THANKSGIVING DAY

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated in the USA on the fourth Thursday in November. It's a tradition that started in 1863. Together with Chrismas and the New Year, Thanksgiving is one of the most important celebrations of the year in the USA.
Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. This meal often includes a turkey, potatoes, vegetables... Thanksgiving Day is a day for many people to give thanks for what they have.
Click on this link and see the turkey!!!

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1796513126

World Book Day is celebrated on April 23 every year.

Why ” World Book Day” on April 23?:

For the simple reason of the death of three of the world’s greatest writers on that date: Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes.
In some countries like Cuba this day is a celebration of Language.
In some countries, for example, Spain, Argentina, and Mexico, there are activities dedicated to World Book Day. For example, in Spain they have the Book Fair,where book sellers put stalls in the streets,selling new and some used book and doing a discount.

In other places, couples give gifts. The woman gives the man a book, and the man gives a rose to the woman.
However, although the World Book Day is celebrated on April 23, we must remember that some countries either do not celebrate, or celebrate the day on a different date. For example, in Ireland and the UK they celebrate “World Book Day” every year on the first Tuesday in March.

WORLD WATER DAY 2012

On March 22nd we celebrate the World Water Day.

Water is a Precious Resource.
Water is essential to life on our planet. Yet we often treat it like there is an infinite supply. It's time to get educated about the value of water and how you can protect this important natural resource.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO SAVE WATER?

1.- Don't leave the tap running for a long time while you are washing your hands.

2.- Turn off taps when you have finished using them.

3.- Report leaking taps and toilets to your parents and teachers. One drop per second equals 7,000 litres of water wasted per year.

4.-Wash paint brushes in a bucket or ice cream container.

5.-Take shorter showers.

6.-Never use your toilet as wastebasket.

7.-Don't run water while brushing your teeth.

8.-Water your plants early in the morning or late in evening.

Click HERE if you want to calculate your use of water.

Click HERE if you want to know how to save water every day.

Click HERE and HERE if you want to play games.

ST PATRICK'S DAY

It was Saint Patrick's Day on Saturday 17th. It was celebrated mainly in Ireland because he is the patron saint of this country. But it was also celebrated in many other countries because there are irish people living all around the world.

The Story of Saint Patrick

When he was sixteen years old, pirates attacked his town in Wales.
They took Patrick to Ireland on their ship. They sold him as a slave to a farmer named Milchiu. He minded sheep on a mountain called Sliabh Mis.

The people only spoke Irish. They were pagans. They didn't believe in God. He felt cold an lonely. He was very sad and homesick. Life was very hard. Patrick prayed every day and every night...

He was six years on Sliabh Mis.

Suddenly one night he had a strange dream. A voice told him a ship was waiting in the harbour. He reached the ship and it took him home. His family was very happy to see him.
Later Patrick became a priest and then a bishop. He had another dream. In his dream he heard the people of Ireland calling him. He went back to Ireland.

For about 30 years he told the people of Ireland about God. He used a shamrock to explain about the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit.

There are no snakes in Ireland. Some say it is because saint Patrick made them leave. Maybe it is just because Ireland is an island and is surrounded by water.

Patrick is buried in Downpatrick, County Down.

IT'S CARNIVAL!!!

It's Carnival!!! How do you celebrate it? Only at school?

If you want to know how children around the world celebrate carnival, click HERE and read their comments.

And... why don't you write a comment about it?
We want to know about you!!!

THE FLINTSTONES ARE 50 YEARS OLD

Happy Birthday Flintstones!!! But... do you know who they are? Ask your parents if they know them and if they used to watch these cartoons on TV.

Some of you will know them too because they are very famous on TV, but if you want to know more about them, read this:

The Flintstones" is an animated American sitcom ran from September 1960 to April 1966 on the ABC channel, but it continues on television nowadays and it has become a favourite of children around the world.

It tells us about a Stone Age man's life with his family and his next door neighbour and best friend: Barney Rubble. They live in the fictional town of Bedrock.

Here you can see the main characters:

THE FLINTSTONES

FRED FLINTSTONE --------------------------------WILMA FLINTSTONE

DAUGHTER: PEBBLES FLINTSTONE----------------------- PET: DINO



THE RUBBLES

FRED RUBBLE ----------------------------------------BETTY RUBBLE


SON: BAMM-BAMM RUBBLE -----------------------------PET: HOPPY


HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM?

.- Did you know them? With this name or a different one? Which?

.- What does "Pebbles" mean?

.- Why do you think The Rubble's son is called Bamm-Bamm?

.- And why is their pet called Hoppy?

QUIZ

1.- What do you think their favourite sport is?

a) swimming----- b) bowling -----c) football----- d) tennis

2.- And their favourite food?

a) vegetables -----b) fruit----- c) pasta----- d) brontosaurus steak

3.- What about their favourite pets?

a) dogs----- b) kangaroos----- c) cats -----d) dinosaurs

DO YOU REMEMBER THE SONG?

EARTH DAY

The official date for Earth Day is April 22 every year.
However, many events happen the weekend before, to allow more people to attend.

Earth Day is very important because it remembers us that we have to:

REDUSE, REUSE AND RECYCLE

Don't forget it and do as much as you can.

Here you can see some ways to represent Earth Day.

Which one do you like ?

If you want to know more about this day, click HERE

EASTER

Easter holidays are here!
On wednesday everybody will say goodbye to school and we will
enjoy some nice spring days.
Are you doing something special on Easter holidays?
In some countries as Germany, U.K., Ireland, U.S.A...
there´s a very popular tradition: Easter Bunnies.

