P is for Pikachu!
So as my last post showed we’ve been studying letters and making a craft for each letter. We reached P and I didn’t like a lot of the other crafts out there. P is for pirate is cool but a bit lost on my Korean students. P is for Parrot, but I couldn’t get that many feathers in time. Pig and puzzle just bore me so what could really WOW my kids… and me…
Pikachu! Something they all know, love, and idolize! P is for Perfect! Well I know it says Pokemon, that’s a little mistake on my part printing out Pokemon instead of Pikachu, but I didn’t want to waste anymore paper and reprint the whole thing. Besides the only words my class can read is: I, a, can, is and, you.
No tutorials for P is for Pikachu so here is how I made mine.
First off, for those of you that live without Pokémon , Pikachu is a rodent like Pokémon that is the main mascot for the Pokémon franchise and also one of the main representative of Nintendo’s cast of characters.
First, you need a P. For all my letters I have been using the uppercase letters and use about.com’s list of letter coloring pages. You can also image search P letter coloring page.
Glue this to some thin cardboard (like a cereal box) and cut out for a reusable template. I also did the same with the tail and ear. I free handed both the tail and ear so sorry for no links for those. I guess you could find a picture of Pikachu and use those as a template.
I used a 1 inch hole punch for the red cheek circles and black eye circles. Just used a regular hole punch for the whites of the eyes.
Color ears and tail and add a sideways 3 for a mouth. Now you have a fun way to teach P!
Here are some of my kids and their Pikachu!
Mini-Carnival Day! +FREE Printable Signs
Had a fun day with our pre-elementary students. I was tasked to come up with some games that would be fun, but not rile the kids up too much so they could study during their second class. So I came up with some carnival games, ya know the usual: GO fish, ring toss, bean bag toss, duck-o-war, and a photo booth. 
The 7 year olds had fun but it seemed lost on some of the 6 year olds. Oh well can’t please everyone. There are tons of great websites that give tips to run a carnival for schools or for birthday parties.
Martha Stewart has some great ideas HERE
Catch My Party has a long list of great examples of a circus or carnival themed party HERE
A big list of carnival games HERE
I couldn’t find signs that I like that were free, so I made my own. Here are some FREE PRINTABLES for the signs I made (for personal use only of course) ENJOY!
Here are some of the highlights of our mini carnival:
Highlights For Kids: February 2012
Here are some of the highlights from this past month! Hope you enjoy!
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- Who poohed on my head!?
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- Korea vs Kuwait
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- Pretty Face at kinder prom
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- Valentine’s Day!
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- Cherry Lights
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- Last Day as 5 year old class
Highlights For Kids: January 2012
For Christmas, Chad got me an iPod Touch. He’s a good boyfriend! (For the record I got him an iPod Touch too.) I love the camera and different apps that enhance photos. My favorites so far have been: Vintage Camera, Diptic, and Instagram. If you have any suggest on other apps, please let me know!
Here are some of the kids doing what we do best… playing…
Highlights For Kids: December 2011
Haven’t posted since Pepero Day! Had a little photography over-load when my mom was visiting. Dusted off the trust camera and took some picture during Christmas. Here are some highlights:
Trick or Treat!
Halloween in Seoul has been more… uh… celebrated this year than last, which makes me super happy. I say that because Halloween things are more available this year and there are more costume shops and Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin’ Donuts have been doing Halloween foods! I found the most amazing ice cream that taste like a pumpkin pie. I think Halloween is my favorite holiday, it’s all about dressing up and getting candy, two of my favorite things.
Here’s my costume this year, Chad was a Pokémon Trainer and I was a pikachu.
At my school, we took the kids trick or treating to a couple of the kids homes and then YBM Head Quarters. 
Then we played around at the school trading candy. 
The afternoon was the same and it was pretty fun. 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
How to Sell An Education: Open Class
At my school and many other hagwons like it, we have this ‘neat little’ event called “OPEN CLASS.” From it’s name, I thought back to the days at my elementary school when Dads would come and have lunch or we’d have an evening of “Open House” and we could show our parents around the school. However, I am quickly shaken back to reality and discover that open class is no more than a little show we put on for the parents. Last year, I made the big mistake of not knowing what I was getting into, but I’m a year wiser now and knew what to do.
