A very spooky day is coming soon....

Guess what? Today is the last day of September. Which means tomorrow is the first day of October. Which means we begin the month of things that creep in the night...monsters, gobblins, ghosts, and black cats. October 31st is HALLOWEEN! This year, Halloween falls on a Saturday and we have many special things planned throughout the day.

From 11:00 to 12:30 we have many fun activities for kids, including a haunted house!

From 6:00pm onwards, we have a party planned for our adult students which includes food and drinks.

It's still a whole month away, but we're already excited and busy planning this very spooky day.

One of the things that makes this day extra fun is that if you wear a costume to our event, it's only 500yen to join in!!

This Week's Theme Class:

This week our theme class is planning a date on the phone. The lesson will consist of discussions about relationships, popular places to go on dates, topics of conversaion, and practice talking on the phone. In class the students will be introduced to new phrases along with correct pronunciation. After this there will be time to practice talking on the phone. Give us a call to reserve your spot today :)

Tongue Twister of the Week

Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.

Gertie's great-grandma grew aghast at Gertie's grammar.

Lovely lemon liniment.

Healthy Foods

Today in our Playschool class we learned about food!! Below you can see photos from when we played pretend shopping at a snack stand. Also we traced our bodies and drew our own faces! Check it out! :

)

This Week's Theme Class:

This week our theme class is ordering and dining in a Restaurant! The lesson will consist of discussions about different types of restaurants and dining experiences, the steps in ordering a meal and paying for the bill, manners at the table, as well as everyone's favorite topic of debate: leaving a tip! In class the students will be introduced to new phrases along with correct pronunciations. After this there will be plenty of time for role playing the situations and practicing what they have learned. Give us a call to reserve your spot today :)

North American Customs

Custom #6: Air Quotations

This subject was brought up at our party last Saturday night and so I felt it should be further explained here. Air quotes, also called fingerquotes, refers to a person using their fingers to make virtual quotation marks in the air while they are speaking. Using both hands held shoulder-width apart and at the eye level of the speaker, flexing their index and middle fingers at the begining and end of the word or phrase. Air quotes are often used to express sarcasm and/or irony giving a comic effect.

These are some t-shirts I found online showing the propper use of an air quote!

Tongue Twister of the Week

I need not your needles, they're needless to me;
For kneading of noodles, 'twere needless, you see;
But did my neat knickers but need to be kneed,
I then should have need of your needles indeed.

Riddle of the Day

1. What part of the body has the most rhythm?
2. What are two things people never eat before breakfast?
3. Why is the letter A like a flower?
































Answer: 1. The eardrums, 2. Lunch and supper, 3. Because the B is after it

What an awesome party!!

We all had a super great time hanging out with some of our students at Cho-Suke's last Saturday!! Here are some pictures we took of the very special occassion:

We also really enjoyed getting to know some interesting and random facts about our students through a game we played. It really got everyone talking...in English of course!!

Useful Phrases

Jack of All Trades
~ A common phrase said to describe someone who is knowledgable about many different things but isn't an expert at anything. However, it is not necessarily viewed as a negative or unpolite comment.

This Week's Theme Class:

This week our theme class is the second half of last week's Cooking and Baking class.We have already practiced being chefs in English and now we will put it to the test! First we will briefly review some useful kitchen vocabulary from last week before the real cooking starts. Then we will make our very own banana splits using only our English recipes. Banana splits are delicious deserts for everybody with a sweet tooth. After this there will be plenty of time to enjoy our treats! Give us a call to reserve your spot today :)

Tongue Twister of the Week

On mules we find two legs behind and two we find before.
We stand behind before we find what those behind be for!

Interesting Weather!

September has just arrived and already you can feel a big difference in the temperature!! It has suddenly become rather chilly, especially in the evening and early morning. Mind you it is still around 27 degrees right now, there is no humidity so it feels cooler. This is around the temperature I am use to during Canadian summers! It is wonderful to be able to go outside again and not use my air conditioning anymore!

North American Customs

Custom #5: Toilet Slippers!!!

In North America I have never seen or heard of toilet slippers. We take off our shoes when entering our house, the same as Japanese, however when it comes time to go to the bathroom it seems I do not know the proper etiquette (or manners). After living in Japan for awhile I have come accross the meaning behind the slippers. To keep the unclean areas of the house (such as the outside of the house and the toilet) separate from the clean inside areas of the house, Japanese remove their outside shoes at the enterance to the house and wear special slippers for going to the toilet.

A frequent mistake of foreigners visiting Japan is to forget to take off the toilet slippers after a visit to the restroom, mixing the clean and unclean areas of the house. :(




Also Happy 09/09/09 Day!! (September 9, 2009)

Check it Out!

We got some classy new flyers today at RLE, and we're pretty excited about the extra promotional coupon that comes with them...

Check 'em out:

It's Party Time!

One week from today is our first party!!! If you are planning on coming please don't forget to pay us at the office as soon as possible. When you pay we will ask for an interesting fact about you! Then at the party we are going to play an exciting guessing game !! Hope you all can come!!

This Week's Theme Class:

Who does the cooking in your house?

This week's theme class is Cooking and Baking in English. The lesson will consist of common expressions used in the kitchen, as well as useful kitchen vocabulary including verbs, nouns, textures and tastes. In the class, students will also practice reading an English recipe. After this there will be time to practice what they have learned. Give us a call to reserve your spot today :)

Tongue Twisters of the Week

1. I saw Suzie sitting in a shoe shine shop. Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.

2. Seventy seven benevolent elephants.

3. Four furious friends fought for the phone.

Riddle of the Day!

Soaked!

David was out for a walk when it started to rain.
He did not have an umbrella and he wasn't wearing a hat.
His clothes were soaked, yet not a single hair on his head got wet.

How could this happen??

Answer: David is BALD.

September Slang

Sketchy
This word is often used to describe someone or something that just isn't right, something unsafe or something that gives off a bad feeling.
Example: 1. I don't know, his story sounds kind of sketchy.

It can also mean that something is questionable. Someone or something you generally do not want to be associated with.
Example: 2. Sara is kind of a sketchy person to go out with because she tends to get other people in trouble.
3. That guy staring at me is really sketchy.
4. I don't know if I like Steve's driving, it's pretty sketchy.
5. The details are still sketchy.
6. The alley in the picture below is really sketchy!!

This Week's Theme Class

This week our theme class is Household English! The lesson will consist of common expressions for everyday English, such as morning routines and greetings, chores as well as homework. In the class students will be introduced to new phrases along with the correct pronunciations. After this there will be time to practice what they have learned. Students will also be given a handout to take home to practice everything that they learned in class. Give us a call to reserve your spot today :)

North American Customs

Custom #4: Bath time!
One thing I've found quite interesting in Japan is bath time. In Japan, most people shower outside of the tub, and then hop into the tub to relax afterwards. Everyone in the household shares the same bath water. You're supposed to add a bit more water when you get out of the tub, to refill it and warm it back up again for the next person.

In North America, you either shower or take a bath but usually not both. Also, you shower inside the bath tub, or in a separate shower room/stall. I've never really heard of anyone sharing bath water with other members of their family, except for small children. Maybe it happens, but it's just not that common.

I've noticed that most Japanese take a bath before bed time, and while this is also common in North America, many more North Americans choose to just shower in the morning instead. This morning shower wakes them up so that they feel more ready to begin the day fresh out of the shower.