Foreign Language Fun » Coloring Pages

Guest Post: Multilingual from an Early Age

Diane — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:57:06 +0000

Guest post from Trotters Childrenswear. Trotters are a UK kids clothing retailer, providing quality classic children’s clothing through their 5 UK stores and online.

Living in London means we are surrounded by a beautiful mix of different cultures and languages, which makes it a very exciting and interesting place if you are a child growing up. How wonderful to be exposed to these differences from such an early age and learn about the way different people live in different cultures. Children are very perceptive to colour and so learning about new cultures and traditions is fascinating for them; new foods, sounds, clothes, styles and traditions as well as language keep them engaged and wanting to learn more.

Some schools start teaching a new language from a very early age, and even nursery schools have started to teach the basics of a different language, usually French. With the emphasis on fun games and simple songs the children learn quickly and in a relaxed environment. My child’s school organises a French day every year, where the children and teachers dress up in either traditional French dress or red, white and blue clothing. The children are encouraged to say good morning in French to their teachers, the songs in assembly are sung in French and they are served a traditional French meal at lunch time. The sounds of kids voices saying “bonjour” and “au revoir” continue long after school has ended!

We notice in our stores the number of children who are multi-lingual, either because one parent is from outside the UK or both are. What amazing children to be able to quickly learn both their native language and the language of the country they live in! Children are like sponges when they are young, soaking up every piece of information and making sense of it. If only we learnt so quickly as adults – I have been trying to learn Italian for years without luck, my son has been attending Italian Club at school for 30 minutes a week since January and he already knows more than me!

Whether your child’s school offers lessons in a different language from an early age or not, there is nothing to stop you teaching your child a few basic words to start their multi-lingual language development. With lots of help online and children’s TV characters such as Handy Manny and Dora the Explorer, learning a new language can be so much fun. To help you and your kids get started, we have created a picture of our famous Dunwoody character from our stores, for you to download and print for your children to colour in. The picture has a greeting in 5 different languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. Happy colouring!

Mexican Poinsettia Legend: Children’s Book and Free Coloring Page in Spanish

Diane — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 18:57:39 +0000

Discover a charming Mexican legend in The Miracle of the First Poinsettia: A Mexican Christmas Story. It is written by Joanne Oppenheim and beautifully illustrated by Fabian Negrin. This lovely, cultural Christmas story is available in both English and Spanish . . . El milagro de la primera flor de Nochebuena.

Even in the English version, readers will be introduced to a variety of Spanish expressions that are expertly woven throughout the text. Here are a few of the Spanish words your children will encounter:

Noche Buena – Christmas Eve

Feliz Navidad – Merry Christmas

¿Cuánto? – How much?

gracias – thank you

galletas – cookies

¡Qué hermosa! – How beautiful!

¡Qué linda! – How pretty!

Readers will also learn about mariachi bands, pesos, tortillas, piñatas, and the Christmas celebrations known as posadas.

This book is ideal for reading at home, in the classroom, or to give as a gift ( . . . with a poinsettia, of course!)

Here are some free online craft and coloring resources to accompany the book:

Flor de Noche Buena coloring sheet
Poinsettia Fan Craft and lesson ideas from www.first-school.ws
Paper Poinsettia Craft from www.creativekidsathome.com
Poinsettia Paper Plate Craft from www.dltk-holidays.com

The Miracle of the First Poinsettia is published by Barefoot Books

French Coloring Pages and Coloring Books

Diane — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:41:15 +0000

Looking for some French-themed resources to color? Check these out! Some are free printables available online, others are coloring books for purchase. (Many are so reasonably priced, it would be possible to provide copies for a class of students!)

Teacher Planet France Day Resource Page

Coloring Pages Featuring Paris, France

Mona Lisa Coloring Page from About.com

Ratatouille Coloring Pages from Coloring-Book.info

Madeline Coloring Pages from Coloringbookfun.com

Let’s Learn French Coloring Book (Let’s Learn Coloring Books)

Color Your Own Impressionist Paintings (Dover Pictorial Archives)

Impressionist Art Masterpieces to Color: 60 Great Paintings from Renoir to Gauguin

The Impressionists Coloring Book

Art Nouveau Windows Stained Glass Coloring Book

Start Exploring Architecture: A Fact-Filled Coloring Book (a fair number of monuments from France, but not exclusively)

Image credit: clipart.com

Little Pim: Foreign Language DVD’s for Kids

Diane — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:04:19 +0000

I’ve recently become a fan of the award-winning Little Pim language learning dvd’s for children. They are cute, eye-catching, and age-appropriate for the littlest language learners. The short segments are just right for holding my 4 year old’s attention. He repeated some words in Spanish with no prompting, and then he asked to watch the dvd again. Yay!

