Einstein quotes

Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree it will live its life believing it is stupid. #Einstein

Helpful English Puzzles

We are so used to being drilled for comprehension questions or creative writing essays that we forget that our brain can work in other ways. If you do not exercise your brain with puzzles and challenges that help you to think divergently, then you could be thrown by these questions.

Here are some ideas to help you use your brain in a more creative way so that when you are faced with these questions, you know how to think -

1. Write down 5-10 random letters. E.g. F S T L M. Then think of a sentence where each word starts with the next letter. Eg, Fred Simmonds tells lies maliciously. It really helps you focus on being grammatically correct as well as finding different ways to start sentences. Also, you could experiment with adding punctuation such as dashes or semi-colons.

2. Make a 3x3 grid and fill it with random letters. Then see how many words you can make from the letters and find the word with the most letters from the grid. This obviously helps with spelling but also rhyme and analogy.

3. Word chains. Think of a topic such as fruit. Write a word connected to that topic e.g. 'banana'. Then write another connected word beginning with the last letter of the previous word eg 'apple'. See how long you can keep going. This helps with developing vocabulary and spelling. I have used all these warm ups, and the children who participated found them both stimulating and enjoyable.

Shoreham Beach Summer 2016. 

A tiny spacecraft landing on a stone while a woman walks her dog nearby.

Jimmy Murphy in Lanzarote

Jimmy Murphy is a famous singer and entertainer I met a few years ago when I went to see my friend Michael play keyboards in Murphy`s Irish bar. It was a great night. Jimmy is very funny and can impersonate any Irish accent perfectly. He knows Ireland too like the back of his hand.

If you are ever in Lanzarote make sure you go and see Jimmy and say hello from me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAjQrnImT_k

Well Done Portugal

Who do you think will win Euro 2016?

Who do you think will win Euro 2016? Maybe it will be Ireland..

Are you in a Good Mood?

I love this photo. It is so simple yet so effective. I think it is easier said than done to decide to be in a good mood, however.