My co-teachers and I prepped the kids in song and dance. I worked on the best and flashiest flashcards that would WOW any kinder right off their feet! I made everything coordinate and match to satisfy my crazy need for… well… coordination! It was a sight to behold and would make any kindergarten teacher said, “OOooo” and even “Aaahh!”
One class was perfect and it was so fun, the other was… let’s just say, “too silly” and made it more difficult to finish the lesson in time.
Now maybe I can finish this cold and be well enough to enjoy Halloween!!
A Day in the Life: October 22
A day in the life of a currently over-worked English teacher. We had a “seminar day” which my school used as a field trip day with the kinder students and their families!
7am Getting on the subway, the station is dead on a Saturday morning…
After eating some breakfast and waiting for the bus, the teachers arrived at the park that is nearby the mountain. All the fall colors came out to greet us.
Now we play the waiting game. I wandered around in the woods and found this pretty tree blanketing the trail.
The kids finally show up and they play a game with their families. They had to stack a pile of rocks as high as they can without it falling. You see little rock piles along trails in Korea when you’re hiking. They say if you add a rock to the pile and make a wish it will come true if the pile doesn’t fall; however, if the pile falls your wish and the other wishes won’t come true.
I was impressed by this rock stacking.
Mommy helps daughter count her stickers that she has won over the course of the day.
Alright teacher it’s time to go, she leads the way with her balloon.
After lunch and a long bus and subway ride, my friend Jamie and I head to the crowded streets of the toy market to find Halloween costumes.
It’s only 5pm but I’m sick and exhausted so this is the end of my day…
My wonderful boyfriend brought home some sandwiches for dinner and after a cup of Theraflu, I try to reclaim the sleep that was taken from me. Goodnight. 
31 Photos in 31 Days: Day 26
Day 26: Pajama Day at ECC. The kids and teachers wore pajamas and had this little event in the playroom. They decorated t-shirts and making patbingsu. They all looked really cute in their pajamas.
31 Photos in 31 Days: Day 23
Day 23: Been busy and haven’t been able to get out much. But it’s ok, stay inside, the zombies are coming! The most important thing I tell my students is to aim for the head while fending off zombies.
31 Photos in 31 Days: Day 21
Day 21: Went to the toy and stationary outlet shops in the Dongdaemun Market to buy some stickers and prizes for my students. Lots of little shop full of color. More shops are open on Saturday than Sunday. But my favorite shops are usually open on Sunday and it’s a little less crowded.
I even saw one kinder student I teach. It’s funny how a kid goes blank when they see a teacher outside of school. They forget all the English they learn and just smile or act shy even though they are the best in the class or very talkative. I guess no matter what generation or age you always think teachers live in the school and never leave…
31 Photos in 31 Days: Day 19
Day 19: I’m teaching a story/musical to the youngest classes at ECC. The story is called Scary Dino. In an attempt to teach a fun lesson, we took little dinosaur erasers and put them in play dough. Then we had little dinosaur eggs and played a counting/number game. However, some little dinos didn’t make it through the egg hatching process. This was the result.
31 Photos in 31 Days: Day 4
Day 4 I’m having a blast! We made sunglasses in B class today. B Class is one of the ‘baby classes’ because they’re little, Korean age 5, so 3 or 4 in Western age. Had a fashion show and Dorothy is quite the little model.
31 Photos in 31 Days: Day 3
Day 3! I’m getting good at this! This is “P Class.” They are 7 years old (Korean age so most are really 5 or 6) and this is their second year learning English. We’re in Science class here. Something about teaching convex lenses and it makes objects appear larger… ‘whatever Teacher we just liked playing with water and magnifying lenses.’
Summertime
So it’s summer now. It’s hot. Haven’t posted in a long time because I haven’t had much of a chance to take pictures. We did go to the aquarium a few weeks back but that’s about it. Just been busy. I add several new classes in June so my nice and easy schedule has gone the way of the dinosaurs. So this picture sums up how I feel. Tried and hot.
