It's so hot!

It's so hot that you could fry an egg on the sidewalk!

歩道上に卵を炒めことが出来るのように暑いです。

This is a popular idiom that many people often say in the summer.
夏期にこれはよく言われてるの慣用表現です。

It's summertime...

and it's hot! They say that it is going to be a long, hot summer this year. Sometimes I use the AC at night when I am sleeping, but I try not to use it too much. I think it is better to get used to the heat. In my country, many stores have the ac set so low, and it's too cold! I remember that whenever I went to the movie theater, I had to bring a jacket.
However, in Japan I think that sometimes the AC is too weak. On the train, for example, the car with weak air-conditioning gets hot when it starts to get crowded.
My plan for staying cool his summer is just to wear light clothes and walk really slowly.
How will you stay cool this summer?

the AC 冷房
get used to 慣れる
set so low  温度の設定が低い
the car with weak air-conditioning 弱冷房車

英語の勉強のアプリ English Apps

These are some of my app recommendations for studying English. These apps are for Android, however because I don't use Iphone. Using your smartphone is a great way to study English, especially if you are a busy person because you can study anywhere, even when you only have a few minutes. If you have any good apps you will you use for studying English, please let me know!

忙しい時でもスマホならいつでも、どこでも英語を勉強出来ます。これは私のいくつかのおすすめのアプリです。英語の勉強のための便利なよく使うのアプリがあれば、教えて下さい！

English Ear Game - R, L
English Ear Game - B, V
Practice English Grammar - 1
Practice English Grammar - 2
Dictionary 

Breakfast

They say say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what does it mean?  The word "breakfast" actually comes from two words, "break" and "fast".  Fast is when a person doesn't eat for a long time. The word is often used by religious people. For example, before Easter many Christians don't eat meat on Fridays, so they say that they "fast" on Fridays.
When people sleep, they don't eat, so this can be called a fast. When a person wakes up and breaks his period of not eating, he breaks his fast. This becomes "breakfast".
※When fast refers to the period of time that one does not eat, it can be a noun 名詞.
例文：His fast lasted for three days.
彼の断食は３日間続きました。
※Fast can also be used as a verb動詞.
例文：He fasted for three days.
彼は３日間断食しました。

The Tooth Fairy

When I was a kid, sometimes my teeth fell out.  Whenever that happened, I put my tooth under my pillow. When I woke up, it was gone, and in its place was money! While I was sleeping, the tooth fairy came! Even though it was only about 25 or 50 cents, I was so happy! I never noticed the tooth fairy coming into my room when I was sleeping, but I thought the reason was that she was only 2 or 3 inches tall.
It's too bad that the tooth fairy doesn't live in Japan. I heard that Japanese kids don't get money. What did you do as a kid when your teeth fell out?

Listen to this blog here ⇨ http://db.tt/yUiXf0ul

If you are interested in learning more about the tooth fairy, then I recommend watching this movie ⇨

https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=cpoE3j90i5E

The Blog

ブログは何かを知っていますか？
A blog is website which contains journal entries of someone's ideas and opinions. But, where does the word BLOG come from, and what exactly does it mean? The word BLOG comes from two words, WEB and LOG. WEB refers to the internet, and LOG ,means to record. When people first started to record their thoughts on the internet, they often called it web-logging.People began to merge the two words until they became one. Web ＋ Log ＝BLOG
How about you? Have you ever written a blog?
英語でブログを書きませんか？
英語で書いたの好きなブログをたまに読みますか？

和製英語

Many Japanese people sometimes confuse japanese english for English.
How do you say this in English?
Laundromat.
In English, we never say "coin laundry".
英語頑張って下さい！

Something is fishy!

I have fish! The other day, I bought an aquarium. It is quite small, only about 15 liters. So far, I have 5 large tetra fish, 10 small tetra fish and 5 neon orange fish (I call them that because I don't know the name.) I am thinking about getting some small shrimp, but I am afraid that they might eat the fish.
I enjoy having fish. Taking care of them is much more fun than I thought. However, I feel so guilty whenever I go out for sushi! (^^;)

aquarium 水槽
quite small なかなか小さい
quite far なかなか遠い
I am thinking about getting some shrimp.
海老を買おうと思っています。
Something is fishy...
何か怪しい。。

あなたは？魚や、猫や、犬とか飼いますか？

Proverbs ことわざ

待つ身は長い matsumi ha nagai.
A watched pot never boils.

