IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders Fields is a poem written by a Canadian, John McCrae. He wrote it during the World War in 1915.  He was sad when he wrote it. He wrote it after a close friend died in the war. John McCrae never returned from the war. He died of pneumonia in France. It was 1918 and the last year of war.

John McCrae wrote the poem by the grave of his friend. His friend and hundreds of other Canadian soldiers are buried in the cemetery, Flanders Fields, in France. He begins the poem,

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow 

Between the crosses, row on row

 I learned In Flanders Fields in school as a young girl. My mother learned it in school as a young girl and my daughter did too. It is a famous poem read for Remembrance Day.

Now you will learn more about Remembrance Day

• First, go to search in the right margin.
• Type the words, Remembrance Day.
• Then choose "Scavenger Hunt".
• Finally, find the answers to the questions.

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: 

• A Love Story
• Winter in Toronto 5
• Film Festivals 3: Signs
• Film Festival 3: Signs Part 2
• Valentine's Day: Free Hugs and Sick Puppies

Music Monday: Christmas Carols

Jingle Bells............... Can you finish the line?   How about this one? Silent night..........  You can sing these Christmas carols this holiday season, or maybe you prefer to listen to recordings of them. Also, it's always a treat to hear choirs singing the Christmas carols.


 Here is my favourite, The Christmas Song, by Nat King Cole. He did several versions of this song from the forties, fifties and the early 1960's. Unfortunately he was a smoker and died young, but his song continues on each Christmas.


I'm not the only person who loves this song. In 2004, The Christmas Song was the most popular holiday song with women age 30 to 49.*  So, why is it my favourite? My father loved to play this song, and I guess the next generation can't help but enjoy this gifted singer's voice and his wonderful song.



Listen again and follow the words. It's full of Christmas tradition.



How much do you know about holiday traditions?
 True=T   False=F


1.   Many people roast nuts called chestnuts in the fireplace.   T/ F


2.   Jack Frost is ice cold, but he is not a real person.   T/F


3.   Goose is more popular than turkey for Christmas dinner.   T/F


4.   The mistletoe plant is hung at a door for people to kiss under.  T/ F


5.   The young children believe in Santa Claus.      T/F


6.   Santa brings toys and candies to the good boys and girls.      T/F


7.  The excited children look in the sky for Santa and Mrs. Claus.   T/F


8.   Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays are popular greetings.    T/F




* From Edison Media Research: What we learned from testing Christmas music in 2004

Music Monday: The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a popular song because it easy for people of all ages to sing. It starts, 

"The first day of Christmas, 

my true love gave to me....." 

Each day for twelve days this lucky woman receives a special gift. The words are easy, but it is difficult to remember all twelve gifts and the order of the gifts. Listen to the song, then see if you can remember the twelve gifts.



1.   On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)   a pair of pear trees
b)   a partridge in a pair tree
c)   a  piper piping


2.    On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)   two turtle drums
b)   two French hens
c)   two turtle doves


3.   On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)   three French hens
b)   three free chickens
c)   three Lords a leaping


4.   On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)   four French birds 
b)    four cawing birds
c)    four calling birds


5.   On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)   five olden rings
b)   five gold rings
c)   five golden rings


6.    On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)    six maids a milking
b)    six geese a laying
c)    six geese swimming


7.    On the seventh day of  Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)    seven swans a laying
b)    seven swans a swimming
c)    seven geese a swimming


8.   On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)   eight ladies singing
b)   eight maidens leaping
c)   eight maids a milking


9.   On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)   nine ladies leaping
b)   nine ladies dancing
c)   nine lads a leaping


10.  On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)   ten lads a leaping
b)   ten ladies  a singing
c)   ten lords a leaping


11.  On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)  eleven pipers playing
b)  eleven pipers piping
c)   eleven piping pipers


12.  On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me


a)  twelve runners running
b)  twelve pipers piping
c)  twelve drummers drumming


****lords and laidies are part of the high society of England

Scavenger Hunt: Remembrance Day

How good are you at surfing the net?  Start by going to Google Search.


