Theatre review by Irina Balaci

One of the best plays I’ve seen is “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. It is a drama about hatred between families and a magical love that has to fight in order to become possible.

The story is set in England, around 1700. The plot revolves around two rich families. Montague and Capulet which couldn’t stand eacheother because of political problems. Juliet was a Capulet and Romeo was a Montague but, despite their families’ problems, they fell in love. They had to fight until the end for this love and, in the end, they died for it.

The main characters are Romeo and Juliet. The two youngsters can’t be happy together because of their families. They are very strong and powerful, they argue with their relatives to protect their feelings for eachother and, in the end, they realise that the only way to be together is to die. After that, nobody can tell them how to feel.

What I liked very much in this play were the costumes: the women wore long dresses and the men trousers, shirts and waistcoats. These were the traditional outfits at that period.

To sum up, I would throughly recommend this play to anyone who wants romance, drama and action in the same place, to anyone who wants to discover what true love can do and how much a person can fight for love or to anyone who wants to be challenged and made to think about hatered and love.

Felicitari, Irina! Ne-a placut foarte mult recenzia ta pentru piesa “Romeo si Julieta”. Tine-o tot asa si mult succes la examenul First Certificate!

Importanta examenelor Cambridge

Multi dintre parintii cursantilor Follow Me ne pun diverse intrebari legate de examenele Cambridge. Ce? Cand? Cum? Unde?…si mai ales de ce  le este necesar sa le sustina. Cum s-au adunat destul de multe intrebari pe acest subiect, ne-am decis sa le acoperim pe cele mai des intrebate. Aceste examene Cambridge  nu au caracter obligatoriu. Noi avem datoria de a-i informa pe cursantii nostri ca ii putem pregati pentru sustinerea lor, iar cei interesati vor primi materiale, sfaturi si feedback-ul necesar sustinerii lor. Parintii au avut timp sa isi exprime interesul fata de aceste examene ( si inca mai au putin pana la sustinerea lor) si astfel profesoarele de la Follow Me s-au apucat de pregatirea cursantilor interesati.

Cele mai frecvente intrebari au fost:

Ce sunt aceste examene? 

Sunt mai multe niveluri de examinare, in functie de varsta si nivelul de cunostinte ale copiilor.

1. Examenele YLE(Young Learners English) sunt teste Cambridge pentru copii cu varste intre 7 si 12 ani, la trei niveluri de dificultate:Starters, Movers si Flyers.

Aceste teste recompenseaza eforturile copiilor de a invata limba engleza si reprezinta modul ideal de a-i obisnui cu cerintele unui examen international.

YLE Flyers este la nivelul A2 pe Scala Comuna Comuna Europeana de Refererinta pentru Limbi a Consiliului Europei (la aproximativ acelasi nivel cu examenul KET). YLE Starters si YLE Movers sunt la nivelul A1.

Fiecare copil care sustine acest examen va primi un certificat indicand capacitatea acestuia de a vorbi, asculta, citi si scrie in limba engleza.

2. KET (CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: KEY)

Nivelul A2 pe Scala Comuna Europeana de Referinta pentru Limbi a Consiliului Europei.
KET testeaza capacitatea de a exprima nevoi de baza in situatii de zi cu zi si este potrivit pentru persoane de peste 13 ani.

KET sau KET for Schools?

Cele doua versiuni ale examenului KET urmeaza acelasi format si au acelasi grad de dificultate. Spre deosebire de KET, KET for Schools abordeaza subiectele intr-o maniera potrivita interesului si experientei elevilor.
KET for Schools este la nivelul A2 conform Cadrului European Comun de Referinta pentru Limbile Moderne – un document cadru recunoscut international.

Candidatii KET for Schools care promoveaza primesc un certificat cu calificativele Pass with Merit sau Pass. Cei care demonstreaza un nivel inferior celui de KET (conform CEFR A2), primesc un certificat pentru nivelul A1. Numai candidatii cu un punctaj sub nivelul A1 al CEFR primesc calificativul Fail.

3. PET (CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PRELIMINARY)

Nivelul B1 pe Scala Comuna Europeana de Referinta pentru Limbi a Consiliului Europei.
PET  este un examen de nivel pre-intermediar, care testeaza abilitatile lingvistice necesare in situatii caracteristice vietii sociale si profesionale, intr-un mediu de limba engleza.

PET FOR SCHOOLS (CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: PRELIMINARY FOR SCHOOLS)

PET for Schools este un certificat care arata ca un elev poate comunica in scris si poate vorbi limba engleza la un nivel intermediar.

PET sau PET for Schools?

Cele doua versiuni ale examenului PET urmeaza acelasi format si au acelasi grad de dificultate. Spre deosebire de PET, PET for Schools abordeaza subiectele intr-o maniera potrivita interesului si experientei elevilor.
PET for Schools este la nivelul B1 conform Cadrului European Comun de Referinta pentru Limbile Moderne – un document cadru recunoscut international. Candidatii care promoveaza primesc un certificat cu calificativele Pass with Merit sau Pass.

PET for Schools are trei probe:

• Proba scrisa si intelegerea textului scris (1h si 30 de minute)
• Receptarea mesajelor orale (aproximativ 30 de minute)
• Proba orala (12 minute)

4.  FCE(Cambridge English: First)

Nivelul B2 pe Scala Comuna Europeana de Referinta pentru Limbi a Consiliului Europei.