My little tree

Yesterday, I went out and bought a  bonsai tree. I often hear a lot of foreigners confusing the word bonsai with banzai. Bonsai is a small tree in a pot. I think banzai means something like "hooray". My bonsai tree is a plum tree. It is already past the season, but it will soon have many leaves... i hope.

How about you? Do you have any bonsai trees? How do you take care of them?

昨日買い物にいたり、盆栽を買いました。外国人は盆栽と万歳を間違えてるとよく聞こえます。盆栽は植木鉢にあるの小さい木です。「Hooray!」のようの意味と思います。私の盆栽は梅です。梅の季節はもう終わりですがもうすぐ緑の葉っぱが出ってくる。。かな。

梅　plum
盆栽　a mini tree in a pot
外国人　foreigner
季節　season

Banzai 万歳(P);万才 ばんざい(P);ばんぜい [ばんざい(P);ばんぜい]  (int,n) (1) crying "banzai" (or raising one's hands in the banzai gesture) (2) something worthy of celebration (3) (ばんざい only) giving up (4) (arch) long time (5) (arch) eternal life (and prosperity) (int) (6) banzai (a celebratory cheer) hurrah (hooray, hurray) (P)

歌で英語を勉強しましょう！

Watch "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed - Nursery Rhymes and Childrens Songs" on YouTube

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Pollen Allergies

Today is a beautiful day and I am enjoying it at the park. Whenever I go out these days, I hear many people coughing and sneezing because of pollen allergies. Usually I am ok, but sometimes my throat and eyes become a little itchy on days when it is windy. In Japan, I know many people who are allergic to the pollen from cedar. That's too bad. I think it makes life difficult when you have to wear a mask all the time. If you have pollen allergies, I hope you feel better soon!

このリンクをクリックするとこの話を聞こえます。≫ https://www.dropbox.com/s/0aks16rsj0vqddz/Pollen%20allergies.mp3

単語 Vocabulary
pollen 花粉
allergy アレルギー  発音は「アレジ」
sneeze くしゃみ
cough せき
cedar 杉
throat のど
itchy かゆい

あなたは？ How about you?

Do you have pollen allergies? What do you do to help yourself?

Movie Pick - The Wizard of Oz

One of the new movies coming out is Oz the Great and Powerful. I think the Japanese name is オズ はじまりの戦い. However, before you see that you should watch  オズの魔法使い, The Wizard of Oz. It is a great fantasy movie and an American classic.

In the news... Horsemeat scandal

Recently, there is news about a big scandal about horsemeat.   Two european meat processing companies mixed horsemeat with beef and sold it without telling anyone. Horsemeat was later found in hamburgers in the UK and Ireland.  The sale of horsemeat is banned in many places in the U.S., and many western cultures consider eating it to be taboo. Now, horsemeat has been found in hamburger in 14 different countries. It has even been found in the yummy Swedish meatballs at Ikea!

リンクArticle link:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/02/15/beyond-taboo-is-horse-meat-really-that-bad-to-eat/?intcmp=obinsite

単語 Vocabulary
scandal スキャンダル、事件
taboo 禁物
ban 禁令
consume 食べる
slaughter とさつ

理解 Check!
1. In what 3 states is the sale of horsemeat banned in America?
2. Which is more healthy, horsemeat or beef?
3. What country is one of the biggest consumers of horsemeat?
4. When was the scandal discovered?

BONUS≫≫≫
What is the name of the famous horse in the picture?
ANSWER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czsNX9agMxc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

How about you? あなたは？

1. Are there any food taboos in your country?
2. Do you like horsemeat?

Can you find the mistake?

これは英語の間違えがあります。間違えのは分かりますか？

New Galactic Champion!

Congratulations to Shunsuke for becoming the new Galactic Champion!!!

チャンピオンになって、しゅんすけおめでとうございます！

In this game, the student who memorizes the most words in the universe becomes the champion. The student who finishes the game first gets a special prize. Who will it be?

