4+ Ideas for Mother's Day

Though the date differs in other countries, in Portugal we celebrate Mother's Day every year on the first Sunday of May - in a week's time. This has led me to collect some materials and gather ideas to mark this date in my classes, but without spending much time with it and using the few resources we have.
I would like to start by sharing here a very clever ad (maybe you've already come across it) that left me speechless the first time I watched it. I plan to use it as a lovely motivation in my classes to challenge kids to thank their Moms.
See for yourself! It is just awesome: a touching and heartelt tribute to all Moms who have the toughest job in the world.



Here is also a fab infographic on Mother's Day and Motherhood, definitely worth checking, and a video with the history of Mother's Day.
As for "Thank You" ideas for our students and classes, some tips would be ...

• to create and send a free Mother's Day Animoto video: students surely have pictures on their own and with their Moms and those photos can be used by themselves to create a 30sec free video or they can also share those pics with the teacher who will then very easily create a video;
• Students can also be challenged to (temporarily) swap their facebook covers to honour their moms using (the same) pics, whether with a simple photocollage or using a great free tool, Smilebox;
• As mentioned before, a photocollage is always an amazing choice and there is no shortage of free tools, even for mobile devices;
• The easiest, and also the most common, is to send a free ecard. There is no lack of alternatives here either, but sts can try 123greetings once it also includes some videos / songs.
• ...

My Sts are not into drawing and Ts don't have much time now. These ideas will therefore save us time in class, motivate Sts for something so personal and we will be including something they all love: technology. Even if their moms don't have FB accounts or email addresses, our students do and can show them; besides, there is always the possibility of printing, at home or at school. What do you think?

Happy Mother's Day, y'all!

Thank you MOM

In Portugal, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May - today! - which means Mums should be pampered and spoilt no matter how old they / we are : =))

To My Mother, Christina Rossetti (1842)

To-day's your natal day,

Sweet flowers I bring;

Mother, accept, I pray, 

My offering.

And may you happy live,

And long us bless;

Receiving as you give

Great happiness.

(Note: this is C. Rossetti's first poem, written when she was just 11 years old)

made on Wondersay - Animate text with style
Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers. Thank you, Mom, and thank you to my two wonderful boys who made me a MOM!!!

Mother's Day 2012

On Mother's Day, a poem by one of my favourite centemporary dub poets, Levi Tafari:

Levi Tafari

THE FIRST WOMAN IN MY LIFE

A woman’s work is never done
If you don’t believe me ask my mum
She worked her fingers to the bone
To provide us with a decent home
If she lived in Ancient Rome
She could of built that city on her own
She cooks, she cleans
She does everything
She irons decorates and does the shopping
She chastised us when we were rude
But never sent us to bed with out food
Everyday she would change our clothes
If we had colds she would wipe our nose
Or if we went to mum with a problem
Mum would always help us solve them
We didn’t want for anything
We got the greatest gift mum’s loving
You can have ten aunties and scores of lovers
But remember you only have one mother
I remember when someone pointed the finger
Mum said I was Black, beautiful and I had a culture
She always made sure we went to school
Because in this life you can’t be a fool
You see people will ride you like a mule
It was mum who taught me to be cool
So mother there’s something I want you to know
I love you mum, I love you so
You taught me to survive in the ghetto
You can have my last ROLO
If it was not for you then I would not exist
So here it comes for you a kiss
Yes you was the first woman in my life
But one day I will take a wife
Then hopefully she’ll become a mum
A woman’s work is never done.

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/liverpool_poems.pdf

Happy Mother's Day, Mom(s)!

Mother's Day - 1st May

Mother's Day is celebrated on various days around the world but common is that it is a day to honour Mothers and Motherhood.
In Portugal, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May which, this year, is right on 1st May, also International Workers' Day.
To celebrate this day, here is my choice of materials: 2 songs (one hilarious and with familiar words and another one in a serious tone) as well as a poem.
Have a look at this clip; it was first shown to me by Judit Feher, my teacher trainer, while attending a course in Canterbury over two years ago. Though it has been available for a while already, I still find it soooooooooo much fun: the singer has condensed in about three minutes what a mother would say in 24-hour period.

Did you like it? My favourite part is "It must be your father's DNA" EhEhEh!!!!!!
Now, in a way of an answer, read this poem:

                                                     KIDS
"Sit up straight,"
Said mum to Mabel.
"Keep your elbows
Off the table.
Do not eat peas
Off a fork.
Your mouth is full -
Don't try and talk.
Keep your mouth shut
When you eat.
Keep still or you'll 
Fall off your seat.
If you want more,
You will say 'please'. 
Don't fiddle with
That piece of cheese!"
If then we kids
Cause such a fuss,
Why do you go on
Having us?
                 Spike Milligan in The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry

In a beautiful moving song, listen now to Alicia Keys with "Superwoman".
For MY mother - now retired - who worked hard and fought all her life to raise me and my three siblings and made me who / what I am today. For me, my mum has always been and will always be a SUPERWOMAN and a SUPERMUM.


Wherever you are, have a wonderful Mother's Day either with your children, with your mum or better: with your mum and your children!