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Happy February Friends!
This may be the shortest month of the year, but it is a great month! Winter in Indiana can be unpredictable. This weekend we had a heavy wet snow that left inches of slush on the sidewalks and made shoveling difficult. But this snow was perfect for building snowmen and snow forts and making snow balls!
- Best Sledding in Indianapolis Area from Indy With Kids: February brings the snow that makes the nose and fingers glow! What better way to enjoy the weather than by sledding! Here is the list where to go.
- Koteewi Snow Run offers tubing in Noblesville.
- Toboggan Run at Pokagon State Park: Here is another fun for the family opportunity to take advantage of the icy weather.
- Paoli Peaks Check out skiing and tubing here in Indiana!
- Perfect North in Ohio offers another way to slide down on snow.
- Hogwarts Escape Room: This is online escape room is open until February 7. Can you solve the problems and get out?
Cold Weather Preparation
Arctic blast and a blast from the past! Check out our Archives and read about how to prepare and protect your home during extreme cold weather.
Spring is Just Around the Corner
Who do you rely on for your news and weather? We had to face this trust issue on Groundhog Day. Puxatony Phil in Pennsylvania predicts six more weeks of winter. The groundhogs in Toledo, OH agree with Phil's assessment. Meanwhile, Canadian groundhogs had varying predictions across the continent, many of which are predicting an early spring. Watch our local groundhog Willy from Silly Safaris on FOX 59 and see what we have in store for us. And then get ready for spring and summer because they are on their way sooner or later! Here are some more camp options for the kids.
- Fisher's Parks Summer Camp Line Up : Check out what Fishers Parks are offering for the summer and sign up!
Superbowl Sunday!
Get ready for the greatest day of sports in the U.S. Superbowl Sunday! If you don't care about the game, watch it for the commercials and delicious snacks.
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). It is the biggest unofficial Holiday in the U.S. with many parties and gatherings among friends and families. The Super Bowl is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. It is also known as a showcase for America’s most creative advertising. In 2021, a 30 second television spot will cost $5.5 million. The Super Bowl is among the most-watched sporting events in the world, and is second only to the UEFA Champions League final as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide. The game was first held in 1967 as an AFL–NFL World Championship Game before the leagues merged to form the NFL.~Doug Willard
People are Saying
- Social Media There is a lot of discussion about social media in the news. What is your favorite platform? Many Americans were using Twitter and FaceBook to communicate with the world. FaceBook Messenger was another app that people message each other. The 20-Somethings are using Snap Chat to message. Other people widely use WeChat or Line.
- Identity Theft is when people your personal information to impersonate and steal from you or from others. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the place to start to report and recover from identity theft.
People Are Watching
Our cinebuffs recommend these Netflix:
- Penguin Bloom is a family drama about a family that takes in an injured magpie.
- Money Heist or Papel House which is a series about a perfect robbery in Spain
- Atypical which is a series about a boy on the autism spectrum
- Studio Ghibli: pick any of these great animations
- Ozark is a Golden Globe nominated series about gangsters and money laundering in the Ozarks
- Julie and Julia
...And elsewhere
- Maara on Amazon Prime is the story of a woman
- Lucy Worsley on BBC or PBS for history buffs
COVID-19
Vaccinations are available for Hoosiers 65 and older, medical professionals and first responders. To register for the vaccine click here to be directed to the registration page. Governor Holcomb's weekly updates are streamed on Vimeo every Wednesday at 2:30 PM. As of the beginning of the week, the Current published:
To date, 2,963,581 unique individuals have been tested in Indiana, up from 2,957,867 on Sunday. A total of 7,039,744 tests, including repeat tests for unique individuals, have been reported to the Indiana Dept. of Health since Feb. 26, 2020.* COVID vaccine now available to those 65 and older in Indiana • Current Publishing (youarecurrent.com)
International Stories and More: Sunday, (GMT 12:00 AM)
We are excited to begin a pilot of our Stories and More for preschoolers in other countries. As we work out the kinks in the technology and communication, we will keep you posted with future opportunities to join us via Zoom. Meanwhile, we will share our links and activities so you can play along. We started by singing welcome songs and learning each other's names. We read a great counting book: Numbers at the Park.
