It's Not Easy Being A Kid

Peter is in the first grade. He has one thing to say: IT'S NOT EASY BEING A KID! Being a kid might look like fun, but sometimes it's not.

Yesterday, he was playing outside with his friend. He was having a really good time. Then suddenly, his mother said, "Peter, it's time to second inside now. It's getting dark." He said when you're an adult, no one can tell you what to do or when to do it.

He said, when you're a kid, you have to get up early in the morning and go to school. At school, you have to study math, English, science, and history. After school, you have to do your homework. But when you're an adult, you don't have to go to school and you never have homework.

He also said that when you're a kid, there are many things you can't watch. Last Saturday there was a scary movie on TV. It looked really exciting but his father didn't let him watch. His father said, "You're too young for this movie, Peter." He said, when you're an adult, you can watch anything you want.

Peter said, when you're a kid, the older kids sometimes pick on you. He said, when he was walking home from school on Monday, Tom and Steve bothered him. Steve took his schoolbag and put it in a tree. It made him very mad. But he said when you're an adult, no one can pick on you.

Peter also said that when you're a kid, you can't go anywhere by yourself. Last Friday, he wanted to buy a birthday gift for his friend John. But he dad to wait for his mom to return home. When he want to go somewhere, he has to ride a bike or ask his mom for a ride. But when you're an adult, he said, you can drive a car wherever you want.

He said, when you're a kid, you have to go to bed early. On school nights, his mom makes him go to bed at 9:00.

It's not easy being a kid but Peter is still lucky for having a dad and mom who love him, which is really great!

What Mother Mean To You?

I asked my Korean students what they think first when they hear the word "Mother". Here are the answers that they gave me.

One of the students said "curly". I understand because in Korea, most hajumas or married women have short curly hair. Another student said "test". He said his mom always asked how he did on his test whenever they have one. Another said "angry" because her mom always gets angry. One said "drama" because her mom always watches drama on TV. There are so many answers that they gave but I can't remember them all.

How about you? What do you think of when you hear the word "mother"? And what do you think will your kids tell what mother mean to them?

The Story of the Shoemaker and the Elves

A long time ago, in a village, there live a shoemaker. The shoemaker and his wife. He is an old shoemaker. And he has a shop on the first floor of their house. It's an old shoe shop. It isn't a very good shop. It doesn't make much money.

One day he was making a shoe. He said to his wife, "One last pair of shoes. That's all I can make."
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
It's the shoes!
"Look!" cries the shoemaker. "Magic!"

He displayed the shoes in the window.
A beautiful lady sees them.
"Ah, Shoemaker," says the lady. "What beautiful shoes! I must buy them. Here are three gold coins."
"Three gold coins!" says the Shoemaker. "I can make more shoes now. Two more pairs. Thank you lady!" he says.

So the old Shoemaker goes out and he buys some more leather.
"I have some money," he says to man who sells leather. "Look! Three gold coins!"
The salesman gave him some leather and he went home.

He arrived home.
"Two more pairs of shoes," says the shoemaker. "I can make two more pairs now."
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
Two pairs of shoes.
"Look!" cries the shoemaker to his wife. "More magic!"

Again, he puts the shoes in the window.
A gentleman sees them.
"Ah, Shoemaker," says the man. "What beautiful shoes. I must them. Here are six gold coins."
"Six gold coins!" says the shoemaker. "I can make more shoes now. Three more pairs." he says happily.

So, he goes out and he buys some more leather.
"Look!" he says. "I have some money. Six gold coins!"
Then he went home with some leather on his hands.

"I can make three pairs of shoes," says the shoemaker to his wife.
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."
And they went upstairs to sleep.

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
Three pairs of shoes.
"Look!" cries the shoemaker. "Magic again!"

They put the shoes on the window.
A family sees them.
"What beautiful shoes!" they say. "We must buy them. Here are nine gold coins."
"Nine gold coins!" says the shoemaker. "But... who is making all these shoes?" he said to his wife.

