Another day is over, another day full of joy and surprises. Unfortunately, Wednesday is very busy for me as I return home at 9pm, so Hugo is already in bed then, just like today. His grandma prepared him to bed, read a story in Polish, which is an exception from our Énglish' ritual.
Peopel often ask me how Hugo communicates with other relative and family members and I say: Usually without problems -n Polish;) Picture this: all three of us browsing a shop, I speak English to Hugo, he replies in the same language and my husband speaks to him in Polish and he replies in Polish,; the shop assistants are usually amused or stunned, especially when I ask them for something in Polish. They are so taken aback;) and confused.
Other shoppers sometimes even stop and ask me why I speak in a foreign language to our son. To save him effort at school with learning English, as he will already know it when he goes to school. He won't need to learn the rules or irregular verbs, he'll know it subconsiously, isn't it a good enough reason;) for me it is;)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Books
Books are a fascinating source of games and conversations, we can really spend plenty of time looking at pictures, describing them, they boost imagination, provoke questions I can ask Hugo and then I see how much he understands.
The books my husband bought in the UK are specially designed for kids to teach them English using a method that is approved in British schools. The stories begin with pictures presenting things and characters so that the child knows what the book is going to be about. The sentences are easy and comprehensive and the stories are illustrated.
Hugo loves some of them so much that I let him choose his bedtime stories. For him the best moment is when he can take the book from the shelf and then he goes: Little pigs? (The Three Little Pigs) No! Hood? (meaning Little Red Riding Hood) No! Cinderella? No, Cinderella! until he finds the book he likes. This is also how I teach him to make choices by himself which I hope will prove useful later on when he grows up;)
The books my husband bought in the UK are specially designed for kids to teach them English using a method that is approved in British schools. The stories begin with pictures presenting things and characters so that the child knows what the book is going to be about. The sentences are easy and comprehensive and the stories are illustrated.
Hugo loves some of them so much that I let him choose his bedtime stories. For him the best moment is when he can take the book from the shelf and then he goes: Little pigs? (The Three Little Pigs) No! Hood? (meaning Little Red Riding Hood) No! Cinderella? No, Cinderella! until he finds the book he likes. This is also how I teach him to make choices by himself which I hope will prove useful later on when he grows up;)
Monday, February 25, 2013
About me;)
My name's Agata and I am 30+. I live with my husband and our son in a lovely house near Leszno, Poland. In September this year we'll have been married for 5 years. By profession I am a teacher of English and I love my job. What's more, with my husband's support, I have been running a language school for over 5 years. That's also why we have decided to raise our son in a bilingual enviornment. Thanks to him, I have discovered how fascinating reading fairy tales and other children's books might be. This is our afternoon and evening ritual, our moments when we sit next to each other and turn the pages, discribe the pictures and read the involving stories.
I remember, though, how strangely my husband's grandfather looked at me when he saw me reading a book to our son when he was just a few weeks old. He claimed that Hugo was too young to comprehend the story, and in this respect he was right, for sure. Yet, the more I read, the more interested Hugo became and with time he could name some of the objects in the books he heard so often. Determined and fascinated, I didn't give up and now I can see the results. Strangely as it may seem, I can converse with our son about his book, his needs and activities, he answers logically with one or two words, sometimes a short phrase;)
Sunday, February 24, 2013
stickers
Now Hugo is sound asleep so I managed to find some time to write.
Recently, he's descovered a fascinating new activity: cooking. He loves copying whatever we do, me and my husband. So this is where I found him: at the table mixing pegs with a drumstick saying: Hugo cooking.
When I asked him what he was cooking his reply was simple: PEG SOUP, mommy. Then he opened an empty box and pretended to be adding more salt and sugar talking to himself at the same time: More sugar? OK! More salt? OK! and then again he was mixing his PEG SOUP.
He really amazed me with this, I wish I had recorded him. I know now that my talking to him whenever he is around, talking in English of course, has paid off.
Some people find it hard to believe that I have managed to do it for such a long time and that I do it 24/7, but believe me it's a pleasure not an effort, especially that teaching English is my job and I have been doing it for 13 years now. Even our neighbors got used to hearing me speaking English when we go for a walk and some of them even try to greet us in English;)
Recently, he's descovered a fascinating new activity: cooking. He loves copying whatever we do, me and my husband. So this is where I found him: at the table mixing pegs with a drumstick saying: Hugo cooking.
When I asked him what he was cooking his reply was simple: PEG SOUP, mommy. Then he opened an empty box and pretended to be adding more salt and sugar talking to himself at the same time: More sugar? OK! More salt? OK! and then again he was mixing his PEG SOUP.
He really amazed me with this, I wish I had recorded him. I know now that my talking to him whenever he is around, talking in English of course, has paid off.
Some people find it hard to believe that I have managed to do it for such a long time and that I do it 24/7, but believe me it's a pleasure not an effort, especially that teaching English is my job and I have been doing it for 13 years now. Even our neighbors got used to hearing me speaking English when we go for a walk and some of them even try to greet us in English;)
Friday, February 22, 2013
afternoon snooze
Today is the only day in the week-Friday-when I have more time for our son than on any other day, so I try to use the opportunity to play with him as much as I can. We have drawn pictures, watched a cartoon in English and read books-English of course. I have a really huge collection of stories for him.