It has a German origin but now it´s celebrated in a lot of places.

Have you seen chocolate bunnies and eggs somewhere in Gasteiz?

Have you eaten them?
The Easter Bunnies bring baskets filled with coloured eggs, sweets and sometimes also toys to children on the night before Easter.
The Bunnies will either put the baskets in a designated place or hide them
somewhere in the house or garden for the children to find when they wake up in the morning.

If you go to the mountain, to the beach, to the cinema... if you stay in Gasteiz or another town:

<ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS !!! SEE YOU SOON !!!

ST PATRICK'S DAY

Have you seen today any person wearing a green hat?

Today is Saint Patrick's Day and it's celebrated on 17 March in many places, and here, in Gasteiz, Irish and local people go to Irish Pubs to celebrate the day.

It's named after the Patron Saint of Ireland and it is a public holiday in this country.

But this day is celebrated all around the world , mainly in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand... where we can find important Irish communities.

Many people wear green clothes and there are big parades in a lot of cities. In some places they colour the streets or dye the water in fountains, lakes and rivers, as in Chicago, where they dye the river using natural dyes.

ANCIENT CARNIVAL IN EUROPE

Carnival is celebrated all around the world. Who doesn't know about Carnival in Venice, Tenerife or Rio de Janeiro...?

But there is another not so well known Carnival celebrated in small towns, some of them very close to us.

Do you know Carnival Celebrations in Zalduondo, Lantz or Altsasu? They are some of the oldest in Europe.

But probably you don't know about the Mamuthones from Mamoiada (Sardinia).

They appear on Carnival Sunday and on Shrove Tuesday. They are dressed in black sheepskin and wear around thirty kilos of cowbells on their backs. They cover their faces with a dark brown wooden mask.

The Mamuthones are usually twelve, to symbolize the number of the months of the year and they dance rhythmically in two parallel lines along the narrow streets of Mamoiada.

But they are not the only ones who wear sheepskin and cowbells. Do you know any of these?

They are celebrated in Greek Macedonia, Zubieta and Ituren (Nafarroa).

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

You can sing this typical Christmas song following the lyrics.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS

The English Teachers

CHRISTMAS

DID YOU KNOW?

Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25th of each year.
It is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
The word Christmas means "Christ's Mass".
There are many different customs and traditions around the world.
Santa Claus has a Dutch origin. He comes from St Nicholas, who was a real person. St Nicholas was the patron saint of school boys. He brought gifts to the children.
The idea that Santa Claus comes down the chimney comes from Norway, where children hang Christmas stockings near the chimney.




Christmas trees have pagan origins. When pagans became Christian, they used evergreens for the holiday by decorating them with nuts and candles. They sang Christmas carols as they danced around the Christmas Tree.


DO YOU WANT TO PLAY CHRISTMAS GAMES ?

CLICK HERE

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN'S DAY

November 20th is celebrated as the International Day for Children.

This day remembers:
the right of children to be free from exploitation
the right to his or her own opinion
the right to education , health care, and economic opportunity.


However, about 9.7 million children died in 2006 before their fifth birthday, mostly from malaria and pneumonia.
About 42.5 million children do not have access to clean water. More than 300,000 children around the world are forced to fight in wars.
218 milion children between five and 17 are working in poor conditions...


Do you know this little statue?

It is in Postas Street, in front of the Post Office.

Do you know who Iqbal Masih was?













Iqbal Masih was born in Muridke, a small rural village in Pakistan.
His father abandoned the family when Iqbal was a little baby an his mother worked as a housecleaner, but she didn't have enough money to feed all her children.
Iqbal was sold as a child slave and forced to work twelve hours per day in a carpet factory.
When he was 10, he escaped.
He helped over 3,000 Pakistani children to escape and spoke about chlidren labour all around the world.
He was murdered in 1995 in Muridke in the middle of a busy road. Most people think that he was assassinated by members of the "Carpet Mafia" because of his famous fight against the child labour industry.
In 1994, Iqbal was awarded the Reebok Human Rights Award.
In 2000, he was awarded The World's Children Prize for the Rights of the Children

Asterix is 50 years old

ASTERIX'S BIRTHDAY

Last week Asterix was 50 years old. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo.

The protagonist, Asterix, is a Gaul, a member of a Celtic Tribe that lived in France many years ago. Asterix lives in a small village in northwest Gaul during the times of Julius Caesar in 50 BC.

Unlike the rest of Gaul, this village has not been taken over by the Romans, because the people in the village drink a magic potion brewed by their druid, which gives them superhuman strength.

Asterix has many adventures with his friend Obelix and in many cases, this leads them to travel to various countries around the world.

The stories have been adapted into movies and video games.

If you want to know more about Asterix, play games etc, click HERE

Have you got any Asterix's comic books or videos in Basque or Spanish? Would you like to know their titles in English and then tell us?

For example: I've got this one: Asterix Galiarra, and its title in English is "Asterix the Gaul".

If you click HERE, you will find help to know the tittles in English, but sometimes you will need the dictionary.

HELP US!!! We want to make a very long list with the names of Asterix's adventures you have at home (but the list must be in English, of course).

1.- Asterix the Gaul

2.-

HALLOWEEN

As you know, Halloween is a holiday in many English speaking countries that is celebrated on the night of October 31st.

Children wear costumes and they go to people's homes saying "Trick or treat!" to ask for candy and then the people give it to them. This comes from a threat. It means, "Give me a treat or I will play a trick on you.

People sometimes dress up as ghosts, witches, goblins, and other scary things for Halloween.

If you want to see more about Halloween click HERE