French
Saint Nicolas Day in France
St. Nicholas (Nicolas) is the patron saint and protector of children. You can think of him as Santa’s great-great-great-great-great-etc grandfather! St. Nicolas Day is celebrated on December 6 in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Holland. On the eve of this special day, French children leave their shoes by the fireplace. During the night, Saint [...]
Thanksgiving Lessons for French and Spanish Classes
The day before Thanksgiving break can be a challenging lesson to teach. I know my students are sooooo ready for a break. And so am I! If I give a test, I have to grade it over the holiday. Ugh. So I opt for harnessing the excitement of the holiday to get my students talking, [...]
Les Nombres: Learn and Sing French Numbers with Whistlefritz
I just received the new Whistlefritz French Cha, Cha, Cha CD (review coming soon!) I’ve already been having a ball incorporating the fun, catchy melodies into my lessons. In fact, there’s one song I love so much I wanted to tell you about it right away! Les Nombres is a fantastic way to practice counting up [...]
Free French and Spanish October and November 2011 Calendars
It’s time for some new Foreign Language House printable calendars for October and November in French and Spanish. These are useful in so many ways: practice days, months, dates, counting; record homework, daily weather, or special events; plan units. FREE Spanish October Calendar FREE Spanish November Calendar FREE French October Calendar FREE French November Calendar Be [...]
French Countdown: Ariane Rocket Launch
Practice counting numbers backwards in French, while introducing a little culture at the same time. Young children will love becoming human rockets and blasting off in French: 10 – dix 9 – neuf 8 – huit 7 – sept 6 – six 5 – cinq 4 – quatre 3 – trois 2 – deux 1 [...]
Authentic Video Clips: Using YouTube to Teach French Language and Culture to Kids
What did I do before YouTube? Seriously . . . how did I teach? Short, authentic video clips have become a standard part of my French lessons. They are an awesome way to allow my students to get a glimpse of authentic culture and hear native accents. I never thought that I would use video [...]
Homeschool French: Unit Study for Beginners
French for Kids: The Bear Essentials is a great way to introduce children to the French language. This “beary” fun French homeschool unit study covers the basics such as greetings, colors, numbers, shapes, weather, seasons, family, house, places, days, and months. The vocabulary lists are linked to audio podcasts so that your child can hear [...]
Madeline Costume
I have always loved the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans. In fact, I even named my Siamese cat in honor of the spunky little French school girl. Last summer I developed a summer day camp called “Learn French with Madeline” and I’m currently teaching a once-a-week homeschool enrichment program by the same name. As you [...]
The French Tooth Fairy: Petite Souris
Did you know that today, February 28, is National Tooth Fairy Day? I am in the midst of the tooth fairy years with my 8 year old, and my kindergartner regularly checks his teeth for wiggles with typical younger sib envy. This pretty tooth fairy finger puppet by Folkmanis, complete with a little pocket for a [...]
Free Mardi Gras 2011 Coloring Page in French
Mark your calendars–March 8, 2011 is MARDI GRAS! At Foreign Language House we’ve prepared a free printable color-by-number for Mardi Gras 2011 . . . in purple, green, and gold bien sûr! To receive your freebie, sign up for our mailing list for language teachers at this link or on the right sidebar. Every month you’ll receive [...]