1.    What day is Remembrance Day this year?  Next year?




2.   Name a place in Toronto where there is a Remembrance Day Ceremony.




3.   Write the first two lines of the famous poem, In Flanders Fields.




4.   The author of  Flanders Fields is John McCrae. Tell me something about this man.




5.  What is an important symbol for Remembrance Day? Draw a picture.








6.   Find a Remembrance Day photo you like with a caption. Write the caption or the words under the photo.






7.   Ottawa has one of the largest gatherings on Remembrance Day. Find a video of the parade or ceremony on youtube.






Finished?  Type the title of your video in "comments".

Music Monday: Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day  is  a song by a Canadian singer and song writer,  Bryan Adams.  Remembrance Day is a memorial day that is observed on the eleventh day on the eleventh month at the eleventh hour or November 11th at 11:00 a.m.


Enjoy the song and try the quiz. Don't forget to "see how you did".

Trick or Treat

Trick or treat? Only children go out for candy on Hallowe'en. High school kids are too old. The kids go door to door in the neighbourhood. Sometimes they say, "Trick or treat" and then they are given a wrapped candy or chocolate bars. They do not get sweets like cake or cookies.


Every neighbourhood has decorated houses. Some of the houses have jack-o-lanterns near their doors. Decorations include scary images such as skeletons, monsters, ghosts, coffins, graveyards or spiders in cobwebs. Some houses have scary noises coming from inside. The children are not afraid of the scary decorations because it is all part of the fun.


The costumes are important to the children. They choose who they want to be for Hallowe'en. The child can be good or bad. For example, a girl might choose to be a witch or a princess. Animals, heroes and scary characters are popular.


 Try this word game. These are popular costumes for the children. The vowels are missing. Complete the  words.


1.   D__v__l                            9.    W__tch
2.   Ang__l                             10.   P__r__t__
3.   S__p__rm__n                  11.   Bl__ck  c__t
4.   B__tm__n                        12.   Gh__st
5.   Sp__ d __ rm__n             13.    Pr__nc__ss
6.   Cl__wn                            14.    Z__mb__ __
7.   L__ __n                           15.     V__mp__r__
8.   Sk__l__t__n                    16.     M__nst__r  

How to Make a Jack-o-lantern

     Thanksgiving and Hallowe'en are the two celebrations in the fall. Hallowe'en is always the last day of October or October 31st. Before Hallowe'en, there are many orange pumpkins in the groceries stores. Many people like to buy them to decorate their homes on Hallowe'en night. But first, you must carve them into a face or cut out a picture on the pumpkin. After, you put a candle inside and it becomes a lantern to place outside the front door. How do you make a jack-o-lantern? Today, we have a guest writer, Munirah. She will explain step by step.

It is easy to make a jack-o-lantern. First, pick up a pumpkin and cut the stem like a lid. Then clean the pumpkin and take out the seeds. Next, carve the eyes, nose and mouth. After that, take one candle and light it and melt the wax into the the pumpkin. Finally, put the candle on the wax in the pumpkin and cover the pumpkin with the lid. Lastly, put the pumpkin in the window. Also, don't forget to use the broom and dust pan to clean up.

Happy Hallowe'en!

     

Fall in Ottawa

It's fall or autumn. Can you answer these questions about fall?


1.  When is the first day of fall?


2.  What month do you think I took these photos?


3.  Last fall, I was in Ottawa for a Canadian holiday. Do you know what holiday?


4.  Do you know any good places to visit in Ontario during the fall season? Where?


5.  Can you think of any areas in Toronto that will be pretty in the fall? Where?


6.  What is the name of the leaf on the Canadian flag?


7.   Do you know the name of 2 kinds of popular trees?


8.   Do you know the name of a tree that doesn't change colours?


9.   Do you like the fall? Why or why not?


10. What does "autumn years" mean? What do you want to do in the autumn years of your life?

How old is Canada?

