Hi! Going abroad is a big adventure. We are going to go through some things to help you have a great time with us in York.

Hello parents. Is your child travelling with you or by themselves? Whatever you are planning, knowing your child is safe and happy is the most important thing. We have put this programme together to help kids be as confident as possible. It also covers the things we need them to be able to do! Obviously there is less presure for children travelling with a parent! Whatever your choice, please go through the presentation with your child and get back to us with any questions.

You are going to do something wonderful. You are going to spend time talking in a second language! It is more difficult than using your first language and you will not be able to say as much. Let's look at some of the things we want you to be able to do.

Confidence is the key. Especially for kids travelling alone. Problems are easy to deal with if we find out as early as possible.

If you want something or need something, please ask us. Don't worry about making mistakes. If you don't know the word, try to help us help you! Look at the next few photos, what does the child want?

This list is very short but very important!

Let's see how many you got right. Check your answers on the next page!

There are lots of ways of asking. "Please can I go to the toilet" is the simplest! In the USA they say "bathroom" instead of "toilet". You may have learnt this at school. FUN FACT: In English we would say "He is IN the Toilet" NOT "He is ON the toilet." This is because we are talking about the room and when we are talking about rooms we use IN.

For obvious reasons, this is important! Our lessons are short - 45 minutes. This helps with concentration, but also gives the kids regular chances to have a drink, go to the toilet and get some fresh air.

It is easy to forget to drink enough! We have water fountains in the College and you can have water (only water!) in the classroom.

We have water fountains around the College and we sell water in the café. It is a good idea to bring a water bottle. We allow water bottles in class.

You will have breakfast, a packed lunch and an evening meal. It is important to eat breakfast! You can also buy chocolate and snacks from the café.

Learning is fun but hard work and you will be tired at the end of the day. There is nothing wrong with going to bed earlier than at home. If you are sharing a room, you do not have to go to bed at the same time.

You will feel lots of different things, some good, some not so good. Can you guess what the child is feeling?

I am unhappy - I have a stomach ache - I have a headache -

Lots of kids are embarrassed by homesickness, but it is perfectly normal. We are always ready to listen. It is difficult to talk about feeling ill in another language, but we can get the idea with a few words and gestures. For daughters, there will be things they would prefer to say to a woman. All our female staff are ready to listen and we keep supplies of sanitary products in the office.

Do you know the word 'embarrassing'? We use it for things you do not want others to know. Here are two things to remember. 1. A lot of kids are embarrassed about the same things - and we have worked with a lot of kids! 2. If we know something, we can help you - it doesn't mean we will tell anyone else.

Being with new friends can mean worrying about telling new people about things. This can be stressful and we are here to help.

Being away from home is strange. If you have a bit of home with you, it is much easier. Favourite clothes and favourite things will help you to feel happy.

As kids get older, an added pressure is "fitting in", but bits of home are a good way to prevent homesickness!

So you like cabbage? Do you like fish? All of us have things we like and don't like. Be ready to tell us. It is always good to be able to talk about things you like as well. I don't like cabbage, but I do like carrots!"

Lots of kids are "fussy" or "picky" eaters. Lots of kids will try anything. Being able to talk about likes and dislikes is important, especially if staying in homestay. It is also important to remember that some things will be different in the UK.

If you find something difficult - please tell us. If you are confused - please tell us. If something makes you unhappy - please tell us. We are here to help!

Let us know if you know! Take part. Tell us what you think!

There are lots of words in English. You do not need to know all of them! There are some groups of words that it is very useful to know.

How many colours can you see? Can you say the names in English?

If something hurts and you do not know the word, you can always point!

It rains in England - bring a coat! We do a lot of walking - bring some comfortable shoes!

Believe it or not, these are the two things kids most often forget! If you are coming, too, and staying in the Guest House, then it is easy to solve. For kids on their own, they need to remember that sunshine at breakfast time does not guarantee sunshine at lunchtime.

People ask you to do lots of things. Most of them are quite simple: come here, go over there, stand up, sit down, listen, stop talking.

Learning goes on all the time, learning is fun! (OK sometimes it is difficult and it can be hard work but we will try to make it fun!)

I am sure you have lots of questions! Ask Mum or Dad to send us an email or join them in one of the Zoom calls

We have a more condensed version of this information, written in more formal language, on our website. We have regular parents Zoom meetings before our courses and the kids are welcome to attend. If there is something you want to discuss in private, then we can also arrange a private Zoom call. For all of our courses, we have a parents' WhatsApp Group. We will use it to keep you informed and share photos, but is also a great way for you to contact other parents and, quite often, this means the kids can meet up with other kids at the airport

I am sure you are going to have a great time!