Dia da Criança

O tema esta semana é Dia da Criança - The theme this week is Children's day. Today, dia um de junho, is Dia da Criança em Portugal.  All over the country there are events and activities for children going on, mostly free – workshops, concerts, face painting and even festivals.  You can read about the different celebrations in Portugal and around the world on Wikipedia here.

brincar - play
correr - run
saltar - jump
aprender - learn
explorar - explore
gritar - shout
chorar - cry
sonhar - dream
imitar - imitate
crescer - grow

Here’s a link to a Quizlet set with the words for you to play about with. 

If you would like to join one of the weekly chat groups - we run two weekly - A0/A1 Weds 13h-13h30, A2/B1 - Thurs 13h-13h45, all details are in the weekly newsletter - sign up here.

AND because we learn really well from stories and seeing examples of correct language, every week I put together 3 stories or dialogues on the week’s theme with examples of the week’s words and phrases in a useful context. I strongly believe that we can learn a lot from reading, these mini-texts with translations are just the right length for you to digest easily. (look at the translations first if that helps!)

A0 / A1 — Dia da Criança no Parque

No dia 1 de junho, a Leonor e o Tiago vão ao parque com a mãe. O sol está forte e o céu está azul. No parque, há muitos balões, música e jogos. A Leonor gosta de pintar desenhos de animais. O Tiago prefere jogar à bola com outras crianças.A mãe compra gelados de morango e chocolate. As crianças comem os gelados num banco perto das flores. Depois, todos ouvem música e dançam um pouco. A Leonor vê uma menina com um cão pequeno e branco. O cão chama-se Pingo. O Tiago faz festas ao cão e ri muito. No fim do dia, as crianças estão cansadas, mas muito felizes.

A2 — Um Presente Especial

No Dia da Criança, o Duarte acordou muito cedo porque estava entusiasmado. A escola organizou uma

festa grande no jardim da cidade. Quando chegou ao jardim com a irmã Matilde, já havia música e muitas famílias. Os alunos participaram em jogos tradicionais portugueses. O Duarte gostou especialmente do jogo da corda, mas a Matilde preferiu pintar máscaras coloridas. Mais tarde, os professores distribuíram pequenos livros de histórias a todas as crianças.Durante o almoço, a família sentou-se na relva e comeu sandes, fruta e sumo. O pai contou histórias engraçadas da sua infância em Coimbra. O Duarte ouviu tudo com atenção e fez muitas perguntas. Ao fim da tarde, os irmãos regressaram a casa cansados, mas contentes com o dia diferente.

B1+ — O Concerto da Escola

Na semana antes do Dia da Criança, a escola da Beatriz estava a prepar um concerto para o dia 1 de junho. Os alunos ensaiavam músicas portuguesas e decoravam o ginásio com desenhos e fitas coloridas. A Beatriz tocava flauta e o amigo Rafael cantava num pequeno grupo.

No dia do concerto, muitos pais e avós chegaram cedo para encontrar bons lugares. A diretora fez um discurso curto sobre a importância da infância e da criatividade. Depois, as crianças começaram o petáculo. Algumas tocaram instrumentos, outras fizeram pequenas cenas de teatro. A Beatriz sentiu-se nervosa antes de subir ao palco, mas rapidamente ganhou confiança. Quando terminou a música, o público bateu palmas durante vários minutos.

No final da festa, os professores serviram bolo e limonada no recreio. A Beatriz falou com os amigos e tirou fotografias com os avós. Para ela, aquele Dia da Criança ficou ligado à música, à amizade e ao orgulho de participar no concerto.

Translations of the stories:

A0 / A1 – Children’s Day in the Park

On the 1st of June, Leonor and Tiago go to the park with their mother. The sun is bright and the sky is blue. In the park, 

there are many balloons, music, and games. Leonor likes painting pictures of animals. Tiago prefers playing football with other children.

Their mother buys strawberry and chocolate ice creams. The children eat the ice creams on a bench near the flowers. 

Afterwards, everyone listens to music and dances a little.

Leonor sees a girl with a small white dog. The dog is called Pingo. Tiago pets the dog and laughs a lot. At the end of the day, the children are tired but very happy.

A2 – A Sprecial Present

On Children’s Day, Duarte woke up very early because he was excited. The school organised a big party in the city garden. When he arrived at the garden with his sister Matilde, there was already music and many families there.

The pupils took part in traditional Portuguese games. Duarte especially liked the tug-of-war game, but Matilde preferred  painting colourful masks. Later, the teachers gave small storybooks to all the children.

During lunch, the family sat on the grass and ate sandwiches, fruit, and juice. Their father told funny stories about his childhood in Coimbra. Duarte listened carefully and asked many questions.

At the end of the afternoon, the siblings returned home tired but happy with the different day they had enjoyed.

B1+ - The School Concert

In the week before Children’s Day, Beatriz’s school was preparing a concert for the 1st of June. The pupils rehearsed Portuguese songs and decorated the gym with drawings and colourful ribbons. Beatriz played the flute and her friend Rafael sang in a small group.

On the day of the concert, many parents and grandparents arrived early to find good seats. The headteacher gave a short speech about the importance of childhood and creativity. Afterwards, the children began the performance. 

Some played instruments, while others performed short theatre scenes.

Beatriz felt nervous before going on stage, but she quickly became confident. When the song ended, the audience applauded for several minutes.

At the end of the celebration, the teachers served cake and lemonade in the playground. Beatriz spoke with her friends and took photographs with her grandparents. For her, that Children’s Day became connected