Will it be a long, cold winter, or will spring come early? On February 2, in Pennsylvania, an animal gives its prediction. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, has a population of just over 6000, but once a year the sleepy town welcomes up to 30,000 visitors who come to see a groundhog – a North-American marmot. On 2 … Continue reading “Groundhog Day: What’s the Weather Like?”
Every 25 January, Scots and Scotophiles around the world celebrate Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. And since one of his famous poems is about the national dish, haggis, Burns Suppers are an occasion to taste haggis, recite poetry and enjoy Scottish music. You certainly won’t be able to go to celebrate in Scotland this year, … Continue reading “Celebrate Scotland’s Burns Night Online”
Assuming that anything happens as planned in this extraordinary election campaign, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, and Kamala Harris as Vice-President, on Inauguration Day, 20 January, 2021. The ceremony and traditional celebrations that follow will be much smaller than in previous years because of the coronavirus … Continue reading “Inauguration Day”
The third Monday of January is a federal holiday in the U.S.A., in honour of Martin Luther King. In keeping with King’s philosophy, citizens are encouraged to treat it as a day of service to others by volunteering in their communities. As the slogan says, it is “a day on, not a day off”. Starting … Continue reading “Happy Birthday, MLK!”
As Boris Johnson said as he announced a new lockdown: “‘Tis the season to be jolly careful”. But it’s nice to know that some festive traditions have survived the pandemic. Friday 11 December is the ninth Christmas Jumper Day, organised by Save the Children U.K. Normally, people wear a Christmas-themed jumper to work or school … Continue reading “Ho, Ho, Ho, Christmas Jumper Day is Back!”
The First World War was so devastating, countries were at a loss to know how to commemorate their dead. A hundred years ago, two years after the Armistice, Britain’s King George V inaugurated the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Cathedral, to honour all the anonymous fallen. Although the war had mobilised vast numbers … Continue reading “The Unknown Warrior 100 Years On”
19 November is Unicef’s annual World Children’s Day. This year, the UN organisation is highlighting how children have been impacted by the global pandemic. Although children are the group in society which is least affected by actual infection by Covid-19, many children are being negatively impacted by all the collateral affects. Loss of schooling and … Continue reading “Masked But Not Muted on World Children’s Day”
We all need a bit of beauty in these difficult times, and the inspiring example of dancers who are continuing to practise their art even in lockdown. And for a literary fix, see how the emotions of great classics like Jane Eyre and The Handmaid’s Tale can be expressed through ballet. Ballet companies from around … Continue reading “World Ballet Day”
To celebrate Black History Month 2020, the British Post Office painted some of its iconic red post boxes black and adorned them with the portraits and stories of notable black Britons. The boxes show biographical information about the person featured, and passers by can scan a code to access a Black History Month gallery of … Continue reading “Painting the Town Black”
We have a teacher recommendation for a site for creating posters for your classroom, and an example of a poster on the theme of Halloween to use in collège to work on the BE+ing present and reading comprehension around this celebration. Plus a worksheet on Halloween celebrations from A2, with a focus on the plastic … Continue reading “Create a Poster: Halloween”