Blog : Your Language Connection, Lancaster, PA

Next Stop: Australia and Haiti

mdsalinas — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:50:54 +0000

These past two days we have really been some world travelers! We spent Wednesday in Australia making clay plates and mosaic like masks our of beans. Also, while we were on board, we learned a lot about the Australian culture. It’s very fascinating. Today, though, we flew to a very unique place, Haiti. While on board, we talked about what to expect in Haiti and how we, as children, could be of assistance to the community. When we landed in Haiti, we learned about their famous artwork. They use the old metal from drums and make their own creatures. Well, guess what? We got to try! It was great to learn about such a unique culture!

Spanish Camp: July 26

mdsalinas — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:39:07 +0000

Camp seems to be flying by! In the past two days we have done so many activities. We continued to learn about Ecuador, Guatemala, and Spain. Plus, we broke into teams that we’ve been competing against all week. So far, the Panthers are in the lead, but it’s really really close! We also started writing our books about what we like to do in our freetime. Finally, we started writing our presentation for our parents. Unfortunately, tomorrow is our last day; but, we get to play some soccer!

It’s as Easy as 1, 2, 3 . . .

mdsalinas — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:00:16 +0000

Classic Italian-American – Tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and meat or vegetable toppings such as pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers and onions
Flavors of Greece – Artichokes, red peppers, kalamata olives and feta cheese over mozzarella
Mexicana Favorita – Chorizo sausage, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, onions, queso fresco or Mexican blend shredded cheese
Asian Inspired – Peanut sauce, mozzarella, chicken, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, chopping onions, cilantro
French Fusion – Bacon, onion and fresh cream or “crème freche”)

(Gather the ingredients from your local supermarket. If you can’t find exactly what a recipe calls for, omit the ingredient or add something else that you like. Follow the directions from the crust recipe or package for baking in the oven and then enjoy your meal knowing you’re sharing in the tradition of people around the world.

As the Italians say, Bon Giorno! Or, Good Eats!)

Basic Pizza Dough
Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Directions
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan (or cookie sheet). Top as desired.
Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Spanish Camp: July 26

mdsalinas — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:41:23 +0000

Yesterday in Spanish camp, we learned so much! We visited Guatemala to make worry dolls, Spain to learn about the World Cup, and Ecuador to learn about their style of dress. We got to make our own worry dolls, jerseys, and ponchos. I really learned a lot! Besides the culture, we started to learn new vocabulary about leisure activities. Now, I can say what sports or activities that I like or don’t like to do. Today, we learned about basketball in Spain, the differences, and some basketball vocabulary. In teams, we challenged each other to basketball relay races. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Keeping on Track: Japan Here We Come!

mdsalinas — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:29:16 +0000

Yesterday we learned how to count to ten in Japanese. The language sure is neat to say! We also made some paper koi that we can hang. We got to use shiny paper and streamers. Afterwards, we learned how to make origami airplanes. They really flew far! It was really interesting to learn about the Japanese culture. Today, we are going to Mexico, and I can’t wait!

Bonjour: French Camp 2010

mdsalinas — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:16:13 +0000

Today we had a great first day of French camp! Our two themes for the week are going to be colors and body parts. We started off today by learning how to greet each other in French and introduce ourselves, and then we learned the names of different colors in French. We played a game, sang a song, colored, and asked each other questions to help us learn the vocabulary. After our break, we learned about a French tradition called Poisson d’Avril. It is kind of like April Fool’s Day here in the United States. In France, on April 1st every year, children make fish out of paper and stick them on their friends’ and family members’ backs without them noticing. When someone finds the fish you put on their back you are supposed to yell out “Poisson d’avril!” After we colored and decorated our own fish, we sneakily tried to put them on the backs of our classmates and teachers, and tonight at home we will try to trick our parents and siblings with poisson d’avril. We can’t wait for tomorrow when we are going to start learning the body parts!

Spanish Camp: July 19th

mdsalinas — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:08:58 +0000

Sadly, it was our last day of Spanish camp today. We had a lot of fun activities today like scavenger hunts, cultural activities, and we even got to pick the games for the day! By the end of the week, we learned how to ask where we are and where we are going. We had our presentation today for our parents and relatives. We did great!

Check out part of the presentation here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50Fqho0pbxY

Our Final Destination: Brazil

mdsalinas — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:51:05 +0000

After a fun week of traveling, we ended our journey in Brazil. Even though it’s been a long trip, we didn’t let our jet lag stop us; we were full of energy and ready to explore! We learned about the different animals in Brazil and played a balloon game that Brazilian children play when they are young. It was great to get a first-hand experience of the Brazilian culture!

All Aboard: Arts and Crafts Camp to Russia

mdsalinas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:29:10 +0000

Today, we took a trip to Moscow, Russia. It was a long flight, with a lot of turbulance, but we got there safe and sound. We first visited a museum where we learned about the Matryoshka dolls. Then, we got to make our very own! After we left the museum, we toured Russia. We got to talk with some Russian children, and they told us about their Christmas traditions. When decorating their Christmas tree, they decorate a star, themselves, to put at the top of the tree. Guess what? We made my very own star for our next Christmas tree. We don’t know where Miss Rebecca is taking us tomorrow; she says, “it’s a surprise”.

Spanish Camp: July 19

mdsalinas — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:16:01 +0000

Today in Spanish camp we learned so many new things! First, we learned about the Spanish culture from our teacher assistant Pablo, who lives in Madrid. We also practiced our rhyme and vocabulary that we learned yesterday. We even played musical chairs! We are so good, that everyone ended up winning a prize (if the teachers didn’t call the game, it would have went on all three hours!). We learned how to ask someone where something is located, as well as tell someone where something is located.