Zu3D Launches Studio 3 – Time to Animate!

Tomorrow is the first day of BETT 2012 at London Olympia. For four days technology companies will be promoting and selling their wares to the education sector. This year the show is promising to be full of innovative and inspirational … Continue reading

Advent Book Review 14: The Snowman

One winter morning a little boy named James wakes up to find that everything outside has turned snow-white. Overjoyed, James rushes downstairs and into the garden, where he begins to build a snowman. James sleeps fitfully, and at midnight he … Continue reading

Edspire Festive Forecast: Favourite Festive Family Films!

So the time has come to start watching Christmas movies. I have a small selection of DVDs that I keep tucked away just for this time of year. Mostly I watch them on my own as my husband is not … Continue reading

Edspire Festive Forecast: Christmas Traditions

This Sunday will be the first Sunday of advent, it seems to have come around so fast. Last year Esther and William did not really understand Christmas, nor will they this year, but they will feel the excitement and love … Continue reading

Metal Mummy’s Movie Meme – The 80s

Hello
I am on holiday right now and I am not supposed to be posting but I was just commenting on Metal Mummy’s blog when I decided that this week’s Meme cannot be sat out.

When I saw the chosen topic of 80s movies I immediately thought of The Lost Boys but this has already taken by our hostess so when commenting on the awesomeness of this movie it got me to thinking of two more 80s movies that I loved.

Weren’t 80s movies great? SO many classics now that I begin to think … Short Circuit, Flight of the Navigator, Space Camp, Adventures in Babysitting, Gremlins, The Money Pit, Big, Splash, K9, Heathers … the list goes on and on.

I want to talk about 3 movies though two are linked.

The first is The Goonies starring a very young Sean Astin who of course went on to star as Sam the Brace in Lord of the Rings. The Goonies was a teen adventure movie starring Chunk and Sloth! How can you forgte characters such as these. They are on the hunt for treasure to save their house from being demolished and turned into a country club. A great teen adventure story created by Steven Spielberg. Alongside Sean Astin stars Corey Feldman. I loved Corey Feldman in the 80s, much prefered him to his blonde counterpart Corey Haim. In this comedy adventure he was very funny and so young! Corey Feldman is also of course in The Lost Boys. Such a great movie, see how I can’t stop mentioning it here.

The second and third films that I want to bring to your attention this Meme are Young Guns I and II. What great brat pack movies they were! Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland being the real stars of the show. Kiefer as Doc and Emilio as Billy the Kid, both very funny with a certain sexiness that a good male lead should command, especially in a brat pack film. The second film had the added bonuses of Balthazar Getty and Christian Slater in the cast and a brilliant soundtrack by Jon Bon Jovi who I adored at the time.

“I’m going down in a blaze of glory …”

There are some great lines in the second film too
“Hello Bob … Goodbye Bob”
“Yoo Hoo, gonna make you famous!”

Judge Bristol: ” …and there be hanged by the neck till he be dead, dead, dead. Now, do you have anything to say, young man?”
William H. Bonney: “Yes I do, your Honour. You can go to hell, hell, hell.”

Such great memories of classic movies. They make me miss my wee sis so much as we used to watch these over and over together and how we laughed!! Love you wee sis x

Metal Mummy, thank you for giving us such a great theme. I am off to buy some DVDs for an 80s movie night x

What the hell do you think Leona really puts in that pizza?

This week Hannah has asked us to share our favourite chick flicks for her weekly Movie Meme.

For me it has to be a film that I have mentioned on the blog before, Mystic Pizza.

This 1988 film, set in a pizza restaurant, stars a very young Julia Roberts who is one of my favourite actresses. I love her in My Best Friend’s Wedding which is another great chick flick by the way.

This film is an 80s girly film that I watched with my younger sister. It is a film that I bought again in 2009 to watch during my two week wait when doing IVF. It is a movie about three teenage girls coming of age.

It is a romantic comedy with some very endearing characters that tug at your heart strings.

My favourite character is Kat who is played by Annabeth Gish. In my last post about this film I said that she was also in Space Camp but in fact she isn’t, that is Lea Thompson (oops) but what she is in is The West Wing, where she plays the presidents eldest daughter.

I like Kat because she is the good daughter who falls in love with someone that she shouldn’t. Annabeth plays the part very well and you really feel for her as you know that the relationship she so craves can never work.

The actresses playing the sisters and friend in the movie really work well together and make this film complete.

There was also one memorable line said by a very young, little known actor called Matt Damon!!!

I think this film was a springboard for him and Roberts and Gish who have all gone on to be big stars, but for me this is an honest, heartwarming portrayal of being a teenage girl and trying to please everyone in your life whilst also being true to yourself.

A great feel good movie about being a girl!

Why not hop on over to Metal Mummy’s to share a chick flick of your own?

Meet Joe Black!

This week the theme is Favourite Actors.

For me it has to be Brad Pitt. I think he is wonderful. He is a great actor who can be funny, charming, endearing, odd and always always astoundingly handsome!

One of my all time favourite films is A River Runs Through It, starring Brad at what I think was his most gorgeous.