By Green Wellies

Happy Canada Day!
Originally uploaded by Green Welliesa

Canada Day is July 1st. That means this Friday is the start of a long weekend. This weekend there will be lots of celebrating around Toronto. There will be free music at all the city squares and some of the parks..........and don't forget the fireworks! Some people buy fireworks and have private parties. Others go to public fireworks at different locations in the city.


Here's a quick quiz to see what you know about Canada. Do you know which ones are true or false?


1. Canada became a country in 1867.

2. The first prime minister was John A MacDonald.


3. Canada started with ten provinces.


4. The last province to join Canada was British Columbia.


5. The first immigrants in Canada were from Britain and Spain.


How did you do? Ask your teacher about the last one.  Would you like to know the  other answers and more about Canada? Go to an earlier post, Happy Canada Day .  




Related Posts:

• Happy Canada Day
• What is Canada?

Easter Egg Hunt

There is a fun game the children play on Easter Sunday. They go on an Easter Egg hunt. The Easter Bunny hides Easter chocolate and candies. The children look for the treats.

There are different kinds of Easter Egg hunts in Toronto. Some families have Easter Egg hunts in their homes or yards. Also, there is an Easter Egg hunt at Toronto Zoo and Centre Island. At Centennial Park, there is an Easter Egg hunt for dogs! The dogs find eggs. Inside the eggs are doggy treats.

Try this Easter hunt. Watch the first video here and then click a box. The box takes you to youtube. After, do the listening quiz here.

Related Posts:

• Happy Easter!
• Wanna be Wednesay 4/8

A Blast From the Past

'Blast from the past' is an expression which means something or someone that returns after a period of time. When you hear an old song, you can say, "That's a blast from the past". Today, I would like to go back in time to one of my favourite posts.

Wanna be 4/1 is two years old today. I hope you enjoy it. Please press here.

April Fools!

April Fools is on April 1st. You can only play tricks on people in the morning. You can make mischief or play jokes on people on this day. Did you like the video? Is it funny?

Remember April 1st and have some fun! Be careful, someone might try to fool you!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

The Irish have a holiday, Saint Patrick's Day, on March 17. It began as a religious holiday because of Saint Patrick. Now, there are many Irish in Canada and around the world. "You can be Irish for a day" and celebrate Saint Patrick's Day too. In Canada, some people wear green. The Irish restaurants and pubs are full of people celebrating. Irish music and songs are popular. Green beer and Irish beer is the favourite drink.

What do you know about Saint Patrick's Day? Learn more by watching this video.

What about the leprechauns?

Well, leprechauns are Irish fairies that live in Ireland. Try to catch a leprechaun. Why? Because they can take you to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Leprechauns don't like to be caught and are full of michief

What is Lucky Charms?

It's a popular cereal. The box has a picture of a leprechaun. Sometimes, he is on television commercials and has an Irish accent.

Related posts:

• Music Monday: Irish Folk
• Wanna be Wednesday 3/11

Happy Easter!

To learn more about the history of Easter and how Canadians celelbrate Good Friday and Easter, press here.

Music Monday: Irish Folk

The harp and Celtic harp music is part of Irish history. The harp was on the old flag of Ireland, but now it only remains as a symbol on the Irish Guinness beer. With St Patrick's Day coming on March 17th, it's time to be Irish again. Everyone is Irish on St. Patricks Day!


Loreena McKennitt is a Canadian singer who is famous for her Celtic music. She is from Scottish and Irish roots. Here she sings, "She Moved Through The Fair". The words for this song follow the video.


