Christos Anesti,
Today, I'm taking the opportunity to discuss my concern over the growing crisis in Greece. Given, that I have family in Greece, but more than that, a permanent connection to all that my grandparents, and hence Greece has/ had given me; I am deeply saddened by the deaths of three people and the chaos that is at hand.
I was thinking, what could one person do? Me alone, if I could do anything to help I would but, truly what can one person alone do? It only takes one person though to talk to one other, and then the second person talks to someone else...You get what I mean. I can't do anything alone. However, all of us together those of us who are Greek, those of us who are not, all together we certainly can. Maybe you fell in love with Greece through books, or visiting Greece or maybe just visiting a Greek household, where you were automatically welcomed in as family. To you all I am writing, please pray that the crisis subsides and that Greece's economy is restored. Please also consider, if in any way, there is a channel provided for us to legitimately help restore Greece's economy even slightly and we are requested to assist, please consider offering what you are capable of.
Please enjoy the following three videos...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T03YfCa1ISE&NR=1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9faZU04ffs&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZB7GCiY--8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPwuE6ZHWhc
God Bless Us All.
Looking for tips on helping pass on your bilingual background to your children?....Well you're in the right place. As a teacher of Greek as a second language, and mom of three, I've got useful and fun tips for you. Studies show children benefit greatly from being bilingual both intellectually and in effect, academically. So I hope that I satisfy a niche out there trying to pass on the beauty of speaking the language of your grandparents. Happy travels.
Quick ideas for keeping children motivated..
*Do something different, like a "pajama party", where the children get to sleep in sleeping bags in the den with you, and play games that require them to speak in (insert second language here). For some detailed ideas, feel free to read the 1/22/10 post.
*Decorate a coffee can of small trinkets as a treasure box (keep it varied) and let children pick from it, if they learn a new phrase and use it at least 5 times in one day.
You can keep a log of the weekdays-if each day they practice numbers 1-10, or colors for example in the foreign language, they get to pick a movie.
(Remember, your own motivation and attitude are contagious)...keep it fun and reward yourself for the hard work.
"I know I'm intelligent because the more I learn, I realize I know nothing" - Socrates