest! 

Mission Church 

Our Mission Church is getting ready for our summer outreach event, LetFest!  We all have roles - some translating English, leading sports, cooking lunch, running the cafe, helping with clean-up, taking care of little kids so parents can volunteer, leading worship, organizing workshops, and SO MUCH MORE!  We are so happy to have such a wonderful team and how everyone is jumping fully into their roles.  The youth have really stepped into their roles with lots of energy, ambition, and I am so excited to get to support them as they reach their goals this year. 

Weekend Outings

While I love all the weekday activities, I also really enjoy my "break away" moments that I typically get in on weekends.  A few weekends ago, I joined in at a village festival where I know many of the families.  It is always fun to connect with friends and students at this village festival.  I got some handmade art from a friend's grandmother, shot arrows at a target with a former club student, chatted with long-time friends, and listened to poetry a friend had written.  It was a great day.  One of my favorite things to do is go for solo adventures on my bike.  I really like just riding at my pace, using the time for prayer and reflection, and enjoying the scenery.  Last weekend, I took a bike trip to a beautiful look-out and really loved soaking in the view. 

Time with Friends