FCE este un examen la nivel intermediar, care necesita competente lingvistice complete. Ofera o calificare celor care doresc sa lucreze intr-o tara de limba engleza sau intr-o organizatie unde se foloseste engleza, sa studieze in engleza si de asemenea sa foloseasca limba engleza pentru turism. FCE este cel mai popular examen pe plan mondial si are cea mai larga recunoastere. Este folosit pentru angajare si pentru studiu si necesita circa 500-600 ore de studiu.

Cand si unde se pot sustine aceste examene?

In ceea ce priveste Young Learners of English, examenele vor avea loc la sediul Follow Me din Drumul Taberei. Atat profesoarele celor mici cat si un reprezentant British Council se va ocupa de ei. Data examenelor pentru toate cele 3 nivele (Starters, Movers si Flyers) va fi 12 mai 2012 (ora fiind comunicata ulterior).

Restul examenelor se vor sustine la British Council pe data de 2 iunie (KET for School si PET for School), respectiv 9 iunie pentru FCE for Schools.

Pentru mai multe date despre date si tarife, puteti accesa pagina celor de la British Council cu privire la aceste aspecte.

De ce este necesar sa sustina aceste examene?

Testele fac parte din viata copiilor, astfel incat este foarte important sa-i ajutam sa-si dezvolte nu numai cunostintele de limba engleza, dar si tehnici si abilitati de abordare a unui examen. Sustinerea unui test de limba engleza Cambridge poate stimula copilul sa-si dezvolte cunostintele de limba engleza, dar si sa castige incredere in sustinerea testelor. De asemenea aceasta le ofera un certificat recunoscut international.

In plus, este un plus de incredere in sine sa stie ca un profesor din Marea Britanie ii spune ca este un bun cunoscator de limba engleza.

Profesoarele Follow Me le ureaza mult spor la lucru celor care doresc sa sustina aceste examene si pentru orice fel de intrebare, accesati site-ul celor de la British Council si nu ezitati sa va intrebati profesoarele care va pregatesc orice nelamurire aveti!

Sursa: http://www.britishcouncil.org/ro/romania-examene.htm

Ce nu-i al tau nu trebuie luat

Va propun un scenariu: sunteti la ora de istorie, sa zicem, si profesorul adreseaza intregii clase o intrebare din lectia de zi. Tu nu ai apucat sa citesti acel capitol aseara, pentru ca ai avut alte ocupatii. Il intrebi pe colegul de banca raspunsul si imediat cum ai aflat, ridici si tu mana. Profesorul te alege pe tine sa ii raspunzi la intrebare si, cu toata increderea, spui exact ce ti-a soptit colegul de banca. Atat timp cat profesorul nu a auzit si nu a vazut ca ti-a soptit, ai impresia ca totul e meritul tau. Doar ai ridicat mana, nu?

Cam asa arata inceputul relatiei cu plagiatul. Unele persoane pot spune: “Mare lucru! Doar am facut public ce urma sa spui tu, oricum!”. Ideea este ca niciodata nu e bine sa primim laude sau critici pentru ceva ce ii apartine altcuiva. Personal, cand ma gandesc la cuvantul “plagiat”, imi vin in minte site-uri de genul referat.ro, care a fost ajutorul de nadejde al elevilor in clasele V-XII pentru comentarii literare. Nu e un lucru rau ca elevul s-a documentat. Pe langa citirea orepei respective, e bine sa ai in vedere ce pareri au avut si altii, si eventual sa le mentionezi (evident, citand sursa de unde ai luat informatia).

Pana nu e public faptul ca cineva a plagiat, acel lucru nu devine o rusine, iar persoana aceea nu se invata minte. Cand profesorul cere lucrarile (comentarii literare, rezumate, proiecte pe o anumita tema etc.), nu ii va pica nici lui bine sa vada ca 2 sau mai multi dintre elevii sai au avut aceeasi sursa de inspiratie, dar au avut proasta inspiratie sa copieze cuvant cu cuvant ce a spus autorul original. Cum ar trebui sa reactioneze profesorul in acel caz? Sa le dea aceeasi nota celor 2, 3 sau mai multi elevi? O idee buna ar fi sa ii puna sa faca lucrarea cu surse citate, cu idei proprii si fara a copia ce spun altii fara a credita autorii originali.

Profesorul nu vrea sa vada cat de bun prieten esti cu Google sau referate.ro si folosesti cu sfintenie fiecare cuvant pe care ti-l furnizeaza. El vrea sa stie si sa vada ca esti capabil de idei originale si ca poti face o lucrare folosind si carti, nu numai un motor de cautare.

Noi, la Follow Me nu incurajam sub nicio forma plagiatul. Ba mai mult, in luna decembrie, cand copiii au avut de facut proiecte ORIGINALE, am avut neplacerea de a crea un panou al rusinii unde a zacut pentru saptamani bune primul rezultat de pe google la tema  Santa Claus is a woman. Speram ca acel cursant a invatat ca nu asta e solutia rezolvarii unui proiect in termen scurt (desi avusese la dispozitie mai mult de 2 saptamani sa il faca). Daca nu am reusit lucru acesta, putem spune ca cei mai mici dintre cursantii nostri au invatat prin puterea exemplului ca plagiatul nu e bun si ca nu e bine sa ajungi pe Panoul Rusinii.

