Picture Story Time

I'm sorry all my blogging has been about teaching but I really have nothing else going on at the moment!

I was asked to teach a computer lesson on a program for story writing. The kids had already written a narrative story about space. Their mission for the class was to type their story and create a picture.

fractions with bread and butter

I was terrified to teach the kids about fractions.

I thought the best way to introduce it would be to give them food^^ they loved the bread and butter...hehe...yuck!

my first pie!

Rhubarb and Apple Pie

my first time even eating rhubarb!

I even made the pie crust with my own bare hands! Following a strict pie crust receipe the lovely teaching assistant Ms Kelly gave to me.

Pie face!

It was yum and I was as proud as pie.

"What a risk taker you are!" was my thought for the day.

The Giant Zuccini

A teacher recieved this home grown veggie delight from a student. She lugged it into the classroom I was sitting in and said "I have no idea what I will do with this! I think I will throw it out!"

I couldn't believe my ears!

"I'll take it!"

 I didn't even really think through whether that was rude to invite myself to take possession over it.

But the teacher was more than happy and the next day I brought the staff Zuccini muffins:) YUM

My lovely roomate posing with the zuccini!

What is gravity?

How high can you jump?

It is required, as a part of this course that we work in partners to create and teach four sequential science lessons. Since Alicia and I live together and have our working placement at the same Primary school we decided it would be best if you teamed together.

Since my class was already learning about Space, we decided to take a group of four boys and have them feel special by being part of our ‘special science club.’ They are amazing children and really benefit from the special treatment. They ask me everyday “do we have Science with you and Miss Sousa today?”

We’ve been ‘probing’ their knowledge of gravity and it’s amazing how much they already know!

They were all too smart for our lessons really! Alicia and I went home after being thrown through such a learning curve and decided our lessons should be a little more challenging in the future.

I loved the boys explanation about gravity after we asked them “Why can’t you jump up to the roof of the school? Why did you come back down to the ground?”

The boys: “it’s a gigantic magnet in the earth and we’re all like metal and it doesn’t want to let us go and it wants to pull us back down!”

Afternoon Indian feast

Home cooked Indian Food!

When my friend Sharmeen discovered my love for Indian food, she offered to cook me a delicious meal! I was so excited to try everything on the table and I did, two or three times! Erini and her wonderful mom joined for the lunch as well and we all devoured the delicious Indian cuisine. Sharmeen surprised me with my absolutely favourite desert, Gulab Jamuns.

Gulab Jamuns bring back memories of traveling with Alyssa in India. We ran around the crowded and often scary streets, in search of those little deep fried sweets.

Gastronomically Delightful!

Mama Wilson, I love my apron! thank you thank you!

...After a week of placement at a Primary school down the street from my humble abode, I spent two full days staring at my computer making lessons plans for this upcoming week.

...Tired from working two brutal weddings (yes the song “Sex is on fire” played at both!) and cranky from lack of sleep and fun, I decided to blow my money on a shopping trip.

....Shopping trip to the Fruit Shack and beyond with one AA backpack and two green (eco friendly) bags to walk all my purchases home, while speaking Korean aloud all the way through lessons 14 and 15.

I really don’t enjoy these two lessons (which I have to repeat every week) they’re on money and converting Korean Won into Dollars. The next lesson is on telling the time, it's awful that all three sets of these numbers are different! It’s annoying when the Pimsleurs guy goes half way through a lesson testing your knowledge of how to say an amount in dollars and then switches over to Won, then the time. It’s especially difficult when your lugging the amount of food I was up a steep hill!

Anyway, I warned my room mates that my plan for the gloomy Sunday was to spend the day cooking and baking in the kitchen.

I went overboard and actually spent 5 hours in there!

Here’s what I made:

Yummy Ummmmmy bran muffins packed with flak seeds, every fruit I could get my hands on, ground nutmeg (took forever to grind it into powder!) bran buds and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I finally got to use the present my boyfriend sent me to check if the baked goods are cooked all the way through:)

Pesto and Hummus combined!

I am currently teaching in the same class of a lovely girl whose mommy is my friend and fellow student! We passed notes back and forth all week via her daughter and one of my requests was for her homemade Pesto recipe I spotted in her daughters sandwich during lunch. I was so impressed by her sandwich, the homemade pumpkin bread had been made by her dad, along with some homemade hummus her family had made for me to enjoy with some vegetables^^ The next day I had the note with both the recipes delivered to me.

My goal was to make both the Pesto and the Hummus (separately) but after being in the kitchen for so long, I decided I was too tired to crush that many nuts, garlic and basil. I threw them all in together and have made a delicious and very healthy dip! Pestummus?!

Finally, I touched up on my supply of Indian secrete sauce my lovely friend Manjul created.

It’s really just half ginger, half garlic, oil and a pinch of salt, sauté and add to veggies and rice. Mine is not as magical as hers, but it will do the job^^


Indian Masla Movie Popcorn

As a house, we all put on our Fall clothes and left the house for the movies to see “The Blind Side.” I think the movie came out in Canada months ago, but it takes a while for it to arrive to Oz. It was one of the best “based on a true story” movies I’ve seen in a really long time. It was also very ‘future teachers’ appropriate.’

Instead of microwaving buttered chemical popcorn, I bought the kernels and attempted for a second time to pop them carefully over the stove.

My first try was a few night previous to this when a friend came over for some wine, snacks and sex and the city viewing. I tired to pop the corn on the stove and ended up burning and smoking the house out.

This time was successful! And I added a sprinkle of my favourite Indian Masala spice on top to make it an Indian movie treat!