I struggle through my pre-dawn ritual this morning as I ready myself for work. On the bus I can switch off again into zombie mode but once I turn up at Chateauboeuf I know that it’s all engines go again. Everybody seems in high spirits and even if they didn’t do anything exciting for the last fortnight they’re all the better for it. The kids have mixed reports on their Easter holidays and I’m surprised to hear that not all of them indulged in the egg fest.
This week we’re continuing with food and mealtimes and menus. With the older pupils I finish off the last few sentences of the I’m thirsty phrases and we work on today’s question:
I would like a milkshake. I would like some juice. I would like an apéritif.
What would you like - to eat?
- to drink?
Eat. Eat. Munch. Munch. It’s lunch. It’s good. It’s food.
Drink. Drink. Glug. Glug. I think I’d like a drink.
I go around asking random children what they want to eat and drink before pairing them off to ask one another similar. They use the sheets and copybook replies to aid their answers but the only thing which can correct their mispronunciation is practice. What would proves to be a bit of a tongue twister but we persevere.
We’re going to make up our own menus so first off we have to fill up the vocab well.
Fruit: Apple. Orange. Pineapple. Coconut. Strawberry. Lemon. Tomato.
Vegetable: Potato. Onion. Mushroom. Carrot. Pea. Cabbage. Pepper.
I have made out a drink and food menu for Ruth’s Restaurant. There are starters, mains and desserts. I explain all on the menu before going into detail about possession and the use of apostrophes. Ely’s car. Melanie’s mobile. Yannis’ house. Ruth’s place. The kids make up their own eatery titles – some using their own names and others with pseudo-food variations.
We put two starters on the menu. Soup and salad. I leave a space before each word as I get the children to make up their own soups and salads. Pea Soup. Chicken Soup. Potato Salad. Tuna Salad. The same goes for the pizza menu. Ham and cheese pizza. Egg pizza. We don’t have time for desserts today so we sing Hello, hello. How are you before their tummies explode. The final few lines of the song are… What a lovely way to start to the day. I indicate start from the word starter on the menu so that some bright sparks will catch on.
With the younger years I introduce mealtimes. I hang up three illustrated bibs which depict Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I have a clock alongside the board and we change the time for each meal. For the exercise we agree that 7 o’clock is breakfast time, lunch is at midday and we eat dinner at 5 o’clock. I’m thirsty falls on 9 o’clock and I’m hungry at 3 o’clock. I get the children to close their eyes as I change the time. It’s then up to them to read the time and tell me which meal or feeling it corresponds too.
The last copybook exercise we did involved fruit so today we take down a list of vegetables before recapping on some food and drink items. Some of the children tell me to stop making them hungry but it’s almost lunch time so they’re survive.
One person who won’t survive without eating instantly is Madame Wolf. We play What time is it Madame Wolf? In the yard. My heels hinder my trapping skills but some kids just want to be caught. We retreat from the heat and sing a final round of Hello, hello, hello how are you? before bursting from the classrooms and into the canteen.
Nic’s out on the terrace eating when I get home. And when I wake from my slumber she’s yet again putting on something to eat.
We’re at a bit of a loss about what to do tonight but Oliver calls to ask if we want to hit the town. Oliver is such a sloooooow driver. I don’t drive but I reckon I’ve been down this road so many times I could do better, quicker. At one stage Nicola even takes the wheel to see what’s up with the motor. We eventually arrive in town but Oliver takes the long route around the petrol pump parking lot so it’s almost closing time by the time we get to the watering hole.
Alex the barman at La Croisière has been sniffing around Nic lately so it’s no wonder he’s a bit taken aback to see Nic and I accompanied by Oliver and Lionel. One Baileys. One non-alcoholic Pina Colada. One orange juice. And a gin and tonic. They’re delivered by one of Alex’s sisters who seems a bit cold towards us tonight. Could it be that Nic has blatantly abandoned Alex? Lionel’s back is at him so our night is cut-short as he wants to head to bed. Nic has just ordered her second G&T when he announces this so I help her finish her round while Lionel snoozes in the car. Oliver settles himself into a chair and ends up emptying out all the change from his pocket. He definitely has a run of bad luck as of late.
Lionel’s pained, Nic’s taken aback at being proposed at, I’m shattered and Oliver is just plain annoying. Fine. It’s his car but he insists on stopping a McDo before heading home. At least his absence gives us three an opportunity to discuss how Nic will break it too him that she is not interested in him – seventh time lucky, or unlucky as it happens!
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