He bought some more leather again and put it on the table.
That night the shoemaker hides. He and his wife hide. And they wait. At midnight they see two little elves!
The little elves run in. They jump onto the table.
"Here's the leather!" they say. "Let's work! Let's make some beautiful shoes!"
All night they work. They work and work and work.
The shoemaker and his wife watch them.

In the morning the elves run away.
But there's something on the table.
Four beautiful pairs of shoes!
"Now we know," says the shoemaker. "We know who helps us."
"Yes," says his wife. "Two little elves. But what can we do for them?"
"I know," says the shoemaker. "Let's make some clothes for them."
"Oh, yes!" says his wife. "Yes!"

Night comes. They put the clothes in the box and leave it on the table. Then they hide.
At midnight, the little elves run in.
The elves see the box. And they open it.
"What's this?" they say. "Something for us? For us? Oh yes! It's something for us!"
They put on the new clothes and they dance. Dance, dance, dance!
The shoemaker and the his wife are very happy to see them wearing the clothes.
"Now it's time for s to go. Because they know! Because they know!" say the elves. "Goodbye Shoemaker!" they say.

The elves never come back.
But now the shoemaker makes good shoes.
He works hard.
Now his shop is a good shop.
And he his happy.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

My Student Stole my New Smartphone

Most students are now addicted to games specially kakao talk games. So some students even during the class, they play games if you aren't alert of them. It seems like they are busy doing something but when you get close to them, they are using their cellphones that usually they are caught playing games.

I usually use the timer of my cellphone in class specially on reading time. My students like it when I check how fast they read. They are so thrilled and excited to read when I check the time while they read.

Yesterday, during our reading class, I use the timer of my cellphone again. It's my habit to put my cellphone in the drawer of my desk as soon as I'm done checking their reading performance. When my 6:30 class went home and about to start with my 7:30 class, I tried to prepare my cellphone for reading my next reading class but my cellphone is gone. I searched everything in the drawer of my desk but I couldn't find it. Although I don't bring it in the computer lab or in the bathroon, still I searched for it but still I was disappointed. I couldn't find it anywhere so I told my co-worker about it.

My co-worker helped me find it but no matter how much we searched, we couldn't find it so she decided to searched on my student's bags. They didn't know that we were searching for my phone. She just pretended to check their books if they did their homework during their computer lab time. When she couldn't find it, again she decided to call my 6:30 class and asked them to search my cellphone in their bags. She said maybe they put it in their bags unintentionally. So, she said if they found it, just bring it the next day (and that's today).

Unluckily, I can't ring my cellphone because I always set it to mute mode whenever I'm at work specially when I use it in class. That night, I called my hubby and told him about my missing cellphone so he called the company and told them to cut the service of my cellphone so nobody can't use it although my cellphone was locked because I use a pattern password but I guess it's easy to unlocked it. Just look at the screen closely and you can trace it easily.

I couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking of my cellphone. It's my first time to lose valuable thing. My LG Optimus cellphone is new. My hubby bought it last January. When I called him while I was at work, he said it was alright. He said he can't buy me a better one. Although he said that, I still can't believe that I lost my cellphone. It's very important to me. I even sleep with it. It's always under my pillow. Eventhough, I don't. Everything that I have is important to me. I always take care of what I have specially my cellphone. I'm very careful when I handle or use it. I usually use my cellphones for two or three years and they are still in good conditions when I change them.

I know that my hubby can buy me a better one but I still love that cellphone of mine. And I'm very upset, disappointed and annoyed. Today, my students said that they don't know where my cellphone is and one of them said that I put it in my drawer when I was in their class which is right.

Ahhh, my hubby is right. He said don't trust anyone. So he told me not to bring my credit card, ATM, and just bring small amount of money. Ahhhh... I guess he is right but how about when I'm in emergency situation? Well, he said it's also emergency when I lose them. And that's more serious he said. Well, I guess I have to agree with him this time.

To my student who took my cellphone (whoever you are), are you happy now that you have it? If not, please give it back! I already forgave you!

The Story of the Gingerbread Man

An old woman lives in a village.
She lives with her old husband.
They don't have any children.