Pe final, va las cu o epigrama interesanta de Vasile Iusan:

Acuzat de plagiat

Unii fulgeră şi tună 
Că nu-s scriitor sadea,
Când îmi iese una bună,
Mă conving… că nu-i a mea.

 

CONCURS: My best photograph – the story

A trecut ceva vreme de cand nu am mai avut un concurs! De data aceasta vrem sa vedem potentialul maxim al copiiilor nostri, ata ca fotografi, cat si ca scriitori! Se spune ca o fotografie face cat 1000 de cuvinte, dar fiecare poveste din spatele sau este unica si merita spusa si citita! Fie ca e o poza cu animalul copilariei, o poza de grup cu prietenii de suflet sau familia, noi vrem sa o vedem si vrem sa citim ce sta in spatele ei!

Te pasioneaza fotografia? Trimite-ne cea mai expresiva si interesanta fotografie pe care ai facut-o pana acum insotita de povestea ei in limba engleza (pe cine sau ce ai fotografiat, cum te-ai simtit atunci, ce se intampla sau la ce te-a facut sa te gandesti respectivul peisaj) pentru a o publica pe blogul nostru, pe situl http://www.cursuri-followme.ro si pentru a o afisa in scolile Follow Me. Premiul consta in cartile din imagine:

Indrumari:

Poza poate reprezenta oameni, animale, insecte, plante, peisaje, insa trebuie sa fie facuta DE TINE si nu copiata.

Vom lua in considerare atat talentul fotografic si creativitatea, cat si “povestea” din spatele pozei, care trebuie sa aiba intre 10 si 20 de randuri scrise la calculator cu font Times New Roman, dimensiunea 12 (intr-un document cu extensia .doc sau .docx)

Poza si povestea trebuie trimise pana la data de joi, 9 februarie la adresa de mail: follow_me_school@yahoo.com, insotite de numele complet al autorului.

Poza castigatoare va fi publicata pe blog luni, 13 februarie.

Concursul este adresat copiilor cu varste intre 10 si 18 ani.

Toate profesoarele Follow Me isi incurajeaza cursantii sa participe la acest concurs! Nu numai ca vor fi premiati, dar poate unii dintre ei isi vor descoperi talente nebanuite care merita sa fie impartasite si altora! Incurajam originalitatea si creativitatea si avem mare incredere ca vom avea de unde alege castigatorii!

Mult succes!

Proiecte seniori (partea a doua)

Dupa cum v-am promis luni, astazi vom continua seria proiectelor seniorilor Follow Me. Speram ca va vor incanta micile lor creatii.

The Christmas Poem

 

On Christmas Night

I saw a big light

I fell out of bed

In the sky was something red

 

And old person from the sky

Was saying Bye Bye

He was looking at my house,

Ah, he was Santa Claus!

 

He gave me a present,

With a big toyland.

My sister had a little mouse,

And I said “Look, it’s Santa Claus!”

                    Andrei Moise, S2D, Follow Me Titan

 

Christmas time

 

Christmas time is coming soon

With joy and fun like a good cartoon,

We all expect nice presents to recieve,

Because in Santa’s visit we still believe.

 

We celebrate Jesus’ birthday with family

Trying to live such moments happily,

Even frozen Snowman says:

“Merry Christmas, dear friends!”

Cristian Leustean, S2D, Follow Me Titan

 

