JAM.HOW FOR KIDS

Yummy Mummy & Delicious Daddy 

1. Quiz your 18+ month toddler.  Why limit their vocabulary to just Apples & Bananas?
2. Have more than one adorable little one?...get them to quiz each other

3. Two packs and you have memory snap game

4. Decorate your child's bedroom with JAM 
5. Put JAM in their lunchbox for some break time educational entertainment

6. English is not their native language?...perfect! children have the greatest potential to absorb & retain new language skills!
7. Gift JAM to their adorable little friends.  Their Yummy Mummy & Delicious Daddy will toast you!

The creativity with jam is endless.  Share it & Spread it!

JAM English Flashcards: Fruit & Vegetables

Pictured above is Charlotte 'strawberry jam baby', a member of the JAM BABY CLUB

SOCOTRA

I made up my mind to travel at 8PM and by 10PM, I was exchanging 34,000 Yemeni rial (169 USD) with a travel agent who had agreed to meet me near my home in Sana'a at Mosque Abubaker.  Cash is King in Yemen and credit cards are rarely used as a means of payment.  I had purchased my ticket to the island of Socotra and was scheduled to depart the next morning at 6AM.  I had made no other prior arrangements for transportation or accommodation on the Island and despite the lack of encouragement from friends who advised it was monsoon season, there was no other place I wanted to be.

And so my adventure began.  The flight made a stop over in Mukalla, where we picked up the Socotra football team.  This only became evident when the team started chanting following our successful landing on the Island after a turbulent flight caused by the strong winds.

I am probably the first Venezuelan woman on the island.  Visitors to the island prior to 2000 were few and in fact no records have been kept.  In 2000 there were only 140 foreign visitors, 1000 visitors by 2005 and 2,500 visitors by 2007.  This hunch was confirmed by Ismael Mohammed, my guide who had spent 10 years working for the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) on a project to develop ecotourism.  He assured me  there had been no other Venezuela women on the island :) :)  Ismael trained all of the Socotri guides and was involved in the development of the first Eco hotel.     He speaks fluent Socotri, Arabic and English and he has utilized his education to fight for the two things which he is most passionate about. One, ensuring that the financial benefits generated by tourism in Socotra benefit the local Socotri community with minimal environmental impact to the island and two, to ensure that the Socotri Language is not lost.

Socotri is a spoken language and it is estimated that only 80,000 people mostly in the Socotra archipelago, mainland Yemen, Oman and a small immigrant community in UAE still speak the language.  The Foundation for Endangered Languages which supports the documentation, protection and promotion of endangered languages has listed Socotri as an endangered language.    On the island of Socotra,  Arabic and English are the languages taught in school and the young generations rarely have exposure to socotri. 

The Socotri people are poetic by nature.  They often communicate among each other through spoken poetry and during gatherings and celebrations the village poets gather for extended sessions of improvisational poetic song which can last for days.  In an attempt to save this important part of the Socotri culture, Ismael spends his free time documenting these now rare sessions of poetic song steered by the elder members of the village.         Ismael’s main concerned is  that Socotri poetry will be buried along with the death of the village elders.

Socotri is the language of the native population of the island of the Socotra archipelago. It is one of the Modern South Arabian languages (MSAL) and is usually classified as a South Semitic language.

Socotra is 3,500 sq km with an altitude of 1,519 m.  The island is only 240 KM off the horn of Africa but high winds and seas isolate it for five months of the year making it  one of the most inaccessible places on earth.  The island was under British protection from 1886 until it became part of South Yemen in 1967.  

July 2008, Socotra was identified as a world heritage site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

JAM Language English Flash Cards: Fruit & Vegetables available @ JAM SHOP

A Student Essay

One of the most rewarding privileges of being  a teacher is having the opportunity to read student essays.  The laborious task of in class written assignments and homework gives the students an opportunity to contemplate a variety of ideas and experiences.  The end result gives the teacher a glimpse into the students’ dreams, aspirations, fears and life stories.   

The following essay was selected among over 60 written assignments I reviewed during my English teaching stint at Mali Institute in Sanaa, Yemen.    I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I have always dreamed of visiting my village because my parents and relatives have always told me that it is charming, beautiful and worth-seeing.  They told me that It would exceed my expectations. So, I decided to visit the village. I  finally visited it last month with my dad and family.

When we arrived, I was surprised because it was much better than I had expected.  It really is a unique place with its river, springs, green mountains and hills.  I quickly realized that the village is worthy of being the most famous of all.  I was really excited when I saw the houses on the top of the mountains among the clouds.

The people are very generous and kindhearted. While we were chewing Qat, they were telling me folk stories and jokes.  They are also open-hearted, modest and distinguished by their simplicity and informality.  Because of their sweet demeanor I have felt that there were no boundaries between us.  Of course there were no amenities such as; supermarkets, gyms, clubs etc..., but there were many things which are not available in Sana’a such as tranquility and quietness.

Although I was saddened by the poverty and illiteracy in the village, I have enjoyed my time there.  It was a unique experience in my life and through my journey I found out that living in the countryside is better than living in a city.  

This essay was written by Salah Towfeek Altwaiti, one of my Level 6B English students.  He was among three Air Traffic Controllers from Sana’a International Airport which were registered in my class.  He is married with children and he dreams of one day traveling the world to learn about other cultures.   In his essay he describes his visit to the Ibb Province.  

JAM Language Ltd, English Flash cards; Fruit & Vegetables available at AMAZON UK and AMAZON USA

Education = Peace

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School At A Time.

A teacher friend recommended that I read Three Cups of Tea and I couldn’t put it down. It tells the story of Greg Mortenson who manages to successfully establish schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

His aim is to balance the extremists madrassas by providing an alternative - free, unbiased education for both girls and boys. The first village he helped was so poor they could not afford the $1-a-day salary to hire a teacher. I hadn’t realised that this was one of the main techniques that the Taliban employ – by financing schools and providing free education to the poor they are able to recruit students easily as there is / was no other alternative.

I know that education can sometimes be taken for granted particularly by those who have had unlimited access to it. I can’t imagine my life without the schools I went to, the things I’ve learnt and the experiences I’ve taken away with me – they have contributed to make me the person I am today. In the same way, I would hope that the girls and boys who go to one of the schools funded by Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute (CAI) will make evident how important education is as a part of the peace process.

If you haven’t read this book - read it and be inspired!

JAM English Flashcards are now available!