by Beth -

How do you say Superhero in French ?

Language learning is always fun when linked to a child’s favourite subject. And we all love a Superhero!

My son asked me recently how to say Superhero in French. I explained that the French use the word Superhero, which is an English word. He wanted to know why they use an English word and if that meant there were not any French Superheroes. This was an opportunity for me to explain that language describes the world we live in and English-speakers (usually American-English!) created many of the heroes that we know today. I could have talked about the all-invading influence of the American comic book culture but he is only 6 … Instead we discussed our favourites: Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Hulk, Captain America, Wonder woman, etc. And why we liked them.

My son wanted a French Superhero. So we created one!

Engaging children in language learning with one of their favourite themes can be fun for all involved. The Superhero theme is a great opportunity to learn some new vocabulary. This activity comes from macocobox (a cool French activity subscription box for children between ages 3 to 7 but my 8 year-old loves it too…)

Macocobox

This is such an easy activity. You just need a big piece of paper (large enough for your child to lie on) some colouring pens and something that you can use to then stick the Superhero to a wall or a door, once it’s created. The child lies flat on the paper and strikes a Superhero pose, an adult draws round the child to create a silhouette and the child then creates their own hero by adding clothes, features with some coloured pens, etc. Easy.

French superhero

 

Is it a bird « oiseux »? Is it a plane « avion » ? No, it’s a French Superhero !

Have fun finding the words to describe your hero in both languages depending on the age of your child and their language level. For younger children, the vocabulary could focus on the body parts and colours: his arm is blue, her jacket is black … For the older child the vocabulary can be more sophisticated and focus on the different super powers of the Superhero that the child is creating. He can see through walls, she can fly ….

So what are you waiting for: up, up and away!

Originally posted 2015-03-19 07:00:57.

by Beth -

French Books for kids. Why Not try French Comic Books?

English children learning French at school are often encouraged to read French books. 

Reading can enhance a child’s knowledge of a foreign language and increase his or her confidence. However finding the right French book for an older child can be challenging. Books with very easy vocabulary are too childish and books with more grown-up themes are too difficult. For the 9 + year old, the ideal solution is comic books or BD (pronounced bay-day for bandes dessinées) as they are known in French.

There are two characters in particular that I would recommend for the 9+ age group. Most French households have at least one of these comics books on their bookshelf: Ariol and Tintin.

The French take their comic books very seriously

Many French comic books involve ‘everyday’ heroes such as Ariol. Ariol is an ordinary blue donkey. He lives in the suburbs. His best friend is a pig. His teacher is a dog and he is in love with a cow in his class. Ariol appeals to young and old alike. The sentences are short and the story is easy to follow. The vocabulary may not be easy for an nine year-old who has not yet much grasp of the French language but an older child who has been learning for a couple of years should be able to follow. The advantage of reading comics is that the pictures tell the story. Encourage your child to use his imagination by talking about what is happening. It is not necessary to understand every word.

Bayard press edits the Ariol series. This French book is written by Emmanuel Guibert and illustrated by Marc Boutavant. The official website in French is very easy to navigate and some of the stories are available online for free. Ariol can also be found in English and is very popular in America.

Tintin is another French book that I would highly recommend

For the 9+ child who is learning French, a Tintin album is one of the best “BD” you can find. Many people argue that it is the best graphic novel ever drawn. Undoutably Tintin has universal appeal; he and his little white dog Snowy (Milou in French) are immediately recognizable. Note: the writer-artist Herge was not actually French. He came from Belgium. The vocabulary is quite sophisticated but the illustrations are very popular with children of all ages.

Create your own comic book

Another way to learn French vocabulary is to create your own French comic book. The English book “Adventures in Cartooning” is a comic that tells the story of an elf who teaches a child how to draw cartoons. It explains the basics of layout, dialogue and doodling and is fun and easy to read for the 9+ age group. It might be the inspiration your child is looking for to write his or her own comic adventure in French.

Finding the right French books for the older child studying French as a foreign language, can be challenging. Reading a French comic book is a happy compromise and will enable your child to increase his or her vocabulary without it feeling like a tedious exercise.

Have you read any French books lately that you would recommend for the 9+ age-group?

Originally posted 2015-03-17 07:00:21.

by Adeline -

Jardiner, Un Jeu D’Enfant !!!

Aujourd’hui on va tous jardiner, un vrai jeu d’enfant !!!

Depuis le début du mois nous préparons l’arrivée du printemps en nous tournant vers la nature, d’abord avec les livres puis avec quelques jeux pour découvrir la faune et la flore.

Loustic aime se salir et patouiller dans la terre, alors descendre au jardin a toujours été pour lui un vrai plaisir. Désormais plus de jardin pour nous, mais nous ne perdrons pas le plaisir de jardiner pour autant, nous allons voir qu’il suffit de peu pour jardiner avec ou sans jardin.

Jardiner, un jeu d’enfant épanouissant.

Descendre au jardin et mettre les main dans la terre et se salir, quel intérêt pour l’enfant me diriez vous. Et bien jardiner est bien plus qu’un jeu d’enfant, c’est l’occasion de nombreux apprentissages. Au jardin, l’enfant observe et découvre la faune et la flore qui l’entoure. Jardiner est aussi un moment de partage et de plaisir pour tous, il y a ici une transmission du savoir et un partage entre les générations. Par les plantes, la terre, ou autre, ce jeu d’enfant développe les sens comme le toucher, l’odorat ou encore le gout au moment de la récolte. Jardiner est l’occasion pour l’enfant de découvrir les noms des plantes ou des insectes aussi, il peut aussi découvrir de nouveaux légumes et participer au jardin peut aussi lui donner l’envie de gouter des choses pour lui inconnues.