Santa Sniper Saves The World

In one common December day, everyone was preparing for Christmas. The kids were writing their letters to Santa, the parents were decorating their houses for Christmas, people started to meet with all friends and relatives, everything was going great.
But not everyone was so excited, at the North Pole Santa was very busy with all of the toys the kids wanted, his elves were tired of so much work, but Santa and his elves loved kids, so they kept working. Santa was so happy to know that almost all the kids on Earth were nice and they had good marks at school. It was 15th of December, only 10 days away from the great day. Santa was training his reindeer all week. The elves were checking Santa’s sled, making sure the GPS was right and the sled was in perfect condition. The letters were arranged and it was just a matter of time until Santa would take off from the North Pole to all houses on Earth.
After all of the stuff was checked and secured Santa wanted to go on his Christmas space shuttle to see how Earth was seen at night with all the street lights for Christmas. Santa safely arrived with the help of his elves on the Christmas space shuttle. Santa was amazed to see how shiny the Earth was with all of the Christmas lights. He had seen how much effort was put in this celebration. But just before he wanted to go back to Earth, he saw some space ships going really fast to his shuttle. Then Santa said: “My elves ! The aliens are coming! We need to go back to Earth! Gooo!!!” He arrived as soon as possible on Earth and went to the White House to tell Mr. President that there was an alien invasion coming.
He arrived there and told the president what was coming. The president went to the secret room to announce the state of emergency for alien invasion. But the aliens already were entering on Earth’s orbit. The president announced all the states and told all the armies to help prevent the alien invasion. Santa went back to the North Pole starting to wonder how he could stop the alien invasion. The people were already sent to the bunkers because aliens had destroyed Paris, Berlin and Tokyo. Santa remembered something. His elves build an emergency room for anything that could happen on Earth. He got there and found the perfect weapon. A sniper rifle that was shooting dark mater. But it was too late for a glorious win because the armies were almost destroyed and the people were afraid to go out of the bunkers. Santa told his elves to gear up, because they will save the world and Christmas. The aliens started to live in the destroyed cities. So it was easy for Santa and his elves to kill them from a distance. His elves got the gift canons and Santa got the sniper rifle. But after a closer look, the aliens were in fact robots. The elves started shooting the robots with the canons. The canons were doing their job but the robots were too many. They needed something more powerful. It was the sniper rifle. From one shot Santa could destroy many robots. The remaining armies had to have the weapon. So they got back to the North Pole and told his elves to make as many weapons they could as the sniper rifle. Santa called the remaining armies to equip them with the weapons. They planned to first free Europe, then Asia, Australia, Africa and save America last because most of the robots were in America. It was now 20th December, only 5 days from Christmas. The assault started in Europe. It was a success. They continued on with Asia, Australia, and Africa. Now it was just 2 days away from Christmas. They had to save the World and the Christmas. They planned to use rockets for elves transport and planes for Santa and the remaining armies. The big fight was in Washington where the true aliens showed and captured the USA president, the aliens wanted the launch codes for the atomic bombs. Santa and the elves tried to rescue the president but the aliens got him on the mother ship. Santa got his sled and told the elves and the remaining soldiers to get in a bunker, because Santa would tell them when to free the people. Santa was flying with his sled to the mother ship and slowly  entered the ship. He sneaked trough the aliens to the main room. The aliens were torturing the president to tell them the launch codes. The president started to tell the codes because the pain was too intense, and just before the last number Santa killed the aliens and got the president. They fought through the mother ship for the sled. They reached it and they got back to Earth. Santa told the elves and the soldiers to free the people from the bunkers. Everyone was happy to be free again. But it was just 5 minutes until Christmas, Santa got all the presents from the North Pole in just some few seconds using his magic, and started to drop the presents all over the World. Even though the cities were in ruins, everyone was happy that Santa had saved the World and Christmas.
The next day Santa used all of his power to rebuild the cities, and in just a blink of an eye everything was back to normal.
The end.
George Baisan, S4B, Follow Me Drumul Taberei

 Santa Claus ` family 

I know that you once thought about this.Does Santa Claus has a family?Yes or no?

If you answered No,you` re not right,my dear.Yes,the fat man with red cheeks,big beard and a nice costume has a family too,like me and you and you.

Santa Claus has a big,big family.Bigger than his beard.

First of all ,when he was young with a shorter beard,he married Lucy,also known as Mrs. Claus.

Lucy is younger than her husband,but old enough.She has got white curly hair and she always wars red clothes.Her eyes are blue.With them she attracted Santa.Lucy also makes the best cakes in the world.

After some years from their wedding,they had John,Alexander and Tyson.They are triplets,but hey don` t ressemble one another.

John is tall.He has his mother` s eyes and short fair hair.He always wars red and blue clother and he has a sleigh-car.

Alexander is unique.His eyes are like the emerald and his hair is black.He likes helping people.

Tyson is a macho-man.He has muscles.His hair is white his eyes are brown.He has muscles.

I think you know that one day,this Santa Claus won` t be anymore,but one of his sons,will be Santa Claus for the future,so they ” beat” to win this title.Santa Claus knows that Alexander will be,but shhhhttt!

As Santa wanted,he also has a girl,Blissie.She ressembles Alexander.

Did you know that Santa is a happy grandfather? Yes,Alexander,Tyson and Blissie are married and have children.

All those kids are very happy and they play in Santa` s workshop.

Let me tell you a secret,but shhhttt! Don` t tell it to anyone! I’m a part of Santa Claus` family and all you kids are a part of Santa` s family.

Just think about this.Santa brings you presents like a parent on your birthday,because you are like a kid for him.

Anyway,Santa Claus also has a second family in his workshop.The elves and the reindeer.Some of his helpers are: Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Prancer, Blitzen and the most important reindeer:Rudolf that` s nose is lighting in red.His main elves are: Brandon,Janet,Charlie,T.S. and Shane.

Brandon,Janet,Charlie ,T.S and Shane are his right hand and Rudolf is his favorite reindeer because he stays in front of all reindeers and goes to kids` houses.

As you know,Christmas is coming and Santa will be helped by all his family.

But have you every thought how they can go on with the milions of presents?

There` s a secret,but i know it and i can` t keep it….Every year,Santa chooses a kid that kelps him with all the presents…Maybe this year you` ll be the lucky one!

                                                               Magda Petcu, S4B, Follow Me Drumul Taberei

 

Speram ca v-au placut proiectele cursantilor nostri. Echipa Follow Me va ureaza un an mai bun, plin de realizari pe toate planurile! Sa ne vedem anul urmator mai veseli, mai muncitori si mai sanatosi ca in anul care urmeaza sa se incheie!

Craciun fericit si un an nou minunat!

Povesti si proiecte de Craciun de la seniori

Daca in ultimele doua postari am vorbit despre cum s-au descurcat cei mici la serbarea de Craciun, saptamana aceasta e timpul sa laudam copiii mai mari de la Follow Me care ne-au incantat cu proiectele lor cu tematica de Craciun. Iata numai cateva:

Santa Claus forgets about Christmas

Do you know how it is like to forget about Christmas? You maybe don’t, but Santa sure does.