When Brad and Jennifer Aniston were together I thought they were a fabulous couple and I was so sad that he ended up with Angelia Jolie. A bad day for the girl next door!!

My favourite Brad films include Legends of the Fall where he plays brooding brother Tristan, who is in love with his brother’s wife and 12 Monkeys where he plays weird wonderfully in my opinion.

I love him in the Oceans films looking suave and being cheeky and he makes me laugh in Mr and Mrs Smith.

Sleepers is another of my favourite films and he is fantastic in this. It is an emotional story so very well told by all the actors involved including the lovely Brad.

Meet Joe Black was an easy to watch movie with Brad at his loveliest!

And Fight Club was just fabulous showcasing Pitt as fierce and at his best!

He made me laugh in Snatch and smile in The Mexican. He made me swoon in Troy, a film that I really did enjoy.

I have to say actually that I have enjoyed all of Brad’s films even the dismal Cool World all those years ago.

And who can forget Thelma and Louise? Well actually I can, I have defintiely seen the film but I do not remember that scene!

But I do love a bit of Brad, and he is my favourite actor, followed closely by Mr Depp and Christian Slater. Heathers was a wonderful film!

Who is your favourite actor? Are you willing to share? Hop on over to Metal Mummy to see who takes your fancy?

When I Grow Up

When I was just a little girl,
I asked my mother,
What will I be?
Will I be pretty?
Will I be rich?
Here’s what she said to me …

From an early age I dreamed of being; never being any one set thing but each thing related to words. And now when I think about those childhood ambitions many of them remain the same to this day. I would still like to be an actress, a journalist, an English and Drama teacher. Added now to my list are the White House Press Secretary and my one childhood pipe dream, a professional ice skater, like my childhood heroine Katarina Witt.

So here in more detail are the things I would most like to be when I grow up.

Ice Skater
When I was younger I lived in Germany and I used to love watching ice skating on television. My favourite skater was Katarina Witt. She was a hugely successful skater and was jut gorgeous to watch. I loved her grace, her elegance, her costumes!! I loved watching her colour and creativity and sparkle on the screen. I used to dream of being just like her. In reality when I went ice skating as a child I had to hang on to the sides of the rink so as not to fall over. An ice dancer I was never going to be!

Actress
I tried so hard to make this dream come true. I was in every possible school production, I studied GCSE Drama and A Level Theatre Studies, I joined local drama groups and when we moved to areas that did not have a drama group then from as young as 9 I woud start one. Drama was and is my thing! I would have given anything to be a professional actress. When I was a child I was desperate to join Anna Scher Theatre School. I worshipped her and wrote her letters. I am fairly sure that she replied too. I also went through a phase of wanting to go to The Italia Conti Academy, none of this was possible as by this time we were living in Germany. I wrote to the BBC too and asked if I could be an extra. I also told the BBC about a book I liked that should be made into a TV series and I even offered to play the leading role myself. I was desperate! As I got older I realised that I needed to make the best of my amateur experiences as a professional role was probably not ever going to be mine.

Writer / Journalist
I tried hard to achieve this goal too. I was editor of our class magazine at school as a pupil and also ran the school newspaper as a teacher. At university I wrote short pieces for the TES and had an interview for ATL. In my late teens I had an interview for a job as a local news reader on BFBS Radio in Germany. They were very impressed with me at the interview but I was too young for the role. I loved the interview though, choosing what news needed to be given the highest priority and makng headlones and reading them out over the air. Such a great experience, I would have loved that job! Now as a blogger I am developing my writing skills and I also write articles about Zu3D for my fiance. I would like to write a book one day. I have been writing stories and poems for as long as I can remember. It is something that I find very easy, something that I love to do. Perhaps an educational children’s book will be in the offing one day.

English and Drama Teacher
I am half way to this one already as a primary teacher and literacy subject leader but when my own children go to school I would like to work as a secondary school English teacher. I want to be like Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. That is my dream job. That is the dream I am going to strive to achieve next and I cannot wait!!

White House Press Secretary
This is my fantasy dream job after becoming a little obsessed with The West Wing. I think I could be a good Press Secretary, I would love to give it a try!! I love the patriotism and passion in The West Wing. I am not American but The West Wing makes me want to serve at the pleasure of the President. Of President Bartlett anyway!

So there you have it, what I would be, if I could be, should I ever ever grow up.

Please hop on over to Manana Mama who is hosting this week’s listography to explore other people’s hopes, dreams and fantasies.

Tots 100 Learning Through Play

Zu3D – Learning Through Play in the Early Years

For this month’s Tots 100 Blog Hop I am submitting the post above. It tells how animation and Zu3D software in particular can be used throughout the early years curriculum to encourage and enhance learning through play. Animation can be seen as digital role play for children of all ages and is a great way of using technology with small children. It is easy to do at home as well as at school. It fosters sharing, team work, speaking and listening skills.

This month’s Tots 100 Blog Hop is being sponsored by MEGA Bloks. These kits would make great animation models providing children with characters and props for their stories and even plot ideas.

To find more ideas to help children learn through play, hop on over to Tots 100 to read the other entries in this month’s Blog Hop.

And please don’t forget to read the post I have chosen to submit this month:

Zu3D – Learning Through Play in the Early Years