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Picture of the Week: Lily pad
This frog is sitting on a lily pad. It's a flat round leaf that floats on the surface of the water. Have you ever seen one? この蛙は水蓮の葉（Lily...
Phrase of the Week: My Blood Ran Cold
"I looked out the window and my blood ran cold. The monster was looking back in at me!" When we say someone's blood runs cold, it means they felt as if their blood had gone cold from a sudden shock or fear. 「窓の外を覗いたらぞっとした。モンスターがこっちを覗き返していたんだよ！」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"Since the customer has already paid us for the service, they are obligated to provide it or issue a refund." Find the mistake. A. Since the customer B. has already paid C. for the service D. they are obligated 「お客さんがもう支払った以上、そのサービスを提供するか、できなければ返金する義務があります。」...
It’s a red apple! Let’s practice simple sentences with fruit! 赤いリンゴ！フルーツで簡単な文を練習しましょう！
In this week's video, we learn the names of some delicious and colorful fruit. We also practice using "it's a" and pairing the fruits with their colors! 今週の動画で美味しくてカラフルなフルーツの名前を覚えましょう！「It's a」を使って練習をし、フルーツと色の組み合わせをやってみましょう。 Classroom Tip Before doing this chant, play...
Trivia of the Week: AFK
The Internet can be a useful tool for practicing English (or for English-speakers to practice other languages) but it sometimes has its own jargon. If you are chatting online with an English speaker and they say "AFK" it means they will be "away from keyboard" for a...
Idiom of the Week: Lingua Franca
"I couldn't speak her language and she couldn't speak mine, but we had both studied English in school, so English was our lingua franca." A lingua franca is a third language used to communicate by people who don't speak the same native languages. This is often...
Word of the Week: Creepy
"I don't like spiders. They're creepy." "That abandoned house on the hill is so creepy. I bet it's haunted." Something that's creepy is a little bit scary. It makes you feel scared or just uneasy. 「蜘蛛が嫌い。気持ち悪いよ。」 「あの丘の上の空き家、ちょっぴり怖いよね。お化けがでるんじゃないかな。」 Creepy...
Picture of the Week: Costume
This child is ready to go trick-or-treating in a lion costume! Have you ever dressed up for Halloween? What costume did you wear? Have you worn a costume for something else?...
Phrase of the Week: I’ll Call You Back
"Sorry, I can't talk now. I'll call you back." "Sorry, he isn't here right now. I'll tell him to call you back." If you were unable to talk to someone on the phone, you can try again by calling them back. Or they can call you back. 「ごめん、今は話せない。後で電話するね。」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"Once you have _____ the color scheme, please tell the designers." Fill in the blank. A. determine B. determined C. detriment D. detrimental 「色彩の配合が決まったらデザイナーに伝えてください。」...
It’s a kinkajou! Practice a common phrase with Kinka from Happy Valley! キンカジューだ！ハッピーバレーのキンカと一緒によくあるフレーズを練習しましょう！
"It's a" can be a difficult word combination for young children to master, but it's very common in English. Get some practice with it and have fun at the same time with this week's video! 「It's a」は、小さな子供には難しい単語のコンビネーションですが、英語ではよく使います。今週の動画で楽しみながら練習しましょう！ Classroom Tip...
Trivia of the Week: Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
In America, October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Many dogs (and cats) in both America and Japan (as well as other countries) need homes! Some people prefer to buy a dog because they think a shelter dog must have serious problems. However, many shelter dogs are...
Idiom of the Week: High Time
"You've had a crush on him for a month. It's high time you asked him out!" "We moved into a big house with a yard last year. It's high time we got a dog!" When something should be done very soon, it's "high time" to do that thing. Perhaps it should have been done a...
Word of the Week: Equivalent
"I had to walk two miles to the store." "How far is that?" "Two miles is equivalent to 3.2 kilometers." If something is "equivalent" to something else, the two things are equal. "Equal" might be easier when talking about math, but in more everyday situations,...
Picture of the Week: Flying Fox
The flying fox is not a fox but a bat. Bats are popular around Halloween as many people find them scary. However, this one looks kind of cute. Do you think bats are scary or cute? flying fox...
Phrase of the Week: No Matter What
"I have to win, no matter what!" "Don't worry. I'll be there, no matter what!" Regardless of what may happen, I have to win. I will be there, even if there is a typhoon or an earthquake. This phrase is used to show determination. 「何があろうとも絶対勝たなきゃ！」...
TOEIC Practice Question of the Week
"They say the client is always right, but it's a good thing I was able to persuade him from using his cousin's design." Find the mistake. A. client is always right B. it's a good thing C. persuade him from D. his cousin's design 「客は神様だというけど、彼の従妹のデザインをやめさせることができてよかった。」...
It’s a Circle! Practice Shape and Toy Words with Happy Valley! まるだ！形とおもちゃの単語をハッピーバレーで練習しましょう！
With this week's video, children can learn or review vocabulary about shapes and toys, as well as simple sentences using "it's a". 今週の動画では形とおもちゃの単語、そして「it's a」を使った簡単な文を練習しましょう。 Classroom Tip Before doing this chant, play the It’s a Chant video to warm-up. Then, as you...
Trivia of the Week: Hamstring
A hamstring is one of several tendons that runs up and down in the back of your leg. If it is cut, you won't be able to move your leg normally or walk. Metaphorically, we say someone is "hamstrung" if something completely prevents them from doing a good job at...
Idiom of the Week: Go with the Flow
"I don't like karaoke that much, but everyone else wanted to come so I just went with the flow." If you are in a river with a strong current, you cannot fight it, so you must "go with the flow". It means to go along with what the group wants without resisting....