このゲームでは、世界のなかで一番沢山言葉を覚えた人がチャンピオンになります。それに、ゴールに一番早く着いた人はご褒美を得ます！誰になるかな？

Good job Shunsuke!  Good luck everyone!
しゅんすけ、よく出来ました！皆、頑張って下さい！

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! This week I recieved many chocolates from my students. I am so happy! Thank-you very much! However, now I will have to exercise a lot so that I don't gain weight. (^^;)
ハッピーバレンタインデー！今週、生徒さんから沢山チョコを貰って、嬉しいです。どうもありがとうございました！でも、太らないように、これから激しく運動をしなくちゃ！

In my country, Valentine's Day is a romantic day. It has the feeling of Christmas in Japan. Usually, only men give chocolate to thier lovers, and there is no obligatory chocolate at the office.
When I was a child, everyone at school would make valentine cards for everyone in the class. I always hoped that I could get a girlfriend, but I always failed.
ぼくの国には、バレンタインデーはロマンチックな日です。日本のクリスマスの感じをします。普通、男性の方が恋人にチョコを上げます。それに、会社で義理チョコがありません。

New Galactic Champion!

Congratulations to Rena for becoming the new Galactic Champion!!!

チャンピオンになって、れなちゃんおめでとうございます！

In this game, the student who memorizes the most words in the universe becomes the champion. The student who finishes the game first gets a special prize. Who will it be?

このゲームでは、世界のなかで一番沢山言葉を覚えた人がチャンピオンになります。それに、ゴールに一番早く着いた人はご褒美を得ます！誰になるかな？

Good job Rena!  Good luck everyone!
れなちゃん、よく出来ました！皆、頑張って下さい！

Notes - Influenza

今週私の生徒さんが沢山レッスンがインフルエンザのせいでキャンセルしました。インフルエンザの言葉が短くしてから、fluになります。最近日本もアメリカでもインフルエンザが流行っています。流行るは英語でspreading out, ですがoutbreakのほうが言うことです。Recently there is a flu outbreak. →最近インフルエンザが流行っています。

よく使う言葉。。。
I have the flu.
インフルエンザかかりました。
Be careful. Don't catch the flu.
インフルエンザ気をつけて下さい。
Stay away from me! I don't want to catch the flu!
私に近寄らないで！どいて！インフルエンザ嫌だ！
I hope you feel better.
お大事に！

アメリカでインフルエンザ

In the news....

この記事を読みながら、下に書いてあるの質問を答えて見ましょう。

Boulder Rams Into Utah Woman’s Bedroom, Breaks Her Jaw and Sternum

単語
Boulder 大石
Pummel　ぶったたく
Ram　ぶちかます
Pin　押える
Rumble ごろごろ
Sternum 胸骨
Ridge りょう

理解check!
1. When did it happen?
2. Where was the woman at the time?
3. Where was her husband?
4. Is the woman in the hospital now?
5. How did the woman avoid being killed by the boulder?

BONUS QUESTION
1. Boulder is the name of a city in which U.S. state?

How about you?
1. What would you do if you heard a large, rumbling noise in the middle of the night?

2. Have you ever lived in a dangerous place?

2013 Happy-yo-kai

Yesterday the preschool that I teach English at had a concert. Throughout the year, I taught various songs to the children, and they sang some of those songs at the concert. The last song was a special song.

For the first two songs, the children did really well. However, they were little shy. At school, they are always talking and singing so loudly, but since their parents were there, they got nervous.
The last song they sang was called 10 Little Monkeys. For the song, the children became monkeys, one of the teachers was the mama, and I was the doctor. We acted out the song while the children sang. In the song, the monkey's mother tells the children to go to sleep, and says goodnight, but as soon as she leaves the room, the monkeys start playing and jumping on the bed. One monkey falls off and bumps his head. The mama called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" But when the mama leaves the room, the same thing happens until there are no monkeys left on the bed. It is a funny song!
You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1MxtTPm-Ek&feature=youtube_gdata_player
昨日私は英語を教えているの保育園は発表会をしました。年間をつうじて、色々な歌を教えてきました。その中から発表会で、子供達がいくつかの歌を歌いました。最後の歌は特別な曲でした。最初の二つの曲は、皆良くできました。でも子供達は少しシアイでした。いつも保育園で大きい声で話したり、歌たりします。でも、ママとパパがいたので、緊張しているようだった。

最後の曲は10 Little Monkeysといいました。十匹の小さいさるです。この曲で子供はさるになりました。私はお医者さんになりました。おさるの寝る時になったら、ママに「おやすみなさい」といってベッドに入って、でもママが部屋を出るか出ないかのうちに、さるたちがベッドの上で遊んだりジャンプをしたりします。それで、一匹がベッドから落ちて、頭をぶつけます。ママはお医者さん、私、に電話してお医者さんが「No more monkeys jumping on the bed! ベッドの上にジャンプをしては行けません！」としかります。 でも、ママが部屋を出って、また同じことを繰り返します。最後にはベッドの上に誰もいなくなります。とても面白かった!

冬休み

今日は今年の最後のレッスンをしました。今年は楽しかった！英語を教えることができてとても感謝しています。ありがとう御座いました。また来年宜しくお願いいたします。１月の６日にレッスンを再開します。良いお年を！

Christmas was fun!

クリスマスタイムで、生徒さんと沢山パーティが楽しかった！子供達と共にクリスマスゲームを遊んだり、クリスマスソングも歌えました。私はもう一度子供みたいの感じをしました。サンタさんもみた！皆、どうもありがとう御座いました！

At Christmas time, I had many parties with my students, and it was so much fun! I played many games with children, and sang many Christmas songs. I felt like a child once again. I also saw Santa Claus! Thank-you, everyone!

Christmas party

こんにちは！もうすぐクリスマスので、今月の19日(水)から特別なクリスマスレッスンをします！。クリスマスソングを一緒に歌いましょう！ 楽しみにしています。宜しく！
ジョンタクローズ

Black Friday!

Cops: Mass. bargain-hunter took home TV, left 2-year-old boy behind - U.S. News
アメリカでは、Thanksgivingの休日の次の日にどこの店でも大クリスマスセールが始まります。一年の中では一番のセールです。皆はとても安い商品を得るために、その日の日の出の前に大勢の人が並んでいます。一方では毎年ニュースによるとこのセールのせいで悪いこともあるようです。
Questions....
1. When is the biggest shopping day in Japan?
2. Do you think you would enjoy Black Friday?

Happy Thanksgiving!

単語
harvest 収穫
holiday 休日
Pilgrim 参拝者、ピルグリム
take off from work 仕事を休みます。
prayer　お祈り

Today in the U.S. is a holiday called Thanksgiving. It first started when the first people came to America from England. They were called Pilgrims and lived in a town called Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims were happy because of the good harvest, and they had a special celebration to say thanks to God. This celebration became the Thanksgiving holiday.
When I was a child, I remember my mother making food for Thanksgiving Day. Even though Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday in November, many people start cooking on Monday. People like to eat turkey, yams, sweet potato, baked potato, cranberries, stuffing, and pies! My mother would always make three or four different kinds of pies for Thanksgiving! Everything she made was delicious! Because Thanksgiving is on a Thursday, people usually take off from work on Friday so they can have a four-day weekend. People gather with their family and friends and have dinner together. Before eating, someone says a prayer to thank God for all the good things in their life.

理解check!
1. Where did Thanksgiving start?
2. When is Thanksgiving?
3. What do people do on Thanksgiving?
ボーナス
What is the difference between turkey and chicken?
What is the prayer called that people say before eating?

Happy Halloween!

This year, I had a great Halloween! Starting from one week before Halloween, I had a little party during the lesson for each of my students. Many of them wore costumes, and were really scary! I played scary music while we played games and then I gave out candy to everyone who said "trick-or-treat". It was so much fun, and now I can't wait for Christmas!

scary - 怖い！
I can't wait - 楽しみにしています

今年のハロウィンは楽しかった！ハロウィンの一週間前を初めに、毎日生徒さんのため、レッスンの時にパーティーをしました。子供たちは皆コスチュームで変装をしました、怖かった！一緒にゲームを遊びながら怖いハロウィンの音楽を聞きました。それから、トリックオアトリートと言いた子供にキャンディを渡しました。とても楽しかった！次、クリスマス楽しみにしています！

In the news...

この記事を読みながら、下に書いてあるの質問を答えて見ましょ う。

http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/news/world/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/01/terry-vance-garner-farmer-eaten-by-his-hogs

1. What was the farmer doing before he disappeared? 2. How did his family know that something bad happened to the farmer? 3. What are dentures? 4. Where is the farmer from? 5. How did the hogs attack the farmer?

化粧室って英語で何？

化粧室の直訳はmake-up roomです。でも、その言葉は言わない。英語で同じぐらいの意味はpowder roomです。その言葉が古くて、現在は皆にrestroomと言われています。Restroomの直和訳は休屋です。(^^;)

例文:
Where is the restroom?
I need to use the restroom now!

今日のフレーズ

去るものは日々に疎し
Out of sight, out of mind.

Swirkle anyone?

Yesterday, I went to Tully`s and had a Swirkle. It was pretty good. I don't understand why they put something on their menu that is so hard to say? Can you say Swirkle? 
Click here to listen → http://db.tt/vDX65xWl

Trip to the Apple Store

私の日記を読みながら新しい言葉を探しましょう。読んでから質問に答えなさい。コメント部分に答えを残してください。

まずこのストーリのmp3フィルを聞いて下さい。下のリンクをクリックするとダウンロード出来ます。
Apple Store - Fast
Apple Store - Slow

My trip to the Apple store  (Ginza)

 

単語

1. biography - 伝記
2. consortium - 協同組合
3. particular - に限って
4. specs - 設計明細書
5. genius - 天才
6. navigate - 方法を作る
7. gadget - ガジェット

マイソトーリー

Recently, I have been reading the biography of the late Steve Jobs. One of the things that I like about him is his interest in art. I have never been a big fan of Apple, but today I decided to go and visit the Apple store in Ginza and see for myself the art of Steve Jobs.
I have to say that it was really cool. I think it shouldn't be called a store, but an Apple consortium of computers and art. I wondered if the man himself had been here to this particular store.
The first floor was a display of all the different types of Apple computers. I had never really seen or paid attention to their products before except for the iphone, ipad, and ipod. When I examined the computers, I was very impressed. Everything about an Apple computer is different. The shape of the mouse, the style of the keyboard, even the texture of the keys is unique. Every computer was on display as if it was a work of art. There were no stickers on the hardware with the specs written on them, no price tags, and every computer was powered up, screen on, ready to be used as if it were sitting on my own desk at home. The room was easy to navigate and was elegantly designed with wood, steel, glass, and stone.
I proceeded to the elevator, which was made of glass, and I went up to the second floor. I thought it was cool that the elevator was like an iphone, in that it only had one button! The second floor was filled with a whole universe of accessories for Apple products.  On the third floor was a presentation room. It was set up like a movie theater filled with soft, red velvet chairs. I sat down in one of those comfy chairs and watched as a woman gave a presentation on various Apple apps. Finally, I went up to the fourth floor. There were several customers gathered around some tables recieving training on how to use their various Apple gadgets and computers. One section was labeled "Genius Bar", and it is where Apple experts were helping customers who were having trouble with their computers.
The Apple store is one-of-a-kind, and I definitely recommend it to anyone, even if you don't own an Apple product, like me!

理解check!

1. Why did I go to the Apple store?
2. What is special about the elevator?
3. Was there a movie theater in the building?
4. What is the Genius Bar?
5. Why did I like the Apple store?

Bonus question

What does the "i" in iphone stand for?

How about you? 

Have you been to the Apple store? Do you own any Apple products? What do you think of Apple?

Thank you for listening! I hope you enjoyed it and could learn something from it to help improve your English.  I would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment on my blog.  Keep studying, and I’ll see you later alligator!

聞いてくださりありがとうございます。　どうでしたか。楽しんでいただき、何かを学んでくれたらうれしいです。

みなさまのコメント、ブログにてお待ちしてます。

Please leave your comment!

In the news...

この記事を読みながら、下に書いてあるの質問を答えて見ましょう。

Police: Mom arrested after leaving baby on car roof and driving off

1. Where was the baby found?

2. Where did the girl last see the baby?

3. What happened to the girl's boyfriend?

4. Who found the baby?

5. When did she notice the baby was missing?

6. Why did she forget her baby?

7. Have you ever done anything like this?

8. What happened after she found her baby?

9. Where is the baby now?

10. What is a DUI?

コメントを残して書いて下さい。

Tornadoes!

私の日記を読みながら新しい言葉を探しましょう。読んでから質問に答えなさい。コメント部分に答えを残してください。

まずこのストーリのmp3フィルを聞いて下さい。

Click and listen here!

単語
1. tornado たつまき
2. mountainous area　やまち
3. ditch　みぞ
4. shelter　避難所
5. fierce　激しい
6. air pressure　空気圧
7. debris　残骸

マイストーリ

Recently, I saw in the news that there were tornadoes in Japan.  I think this is very unusual for Japan.  Usually, tornadoes occur in flat, wide-open areas, and not in mountainous areas like Japan. However, I noticed that more and more mountains are being flattened to build houses.  I wonder if this has something to do with it. Unfortunately, one person was killed as a result of the tornadoes. Watching it on TV was pretty scary.
My hometown in Florida is a flat area, and so there are some tornadoes every year.  I remember when I was in elementary school, we had drills on what to do if a tornado came. In case of a tornado, we were told to stay away from the windows and to try to hide in a low place like a basement or a ditch.  I saw a few tornadoes, but they were very far away.  My worst experience was during Hurricane Ivan.  I was in a shelter with my family, and suddenly a tornado was coming.  The whole building was shaking like a train was coming by.  Some guys in another room started yelling for help, and I rushed to help them keep the doors shut.  Even though they were big heavy double doors, the air pressure from the tornado was trying to rip then open.  We could hear the fierce wind as the tornado passed by.  It sounded like a huge monster was outside.  The next morning when it was all over and I went outside, I could see damage everywhere; cars were flipped over, tall trees snapped it half and sides of buildings gone.  We couldn't go home right away because the roads were covered in debris.  A few days later, when I could finally get to my apartment, I saw that a tornado had been here.  The apartment next to mine had the whole wall torn off.  I could see inside!  But my apartment was safe.  I was so lucky!

Check out this video of a recent tornado in Texas. -->http://youtu.be/WABqwKjQM_c

りかいCheck!

How about you?
このストーリはどう思いますか？
1. Have you ever been involved in or seen a tornado?

 Thank you for listening! I hope you enjoyed it and could learn something from it to help improve your English.  I would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment on my blog.  Keep studying, and I’ll see you later alligator!

聞いてくださりありがとうございます。　どうでしたか。楽しんでいただき、何かを学んでくれたらうれしいです。

みなさまのコメント、ブログにてお待ちしてます。

Please leave your comment!

Student Blog: Forest Adventure

私の生徒のYさんは勉強のためにこのブログを書きました。面白いから、読んで下さい。

読みながら新しい言葉を探しましょう。読んでから質問に答えなさい。後で、コメントを残してください。

☞タンゴ
1. expensive - 値段が高い
2. a big chicken - 怖がりな人
3. zip line - ジップライン
4. hook up - つながる
5. traffic - 交通渋滞

☞ストーリー

 I went to a place called "Forest Adventure" in Odawara with my family during Golden Week. Forest Adventure is an athletic park in the forest. The park's attractions are courses that use the park's trees. We climbed up one tree and then moved to another tree using various methods. Each course is made up of several trees that have a rope bridge, a swing, a tunnel, and a zip line connecting to the next tree. We have to wear a harness when we climb the trees in case we fall. I am connected to a harness throughout the course from the time my feet leave the ground until I come back down. It is safe, but you must be over 110cm tall, and children must be at least elementary school age. The reason is that they have to be able to hook themselves up to the harness. I was a big chicken, but I had a lot of fun with my kids! Usually kids are the ones who are scared, but my kids were very brave.
It was a little expensive; \3500 for adults, and \2500 for kids. There are 9 courses, and when you finish you have to leave. Usually it takes 2 or 3 hours. If you are a big chicken like me, then you go slow, and it will take 3 or 4 hours. We left a little early to avoid the traffic.
It was so much fun, and it made us strong!

☞質問

1. Where is the Forest Adventure Park?
2. Why do you have to wear a harness when you climb the trees?
3. How tall do you have to be to enter the park?
4. How many courses are there?
5. Why do children have to be a certain height and age to enter the park?

