Tuesday, October 28, 2008

How Are They Learning English?

A LOT of people ask how the boys are learning -- if Ray and I are teaching them, since we're English teachers.  The reality is that children are little sponges.  Even a four-year-old, who was born in the US and has lived her whole life here, doesn't know all the words that a 7 year old does.  It's a process.  The boys are picking things up RAPIDLY!  They know what we're saying 70% of the time.  And the vocab that they use frequently and easily is growing.  Off the top of my head, here are the words they use all the time -- which, again, doesn't include all the words they understand, but are hard to pronounce.  It's not bad for 9 weeks in the States, huh?
  1. Pumpkin
  2. Numbers 1 - 12.
  3. The colors: black, brown, red, yellow, blue, green, pink, purple
  4. Hi
  5. How are you?
  6. Fine.
  7. Happy Birthday!
  8. Happy Happy Halloween!
  9. Trick or treat!
  10. Oh my goodness!
  11. Big, small, tiny
  12. Wow.
  13. Come here.
  14. Turn around.
  15. Dog.
  16. Shrimp.
  17. Chicken.
  18. Ketchup.
  19. Napkin.
  20. Please.
  21. Thank you.
  22. Sit.
  23. Grandma
  24. Grandpa.
  25. Yes!
  26. I don't want to.
  27. Dirty.
  28. It's okay.
  29. Park.
  30. Push.
  31. Come on!
  32. Lights.
  33. Monkey.
  34. Milk.
  35. Water.
  36. Tackle.
  37. Football.
  38. Basketball.
  39. Tractor.
  40. I love you.
  41. Bye!

1 comment:

ANGIE..... said...

I guess time is just flying by for me since Tyler has been home, but latelym I've been thinking about where we were a year ago.....we were almost out of PGN, but still waiting in that big black hole!!!

I just took a look at your timeline....it's crazy where you guys were then and where the boys are now!!! HOME!!!

TIME FLIES WHEN YOUR HAVIN' FUN!

(((((HUGS)))))