It wasn't easy for us to get that stuff in Poland, but since we made a decision to bring Hugo up in a simulated bilingual family when I was still preganant, my husband went to London especially to buy original books and cartoons on DVD so that the English used there was real, not selected for the learners of English.
On the very first day when we returned from hospital, every evening I read a story or two for him and he is very involved listening to them. Now after all those months I know that it has paid off, because he can even finish some sentences from the stories by himself. His favorite is Snow White and the seven dwarfs, he has heard it so many times that he can finish the lines for me and now we read the book together. What is more, when he is trying to sleep like right now;) he tells the lines from memory, as if he was pracising speaking... amazing.
It wasn't easy for us to get that stuff in Poland, but since we made a decision to bring Hugo up in a simulated bilingual family when I was still preganant, my husband went to London especially to buy original books and cartoons on DVD so that the English used there was real, not selected for the learners of English.
On the very first day when we returned from hospital, every evening I read a story or two for him and he is very involved listening to them. Now after all those months I know that it has paid off, because he can even finish some sentences from the stories by himself. His favorite is Snow White and the seven dwarfs, he has heard it so many times that he can finish the lines for me and now we read the book together. What is more, when he is trying to sleep like right now;) he tells the lines from memory, as if he was pracising speaking... amazing.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
THE DAY;) August 3, 2011
'Overjoyed, he's finally with us' we thought. Our son-Hugo.
It seems as if it was a few weeks ago, but actually it's been over 18months ago.
People tend to say that when a child is born into a family the life changes drastically; Indeed, but in our case it was a very positive change. Hugo is like a ray of sunshine on even the gloomiest day and his blue eyes like the deepest sea waters.
I love coming back home, seeing him smiling running towards the door and calling-Mommy! Coat take off, boots take off then he passes me the slippers and goes- Slippers put on!
Though what he says isn't gramatically correct, it don't mind! He's not even 2 years old and he can communicate, be understood and it proves that my method-using English 24/7- works;)
How do I use it?
It seems as if it was a few weeks ago, but actually it's been over 18months ago.
People tend to say that when a child is born into a family the life changes drastically; Indeed, but in our case it was a very positive change. Hugo is like a ray of sunshine on even the gloomiest day and his blue eyes like the deepest sea waters.
I love coming back home, seeing him smiling running towards the door and calling-Mommy! Coat take off, boots take off then he passes me the slippers and goes- Slippers put on!
Though what he says isn't gramatically correct, it don't mind! He's not even 2 years old and he can communicate, be understood and it proves that my method-using English 24/7- works;)
How do I use it?
It's our time, each day between 12 and 4 pm, we spend time together and this is for me the best part of the day. I,feel like a child myself, suddenly I enjoy cartoons, games, rolling on the floor, drawing and thousands of other things that we do together.
While doing all those crazy activities we speak only English and we even listen to CNN, just to create the best environment for this effortless language learning. I shouldn't call it learning because it's not. I simply use only English when I speak to our son and whenever he can hear me, he hears me speaking English, at the doctor's, in the shop, in the garden and so on.
This gives amazing results and day by day he speaks more and more English despite being just 18 months old.
It does work ;)
While doing all those crazy activities we speak only English and we even listen to CNN, just to create the best environment for this effortless language learning. I shouldn't call it learning because it's not. I simply use only English when I speak to our son and whenever he can hear me, he hears me speaking English, at the doctor's, in the shop, in the garden and so on.
This gives amazing results and day by day he speaks more and more English despite being just 18 months old.
It does work ;)
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
does it really work?
I've had this idea for quite some time, the idea of creating my own blog, but since I've never read one I am still unsure how it should look;) Practice makes perfect as they so let's hope I'll get better soon.
It's almost 10.30 pm, the radio's on and it does seem strange to write something without knowing who will read... There is one person that's gonna read it one day, our son-the main hero of this blog;)
Sound alseep in his bedroom, he's only 18 months old, but surprises me every day.
Years ago, back in college, I made a decision that now has changed my whole life and not only mine.
I decided that if I ever had children, I would speak to them in English. Unusual?
Not really some will say, but they change their minds when they hear that we are Polish, we-I mean-me, my husband and our son- what's more we live in Poland.
From day 1, when we returned from hospital our home is bilingual, if I may say so-Polish-English and that's what makes upbringing of our son fascinating. Mind you-he's only 18 months old, but copes really well in this crazy bilingual environment.
How well? I will tell you next time;)
It's almost 10.30 pm, the radio's on and it does seem strange to write something without knowing who will read... There is one person that's gonna read it one day, our son-the main hero of this blog;)
Sound alseep in his bedroom, he's only 18 months old, but surprises me every day.
Years ago, back in college, I made a decision that now has changed my whole life and not only mine.
I decided that if I ever had children, I would speak to them in English. Unusual?
Not really some will say, but they change their minds when they hear that we are Polish, we-I mean-me, my husband and our son- what's more we live in Poland.
From day 1, when we returned from hospital our home is bilingual, if I may say so-Polish-English and that's what makes upbringing of our son fascinating. Mind you-he's only 18 months old, but copes really well in this crazy bilingual environment.
How well? I will tell you next time;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)