☞コメント

 Good job Ms. Y! I thought it sounds like fun. She must be very brave!  I think I want to try it one day. How about you? What do you think? Have you ever had an experience like this? コメントを残して下さい。

Student Blog - 3,5,7 Day

私の生徒のＫさんは勉強のためにこのブログを書きました。面白いから、読んで下さい。読みながら新しい言葉を探しましょう。

I was 7 years old.  I wore a kimono and make-up. I had my picture taken by a professional photographer.  I went to a shrine near my home to pray with my family and then we had lunch.  When we were walking, suddenly a stranger stopped and put money into the pocket of my sleeve. We didn't know him, but he said, "You are beautiful".  I was very suprised and happy.

Good job, Ms. K!

Student Blog- Hiroshima

私の生徒のT さんは勉強のためにこのブログを書きました。面白いから、読んで下さい。

読みながら新しい言葉を探しましょう。読んでから質問に答えなさい。後で、コメントを残してください。

☞新しい言葉

- reservation- 予約

- souvenir - おみやげ

- came to pick us up - 迎え二来ました。

- old enough - 年齢がじゅうぶん

- bbq  - barbeque

☞ストーリー

I went back to my hometown, Hiroshima about 2 weeks ago with my family. We went there by plane from Haneda. It took about 1 hour. My children slept during the flight, so there were no problems. My father came to pick us up at the airport in Hiroshima. We drove about 30 minutes to my parents house. Later that day, we had a bbq.

　The next day, my family and I went to a jam factory near my parents home. The name of the factory is Aohata Jam. When we arrived, I found out that you have to have a reservation to go on a tour of the factory. Since we didn't have a reservation, we couldn't do anything. We could only see the souvenir store inside the factory. Even if I had a reservation, my kids wouldn't have been able to enter anyway because they are under 6 years old. I want to go back again when they are old enough. We enjoyed buying jam at the souvenir shop.

　We also visited a small island named O-Kunoshima. We took a ferry; it took about 10 minutes to get there. There were many small rabbits hopping around freely on the island. Anyone could feed them and play with them. My kids enjoyed it very much. My wife and I rented bicycles to ride around the island with my kids.

☞理解チェック

1. How long did it take to go to Hiroshima?

2. Why couldn't we go on a tour of the jam factory?

3. What was on the island?

4. Where were the rabbits? In a zoo?

Student Blog - A crowded train

私の生徒のNさんは勉強のためにこのブログを書きました。面白いから、読んで下さい。

読みながら新しい言葉を探しましょう。読んでから質問に答えなさい。後で、コメントを残してください。

☞タンゴ

crowded - こんでいます。

strap - つり革

unbelievable! - 信じられない！

pay attention - 注意を払う

bump - ぶつかる

luckily - 良かった！

☞ストーリー

One day, I got on the train's women-only car in the morning. But, the train was so crowded. I was standing next to a woman who was standing in front of another woman sitting down. Then, another woman got on the train at the next stop, but the train was already too crowded, and so the woman starting pushing me as she was getting on the train. When she reached up and grabbed the same strap that I was holding on to, I started to get angry. I was trying not to let the strap I was holding on to hit the head of the other woman I was standing next to, but when she grabbed it, I couldn't lift it up anymore with her hand on it. After that, she started reading a book, and not paying attention to the people around her. Unbelievable!. She was bumping into everyone around her as the train shook, including me! I had to put up with her all the way to Yokohama. Finally, I was relieved when it was time for me to get off, but she wouldn't get out of my way! Luckily, a seat suddenly became vacant as another passenger got off, and she rushed to sit down, so I got off the train before the doors closed. That morning was one of the worst. I hope that I never have such an experience again in my life. I have had enough already.

☞質問

1. Why did Ms. N get angry?

2. Was Ms. N standing or sitting?

3. Why was the lady bumping into everybody?

4. How did Ms. N get off the train?

5. Did Ms. N sit down when a seat became available?

☞コメント

Good job Ms. N! I thought it was a funny story.　How about you? What do you think? Have you ever had an experience like this? コメントを残して下さい。

My Diary: Nightmare!