Comment jardiner avec les enfants?

Pour le jardinage comme pour tout autre activité il faut s’adapter à l’age de l’enfant.

Pour les plus jeunes le jardin est d’abord une découverte par les sens, on ne peut par parler de jardinage à proprement parler mais l’enfant prendra plaisir a toucher et malaxer la terre, à la mouiller.

Dés 2 ans il sera heureux de semer ces premiers radis, et en fera un jeu d’enfant quotidien en les arrosant et ensuite en faisant sa première récolte.

De 2 à 5 ans, les enfants sont impatients alors orientez vous vers des cultures qui ne demandent pas trop de temps. Chez nous, nous avons privilégier les radis qui mettent 2semaines à produire c’est déjà bien assez long, vous pouvez aussi choisir, les fraises qui plaisent beaucoup ou encore les salades ou les tomates cerises. Adapter vos cultures à l’age de l’enfant et aussi à la place dont vous disposez.

A partir de 5 ans les enfants commencent à mieux comprendre les saisons et ont une meilleure approche du temps ce qui permet de varier les plantations et lui faire découvrir différents types de légumes.

Si vous n’avez pas de jardin, vous pouvez très bien faire un petit potager sur le balcon avec une simple jardinière ou à l’aide de kits tout prêt, l’enfant sera tout aussi content

Une tête à pousser, un jeu d’enfant aux couleurs du jardin.

Alors on l’a vu, jardiner est un jeu d’enfant très épanouissant et qui procure beaucoup de plaisir. Toujours tournée vers la nature et les couleurs du jardin j’ai pu voir souvent une jolie activité qui consiste à faire pousser de l’herbe sur la tête d’un bonhomme. On retrouve dans ce jeu d’enfant tous les bienfait du jardinage avec une autre dimension ludique. Vous pouvez simplement acheter le bonhomme en magasin de jardinage ou aussi le faire vous même (quelques idées trouvées sur pinterest) ce qui faire une belle activité manuelle avec votre enfant et l’amusera surement beaucoup.

Le jardin est donc une belle activité qui offre aux enfants de belles découvertes. Notre loustic adorait descendre au jardin et depuis peu s’intéresse aux légumes, il a été ravi de planter ces premiers radis et je pense prendra bientot plaisir avec une jolie tête à pousser. Le jardinage peut donc être un jeu d’enfant adapté à tout age et qui évolue avec l’enfant.

Alors jardiner… vraiment un jeu d’enfant ? 

Originally posted 2015-03-16 10:00:39.

by Beth -

French books For Young Learners Ages 2 to 6

I am often asked to recommend French books for young learners. The choice of book for a monolingual child, learning a foreign language, is not quite the same as for a bilingual child.

The challenge in both cases is finding a book with the right level of interest and vocabulary.

The golden rules still apply for this age group:

  • Simple text,
  • Repetition,
  • An interactive activity
  • Attractive pictures

One of my favourite bilingual books is Quentin Blake’s Ten frogs. This is a perfect introduction to French words for English-speaking children (and their parents!) Blake is one of Britain’s best-loved book illustrators and this fun book encourages children to practice counting and naming everyday animals in English and French. Younger children, who cannot read, can have fun looking at the pictures and making the animal sounds while the parent counts. The French words are very simple for an English monolingual parent. This book can be enjoyed from birth until about 6 years old. The publisher is Pavilion.

Range ta chambre !

Another firm favourite for young learners of French is Range ta chambre by Xavier Salomo. This charming French book can be read often by smaller and not so small children (my eight year old loves it!) It is a sweet story about a boy called François who needs to tidy his room. The narrative is one that any child (and parent!) can easily relate to. We follow François throughout a typical week when he is asked to tidy certain objects in his room. These different objects are highlighted and an English-speaking parent with basic French would find reading these words easy. The child hears the word and looks for the objects in the corresponding picture.

This book helps the English-speaking child associate the visual object with the French word. As the week progresses, the room gets more and more untidy and there are more and more objects to find. By Saturday, we see that the parent asking François to tidy his room is “dad” and the room is so untidy that dad offers to help his son. Chaos ensues! The story ends with dad and son enjoying an affectionate moment and on Sunday there is a picture of a very tidy room. So a happy ending!

For a native French reader, the story is very appealing. The fact that it is ‘dad’ who tidies up, moves away from the stereotype of mum as the one who is always tidying rooms. Research shows that dads don’t read often enough to their children and that it is particularly important that dad does read, especially for young boy readers. Research also shows that dads don’t want to read books, which feature mums! The story doesn’t require a high level of French for a non-native speaker. It is recommended for two years upwards and is published by Seuil Jeunesse.

Do you know or appreciate other French books ? 

Originally posted 2015-03-10 07:00:30.

by coralie -

La Box d’Avril

Nouveau ! Maintenant dans toutes les Box de Pandore, retrouvez en supplément l’Atelier de Pandore ! Activités, recettes, jeux tout y est pour passer d’agréables moments avec Pandore. Bien sûr nous n’oublions pas notre sélection de livres jeunesses ;)Vous pouvez commander la Box de Pandore et ainsi être inscrit d’office pour participer