One day, the old woman is in the kitchen.
She's making something.
She's making a gingerbread man.
The gingerbread man has a head.
He has arms and legs.
He has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
The gingerbread man is ready to put in the oven.
The old woman is very happy.

"You're a little boy," she says to the gingerbread man.
"My little boy!" she says.
"In you go!" says the old woman.
And she put the gingerbread man in the oven.

But soon the old woman hears a little voice.
It's coming from the oven.
"Open the door!" says the voice. "I want to come out!"
The old woman opens the oven door.
And the gingerbread man jumps out.
"Oh!" says the old woman.
"Stop!" says the old woman.
"Come here!" she says.
But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs across the kitchen and out of the door.
The old man sees him.
"Stop!" shout the old man and the old woman.
"Come here!" they say running to the gingerbread man.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster and he shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

The little gingerbread man runs and runs.
Soon, he sees a cow.
"Stop!" says the cow."Come here! I want to eat you." it says.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the cow runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man. So I can run away from a cow!"

They all run after him.
And the gingerbread man shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

The little gingerbread man runs and runs.
Soon, he sees a horse.
"Stop!" says the horse."Come here! I want to eat you." it says.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the horse runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man and a cow. So I can run away from a horse. Yes, I can! You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

The gingerbread man runs and runs.
"They can't catch me!" he says.
"Nobody can catch me."

Just then he sees a fox.
"Stop!" says the fox. "Come here!"

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the fox runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man. I can run away from a cow and a horse. So I can run away from a fox!"

They all run after him.
And the gingerbread man shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

"Stop!" says the fox.
"I don't want to eat you. I want to talk to you. I want to be friends with you!"
But the gingerbread man doesn't stop. He runs faster. And now the fox runs faster too.

The gingerbread man runs and runs. Soon he sees a river.
"Oh no!" he cries. "A river! I can't swim!"

"Listen," says the fox. "I can help you. I can swimacross and you can sit on my tail."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's tail.
And the fox begins to swim.

But soon the fox says, "Listen! You are too big for my tail. Sit on my back."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's back.

But soon the fox says, "Listen! You're too big for my back. Sit on my nose."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's nose.

The fox swims across the river and jumps out.
The fox throws the gingerbread man up.
Up! Up! Up!

Then he opens his mouth and...
cathes him!

"Help!" he says. "My legs! My legs!"
"Help!" he says. "My armss! My arms!"

Then the fox eats the gingerbread man's head.
Now the gingerbread man doesn't say anything.

And that is the end.
Yes, that is the end of the gingerbread man.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of the Big Baby Finn

Big Baby Finn is a very big baby. His name Big Baby Finn MacCool.He has friend. Her name is Oonah. Oonah is very clever.

Finn and Oonah grow. They are friends until they grow up. They both like to play. They run and jump. They sometimes jump into the river.

One day, while playing in the river, they saw a fish.
"Catch the fish, Oonah!" says Finn.
And she catches it. Clever Oonah catches the silver fish.

Today is Finn's birthday. As usual, they went to the river to play.
"Look!" cries Oonah. "A gold fish! It must be a magic fish!"
Oonah is right. It's a magic fish.
The magic fish sings: "Finn! Have this girl for your wife. She can help you in your life."

So Finn marries Oonah. They live on a green hill. And they can see the sea. The beautiful, big, blue sea.

Finn is a good giant. He is a good strong giant.
Oonah is a good wife. She is a good, clever wife.

One day, Finn decided to make a bridge so they can cross to the other side of the water.

"OK, men!" says Finn. "I want to make a bridge! A bridge across the water!"
So, he started to make the bridge with the men in the village.
Finn throws a big stone. Splash! Into the sea! And another! And another! Splash! Splash! Into the sea!

"I am big and strong," says Finn. "I do good things."
Then suddenly, he sees something.
Something a long way across the sea.
And he doesn't like it.
"Oh! What is that?" he asks.
"Oh!" say's one of the Finn's men. "That's Big Bad Benan! With his bad magic finger!"