 私の日記を読みながら新しい言葉を探しましょう。読んでから質問に答えなさい。コメント部分に答えを残してください。

まずこのストーリのmp3フィルを聞いて下さい。下のリンクをクリックするとダウンロード出来ます。

mp3ファイルダウンロード

今日のフレーズ
I had a nightmare!
悪夢を見ました！

単語
nightmare -悪夢
shake -揺れる
earthquake - 地震
ceiling - 天井
roof - 屋上
pin - 押さえ

マイストーリ
Last night, I had a nightmare.  I dreamed I was in an old house with two of my friends.  We were playing video games and listening to music.  One of my friends went into the kitchen to get something for us to drink and then suddenly, the house started shaking.  It was an earthquake.  At first, I didn't worry because there are many earthquakes all the time.  However, the shaking didn't stop and it got stronger. The walls started to move back and forth more and more until they fell down!  I tried to run outside, but the ceiling fell on top of me and and I was pinned to the ground! It was so heavy on my back, but I was worried about my friends so I used all my strength to stand up and lift up the roof and rescue my friends.  When I woke up, I checked the tv to see if there was a real earthquake while I was sleeping, but there wasn't.  What a nightmare!


りかいCheck!
1. Why did my friend go into the kitchen?
2. What was I doing when the earthquake occurred?
3. Why didn't I run outside?
4. Who rescued us? How?
5. Did I worry?

How about you?
このストーリはどう思いますか？
1. Have you ever had a bad earthquake experience?

Please leave your comment!　あなたの経験を書いて下さい！

My Diary: My students are cool!

Yesterday, one of my students took my sunglasses, put them on, and said "I'm cool !"  I usually just teach English, but sometimes I also teach them how to be "cool".
cool - かっこいい

Nagasawa Class - May

５月の長沢クラスは2日に一時になります。子供と一緒に英語を習って遊びましょう！時間があったら、是非来て下さい！

生徒さん募集中

京急長沢で新子供のクラスを教えています。３歳ー６歳の子供のようです。

京急長沢駅から徒歩７分

みんなの家・〒239-0842 神奈川県横須賀市長沢２丁目６−４０ +81 46-847-3906 ‎  

 Click here for map.

クラスは毎月１回です。　レッスン時間は３０分位、レッスン料は一人５００円です。　宜しくお願いいたします。

My Diary: Easter Egg Hunt

 私の日記を読みながら新しい言葉を探しましょう。読んでから質問に答えなさい。コメント部分に答えを残してください。

Download the audio and listen!

単語
1. covered in mud -泥だらけ
2. Easter egg hunt - 卵探し
3. watch out for - 何とかに気を付けて
4. crow -からす
5. work of art - 名作
6. cellophane - セロハン
7. snatch - ひったくる
8. stuffed animal - ぬいぐるみ


りかいCheck!

1. Where did I hide the eggs?
2. What did I watch out for?
3. Why did my mom laugh while raking leaves?
4. Why did we have the Easter Egg hunt late?

マイストーリ

Even though it is a little late, I thought it would be fun to have an Easter egg hunt for the Japanese kids that I teach at the pre-school.  Easter was on April the 8th, but it has been raining so much lately, we haven't had a chance to go to the park without getting covered in mud.  Today, the weather was perfect for playing outside!  First, I went to the park with the eggs and hid them behind bushes, under benches, and next to trees.  I was careful though、to watch out for birds because last year while I was doing the same thing, a giant crow came and snatched one of the eggs and flew off!  After hiding them, the kids came and looked for them.  They seemed to really enjoy it, and one of the little girls ate half of her egg!

I remember when I was a kid, in the days prior to Easter, I couldn't wait for my mother to boil the eggs so that my brother and I could color them.  She would prepare many colors to dip the eggs in, and we also used crayons to decorate them.  I was very serious about coloring my eggs; to me, they were considered a work of art.  After coloring the eggs, we let them dry. Then, the night before, while my brother and I were sleeping, my mother would place the eggs along with many chocolates and candy that she bought in a big Easter basket, one each for the both of us. I remember the baskets were so beautiful, filled with green cellophane, brightly colored eggs, chocolates, candy, jellybeans, and sometimes a small plastic toy or stuffed animal in the shape of a bunny.

After waking up on Easter morning, I was so happy to see my Easter basket filled with many goodies.  My mother would let us eat one or two chocolates before going to church.  After we got home, our parents would take the eggs and hide them in the backyard for us to find.  It was always fun looking for them. The funny part was that in all the excitement, sometimes we would forget how many eggs there were and not know if we had found all of them.  I remember one time I found one in the Fall while outside raking leaves with my mom, and we had a good laugh!