As a girl who grew up in the gritty and troubled city of Belfast during the 1970s, moved to teach English in another city, this time in Zaragoza, Spain, then onto East London to work in an Inner Comprehensive, I never for a second considered that I would live in any conurbation of under half a million. No chance that […] Continue Reading
How many places in the United Kingdom or Ireland could offer the experience of skiing and learning English together? You could take English classes in many beautiful towns in England, or learn in wonderful cities in Ireland, you could certainly find a town on the coast with a Language School, but I don’t think there are many Homestay Learning experiences […] Continue Reading
We make learning English fun. We all know why our children should be learning English. 1 It’s the most commonly spoken language in the world 2 It will increase your child’s chances of doing well in the world of work 3 It’s the language of the Internet, Media, The European Union, Science and Technology, Invention, Medicine, Engineering, Aviation…… Do I […] Continue Reading
Valentine’s Day – We all love a bit of Romance. Here’s a question for all you English Language Learners. Which of the following words would you not associate with this romantic occasion? Roses, Candles, Haggis, Chocolates, Champagne Valentine’s Day – Learn about these old traditions. We all love a bit of romance and the 14th February has got to […] Continue Reading
Scottish people all over the globe will be celebrating today. Why? It’s the day when, 259 years ago, on 25 January, Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet was born. Whether you live in Edinburgh, New York or Canada, if you have Scottish blood in your veins, you’ll be donning your kilt and cooking up a haggis. 1 Who was Robert Burns? […] Continue Reading
Happy New Year and time for………..Modal Verbs!! “Oh no. Not modal verbs” I hear you say. Well, actually, January is the perfect time for practising our old friends. “Why?” you may ask. Well. The way you feel as the New Year begins, the targets you set yourself, the resolutions you make and fully intend to keep are all opportunities […] Continue Reading
One of the many wonderful things about Homestay Learning is that not only the Students learn but the Teacher and the family also benefit enormously. This was certainly the case this year when we were lucky enough to host Students from different European countries who came with a range of skills, interests and experiences which inspired us to find out […] Continue Reading
The days are getting shorter, the leaves are beginning to change colour and the swifts and swallows have long ago returned to Africa. We have said goodbye to our summer English Language Students, who have gone back to work or study, and now that autumn has arrived and winter is round the corner, there has never been a better […] Continue Reading
Last Saturday Tom, our daughter Molly and I were three of the lucky 50,000 people who won tickets to walk across this beautiful new bridge linking Fife to Edinburgh. A was a once in a life time opportunity, before this elegant structure opens to road traffic only tomorrow morning, carrying hundreds of thousands of commuters, tourists and travellers of all […] Continue Reading
The wonderful thing about staying with a family to learn English is that you will certainly find out about all the local events. One such event is the “Taste Angus Food Festival” taking place just ten minutes’ drive from Active English Homestay Learning, on 19 – 20 August 2017. These festivals are a great way to discover local food dishes, […] Continue Reading