The weather is hot here in Toronto! What better way to cool off than a trip to Wild Water Kingdom, a huge water park located just outside Toronto. Students had a great time riding the water slides, floating in the lazy rizer, body surfing in the wave pool and lounging in their tubes. After they were suffieicntly waterlogged, the students enjoyed dancing to the music at the poolside disco.
About 90 minutes away from Toronto lies one of Canada’s most spectacular attractions, Niagara Falls. Our Brazilain and French students had their chance to check it out today. Everyone’s favourite activity was the famous boat cruise that in the Niagara River. Students can enjoy feeling the spray from the thundering water while enjoying the most incredible views. After the boat cruise, students had free time to enjoy the falls on their own, or check out nearby Clifton Hill, a street containing a lot of intersting tourist attractions.
Are we in Europe? No, we’re in Toronto! Casa Loma is Toronto’s grand European style castle and a favourite tourist attraction. Feautiring beautifully manacured grounds, elegant furnishings and mysterious tunnels, Casa Loma is an interesting place to spend an afternoon.
Toronto is Canada’s hub of culture and art. Today, some of our students got to experience that first hand with a trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario. The AGO houses one of Canada’s largest collections of fine art, spanning from 100 A.D. to today.
Yesterday our newest students were officially initiated into Toronto life with a trip to the top of the CN Tower, the city’s most famous landmark. Students enjoyed the 58-second elevator ride, which rocketed students 348m into the air. Then they took in the incredible view of Toronto and the surrounding areas. The sky was so clear that they could see all the way across the border with the USA! For the bravest individuals, the class floor provided a death-defying thrill.
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| Students hard at work testing their grammar skills |
It’s finally time! Our first groups arrived today to kick off another fantastic summer in Toronto at Quest. It promises to be another fantastic summer filled with great fun, exciting adventures and new friends. But first, the students arrive at Quest’s main campus for level testing. First, a short interview to test speaking ability, and then a compuet-based grammar exam. These tests are used to determine the students’ levels so we can place them in the appropriate classes.
Did you know that Canada has 2 official languages? Last weekend, some of our students got to experience the French side of Canada on a trip to Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec city.
First, students visited Canada’s capital, Ottawa, where they could see the Parliament Buildings and have lunch in the famous Byward Market.
Quebec City is a treasure unlike any other in North America. Students were able to take a tour of the historic old city, which is surrounded by walls that historically protected the city from attack. Then they had some free time to take in the sights and culture on their own.
Finally , it was off to beautiful Montreal to explore the Old Port area, followed by some time to go shopping, an activity that Montreal is famous for!
One of the advantages of coming to Canada to study English is being immersed in the culture of a new city. Toronto is a great city with a lot of places to experience. The St. Lawrence Market is one of these places. Established in 1803, the market is a Toronto landmark and community hub that boasts more than 120 vendors selling a wide variety of delicious food items, along with a community art gallery. In April 2012, the St. Lawrence Market was named the world’s best food marked by National Geographic magazine. It was the perfect place for Sharmila’s class to visit on a field trip.
Sharmila created a St. Lawrence Market scavenger hunt for her students that tied in with the grammar they were studying in class. Students worked in groups of 4 to find the things in the stores. They also had to work hard on asking the owners some questions, providing them with practice speaking English in a real-life situation. Not surprisingly, the students had a great morning and the scavenger hunt was a hit! All of the students in Sharmila’s class want to go back to the market.
