Brown Bear Brown Bear!

Today I taught animal lessons to the kids at Sue Nursery School. I read them Eric Carle's picture book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?" Eric Carle's books are wonderful for teaching English to Japanese kids because the words are simple and the pictures are captivating to the kids. Also, the kids can repeat the words fairly easily and get more into the story when you add gestures as you say it (like making binoculars out of your hands when you say "what do you see?")

I've found a great way to review flashcards with my preschool kids just before ending class. All I have to do is promise them a present if they can say all the cards in a big, loud voice. All of my kids immediately straightened their posture, got quiet, and said each flashcard with the loudest clearest voice they could. Then I had them all put out a fist in front of them so that I could put a small sticker on their hands. I also told them I'd be especially happy if they could say thank you once I gave them the sticker, so they all gave me a nice, "tank you!"

The kids there are hilarious. I could probably devote a whole blog to the cute things my kids do and say.

After ending class, as usual, all the kids wanted to give me a high five. This time however, one of the kids gave me a handshake, so all the other kids wanted to do it too. So I started giving each kid a hand shake, but one little boy was a little hesitant and blurted out, "Don't take my sticker OKAY?" as I reached for his hand. Only after consenting to his demands did I receive his handshake.