Thursday, January 29, 2009

Houston Superbowl Weather/Groundhog Day Events

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Much improved weather across the U.S. but that doesn't help the poor folks without power...we're talking outages that may as long as 2 weeks, and the poor people are also dealing with the cold! Highs on Friday will be from the 20s to 40s in the hardest hit areas--Arkansas and Kentucky. Highs will be in teens 20s across the Great Lakes and northeast. There will be snow in many of these locations--especially close to the lakes. There will be rain in the Pacific Northwest and Montana with highs in the 40s. There will be very pleasant weather across the southern tier of states with highs in the 50s to 70s.

Houston will start out in the middle 30s (freezing temperatures for outlying locations). Highs will be in the 60s. Expect a similar day on Friday although slightly warmer with highs near 70. Next cold front arrives Sunday, bringing with it some showers--getting the Superbowl cooking out done early or have a rain backup plan. Monday will be cool and windy.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do wind or viento, pronounced vee-ehn-TOW. There will be plenty of viento on Monday.

When I spoke to children at St. Laurence Weekday Children's Program last Friday, I had Paco (the rooster) teach them Spanish words. Then I had them repeat it. Now, keep in mind these are preschool children. Well they repeated the words back with perfect pronunciation. And well guess what? That is what the research shows. Exposure to language at an early age results in accurate pronunciation. And it is almost impossible for an adult to develop the correct pronunciation of new languages. The wiring of the adult brain just does not allow for the oral motor skills needed to develop new ways to make sounds.

So, let them hear our accurate pronunciation. Our DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, has correct pronunciation and has been recognized as a top educational product by Dr. Toy and Homeschool.com. Order it today from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
We are really getting excited about the Groundhog Day gala Monday evening (Groundhog Day) at the Houston Zoo. Because it will chilly and windy, the event will probably be held in their Education Center. I'm glad, because woman's dress up clothes aren't exactly warm.

If you want information about the gala (there are still seats available), here is the link:
http://www.wxresearch.org/

There will be all kinds of local celebrities there including Mayor Bill White and Judge Ed Emmett. And of course, yours truly will be there and I know you don't want to miss that.

Also, don't forget that in the morning, there is a free Groundhog Day event at the museum itself (located in the heart of the Houston museum district). It is a really fun time for the youngsters.

Happy Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman