Hola from Tenerife! Today pupils took part in their first day of school in Tenerife! Everyone was eager to get to school and meet their Spanish peers. First, pupils were given a guided tour of the school, where particular highlights included the school aviary full of beautiful Canarian birds, the climbing wall and the size of their playground. It didn’t take long for pupils to make new friends and were in no way hindered by the language barrier – all pupils made a great effort to talk to and get to know their new Spanish friends, communicating in both Spanish and English. Children enjoyed games together, such as ‘el quemado’ (Spanish dodgeball) and ‘pilla pilla’ (Spanish tag/it) during break time. Later on, pupils took part in collaborative classroom activities where they had to ask questions to learn more about their peers and took turns to present themselves. All the adults were in awe at the courage and confidence pupils showed when speaking in front of others in Spanish! After only our first day at the school, it was clear that pupils had made lasting friendships and were eager to use their Spanish language skills as much as possible. We took a break to enjoy a Spanish lunch of traditional ‘tortilla espanola’ and ‘croquetas’ before saying goodbye for the day. Later in the afternoon, we went to the local park to explore and enjoyed looking at the wonderful variety of exotic plants indigenous to the island and of course, burning off some energy running around in the play park. Before dinner, pupils began their Spanish diaries, documenting and reflecting on the day’s adventures. All in all, a very successful and active day, full of learning and fun!