Loreena McKennitt She Moved Through the fair by paradixman

My love said to me,
My mother won't mind
And my father won't slight you
For your lack of kine"
And she stepped away from me
And this she did say:
It will not be long, love,
Till our wedding day"

She stepped away from me
And she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her
Move here and move there
And she turned her way homeward
With one star awake
As the swans in the evening
Move over the lake

Why he dreamt it last night,
That my true love came in
So softly she entered
Her feet made no din
She came close beside me
And this she did say
It will not be long, love,
'Til our wedding day

For Valentines Day: Free Hugs and Sick Puppies

"Free Hugs" that's what Juan Man put on a sign. He decided a good way to warm up this cold world was to reach out and hug someone. Using his sign, Juan was able to get free hugs from strangers. In return, he put a smile on many faces in a mall in Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately, life can never stay that simple. Watch the video and see what happened next.

As of today, almost 56 million have watched this video and at the time, it became video of the year. The Sydney rock band, Sick Puppies wrote a song for Juan Man to cheer him up. They made the video and put it on YouTube. The song is "All the Same"





Happy Valentine's Day

Here's the song, "All the Same".
Listen to the music and follow the words.





Other posts for Valentine's Day:

• A Love Story
• Winter in Toronto 5
• Film Festivals 3: Signs
• Film Festival 3: Signs Part 2

Make it Christmas Day

This song was written by a Canadian singer, Jann Arden. She is one of my favourite singers and song writers. Make it Christmas Day is from her live 2002 album that she sang with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

I love this song, but I'm not sure of the Disney animation in the video. I like the short Christmas scenes. Look for baby Jesus with Mary and the three wise men walking. Also, there are the church windows and bells. The star is called the star of Bethlehem and you will see it on top of the Christmas tree at the end of the video. So, there is some Christmas tradition in the video and the meaning of Christmas is in the song.

Also, under the video, you will see the lyrics or words to the song, Make it Christmas Day. Merry Christmas!




Many years ago on Christmas Day
People came from all around to bow their heads and pray
For on that lonely night a babe was born
God gave us his only son that He may save the world

And He taught us of compassion
He taught us how to love
He taught us to believe in God above

Let know that you are still alive
Raise your hands up to the sky
Get down on your knees and pray
If only for one day
Make it Christmas Day

Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dong Jing-a-long
Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dang Dong
Jing Jing-a-ling
Sing along Jing along
Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dong
Ding Dang Dong

Now we all await the coming eve
I wonder if there is a single a soul who still believes
It's not the flashing glamour of the lights
But only the remembrance of a distant holy night

For He taught us of compassion
And He taught us how to love
He taught us to believe in God above

Let know that you are still alive
Raise your hands up to the sky
Get down on your knees and pray

Let Him know you're still alive
Raise your hands up to the sky
Get down on your knees and pray
If only for one day,
Make it Christmas Day

Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dong Jing-a-long
Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dang Dong
Jing Jing-a-ling
Sing along Jing along
Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dang Dong

Jing Jing-a-ling
Sing along Jing along
Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dang Dong

Jing Jing-a-ling
Sing along Jing along
Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dang Dong

Jing Jing-a-ling
Sing along Jing along
Jing-a-ling-a-long
Ding Dong

Today in History: White Christmas

December 1, 1977, David Bowie and Bing Crosby sang White Christmas together. The Christmas celebrations brought together two famous singers from two generations and two different countries. Bowie is British and Crosby was very American. Also, at the time, the younger Bowie was a popular rock n roll singer and Crosby will always be remembered for his role in the Christmas movie, White Christmas. Many people still buy Bing Crosby's Christmas album and listen to his songs at Christmas.

Last December, I featured another song, Little Drummer Boy. It was sung by David Bowie and Bing Crosby. If you would like to watch it, press here

What is Canada?

What is Canada? Let's ask a Canadian. Nadine is a 21 year old university student from the province of British Columbia. She likes to do online videos and has done one for Canada Day. She speaks casually to people who are not from Canada.


Hear what she has to say about Canada. She talks about our geography, our money and what Canadians like to do in Canada. Enjoy!




July 1st is Canada Day. Happy Canada Day!