February 14: We will celebrate Valentine's Day
Stories and More: Monday, 10:30-11:30 AM (3:00 PM GMT)
Our Stories and More class started our Valentine's Day stories and crafts. We made cards, counted hearts, sorted by color and size. It was fun to get together again and share our own stories! Here are the YouTube links to the Olivia Valentine story book and movie. These are great stories for people of all ages!
February 8: Join us as we continue to get ready for Valentine's Day with stories and more!
American Sign Language: Monday, 5:30-6:00 PM
We had a great basics review. We talked about some tactics for incorporating signing during the day and since it is a watching and doing language, we talked about how it is important to practice in front of a mirror. Since we are adults, signing while grooming (tooth brushing, for example) may be a great time to engage many parts of our brain while creating the muscle memory to reflexively "talk".
February 8: We will review, have conversation and learn new vocabulary and then converse using that vocabulary. Check out Sign Savvy for the lists as well as our Dropbox.
International Bible Study: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30
We discussed a wonderful story where Jesus teaches the fine points of law in Luke 6: 1-11. Jesus, as God, is author of spiritual and physical law. The key to this story is that the Pharisees and teachers of the law have an ulterior motive and are looking to set Jesus up as referenced in verse 6 to bring him down in verse 11. These people ignore the spirit of the law (which guides how to love and care for one another). We talked about how laws are interpreted and applied or enacted or used. Jesus points out that it is always right to care for each other.
We compared how compound words can mean something different when broken apart:
- troublesome: something that is concerning (Icy sidewalks are troublesome.)
- trouble some: to bother some people (Icy sidewalks trouble some people walking home.)
- bothersome: something that is irritating (My itchy mosquito bite is bothersome.)
- bother some: to irritate a few but not all (Mosquitos seem to bother some people and not others.)
February 9: Luke 6: 12-26 covers the beatitudes or blessings. This lesson from Jesus teaches how things that look to be trouble are really reason for joy.
International Friends: Tuesday, 10:30-12:00
We learned to make a tamale casserole. This is a great recipe for these cold winter evenings. The fact that it is created and baked in a pan.
February 9: Join us as we make a cathedral window jelly. You can find the complete ingredient list and preparation instructions in our February 2 Update.
Afternoon Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30-6:00
We talked about about many things including how it could be difficult to hear the difference between stomp and stump while stamp sounds completely different.
February 10: Monica is teaching us Excel. Log in to learn how to use this spreadsheet application.
End of the Week Conversation: Friday, 10:30-12:00+
Wrapping up the week is always a great time to spend together. We always share our favorite media and dig deep into what is on our mind. This week we spent time talking about how to validate our experiences. How do we prove that we have work experience or skills? Knowledge, skills and experience can be confirmed through
- records: documentation or evidence from an organization
- certification: an organization can confirm completion of study or practice
- references: the word or testimony of people who can confirm your abilities and experience
- demonstration: you show what you know by your behaviors (you speak and write English well)
- trackable: the seminar or event can be confirmed through research
- on faith: they believe what you have to say
Some of these are formal and others are informal. Proof of your experience or education can be confirmed by records of past employers, background checks, etc. Some companies will dig deep into your background and others will take your word. Regardless, it is easy to make a resume with links to webpages and events. Be sure to add all of your classes and activities, even if they do not seem relevant at this time. It is all a part of the story of how you have grown.
International Friends has been helping people learn American English and asks you to register for our classes so that we have documentation of your participation in our classes and meetings. We can confidently vouch for your abilities and character if you need a letter of reference or wish to use us a reference.
slush: heavy wet mix of frozen and freezing water
work out the kinks: solve problems and smooth out processes
play along: play the same way
engage: occupy or cause to participate
muscle memory: learning to perform a physical act without thinking
reflexively: to perform a physical task without thinking
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