Last year, on the 23^rd  of December, Santa was preparing for Christmas, helping the elves with the toys, and of course with the list of good or bad children. As usual, all the children were on at the “good one” list, because Santa is e very kind person, and because that year the elves made to much toys, and he had to give them to somebody.

While preparing all these, a bad elf stole the sledge and ran away! Why?? He was Mojo, the bad elf! He has always wanted to stop Christmas!

What can Santa do now? Without the sledge, how could he deliver the presents to all the people on Earth?? He couldn’t. He had to  take that sledge back from Mojo!

The next day, Santa started to look after Mojo, but he couldn’t find him … ! Santa was very upset, so he said : “I don’t know what to do! Only a miracle can bring my sledge back..” . While he was talking alone, like a crazy man, Jiju, another elf, heard him and said : “Santa is crazier than last year! But we must help him…he is just like a father for all the elves, and of course, if Santa doesn’t bring the present, Christmas is gone, and if  Christmas is gone, me and the other elves won’t work any more, and if we won’t work, NO ONE WILL PAY US ! We must help him, and fast! “ said Jiju.

In the next five minutes, Jiju told about crazy Santa to all the elves, and Martin , the Science Fiction elf, created a machine that brought the sledge back.

  After Santa saw his sledge back, he said that he doesn’t have to worry about anything from that moment. But it wasn’t so !

Because he had worked all rest of the day helping the elves to finish the toy production, Santa went in his room and fell asleep ! The problem was that it was half past eleven o’clock p.m. ! Santa should have got up in 20 minutes to get the sledge  ready, and start the world tour with the presents ! But it wasn’t so. Santa got up at 5 o’clock in the morning! The first words that he shouted when he saw the time were: “ OH MY GOD, HOLY GOD, I FORGOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS ! IT IS ONCE  A YEAR AN I FORGOT ABOUT  IT ! JIJU, WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME UP?” shouted Santa at Jiju, who was staying near him. He replied: “I tried to wake you up, but you slapped me… without knowing, because you were sleeping..!”

After a few minutes of stress, for Santa of course, Jiju said laughing: “ Santa, you are such a gullible person.. !!! It isn’t 5 o’clock ! I put your clock to show this time! It is 11 o’clock and 56 minutes, you still have 4 minutes to get ready!!

Santa, hearing this, said calm : “ Jiju, you are fired!”

Jiju could not believe what Santa has just said to him. He wanted to leave the room, when Santa stopped and said laughing : “And you think that I am a gullible person, but you are one, too !! You aren’t fired! I was joking! Now, Jiju, help me to get prepared FAST !”. “OK sir” said Jiju.

In two minutes, Santa left the North Pole in his sledge! At 4 o’clock, all the children and adults in the world got one present !

When Santa arrived home, he put his clock to ring every year, on the 24^th of December, at 11 o’clock and 50 minutes, with the message: Do NOT forget about Christmas again, you fool !

Radu Negreanu, S4B, Follow Me Drumul Tabarei

CHRISTMAS HABITS AND ROUTINES

            Do you ever wonder what Christmas really means?
I know this is not what I should write about but I wanted to make my composition more interesting. Whatever….so, do you ever wonder what Christmas really means?  I did it,  actually I did it more than once. Every year I wonder why some people don’t like Christmas. It’s beautiful and peace and love make this beautiful night very special. Everybody, from kids to adults, enjoy this wonderful holiday.

They give presents to each other and spend time with their families. But, how I said before some people don’t like Christmas. I guess why but, that is just my opinion. I think that they hate Christmas because they had to give presents to family and listen to their children complaining about how they didn’t want “that” for Christmas. Well, that could be a reason. Let’s talk about what I had to say. My Christmas theme is “Habitts and Routines”. Before Christmas, mother and grandmothers go shopping. They buy special things like globes, tinsel, lights and traditional food. I know I could write more but I really don’t have any idea. It’s beautiful to belive in Santa Claus for Christmas and its magic, but come on people Santa Claus doesn’t exist. I belived in him but now I realise that he isn’t real.

 Was I dissapointed to hear that? Not a chance. Actually, I didn’t even have time to realise that. I was caught in the magic of opening the presents. In the end of my essay I realised that I didn’t do what I had to do but, I’m not going to erase anything. It’s fine. “Santa Claus” won’t be sad. Merry Christmas everyone an a happy new year.

 Thank you,

Maria

                                                                                                                                  Maria Somandru, S4B, Follow Me Drumul Taberei

SANTA CLAUS DOESN’T EXIST

HELLO! My name is Michael and today I’ll tell you why Santa Claus doesn’t exist.

1.There aren’t any species of reindeer which can fly.There are 300.000 of organisms which aren’t classified while most of this organisms are insects.

2.There are 2 billion children on Earth.But Santa doesn’t exist in any muslim religions and that reduces the number of children. This means that in the world there remain 378 million children.In the world there are 92 million houses,that means approximately 4 children per house.

3.Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to deliver presents,if the Earth is rotating from East to West.This means Santa makes 822 visits per second.If it would really do this he will have for each house 0.06 second to park,hop out of the sledge ,jump down the funnel,put the present under the tree,eat whatever snacks had been left,climb back on the funnel,get back into the sledge and move to the next house.If the houses are uniformelly distributed on the Earth, the distance from a house the another will be about 25 kilometers.This means a trip of 23 billion kilometers.

4.If  he travels 23 billion kilometers in 31 hours,Santa will travel with a speed of 1046.07 killometers per second,3.000 times speed of sound.Example of comparation,the fastes man-made vehicle on Earth was the Ulysses space probe,moves with a speed of 44 kilometers per second,but a reideer has a top speed of 24 km per second.

5.The load of the sledge is another interesting fact.Assuming that each child gets a present which wheighs 1 kilo,the sledge will have a charge of 321.000 tones without Santa. On land a normal reindeer can draw 115 kilograms.Even if that “flying reindeer” existed, it can be drawn ten times the normal amount,we cannot do the job with eight or ten.We would need 214.200 reindeers.

6. 321.000 tones traveling at 1046 kilometers per hour creates a very big air resitance. I think this air resistance will heat the reindeers in the same way as a spacecraft re-entering into the atmosphere.In short, they will burst into flames almost immediately.

In coclusion,if Santa Claus ever did deliver presents on Christmas Eve, I think he is dead now.

                                                                                                                                Mihai Filip, S4A, Follow Me Drumul Taberei

Joi vom posta si alte lucrari de-ale cursantilor nostri talentati si creativi!

Cronicile unei serbari reusite (part 2)

Dupa ce Mosul a oferit cadouri copiiilor din Drumul Taberei, a venit randul celor care studiaza la sediun din Titan sa ne uimeasca cu talentele lor.

Pentru inceput, am aflat de la grupa J2E ce putem pati daca nu suntem cuminti – Mosul nu o sa ne viziteze. Dar daca ii uram un “Merry Christmas” pe muzica, sigur ne va vizita si ne va ierta nazdravaniile noastre! Pe aceeasi lungime de unda au fost si prescolareii care ne-au incantat cu melodia “Christmas is coming”, prin care au vrut sa-i aminteasca Mosului sa nu ii uite!

Cat de cuminte trebuie sa fii ca sa primesti opt cadouri de Craciun? Nu stim neaparat daca a fost cuminte sau doar istet. I-a scris Mosului opt scrisori diferite si s-a semnat cu fiecare dintre cele opt porecle ale sale. Noroc ca cei de la J1A si-au dat seama de acest lucru si ne-au pus in tema si pe noi!

La serbarea din Titan, parintii si bunicii care au participat au avut ocazia sa le cunoasca pe Denisa si Mira, doi ingerasi care ne-au incantat cu o poezie de adormit copiii cu tematica de Craciun. Mai mult ca sigur le-au facut si pe papusile lor sa adoarma in pace:) Povestea diminetii de Craciun a fost relatata foarte frumos de Ioana si Costi. Povestea ne arata ca sarbatoarea Craciunului nu inseamna numai cadouri si venirea lui Mos Craciun. Primeaza nasterea lui Iisus si slavirea sa in aceasta zi sfanta!

Fiecare copil vrea ceva diferit de Craciun. Grupa J2D nu numai ca si-au exprimat preferintele printr-o poezie, dar au si venit cu un exemplar din ceea ce si-ar dori sa primeasca in noaptea de Craciun. Oare aceste cadouri s-au regasit pe cele trei vapoare pline cu daruri bogate? Banuim ca Mosul le-a oferit cadourile la care se asteptau! Serbarea noastra a avut ca oaspeti pe trei magi (Catalin, Ionut si Eduard) care au vestit cu alai nasterea lui Iisus.

Pana acum le-am vazut pe toate: vestitori, reni, magi…dar cine s-a gandit ca pe scena isi vor face aparitia si niste clopotei? Chiar asa a fost! Au fost cinci clopotei care ne-au recitat, ne-au cantat si ne-au incantat in dupa-amiaza zilei de sambata!

Cine nu face oameni de zapada in perioada iernii? Grupa J2B ne-au explicat instructiunile pas cu pas si ne-au cantat si un cantecel frumos despre magica perioada a Craciunului. In cazul in care vi s-a facut pofta de ceva dulce, suntem siguri ca v-au facut cu ochiul cele doua turte dulci! Nu numai ca ne-au incantat cu costumatia lor, dar si cu poezia si cantecul pregatit!

Ce ar fi Mos Craciun fara ajutoarele lui de nadejde? Noua dintre cei mai harnici spiridusi ai sai au venit pe scena noastra sa “dea din casa”. Oare ce ne pregateste Mosul anul acesta?

Nimeni nu-l vede pe Mosul in noaptea Craciunului. Copiii de la J2C ne-au dat toate detaliile si semnalmentele Mosului sa “fim pe faza” data viitoare cand ne viziteaza! Si sa nu uitam ca nu ne viziteaza niciodata singur. Ii are pe cei noua reni credinciosi care ii trag sania pentru a ajunge la destinatie!

In alte tari, Craciunul este un pic diferit fata de cum il stim cu totii.  De pilda, Mosul vine cu o sanie trasa de canguri, nu de bine-cunoscutii reni! Grupa de juniori nivelul 3 ne-au descris peisajul de sarbatoare din indepartata Australie.

