SWAP 20

We have been running our free-book lending programme for teachers SWAP 20 in Breda Montessori+ Breda, in Amsterdam The American Book Center and in Doorn Little English Town Library Utrechtse Heuvelrug for a number of years now. Today I received such a nice message from a lovely teacher called Irene who teaches English in Rotterdam. Every month she would swing by the Breda Little Library to pick up books for her classes and this is what she wrote:

“Thank you for your wonderful service! You’ve got a great variety of books for all ages that I have been able to borrow at any time. Every month I have come to select 20 books for a different group. The students are always eager to see which books I chose for them again! Non fiction, famous series such as the Treehouse or Harry Potter, books about horses, you name it, The Little English Library has them all!”

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Summer in Breda …

And here we go: today we closed The Little English School Libraries at the  Montessori+ Breda and Montessori+Prinsenbeek in Breda (NL) for the summer. It has been a wonderfully busy year for both school libraries. Both schools run a highly gifted department and these children have been reading like there is no tomorrow. For the first time this year, we trialled English reading clubs. They have been a great success and will continue next year. We have also had a constant flow of new library members from all over world and from as young as 2, which is just fabulous. So thanks for visiting and reading so much and a big Thank You also to Miriam Oliveira Merrilee Bloch Schuurman Shirley de Peijper for all the help managing the books and the reading clubs. Time for summer and we will see you in 2018/2019.

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I am Yoga

Inspired by a session by Atelierstorytime based on the picturebook I am Yoga (Susan Verde / Peter H Reynolds), I put together a short English-Yoga Lesson for Young Language Learners – quite ‘CLIL’-y for the teachers amongst you. I was kindly invited to teach this lesson in two classes at a local primary school in Breda (Group 3 (6-7 yrs) & 4 (7-8)).

Children were fabulous, so excited when they saw the book cover. We first chatted about yoga, did some breathing and looked at some book-related vocabulary. Then we read the story together and talked a bit more. Finally, we read it again and this time we did the yoga movements as well. We ended the lesson with children drawing their own, new yoga pose and giving it a name. I wasn’t sure what I would get but as always, children surprised me: there is the WOW pose and it was WOW indeed… And with all the CITO end of year exams coming to an end, a bit of yoga can only be a good thing.

Teachers will continue to work with this book, looking at colours, emotions and as a fellow teacher educator (Marieken) suggested, practising and sharing their own poses. Then it really will be: I am Yoga.

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Little Library School Reading Clubs

Since the start of the year Miriam and Shirley have been busy running weekly reading clubs with children at the Montessori+ Breda and Prinsenbeek. The clubs run during class-time with groups of 8 children who are interested in reading English and perhaps who already have quite good English skills for their age. The clubs focus on reading together, developing English language skills and of course on having some fun. Here are some great photos from the latest reading clubs with Miriam at the Montessori+ Prinsenbeek. She worked with Steve Antony’s Unplugged and No-Bot by Sue Hendra linked to their IPC theme ‘Techniek’. Big thanks to the schools for making this possible and to Miriam & Shirley for coming up with such creative sessions.

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