Happy Summer!!!
after a field trip at the World Cup Stadium Park
Teacher’s Day
Gifts from my students for Teacher's Day
Happy Teacher’s Day!! In Korea they celebrated Teacher’s Day on May 15. Since May 15 falls on a Sunday this year I got a lot of presents this last Thursday and Friday. I had many students say, “Teacher Monday, Monday I will give you a presents!!” So finally a reason to look forward to Monday. To all those teachers out there Happy Teacher’s Day and THANK YOU for your teaching!!
Sing a SONG!
Song
Remember “Sing” when they would sing it on Sesame Street? One of my co-teachers did and showed the video to the kids in her main kinder class. Now they LOVE “sing a SONG” and they put it. So have a la lala lala lala la la lala lala lala la day!
Neckties and Power Rangers
So as many know I’m the arts and craft teacher for 9 of the 10 kinder classes at my school. In what most here call “baby class” we made neckties. Which means they colored some paper and I taped it together. Just so you know, baby class isn’t a mean name because they are babies. They’re Korean age five so that mean they are actually three or four years old. They are a handful because they are babies and they don’t speak any English… yet. Some can say little phrases but before long they’ll be savvy little English speakers. Last year’s baby class really impressed me last week because they were talking to me in full sentences. I was like, “Wait! When did you learn English?!?!” So the hagown system really work. It’s just hoping they can keep the knowledge they learned. However, we made a friend here that actually went to the same ECC that my friend Jamie teaches at and his English is great and he’s 20-something. So I guess there is something to be said about English school.
Anyway these kiddos enjoyed the neckties especially once little Daniel noticed they look like swords. Then we had a class full of models and Power Rangers. Awesome.
You like the pictures? I’m learning more and more with my new awesome camera too! 😉
Tears of Heaven
me by one of the giant displays
One of my kinder students gave his main teachers some tickets to a musical. Luckily for me, my co-teacher Makala couldn’t go so she gave the tickets to me. And free tickets to theatre, you think Charlet Ringwald is gonna pass that up?!?! However, to be honest, I was a little unsure about it, the tickets were all in Korean and the details I got were shaky. But it was at The National Theater of Korea so it sounded cool. The National Theater of Korea is nestled on the slope of Namsan Mountain and I’ve been dying to go. I found out that the musical stars a Kpop idol, Kim Junsu (or Xiah as he’s more widely known) and Brad Little a Broadway actor and a theatre super stars here in Asia. Once I found that out and realized what a big deal the show really was I was super excited!! And I’m so glad a little uncertainty didn’t prevent me from going because it was amazing! It was a great show: bittersweet love story, with fantastic singing and spectacular tech. You know a shows good when it has some tech tricks I can’t figure out. Even though most of it was in Korean they have giant screens with subtitles and along with what Korean I have learned and the acting, it was super easy to follow. Overall it was an amazing experience (that was free thanks again Makala!) and I hope when it goes to Broadway they keep it in Korean!!
My Teachers
I’m the kinder arts and crafts teacher at my school. I teach all classes except one arts and crafts (that’s 9 out of 10 my co-teacher Makala teaches one class arts and crafts.) Our first project was draw your teachers. Here was my favorite one. At first I thought “wow Vicky you gave me HUGE knockers, thanks! You rock, my new favorite student!” On closer inspection and lots of thinking they are like big princess sleeves. Oh well, I still think they look like boobs and I hope you do too.
"My Teachers" by Vicky
These are a Few of My Favorite Kids
Julie, Rachel, Julia, Daisy and Peter
This is my favorite class. They are afternoon students elementary age, (about 4th graders I think.)
I think you are so pretty cute kiddos!!
Graduation Tears, Congratulation Cheers
Congratulations kiddos! It’s the end of the school year and the seven year old kinder students graduated!! Now they’ll be Ivy Masters and come in the afternoon, after elementary school!
Kinder Prom
At ECC the kids had a “kinder prom” We all went out all dressed up and had a party at this place called Kids’ Cafe. A giant play place and a “cafe” for kids. Mostly for birthday parties and big events. The kids had a blast and the teachers did too.
A Photo A Day When You're Far Away 