Cei mici stiau lectia: am recitat – primim cadouri! De aceea au fost foarte agitati cand Mos Craciun i-a chemat pe scena sa-si primeasca bine-meritatele daruri.

Atat noi, cat si copiii dumneavoastra tinem sa va multumim ca i-ati sustinut pe cei mici pana in prezent si ca ati fost alaturi de ei la acest eveniment. Va mai asteptam cu drag la asemenea evenimente!

Cronicile unei serbari reusite (partea intai)

Brr…brr…brr… S-a tremurat! S-a tremurat din cauza frigului de afara si din caua emotiilor celor mici. Sambata, 10 decembrie a venit mult-asteptata serbare, iar copiii s-au descurcat foarte bine pe scena.

Fie ca s-au imbracat in ingerasi, magi, craciunite sau chiar in Mos Craciun, copilasii au stralucit pe scena Politehnicii! Chiar daca au existat mici scapari, nimeni nu s-a suparat pentru ca emotiile sunt normale pentru oricine, in special pentru copilasi cu varste intre 4 si 11 ani.

Primii copii care au venit pe scena sa ne incante au fost cei de la Follow Me Drumul Taberei. Fiecare grupa a avut ceva deosebit. Pentru inceput, sapte copii de la grupa J2G au pus in scena o piesa de teatru care a aratat ce probleme pot aparea in ziua de Craciun: fie nu s-a facut curcanul, fie a ars bucataria… Fiti fara grija, ca toate au avut o rezolvare, iar personajele noastre s-au bucurat de o masa copioasa de Craciun.

Dupa ce problemele grupei J2G a fost rezolvate, fetitele de la clasa I A ne-au incantat cu o poezie despre cum un iepuras mananca nasul omului de zapada si ne-au descris dansul fulgilor de nea printr-un cantecel. Chiar daca sunt mititele, fetele noastre s-au descurcat foarte bine si ne-au oferit un spectacol foarte dragut.

Am scris corect mai sus: am avut si copilasi de 4 ani care au urcat pe scena! Un exemplu au fost cei de la grupa P1A. Opt prescolarei ne-au descris un paradis de iarna prin melodia “The snow is falling down”. Craciunul e un prilej de bucurie pentru toata lumea, indiferent de varsta. Fie ca fac un om de zapada sau canta colinde in cor, cei de la J2C au vrut sa imparta bucuria sarbatorilor cu publicul care a venit sa-i sustina. Pacat ca omuletul lor de zapada s-a topit in final…

Renii sunt un subiect de studiu foarte interesant in aceasta perioada a anului. Prescolarii de la grupa P1B le-au invatat fiecare miscare si ne-au aratat dansul renilor prin melodia “The Reindeer Pokey”. Coditele stralucitoare, nasurile rosii si urechile cu clopotei le-au insufletit prestatia! Urmand in acelasi ton colorat si vesel a venit si grupa J1B, care s-au tot intrebat cum ar fi daca nasul lui Rudolph ar avea o culoare diferita in fiecare an! Verde e o culoare superba si in ton cu Craciunul. Un grup de copii “verzi” de la grupa J2B ne-au povestit cum e sa fii un brad de Craciun in pragul sarbatorilor.

J2D au fost foarte rascoliti la aceasta serbare! Au ajuns in pijamale pe scena, pentru ca greutatea lui Mos Craciun si-a spus cuvantul asupra somnului lor! Mosule, Mosule, esti mult prea gras! Bucuria Craciunului nu ar trebui uitata niciodata si de aceea e bine sa ne amintim de ce sarbatoarea asta e atat de importanta, la fel cum au facut copiii de la grupa J2F!

Cine a zis ca incepatorii nu pot canta si recita frumos in limba engleza? Grupa J1A ne-au demonstrat ca se poate! Urmatorii copii , J2A, si-au pregatit ciorapeii in speranta ca Mos Craciun ii va umple luand in considerare marimea lor si asteptarile celor mici. Suntem de parere ca fiecare a primit ce si-a dorit!

“Baby Jesus” a fost atractia serbarii Follow Me Drumul Taberei! Cei mai mici prescolari au urcat pe scena imbracati in regi, ingeri si Fecioara Maria pentru a ne incanta cu o mica piesa de teatru despre nasterea lui Iisus.

V-ati fi asteptat ca niste copii de 7 ani sa-si doreasca multe dulciuri si jucarii de Craciun, nu? Daca v-am spune ca tot ce si-au dorit erau dintisorii lor din fata? Pentru ca au cantat frumos, Mosul le-a indeplinit dorinta!

Toata lumea stie cine este Mos Craciun, insa stim cum se pregateste el pentru aceasta mare sarbatoare? Am aflat de la cei de la J2 , care ne-au explicat totul si ne-au incantat cu un cantecel si o mica poezie. Iarna zapada este un prilej de bucurie pentru toata lumea, mai ales pentru copii, carora le place sa faca oameni de zapada. Acesta este si cazul juniorilor care ne-au vorbit despre Frosty omul de zapada si ne-au dezvaluit un secret legat de Craciun.

