Ha! Innovative learning methods there Nicky. My earliest recollections are also from primary school (1962 onwards! - ahem). I remember Welsh words on card stuck to surfaces and items, e.g. drws, cwpwrdd, bwrdd-du etc. How strange that I can still see them all these years later.
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I remember seeing the Welcome to Wales signs and the signs for motorway services, as we drove over the bridge on the the way to St Athan, in the early 70s.
I was 11 yrs old and about to start secondary school after the summer holidays.
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Iâm with Huw. Just after crossing the Severn going on holiday to Bryncrug (ger Tywyn, Sir Meirionnydd). I thought Iâd have a go at saying Cymru. And it was obviously pronounced âKimrooâ. Most embarrassing moment of my life so far. Iâm not sure if I want to top thatâŚ
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15 years ago. Me and my Dad in the car waiting to cross the Severn Bridge:
Dad: Oh look, bilingual signs!
(puts on âWelshâ accent)
Man-Ned Toll âŚbeautiful!
Me: Manned toll booth. Pretty sure thatâs English, Dad.
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Being born and bred in Doncaster (of Welsh stock) I used to walk past a building on my way to school which had a sign outside saying âEglwys Cymraeg yr Annibynwyrâ (if my memory serves me correctly - this was 50 years ago). I was fascinated to think that there were people in Yorkshire who spoke Welsh.
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Annibynwyr as you probably know literally means âIndependentsâ, although dictionaries render it as âCongregationalistsâ.
I thought they were a section of independent Methodists, but Iâm no expert, except that I believe there used to be quite a number of different sections of non-conformist Protestantism in Wales.
My Father-in-Law used to say: âThey take their religion very seriously in Walesâ. He was talking of an earlier generation though. I gather that many chapels have closed and are still closing, which although I am not a believer myself, I find rather sad.
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He was right, Mike. Wales used to be one of the most Christian countries in Europe. Now itâs probably one of the most heathen. The decline was co-terminous with the destruction of the Welsh language. Although the language is now undergoing a revival and resurgence, it is unlikely that people will suddenly regain their faith. Sad, I agree.
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The first words I saw in Welsh were place names on signs. I was visiting friends in Wales as a student and they delighted in asking me as we were driving along - What was that place we just passed? - then falling about laughing when I replied - Er, something that started with some Lâs and then had some more Lâs and maybe finished with some Lâs 
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Road signs on holiday - Llwybr Cyhoeddus, Cyfleusterau, and place names 
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Living on the border I crossed it several times a day going to primary school on the bus and was always thrilled by the Welcome to Wales sign in Llanymynech a village in which the border runs through. Pubs in Wales didnt open on Sundays in those days and a pub in the village had a sign outside saying âLast pub in England open on Sundayâ to warn those who wanted a drink on their journey (no breathalizers in those days!). The border ran through pub so one part was allowed to be open the other not, dont know how this was policed?
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However, Iâm pleased to say that Iâm not so sure about that.
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Itâs difficult to say what the first thing I saw in Welsh was because long before I moved to live in Wales, my family had been coming on holiday to north Wales since I was a few months old. I no doubt saw signs and definitely noticed the place names.
However, when I was at junior school I remember noticing the sign board outside the Welsh chapel that was at the other end of the road where I lived in Manchester. I was particularly taken with the fact that Welsh was found outside Wales.
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Huw Edwards has written an interesting history of the Welsh Chapels in London.
(âCity Mission: The Story of Londonâs Welsh Chapelsâ)
I donât own it, but borrowed it from the library.
I think at the time of writing, only one or two were still actually open and active as chapels.