Benan shouted to the them.
"Hey!" he shouts. "I'm looking for Finn. Do you know him?"
"No!" shouts Finn.
"No!" say his men. "No! We don't! We don't know Finn!"

Then Finn ran home to his wife.
"Help!" shouts Finn.
"What's the matter?" says Oonah.
"It's Big Bad Benan," says Finn. "He's coming for me!"
"Quick!" says Oonah. "Make a cradle. Make a big baby cradle. And bring it inside."

Finn made a big baby cradle quickly and brought it inside the house.
"Now get in!" says Oonah. "Get in the cradle! And don't say anything!"

A few minutes later, Benan came. He opened the door angrily.
"Where's Finn?" he shouts.
"He's not here," says Oonah. "It's just me here. Me and the baby."
Benan looked at the baby in the cradle.
"That's a big baby," he says.
"Yes," says Oonah. "Just like his daddy. Finn is a very big giant. Much bigger than you!"
"Can you help me?" says Oonah to Benan. "Can you turn the house, please? Finn usually does it. But he's not here."
"OK," says Benan. And he turns the house.
Then Oonah picks up some stones. She puts them in her pocket.

Oonah is making bread.
She is making bread rolls.
But she has something.
She has some stones.
She puts the stones in them.
But... she also made one with no stone.

Benan is still inside waiting for Finn to come.
"Mm!" says Benan. "Those rolls smell good."
"Here you are!" says Oonah.
She gave him the rolls with stone inside.
Benan starts to eat.
"Ow!" he shouts. "What's wrong with this bread? Ow! My teeth!"
"Your teeth aren't very strong," says Oonah.
"My Finn eats this bread everyday."

Then the baby starts to cry.
"What's wrong with the baby?" shouts Benan.
"He's hungry too," says Oonah. "Here, baby! Here's a bread roll for you."
She gave the one with no stone inside.
"That baby has strong teeth," says Benan.
"Yes," says Oonah. "Just like his daddy. Finn has very strong teeth. Much stronger than yours."

Then the baby starts to cry again.
"Oh no!" says Oonah. "Finn's coming home soon. He gets angry when the baby cries!"
"Be quiet, baby!" says Benan.
"Give him your finger!" says Oonah. "I'll make milk for him."
"Here, baby," says Benan.
He puts his finger into Finn's mouth.
His magic finger!
Then Big Baby Finn bites it! He bites off the magic finger!
"Ow!" shouts Benan. "Ow! Ow!"
And he gets smaller.
He gets smaller and smaller and smaller!

Now Benan is tiny. Tiny, tiny Benan.
And tiny, tiny Benan... runs away!

"My clever Oonah!" says Finn.
"Goodbye, Benan!" says Oonah.
"Goodbye, Benan!" says Finn.
"Bye Bye!" they say happily.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Enormous Turnip

The man's got a seed. He goes in the garden. He puts the seed in the ground. The seed grows. The man's happy.

The seed grows and grows. It's a turnip. The turnip's big. It's very big. The man's very happy. "It's big," he says.

The man's hungry. He wants to eat the turnip. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

The man sees the woman. "Come and help!" he says. "Pull!" says the man. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a boy. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the woman. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a girl. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the boy. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a dog. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the girl. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They pull and they pull. But the turnip doesn't move. They are very tired. Suddenly they see a cat.

"Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the man. The cat pulls the dog. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. They pull and they pull and they pull. But the turnip doesn't move.

Then the mouse came. "What are you doing? May I help you?" he asked. Everybody looked at the mouse and the boy said "You?! You're so little! You can't do anything." But the old man said, "Ok! Let's try! Let's pull!"

The mouse pulls the cat. The cat pulls the dog. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. They pull and they pull and they pull and...

Hurray!!!

"We've got the turnip!" they say. "We've got the enormous turnip!"

The cooked the turnip. "Come and eat!" she says. Everybody enjoys the enormous and delicious turnip. "It's yummy!" they say. Then the old man says, "Let's plant more turnips tomorrow. Can you help me?"

Then everybody laughs.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.