Ce s-a intamplat cand Mos Craciun s-a blocat in cosul casei? Stiu cei de la P3, care au cantat “When Santa got stuck up the chimney”…bine ca l-au scos la timp de acolo! Grupa de clasa I B a pregatit cu aceasta ocazie speciala un cantecel vesel despre prietenie si o poezie despre lumanarile din pomul de Craciun. Coregrafia cantecelului a fost de-a dreptul adorabila!

Pe scena noastra a plouat cu reni sambata! De departe, tocmai din atelierul mosului, au sosit 9 reni mititei care au pregatit  o poezie si un cantecel despre animalutele preferate ale mosului. A, si sa nu mai spunem ca acesti reni mititei nu au decat 7 anisori!

Serbarea Follow Me Drumul Taberei a fost incheiata de opt Super Staruri care ne-au plimbat printr-o feerie de iarna alaturi de cei dragi!

Am zis ca serbarea s-a incheiat? Nici pe departe! Nicio serbare nu e completa fara Mos Craciun care i-a recompensat pe cei mici pentru munca depusa nu numai pe scena, dar la orele de engleza!

Echipa Follow Me Drumul Taberei tine sa le multumeasca parintilor pentru participare la aceasta serbare si va mai asteptam cu drag la evenimente de genul acesta!

 

Super eseuri de la super copii

Saptamana trecuta am vorbit despre intelegerea adolescentilor. Aceasta a fost perspectiva unei persoane trecute de 20 de ani. Intotdeauna am considerat ca fiecare problema sau poveste are doua variante. Sa o citim si pe cea a adolescentilor.

Alex Popa, unul dintre cei mai studiosi si buni cursanti Follow Me, a scris un eseu despre cum adolescentii sunt un cosmar pentru unii parinti.

                                             Teenagers are a nightmare for some of their parents

From a long time ago, teenagers were considered a nightmare for our society. But aren’t they the new generation who will take the place of the older generation? Aren’t they just like adults were in the past?

Firstly, it’s important to state that sometimes they just don’t want to listen to their parents and wreak havoc. Some of them are very spoiled and when they don’t get what they want, they begin to argue with their parents or storm out from a shop, moaning angrily that her mother didn’t want to buy her the ideal pair of shoes. But most of them are very angry because their parents didn’t let them do the the things they just want to do and therefore, they are very rude, talking with elderly people in an impolite way and turn up the music volume at night, waking up the neighbours.

On the other hand, not all teenagers can be very argumentative and rude. Some of them can be reliable, respectful and polite, which is a very good thing, because they are a true example of a teenager. Another point is that some of the argumentative teenagers behave so impolitely and argue all the time , because their parents don’t let their personality develop and they treat them like small children. Parents should let their teenagers go their own way, because if they don’t, the teenagers won’t have an easy life . Also, parents should let their personality develop, by letting them express their feelings and their own ideas.

To sum up, I think teenagers are more easy to handle if their parents would let them have freedom of feeling and thoughts but also the ones who know how to behave nicely should be severly punished.

In conclusion, teenagers can be good people if you know how to deal with them.

Alex nu conteneste sa ne uimeasca cu creatiile sale, iar noi, cei de la Follow Me suntem mandri sa avem astfel de cursanti!

 

O serbare de 10…pe 10!

Cum probabil v-au spus si cei mici, vor avea serbare de Craciun la Follow Me! Va fi un spectacol in care vom vedea piese de teatru si in care vom asculta poezii si cantecele de Craciun. Toate acestea vor fi puse in scena de catre copiii dumneavoastra sub coordonarea profesoarelor de la Follow Me.

Serbarea va avea loc sambata 10 decembrie la Politehnica – facultatea IMST (fosta TCM). Gasiti mai jos o harta cu locul exact al evenimentului, pentru a va putea orienta mai usor:

Orele la care trebuie sa ajungeti depind de sediul unde studiaza copilul dumneavoastra.

Cei care studiaza la sediul Follow Me Drumul Taberei vor sosi la ora 9:30, iar cei care studiaza la Follow Me Titan, la ora 12:30.

 

Toti copiii au in caiete cantecele, poeziile sau replicile pieselor de teatru. In perioada aceasta trebuie sa repete intens, pentru a straluci la serbare. Aici intervine o mica rugaminte din partea noastra pentru parintii cursantilor Follow Me: va rugam sa ii verificati pe cei mici daca si-au invatat rolurile, cantecelele sau poeziile. Noi la clasa ne ocupam cat putem de acest aspect, dar in perioada 21-25 noiembrie avem recapitulari si teste pentru care trebuie sa ne pregatim intens si aici avem nevoie de colaborarea dumneavoastra. Daca v-ati putea rupe 10-15 minute din zi sa repetati cu cei mici si acasa, ne-ati ajuta foarte mult si pe noi, profesorii Follow Me.

Va multumim anticipat pentru colaborarea dumneavoastra iar cei mici trebuie sa stie ca Mosul ii va recompensa atat pentru performanta de la serbare, cat si pentru rezultatele bune de la teste.

O alta mare rugaminte pe care o avem la parinti este sa confirme daca cei mici pot participa la serbare semnand in caietele lor pana miercuri, 23 noiembrie.

Inca o data, echipa Follow Me va multumeste  anticipat pentru colaborare si va asteptam impreuna cu cei mici la serbare!