The Olympic Games began over 2,700 years ago in Olympia, in southwest Greece. The Games were part of a religious festival. The Greek Olympics, thought to have begun in 776 BC, inspired the modern Olympic Games (begun in 1896) The Games were held in honour of Zeus, king of the gods.

 The Games They Played

The Olympics of ancient Greece weren't exactly the worldwide (mundial) spectacle that we have today. For one thing, only Greeks took part. For another, there were only nine events .

• Boxing: . Boxing matches had no time limit and ended only when one boxer held up his hand or fell to the ground.
• Discus: The throwers of the discus originally threw a circular stone and then later a circular shape made of iron ( hierro), lead (plomo) or bronze. .  
• Javelin: The javelin of ancient Greece was made of wood and was about as tall as an average man. . The Games featured two kinds of javelin events: throwing for distance and throwing at a target (diana) 
• Jumping: This was long jump only, and the main difference in ancient times was that the jumper carried a weight in each hand. .
• Pankration: This was a sport that has been lost. It was a combination of boxing and wrestling that was very, very rough ( duro ). The only things outlawed(prohibida) were biting and gouging out ( arrancar ) an opponent's eyes.  Two versions of the pankration were offered. In the first, whoever hit the ground first lost; in the second, whoever lost consciousness first lost. Soldiers were usually very good at this sport, and it was not unusual for pankration athletes to be seriously injured or even die.
• Pentathlon: This event combined five other events: discus, javelin, long jump, running, and wrestling.
• Running: The running races were usually very popular. The three distances were 200 meters, 400 meters, and a long-distance race, which ranged from 1400 to 1800 meters. Various running races took place, including one in which athletes wore armor( armadura ). In every case, the winner was the one who crossed the finish line first.
• Wrestling: This, too, was similar to wrestling today. The object was to get an opponent to fall to the ground. The first man to fall three times lost. Hitting, as in boxing, was not allowed, nor was biting or gouging out one's eyes. Tripping ( poner la zancadilla ) was allowed, however.

• Equestrian Events These included horse races and chariot races and took place in the Hippodrome, a wide, flat, open space.

All of the athletes were men, of course; women couldn't compete in the Olympic Games. And unlike today's athletes, who wear their countries' colors on their uniforms, the ancient Greeks usually competed without wearing any clothes at all.

The Rewards of Victory:

 An Olympic victor was crowned with an olive wreath and had his name inscribed in the official Olympic records. Some Olympic victors were fed for the rest of their lives by their poleis, although they were never paid. They were considered heroes who

 Now, watch this video

Thanksgiving is celebrated in USA on the fourth Thursday of November, which will be 24th November in 2011      

thanksgiving history

Long ago, in the early 1600s, a group of people in England wanted to pray and worship God in their own way. The King controlled the Church of England, and everyone was ordered to go to the same type of church. Anyone who dared to disobey would be sent to jail.

The group of people who wanted to free the Church of England from the King's rule, making it "pure" were known as the Puritans. To escape the rule of the King and his church, around 100 men, women and children left their homeland, with their dream of religious freedom. They sailed on a ship, the Mayflower - on a pilgrimage to the New World (America).

These brave travelers - the Pilgrims - landed in Plymouth after their long six-week journey. It was December 11, 1620.

The winter was long, cold, and very hard for the Pilgrims. Luckily, Native Americans helped by supplying them with seeds and food, teaching them about their new home, and giving them the skills needed to survive in a strange, new land.

The first year in their new home was hard for the Pilgrims. Many died. With seeds and plants received from the Native Americans, the Pilgrims planted crops. The fall harvest was a good one. To celebrate their good fortune, the Pilgrims had a feast of thanksgiving.

Many foods were cooked for the feast - wild turkey, duck, and venison were probably served, along with fish, pumpkins, squash, corn, sweet potatoes, and cranberries. Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims invited all of the Native Americans who had helped them so much during their first year. Everyone had a good day of thanksgiving. The feast lasted for three days!

 WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR ?

The Statue of Liberty or Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from people of France to the people of United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.

It´s located in Liberty Island, New York City and it was made in Paris by the French sculptor Barthold, in colaboration with Gustave Eiffel

."

The fifth of November is Guy Fawkes' Night or Bonfire Night. This is a British celebration.
The story of Guy Fawkes goes back to the early 1600 when there were religious problems between Protestants and Catholics in Britain. King James I was a Protestant and he passed severe laws against Catholics. They were not permitted to have religious services.

