FutureLearn - Early Language

English in Early Childhood: Language Learning and Development 

I am enjoying this course as acquiring language and develop in the early years I find fascinating.  Future Learn is a great online platform where you can share with students and lecturers from around the world.  This course is not only looking at mother tongue but how another language is acquired too. It is pertinent to me with my Family Link Up project as Leen who is now 5yrs old has been acquiring and using 4 languages and Celine who will be 3 yrs in March also is using 4 languages.. Arabic, French, Dutch & English.

This TED lecture The Linguistic Genius of Babies gives us some insight in to how Babies are able to pick up on many languages.  

Patricia Kuhl shares astonishing findings about how babies learn one language over another -- by listening to the humans around them and "taking statistics" on the sounds they need to know. Clever lab experiments (and brain scans) show how 6-month-old babies use sophisticated reasoning to understand their world.

There is a British Council article by Tracey Chapelton that refers to Dr Patricia Kuhl's work  How can young children best learn languages

By exposing children to other languages at an early age, you are giving them the opportunity to tap into their natural ability to hear and distinguish the sounds of other languages, and their capacity to make sense of what they are hearing.

 Learning another language early allows your child to fully enjoy the way it sounds. Children aren’t afraid to play with languages. They are drawn into the magic of rhymes and songs. They hear and experiment with the beat of a song; they enjoy mimicking the pronunciation of new and strange words; and they play with rhyming words through repetition, even inventing their own examples. By doing these things, your child is listening to the sounds of the language, and inadvertently working on rhythm, stress, intonation and pronunciation.

This course is sharpening my awareness and observations around me. It was fun this week as on Thursday I was on the bus sat behind a mother and her son the son would have been around 10yrs old.  I could hear them conversing in a mix of Polish and English.. interchanging in short and long bursts. Sometimes son talking to mum in English and she answering in Polish. Then long excited sharing of gardening plans both in English. I had to disturb them to tell them it was fascinating..the mother told me she wanted her son to speak Polish so he could speak with his grandmother back home. I told her about this course {☆lol stars from our teachers} There are more languages they can share as the Polish mum learned German at school and her son is learning French at our school here in UK. He said he enjoyed French as the teacher was French. So my thoughts are he is learning the French from her by immersion!

It is also time to celebrate languages on twitter there is a hashtag celebrating languages   #MotherLanguageDay

Vet visit for Queen Lulu

Vet day today as Queen Lulu Blanche skin allergy flared up again... she loves her vet and nurses.... she chills out and trusts never flinched at the hydrocortisone injection... Matus the vet at Medivet Hayes has her under his spell...she even curled up on the exam table so relaxed hhh

Well impressed with the Morpilot Pet Carrier Bag from Amazon it has fur snuggle rug and I can carry on my shoulder we have body to body contact through soft but sturdy bag material. She did cry on way really loud meowing..folk kept looking at me as if I was making the noise hhhhh We made friends with a little girl and her mum on the bus. The little girl was excitedly telling me her cat had kittens only 2 days ago ..eyes closed and tiny....so be quite an afternoon..

Queen Pengu Noire wondering what the heck happening to her sister ..but happy she is back home..
22nd Feb:
I am adding this cute photo hhh not of me being cute but Lulu being all luvey dubey with me and laying on my arm while I type at the lap top... I could feel her little heart beat too... Bless her.... We are mastering the art of antibiotic pill taking and we all had a treat yesterday some lovely Chicken stew...She has decided her fur cushioned pet carrier makes a nice sleeping nest and fashioned it to her liking.. the scarf I put in is now moved to the front to act as a draft exclude as the door open to get in and out freely... they are not daft are they?

Puuurfect gift from ZebraMingo Crafts

I love linking up with other businesses on Twitter and facebook especially arts and crafts. I spotted these cat wash bags by ZebraMingo Kirstel is a really talented lady and love her range of interesting materials for all sorts of useful bags.  She has made these with real thought for use. There is a protective lining and the base is strong for standing on the bathroom shelf in any hotel or visiting home when you travel around.  She was good to trade with as the products arrived quickly and well packaged  They are Puuurfect for my cat loving family too..looking forward to filling with Marjorie's Yard NYR award winning products as a special gift for the family here and my Family Link Up too.

