The Dreaded Summer Dip And Then Some - A Linky Party.

Happy Sunday everyone! Today we have a window of opportunity - to wash and dry the laundry in between showers! It's rained nonstop here for more than two weeks, and some of you may have seen news reoprts of the flooding that's been happening all across the UK. The lawn needs a good cut but it's just too wet - it's already knee high! Today we have a little breathing space - there are a few clouds but on the whole it's looking pretty good. It won't last, we're told. Something to do with the Jet Stream lying lower than usual. My summer clothes are still packed away, which tells you a lot about the kind of summer we've had so far. Hopefully it will all change when the schools break in two weeks.... I can but wish..

 Now you may have noticed that I've been a bit quiet over the last few weeks (nothing to do with the rain...). I started my new job in June and it's been all hands on deck ever since. I just don't seem to have a minute to down tools. I can always tell when things are busy in work because I tend to work things out in my head at night while I'm "asleep".  I have been known to teach a full lesson in front of an interactive whiteboard in my sleep...

Take the other night, for example. A lot of my students will return home to Poland, Portugal and further afield over the next weeks or so, where they will spend the summer, returning in time for the new term in September. This is great for them because it's so important to see their family and friends, and maintain strong cultural links. Not so great for me because they will have lost much of their English language skill due to not needing to use it. This is the summer dip and then some!

So, on Friday night while I was asleep, I had a revelation. My favourite book store was selling off 2012 diaries (for real) for just 25p (around 40c). I dreamed I went out and bought a load. I gave the diaries to the children with instructions to make sure they wrote in them in English every day while they were away. It could be just one sentence or a whole diary entry. This would help them to remember their summer holiday when they got back (we all know that children have no concept of time and can't remember what they did in school today let alone remember what they did 6 weeks ago!) and also keep their English language skills on the boil. A simple idea, but better than a homemade version that would probably end up in the bin or stuffed at the bottom of a school bag. A proper diary is a little bit special, not to mention grown-up...

So I got up yesterday morning and rushed down to the book store only to find that they'd sold all of their cheap diaries (perhaps someone had the same idea as me)! Not to be thwarted, I scoured the town and managed to find some for the same price. They're not as bright and interesting as the ones I'd originally seen, but they'll serve the purpose.

How do you deal with the dreaded Summer Dip? I'm throwing my first linky party, so join up and leave your tips.