A group of 12 Catholics with Guy Fawkes as an expert in explosives ,decided to kill the King James I and blow up The Houses of Parliament on 5th November 1605, when the King was present. This was called the Gunpowder Plot.

The King´s soldiers discovered the plot. Guy Fawkes was immediately arrested and tortured. The other plotters were found three days later. Guy Fawkes and the others were hanged.

On the night of 5th November 1605 many people in London were very happy because the plot was discovered. To celebrate , they started bonfires in the street. Someone made an effigy of Guy Fawkes and burned it. Ever since, British celebrate Guy Fawkes' Night.. 

Today young people make a Guy with old clothes and fill him with newspapers. They go around the streets with the Guy and ask " a penny for the Guy" to collect money . With this money they buy fireworks and then they burn the guys on bonfires .

  Remember Remember

   the fifth of November

CAPITAL : WASHINGTON,D.C.

The current flag of United States of America comprises of 13 horizontal stripes alternating in red and white colors, with a navy blue rectangle in the canton having 50 white, five-pointed stars.

The 50 States
Alabama (AL) Alaska (AK) Arizona (AZ) Arkansas (AR) California (CA) Colorado (CO) Connecticut (CT) Delaware (DE) Florida (FL) Georgia (GA) Hawaii (HI) Idaho (ID) Illinois (IL) Indiana (IN) Iowa (IA) Kansas (KS) Kentucky (KY) Louisiana (LA) Maine (ME) Maryland (MD) Massachusetts (MA) Michigan (MI) Minnesota (MN) Mississippi (MS) Missouri (MO)	Montana (MT) Nebraska (NE) Nevada (NV) New Hampshire (NH) New Jersey (NJ) New Mexico (NM) New York (NY) North Carolina (NC) North Dakota (ND) Ohio (OH) Oklahoma (OK) Oregon (OR) Pennsylvania (PA) Rhode Island (RI) South Carolina (SC) South Dakota (SD) Tennessee (TN) Texas (TX) Utah (UT) Vermont (VT) Virginia (VA) Washington (WA) West Virginia (WV) Wisconsin (WI) Wyoming (WY
U.S. Territories & Outlying Areas
American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands	Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands

                              CALIFORNIA

FLAG

                                                               MAP

 CAPITAL : SACRAMENTO

  HAVE A SPOOKY HALLOWEEN  !

 for more Halloween activities, click on

http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/halloweenTopic.htm

Hi children

 Yesterday was the first day of Autumn and it runs to December. This is a special colourful time of year, as the leaves turn from green to yellow and red, and then to brown. I love the colours of Autumn!

I hope you enjoy this video with the  wonderful colours of nature and the beautiful music by Vivaldi

 Read the poem and remember : AUTUMN = FALL

Down! Down!

Down, down!                                                                                                                                                                                   
Yellow and brown
The leaves are falling                                                                      
Over the town.

September is a time
Of beginning for all,
Beginning of school
Beginning of fall.                                                         

The sunflower children
Nod to the sun.
Summer is over,
Fall has begun!                                          

The leaves are falling                                                                     
One by one.
Summer's over
School's begun.

Off to school
We go together
In September's
Sunny weather.

"Come, little leaves," said the wind one day,
"Come o'er the meadows with me and play:
Put on your dresses of red and gold -
For summer is gone and the days grow cold."

        A SONG

 Hi guys         

Holidays are over, tomorrow we will meet back at school. 

ARE YOU READY FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR ?

Click and listen

 http://youtu.be/n0TKg5PFgVo

                                                    REAL MADRID  1

                    Barcelona hold off Real Madrid threat to reach Champions League final

Barcelona booked their place in the Champions League final after drawing their semi-final second leg with arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Camp Nou

Hello dear children,

Easter is the most important Christian festival. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ on the third day after his death and with it, new life and hope.

Many of the symbols we associate with Easter are pre-Christian in origin. Let´s see some of them

Rabits , chicks and butterflies represent re-birth, fertility and new life. Wearing new clothes symbolize a new life in Christ but it also reflets the fact that nature is putting on new " clothes " with the coming of Spring

 Now, listen about Easter

 Finally, send a friend or a family member an e-card for Easter