Thursday, February 9, 2012

Valentine's Day

                                           Happy Valentine's Day !

In Canada, many people celebrate Valentine's Day. It is not a paid holiday or a religious holiday.  People go to work or school as usual. It is a day to be romantic. Many couples celebrate Valentine's Day in the evening. Even the young children show their love. They give Valentine cards to their classmates and teacher.

What do you know about Valentine's Day? Try this quiz.

1.   Roses are a) romantic  b) a kind of flower  c) both

2.   Valentine was  a) a Roman Emperor  b)  a god of love  c)  a saint

3.   Cupid is  a)  a kind of flower   b)  a very good person 
       c)  the god of love

4.   What does Cupid shoot at people?  a)  hearts   b)  arrows
       c)  chocolates

5.   In a Leap Year,  how many days does February have?

6.   Canadians send  a)  thousands  b)  millions  c)  billions   of cards

7.   The most popular colour for roses on Valentine's Day is 
       a)  yellow  b)  pink  c)  red

8.   A Valentine's  gift that smells good is .......

9.   Another popular gift tastes sweet and comes in a box.
           Do you know what it is?

10. Do you know this saying?  True love is for  a)  fairy tales
           b)  movies   c) lovers 




Other posts for Valentine's Day: 

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Toy Story: Andy's Toys

Toy Story 1, 2 and 3 are three popular animation movies. Andy grows up in these movies. He starts as a young boy in Toy Story 1. In the final movie, Andy is getting ready to go to college. Woody and Buzz Lightyear are Andy's favourite toys.

Many children had these toys when they were growing up. Here is a comparison of the old and new Woody and Buzz.  Which do you prefer? The old or new Woody? The old or new Buzz?


Toy Story 1, 2, 3

Did you see all three animation movies? I did and so did my children. My teenage kids grew up on Toy Story. Around fifteen years ago, Toy Story 1 was introduced. In 1995, computer animation was new and exciting. Toy Story 2 came to the theatres in 1999 and the final movie came out in 2010. In the first movie, the main character, Andy, is a young boy and in the last movie, Andy is all grown up and ready to go to college. In real time, the young viewers of the first Toy Story are about college age now.

For many North American children born in the nineties, their childhood memories include Andy's toys. Toy Story 1, 2 and 3 are about the adventures of Andy's toys. In Toy Story 3, the toys are worried because Andy must decide what to do with his childhood toys.

Here is an introduction to Andy's toys. Try this quick quiz on Toy Story.


1. Woody is a cowboy. True/False
2. Buzz Lightyear is an action figure. True/False
3. Buzz and Woody are Andy's favourite toys. True/False
4. Mr Potato Head is married. True/False
5. Rex is a dinosaur and Ham is a pig. True/False
6. Woody's girlfriend is the cowgirl called Jessie. True/False

Was this an easy quiz? I hope so because all the sentences are true!


In this video, you see the people behind Toy Story. They talk about making Toy Story and enjoy being back together for Toy Story 3. Like Andy, they too are a lot older. After you watch this, try the listening quiz below.


1. The director, Lee Unkrich, says
a) Toy Story is a classic.
b) I love these characters.
c) The actors are old now.

2. The producer, Darla Anderson, says
a) Woody and Buzz Lightyear are a great duo.
b) The characters are beloved.
c) Both of the above.

3. The actor, Tom Hanks, says
a) The story is full of misadventure.
b) Toy Story has humour and love.
c) Playing Buzz has been fun.

4. The actor, Tim Allen, says
a) The actors have become friends.
b) The characters are part of the culture.
c) Hanks doesn't know his lines.

5. Woody, Andy's oldest toy, says
a) Some day Andy will finish college.
b) Some day Andy might return home.
c) Some day Andy might have kids.