Kristel is contactable on Facebook and Twitter  ZebraMingo

One of the cat prints looks like Queen Pengu Noire one of my cats..

What is love?

Had to share this from my facebook newsfeed from 

Museo Maximo Laura Tapestries

MUNAY (Love) is the harmony between complements that are opposite, but they manage to understand each other. It's the light in perfect balance and beauty that produces opposites poles. They are the romantic's sunsets between Sun and Earth in the conjunction of night and day. Munay is a quality of the gods and beings who reach comprehension of life in a way of harmony that leads to beauty. Munay is pure Love, in its widest meaning.

Love love love this! 

Brexit meeting at Flanders House London

On Thursday evening I attended a packed meeting at the Flanders House in London to hear two good economists on the effects of Brexit. Effects that could majorly affect both UK and close European partners in Belgium and Netherlands.. It is quite worrying that people voted in the referendum on inadequate facts and distorted facts. Many working on own personal viewpoints but not understanding all the interconnections of commerce, goods production and reliance on networks for jobs.  The deals to be agreed up on this transitional phase are crucial for all to achieve economic strength and stability.  A Stability that is no longer predictable and generally needing a new wave of thought and active models to adapt to new emerging markets. Markets that will depend on circular economies with emphasis on recycling and climate change consideration & protection.  The first speaker Prof Hylke Vandenbussche presented her work on investigation why Brexit and the impact of Brexit you can read her published paper on this pdf link to Sector-Level Analysis of theImpact of Brexit on the EU-28  take a good long look at her charts and graphs to understand the full implication of Brexit and how deals are needed to protect jobs on both sides.

The second speaker was Frank Van Oort  , professor of Urban and Regional Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands. He looked at EU regional competitiveness and the implications of Brexit for UK and EU regions. There is such a lot of interconnections in both services and products.  One I see as being a worry is the flower market from Holland - while we have Spalding in Lincolnshire there is no way we can compete with the vastness and the well worked out logistics of the global flower market.  There is also a worry that revealed itself in the midlands of potential job losses in UK, the very areas that smashed the Red Labour wall to vote for the Get Brexit Done mantra of the present Tory government.  I could add more but I am still reading round the subjects presented.  Overall though was good to share with our Belgium friends to hear their take on Brexit.... a result that shocked all us remainers and still makes me smart and weep at the implications if deals not made.....My motherland is taking on an identity I had not wished as though from Ancient Brit stock I always consider myself European and enjoy freely travelling through Europe when on adventures and projects. 

GOLDEN Acrylic Demo

Oh the effects from this range of Acrylics are impressive. I have been lucky today to get a 75% discount from the Bovilles closing down sale.. so got some for Boshra in my Family Link Up Art Materials appeal...

•⊰✿Art Materials Fund•⊰✿

You can email me on marjoriesyard@gmail.com 

& find me on twitter Marjorie's Yard to message me.  

Family Link Up - be part of the story.

Thank you for your help!

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I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

you can help not only with donations but shopping online with me as my registered valued customer Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR  the commission on sales & turnover bonus will help me with this project and expenses. 

See the collection of award winning products 

Marjorie's Yard 

        ✿✿Shop Now✿✿

Thank you for your help!

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Valentine More Love

My words rained over you, stroking you.
A long time I have loved the sunned mother-of-pearl of your body.
I go so far as to think that you own the universe.
I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, bluebells,
dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses.
I want
to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.

Pablo Neruda
Alice Mason Artist

Love is in the Air

Natakallum
Spread love outside the box

Prepping for Valentine's day (or month)? We know it can feel a bit stressful or commercial..

But with our impactful Gift of Language, it doesn't need to!

Gift a loved one, a friend, or treat yourself to a bit of language practice in Arabic, Persian, French or Spanish, & spread the love beyond borders to conversation partners from displaced backgrounds!

What says "I love you" more than that?

Facebook link

A farewell to all this support

 But we keep the light on!

and hope our voices can still be heard of those that voted remain!

and indeed any UK citizen in pain that needs help form all this support!