April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day is celebrated on April 1st. On This day you play hoaxes or other practical jokes on other people to make them look silly or stupid. It's an old tradition of a dubious origin. In the wikipedia you can find a list of some well known pranks which in the last few years appeared on radio, TV, magazines, papers and the Internet; some of them are really curious and funny.

Here is a video with some easy ideas you can use to tease your friends. Which one is your favourite?

By the way don't forget that this year's Easter holidays will last three weeks instead of one!!

A warning to our students visiting the Guinness Storehouse on your next visit to Dublin: have a look at the transformation I suffered after a few pints of Guinness!!

Getting old

How old is "old"? Is there anything we can do to avoid getting old? What factors does getting old depend on? Why are people so reluctant to accept they're getting old? Which country has the highest life expectancy? This and much more in this 6-minute listening from BBC. If you want to have a look at the script click here.

Once you have finished maybe you want to share with us your attitude towards ageing: which is for you the best and the worst about getting old?

Climbing trees can be a lot of fun

I'm sure we have all climbed a tree some time or other in our childhood. The excitement of being high above the ground, the feeling of the breathtaking view from the top, the risk of the height... But some people have gone much further and have ended up making a hobby, even a sport out of this 'childish activity'. Competitive tree climbing for adults is becoming popular across the world and nowadays there are even tree climbing championships.

The BBC has dedicated a couple of their programmes "6 Minute English" to tree climbing. In session 1 you will learn a lot of new vocabulary about the world of trees. In session 2 you will find out about the tallest and oldest trees in the world and also about what is like to spend the night up on a tree.

Give it a go (I mean to the listening, not the climbing), you'll enjoy yourself very much. (Remember you can download the transcripts if you have any difficulties understanding the recordings).

Spring is here again

Spring is just round the corner... when does spring officially start this year?

One of the annual consequences of the arrival of spring is the changing of time, the so called Summer Daylight Saving. Every year, the last Sunday in March we set our clocks one hour forward, remember: "Spring forward, fall back." So in spring, an hour forward, in autumn or fall we go an hour back. Pay a visit to this pretty website to find more information.

Listen to this podcast explaining the origins of the tradition. Is everybody happy with this decision? What did the Romans use to do way back in the old times? Here you can read the transcript of the recording if you have any doubts.

After listening to the podcast watch this BBC video about the possibility of having BST (British Summer Time) all year round, is it a popular idea?

Why not share with us what spring means to you?

Saint Patrick's Day

On March 17th Irish people all over the world celebrate St Patrick's Day (Patron Saint of Ireland). Here you can find information about St Patrick's Day 2010.

Our dear friend Ana, from Estepona, has sent us a PPS with plenty of interesting things about this special day. Enjoy it.

And of course a video, this time recommended by our colleague Tim, a true Irishman. Hard to follow? Have a look at the lyrics here. Don't forget to pay a visit to Tim's blog where you'll find the "real Irish thing". (Thanks Tim. Happy St Patrick's Day! We'll miss last year's concert!)

The prodigal son

Definitely one of the most beautiful passages I've ever read. The compassionate love of a father towards his lost son. The parable of the prodigal son breaks through time and religions. A breathtaking story of forgiveness in this modern world which makes us pay for every single mistake we make.

If you want to analyze this writing in depth click here.

International Women's Day 2010

International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th. Visit the official website for this annual event and read about the programme for this year 2010.

This link will take you to the Message from Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of International Women's Day.

In the video below you will find some impressive facts about the importance of women's role in the world today.

What do you think about this celebration? Post a comment with your opinion. What does WFP stand for? Do you know about their activities?

The Press

I found this really interesting website from where you can have access to nearly any newspaper in the world. You can try different English speaking countries (Spanish papers too).

We know reading newspapers in a foreign language can be quite difficult, but why not give it a try? You can browse through one of them and maybe find an article worthwhile sharing with classmates. Come on! Have a go!