C'est l'automne!!

With Fall beginning this week, here is a lot of French resources for preschooler to do at home or at school. I highly recommend the site La Maternelle de Moustache - under the letter "P", look for "Pomme".  Great ideas for crafts, early writting, games etc.  DLTK's autumn page has some really great ideas for crafts and they let you customize your own Bingo and Domino cards!  Also check out this website for great math and language exercises for the little ones.  A La Tete a Modeler and the Ecole Pratique websites has also some great ideas and materials to download and print.  First School website has lots of activities too.  Links to French websites with fall activities can be find on the Pomverte website.  I have created my own bingo games full of fall things.  If anyone is interested in seeing them, please let me know and I can post them online for you to download them.  I created a 2 x 2 bingo for the little ones and a 3 x 3 bingo card for the older kids.

Come play with Caillou in French!

Viens jouer avec Caillou!  The Caillou website has a great selection of online games and activities.

YouTube has also a good selection of Caillou episodes.  See below.
 

Great website with words to French songs, activities etc!

This website is full of great ideas for the new school year!  You can print an alphabet poster, weekly calendar, book name tags etc, all in French.  Website is full of great French song (words are provided).  For a full list of activities for the new school year, click here.  For a list of songs, specifically "rondes", click here.

Check out Momes's blog too here!

Interesting NYTimes article about raising bilingual children

Looking for Baby Sitters: Foreign Language a Must - "[...] bilingual children do better at complex tasks like isolating information presented in confusing ways.  [...] Bilingual children are faster at identifying what color the word is written in, a fact researchers attribute to a more developed prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for executive decision-making, like which language to use with certain people)".  Interesting article (click here).  I am not sure I would agree with all of the article, especially when it comes to "bilingualism tended to suppress verbal and reading comprehension test scores".  I think we are giving our children a gift to be able to learn more than one language at such an early age.  Not only are we forming their ears to different language sounds but also opening their environment to other cultures, which will have lifelong benefits!  And I guess if learning more than one language helps them with nonlinguistic abilities like science and math, I guess it's a plus!  

Tumblebooks - eBooks in French for kids!

Tumblebooks is an online library of animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading.  Tumblebooks are created by taking existing picture books, adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.  Interactive puzzles and games, audiobooks, as well as titles in Spanish, French and other languages are available online.  Click here to view book titles in French.

"Learning French In and Around the Garden" series from BabyBilingual Blog

Please check these great hands-on activities you can do to help your kids learn French posted by the author of Baby Bilingual Blog.  The author has put together a series of activities.
Part I: Music, rhythm, and rhyme
Part II: Art and drama activities
Part III: Literacy activities
Part IV: Kinesthetic Activities

This is a great kid magazine for ages 1 to 3 years old.  I personally think it is best for children 2 to 4 years old who are learning French at home. Each issue, conceived around a central theme, reflects toddlers emotions and accompanies their explorations of the world around them.  The magazine tells stories of everyday life using funny cartoons, stories, games etc.  A little "Petit Ours Brun" booklet comes with it.  You can order the magazine online on either POPI website, UNI-Presse or Amazon.com.  If you know of other great places to order the magazine, please comment below.  The POPI website currently has a special if you subscribe for a year.  

Love this book collection: Belles Histoires des tout-petits

My son loves this collection!  Great for ages 2 & up.  Highly recommend all of these.  My son's favorite is "Qui veut un bisou?" and "En Avant, Petit Train!".  Many of these can be purchased on FrenchBooksOnline, Amazon and FNAC.com.

French Language Activities

Great preschool and kindergarden fun kid activities in French at Enchanted Learning.  They have coloring book activities, dictionaries and crafts along with materials on animals, clothes, season/weather, shapes, vehicles, numbers, musical instruments and much more.  Great resource for teachers and parents teaching children French!

Little Pim is an affordable, fun and convenient way to expose children to foreign languages.  Their website states that it is for ages 0-5 years old.  Several moms that I know have used it at home and have loved it!  The reviews are really good.  You can order DVDs and materials on the Little Pim website, Toysrus and Amazon websites.

Great French website for crafts, kids activities etc

Here are some great curricula links filled with lots of fun French preschool activities for kids:

• Enchanted Learning offers a French theme page
• Tête à Modeler offers activities, color printables, craft ideas for children of all ages
• Le Monde de Victor offers games and activities for children of preschool age
• La Maternelle de Moustache offers preschool resources
• Matern'ailes offers preschool activities for children 
• Des Albums en Maternelle offers activities for children, includes activities based on popular books by Eric Carle
• L'école de Sylviane offers activities for older children (4 years & up) 

If you know of others, feel free to suggest and list them below!

Elsie Withlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School offers French-English Immersion Programs

The Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School prepares 320 culturally diverse elementary school students in the District of Columbia to be leaders, scholars and responsible citizens who are committed to social justice. Stokes teaches children to think, speak, read, write and learn in two languages: English and French or English and Spanish. With a dual focus on academic excellence and community service, the Stokes School accomplishes its mission by creating an environment of achievement, respect and non-violence.  

Happy Bastille Day!

In celebration of the French national holiday, Bastille Day, cities across the US, including Washington D.C. New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, will be hosting festivities mid-July with music, dancing and other entertainment.  Check out the French Culture event website.

Great children's website!

This site has online games, videos, activities for kids (0-7 years old), stories and science explanations all in French. Check out Tiji website. Videos include T'choupi, Oui-Oui, Franklin and much more. Check out their some of their videos here.

French Festival at Hillwood Museum in July

The French festival at Hillwood Museum will be held on Saturday July 10th, 10am-7pm & Sunday July 11th, 1-5pm.  

Be taken back 300 years to a time when ladies curtsied, men bowed, and courtship came alive in outdoor garden settings. Courtly, country dances were in style and "silent languages" abounded between friends and flirtatious lovers with a mere flick of a fan or handkerchief. Children and adults alike cannot help but enjoy the lively theatrics presented by the New York Baroque Dance Company and Concert Royal as they engage guests in music, dance, and fanciful history. Other activities include: Gallery talks about the French collection "Kings, Queens, & Soup Tureens" audio tour Garden talks in the French Parterre Traditional games, including jacks and a hooptossing game called The Game of Graces. Art Project–decorate your own miniature French furniture. $18 Public, $12 Hillwood and Alliance Francaise Members, $7 College Students, $5 Children 6-18. No program fee is required for children under 6.