The web site contains some free little gems, too: coloring pages, other printables, and my favorite–the Talking Coloring Book. Check out this video by Little Pim’s creator, Julia Pimsleur Levine:

Little Pim DVD’s are available in these languages:

Introduce your baby, toddler, or preschooler to another language with Little Pim!

Free French and Spanish Mother’s Day Coloring Pages

Diane — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:12:56 +0000

Children will enjoy teaching Mommy colors in French or Spanish with these cute Mother’s Day flower coloring pages. Yours free from Foreign Language House.

French Mother’s Day Coloring

Spanish Mother’s Day Coloring

Here are some useful color vocabulary words and holiday phrases to make this fun activity a learning activity. (English-French-Spanish)

Happy Mother’s Day – Joyeuse Fête des Mères - Feliz Día de la Madre

orange – orange – anaranjado

purple – violet – morado

yellow – jaune – amarillo

pink – rose – rosado

blue – bleu – azul

Be sure to check out our other Mother’s Day downloads that are perfect for use in elementary, middle, and even high school classrooms:

French Mother’s Day Card

Spanish Mother’s Day Card

Happy Mother’s Day

Image Source: by Capgros at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1178085

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Free French and Spanish Earth Day Coloring Sheets

Diane — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:28:20 +0000

Teach about the planet Earth on April 22, Earth Day. Foreign Language House is happy to offer free coloring sheets for young learners.

Free French Earth Day Coloring Sheet

Free Spanish Earth Day Coloring Sheet

Here are some useful vocabulary words for teaching about the Earth in English-French-Spanish:

Earth – la Terre – la Tierra

globe – le globe – el globo

planet – la planète – el planeta

land – la terre – la tierra

water – l’eau – el agua

sky – le ciel – el cielo

blue – bleu – azul

green – vert – verde

brown – brun/marron - café

Earth Day – le Jour de la Terre - el Día de la Tierra

I cannot imagine teaching without my inflatable globe ball. It’s perfect for rolling, tossing, identifying land, water, continents, countries, cities, and more. If you know of some great globe games, I’d love to hear from you!

Catherine at Speakspanisheveryday.com has some great Spanish Earth Day posts here and here. And for more Earth Day materials, check out these downloads:

FRENCH:

French Songs and Chants for Earth Day

French Earth Day Vocabulary Matching Worksheet (secondary level)

French Earth Day/Environment Signs

SPANISH:

Spanish Songs and Chants for Earth Day

Spanish Earth Day Vocabulary Matching (secondary level)

Spanish Environmental Earth Day Signs

Happy Earth Day!

Image Credit: by Jan Kratena at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1155572

Easter Worksheets and Activities for French and Spanish Class

Diane — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:05:16 +0000

Easter is right around the corner. Use this springtime theme to get your French and Spanish learners hopping . . . and talking! Here are some materials and ideas to use both at school and at home:

Spanish and French Easter Worksheets:

Easter Egg Games: Fill and hide plastic Easter eggs for a variety of fun activities. The eggs can contain candy, vocabulary words/pictures, questions, clues . . . the sky’s the limit! Find matches, play relay games, and go on scavenger hunts. Check out this article for more ideas.

Jelly Bean Math: Count, sort, graph, measure, estimate, add, subtract, multiply, and (of course!) eat some jelly beans.

Make an Easter Bunny Lunch: Turn lunchtime into language time by munching healthy rabbit food with your child. Check out this article and make a salad “anybunny” would love. Teach your child how to say favorite salad foods in French or Spanish, such as:

lettuce – la laitue – la lechuga
tomato – la tomate – el tomate
radish – le radis – el rabanito
pepper – le poivron – el pimiento
carrot – la carotte – la zanahoria

To mix the salad, instruct your little language learner to put all of the ingredients in a ziplock bag, then then jump like a bunny! Saute! Salta!

Word Searches: Find FREE French and Spanish Printable Easter Word Searches at Kaboose.com

Coloring Pages: Check out these free French and Spanish printable coloring pages:

Free French Coloring Pages from Tete a Modeler

Dora’s Easter Coloring Book from Nickjr.com

Cultural Crafts: Easter is an important holiday in the French and Hispanic world. In France, all of the church bells fly away to Rome on Good Friday. On Easter Sunday, the French bells joyously return, dropping chocolates for children on the way. Make this simple French church bell craft to fill with goodies. For a fun and festive Mexican Easter craft, why not make your own cascarones, or confetti eggs? Kids will have a blast both making and breaking them!

