French

Make a Mexican King Cake: la rosca de reyes

Epiphany.  Twelfth Night.  King’s Day.  El Día de los Tres Reyes Magos.  Whatever you call the celebration on January 6, the celebration calls for a King Cake!  In many places around the world, people remember the Three Wisemen’s visit to the Baby Jesus with a delicious cake.  A bean, porcelaine figure, or plastic Baby Jesus is [...]

A French King’s Day Celebration: J’aime la galette . . . la galette des rois

January 6 is Epiphany, or Kings’ Day.  The French call it la Fête des Rois.  I’ll be celebrating with my French class with une galette des rois, or a King Cake. Recipes abound online, but here’s my simple shortcut:
Purchase frozen puffed pastry dough.  Roll it into two large circles.  Spread almond paste onto one circle.  [...]

Wintertime Activities in Spanish and French

My family and I headed south for a vacation.  An entire week with no snow.  I know, I know . . . life’s rough!  But I think I missed it.  It was actually rather nice to pull into my driveway today and see the good ‘ol white stuff again.  With the right childlike attitude, snow [...]

Happy New Year Around the World: Greetings in a Dozen Languages

It’s hard to believe that it is almost 2009!  Time to bring out the party hats and noise makers to ring in the New Year.  Since having kids, my New Year’s celebrations have taken on a whole new vibe.  Instead of paying top dollar for a sitter and hitting the town, I like to stay [...]

Il est né le divin enfant: A French Christmas Carol

The Foreign Language Fun international Christmas carol series continues with one of my favorite traditional French carols, Il est né le divin enfant (He is born, the divine Child.) Here’s the chorus:
Il est né, le divin Enfant,
Jouez hautbois, résonnez musettes;
Il est né, le divin Enfant;
Chantons tous son avenement!
He is born the divine Child
Play oboe, [...]

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in Spanish and French

Enjoy these Spanish and French versions of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
Spanish:  Rodolfo el reno de la nariz roja
French:  Le petit renne au nez rouge
Remember to leave out a carrot for Rudolph and the other reindeer on Christmas Eve.  My three year-old will be sprinkling magical reindeer food outside in our yard this year.  They [...]

Free Peace on Earth Nativity Coloring Page in English, French, Spanish, and Italian

Foreign Language House has another free holiday gift for you–a nativity scene printable in four languages.  Kids will love coloring the adorable picture of Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus as they discover different ways to say Peace on Earth:
French:  Paix sur la terre
Spanish:  Paz en el mundo
Italian:  Pace sulla terra
Click here to download your FREE [...]

Free Merry Christmas Coloring Page in English, French, Spanish, German, and Italian

Want to wish people around the world a Merry Christmas? Give these languages a try:
French:  Joyeux Noël
Spanish:  Feliz Navidad
German:  Frohe Weihnachten
Italian: Buon Natale
Kids can color a festive Merry Christmas sign in five languages. Just click the link to get your FREE coloring page, compliments of Foreign Language House.
Coloring Page: Merry Christmas [...]

Printable Holiday Mini-Books in French, Spanish, and ESL

I love making mini-books with my students.  Today, my high schoolers were completely engaged as they wrote original mini-books about “A Letter to Santa.”  It’s really a bit deceiving.  To an outside observer, my teenagers were having way too much fun playing with construction paper and markers.  But they were actually using higher-order thinking skills [...]

FREE French and Spanish Winter Holiday Worksheets: Hanukkah and Christmas

Foreign Language House has a little gift for you this holiday season.   We’ve got two free downloads to celebrate the winter holidays of Hanukkah and Christmas.  A free worksheet, flash cards, and a coloring page in French and Spanish!
Click here for three FREE Spanish holiday worksheets.
Click here for three FREE French holiday worksheets.
Enjoy [...]