Finally, here are some French and Spanish Easter children’s book recommendations from Amazon.com

Joyeuses Pâques!

Feliz Pascua!

Photo Credit: by Robert Gyopos at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1143399

French April Fools’ Day Custom: Le Poisson d’Avril

Diane — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:50:39 +0000

Did you know that we have the French to thank for the fun custom of April Fools’ Day? It all started back in the 16th century, when King Charles IX adopted the new Gregorian Calendar and New Year’s Day shifted from April 1 to January 1. The first April Fool pranks involved tricking or making fun of the people who forgot the new date. Happy New Year . . . not! (I’m fairly certain I would have been one of those fools who just couldn’t remember the change.)

To this day, the French continue to be up to something “fishy” on April 1. The lighthearted celebration is known as le poisson d’avril, or April Fish Day. Why fish? No one really knows. It could have something to do with the zodiacal sign of Pisces. It just is what it is: a day to tape paper fish onto the backs of the unsuspecting. Juvenile? Maybe . . . but it’s FUN and harmless (no “kick me!” signs SVP.)

I’ve gathered some online resources to help you celebrate an authentic French April Fool’s Day with your kids:

Here’s my classroom packet of activities, games, worksheets, and printables that you can purchase at TeachersPayTeachers.com. Le Poisson d’Avril: April Fool’s Day Activities for Novice-Level French Learners

Print colorful poissons d’avril at Tomlitoo

Make a tricky “pop-open” fish at Bonjour les enfants

Find a variety of poisson d’avril crafts and coloring pages at Tête à Modeler

Learn a poisson d’avril French rhyme at Momes and a song at Chansons Nettes

Send a free French poisson d’avril e-card at CyberCartes

Here’s the fish my kindergartener made for tomorrow. I suspect I’ll be wearing it

Image Credit: Public Domain from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cartes_postales_poissons_d%27avril.jpg

Celebrate Crepe Day: la Chandeleur

Diane — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:14:13 +0000

As I was preparing lessons this weekend, I decided to surprise my high school students with a crepe-making day Monday. After all, Monday–February 2–is not only our North American Groundhog Day, but it’s also la Chandeleur in France. This is the day to make crepes, tossing them into the air as you hold a coin in one hand. If your crepe lands in the pan, you’ll have a year of good luck.

I have no intention of allowing my students to flip crepes at school. (I may be a fun teacher, but not that fun!) We’re simply going to follow the maxim, “Manger des crêpes à la Chandeleur apporte un an de bonheur.” (Eating crepes on la Chandeleur brings a year of happiness.) While I’m not superstitious, I know I can use all the happiness I can get. And what better way to start off the week than with a fun surprise?

Learn some French food vocabulary as you prepare some tasty crepes. Recipes abound online. Here are your basic ingredients:

farine – flour

oeufs – eggs

lait – milk

eau – water

sel - salt

beurre – butter

Try some of these delicious toppings:

sucre – sugar

citron – lemon

fraises – strawberries

chantilly – whipped cream

chocolat – chocolate

Nutella

Younger kids will enjoy coloring pictures of the crepe-flipping festivities. Check out these free online Chandeleur coloring pages:

May you catch your crepes and have a year filled with happiness

Photo Credit: by clarita at http://morguefile.com/archive/?display=180646&

Three Kings Day: Los Tres Reyes Magos

Diane — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:37:24 +0000

Taking down the Christmas decorations is one of the saddest days of the year for me. I absolutely refuse to do it until January 7. Though the radio stations abruptly stop playing carols on December 26, I try to honor the Twelve Days of Christmas through Epiphany on January 6. So, as I write this post, the lights are still twinkling on my tree and the wreath is still hanging on my front door. I am preparing yet another family celebration to honor the Three Wise Men’s visit to the Baby Jesus on January 6.

In my home, our celebration consists of a simple King’s Cake. But in Latin countries, el Día de los Tres Reyes Magos is a really big deal. This is the day the Three Wisemen bring presents to leave in children’s shoes.

Want to help your children or students learn more about the language and customs of el Día de los Tres Reyes Magos? Check out our downloads from Foreign Language House.

Happy King’s Day

Photo Credit: by SteveFE at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/677236