Here’s the trailer in Spanish:

Here’s the trailer in French:

Related conversational or writing activities can revolve around Easter vocabulary, Easter Bunny job descriptions, or creating maps of Easter Island.

For more Easter themed French and Spanish classroom activities, check out our teacher-created downloads in French and Spanish.

There are SO many content-related skills in this yummy activity:  estimating, sorting, counting, graphing, and . . . eating!   Open the box of candies and estimate the total number of candies.  Then begin counting and sorting according to color.

Filling out the handout was engaging for 6-8 year olds.  Or you can skip the worksheet for younger children and just count and sort the candy.

The last step is to transform the candy graph into a paper graph.  Wonderful way to practice math skills in a world language.  And, of course, it’s time to munch!  Bon appétit!

Check out all of our Foreign Language House Spanish and French Valentine’s Day printables in French and Spanish HERE.

Happy Crepe Day!  February 2 is la Chandeleur in France.  Follow this fun tradition:  as your crepe is sizzling away, hold the pan in one hand and a coin in the other.  Flip that puppy up in the air!  Catch it in the pan, and your family will be prosperous for the year ahead!  Miss?  Well, clean up and try again.

Kids will enjoy these online activities about la Chandeleur from www.fete-enfants.com and from www.momes.net

Crepe recipes abound online.  Check out this one from www.allrecipes.com.  You don’t need a fancy pan, but be sure you get it nice and hot.  Personally, I love my crepe maker from VillaWare.  It’s easy to bring into the classroom to have a little immersion cooking fun!

And finally, here’s a FREE pdf French lesson about crepes that you can use in your French classes or at home.  It’s great for beginners of all ages.  Click to download:

Free French Crepe Lesson

Happy Crepe Day!

Image by clipart.com

January 6 is Epiphany, the day we remember the Three Kings visiting the Baby Jesus.  The French have a wonderful way of celebrating this event . . . with a King Cake.  Although I have celebrated with my French classes in the past, this year I had my first ever family celebration.  What fun!  I vow to make this a yearly event

I read online that a local European bakery was preparing galette des rois for Epiphany, so I decided to pop in and pick one up.  They only had a large.  It looked and smelled so good, I was not about to walk out of there just because they were out of the small cakes that would have been perfect for my family.  Hmm . . . guess I’ll have to invite over a few guests.  A King’s Day party it is!

That evening, our guests included two sets of grandparents, an uncle, and a cousin.  Ten people in all.  I absolutely refuse to take down any Christmas decorations until after January 6, so I lit up the tree to enjoy one last time.  When Papa came in singing “We Three Kings” I knew the party had started!

Following the French tradition, we sent the youngest (my 5 year old) under the table.  As I cut the pieces, he told me who should get each one.  This guarantees fair play!  When all were served, we said, Bon appétit to honor the French for our new tradition, and dug in.  Oh boy, was that cake AMAZING!  Flaky, buttery, almond filling . . . Oh mon dieu!

While I was relishing every bite of my cake, my youngest found that he had the special little santon in his piece of cake.  He proudly donned the crown to begin his reign.  Then my other son found a santon as well!  King Number 1 reluctantly shared his crown with King Number 2.  But the reigns were short-lived anyway because it was a school night.

We finished our treat, drank tea, and Papa led us all in one last verse of Silent Night before officially declaring the end of the Christmas season.  The celebration was short but sweet.  Very, very sweet!

Back by popular demand, I just hosting my annual family-friendly French New Year’s party.   I started my “Paris Time Zone” party several years ago when my kids were little, my husband was working, and I was determined to celebrate the new year one way or another!  You can read more about it here.

Fortunately, the family was (mostly) all together this year:  grandparents, sibs, cousins, and friends.  We gathered around 4:00 for appetizers, drinks, and games.   In the past, I provided all French foods.  Nowadays, I gladly accept any sort of munchy pot-luck offering, from veggies to chips to Mexican fare!  My contribution included croissant sandwiches, cream puffs, and Nutella crepes for a little French flavor!

At 6:00 EST, I served up the sparkling juice or champagne, passed out the noise makers & party hats, and we all counted down to the new year.  It’s just too fun to shout Happy New Year, blow a horn, and make a toast.  I love that my kids don’t have to miss it because it’s way past their bedtime.  We tried singing Auld Lang Syne, though I discovered I don’t really know all of the words!  I’ll have to work on that for next year.

The best part . . . by 9:30 the kids were asleep, the house was cleaned, and I toasted in the real new year in quiet peace.

Bonne Année! Happy New Year . . . in any language, or any time zone.

Image by clipart.com

Decorating a mini-Christmas tree is a fun and festive way to practice foreign languages before the holidays.  Preschool learners of French, Spanish, German, or other languages will be engaged and immersed as they review a number of high-frequency topics.  Here’s what I did with my little French learners the past two lessons:

1.  Our usual warm-up:  TPR, hello/how are you? song, rhyming rules, finger plays

2.  Set up the mini-tree.  Just the right size for these cute little ones!  Even the highest branch was not out of reach.

3.  We reviewed shapes and decided that a star was the best shape for the top of the tree.

4.  I taught the word for Christmas bulb (la boule de Noël) and passed one around.  Then the children received their own paper ornaments of various colors. We identified the colors, played games, and then the children placed them on the tree.

5.  Then came the candy canes.  The children eagerly expressed their preferences. (Oui, j’aime les bonbons!) Then we counted three red and white striped pipe cleaners for each child.  After bending them into candy cane shapes, they went up on the tree.

6.  In France, la crèche is an important part of a family’s Christmas decorations.  We set up the Fisher Price little people manger scene with Joseph, Marie, Bébé Jésus, les trois rois, and lots of animals.

7. Finally , we made our own foam/sticker ornaments by placing body parts onto snowmen and Santa’s.  (Merci Oriental Trading Company.)  Up they went on the tree!

8.  When our holiday decorating was done, we sang French Christmas carols around the tree.  The children took home the ornaments they made, as well as a candy cane.

Not one word of English.  Lots of hands-on activities to keep the kids engaged.  And SO many high-frequency topics:  colors, numbers, shapes, preferences, animals, body parts.

Whether you are teaching a preschool/kindergarten class or using a second language in your home, decorating the tree is a wonderful activity for language development!

Image by clipart.com

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

To receive your word search printable, sign up for our FREE newsletter for language teachers at this link or on the right sidebar. Every month you’ll receive fun teaching tips and a new download for your beginning students in French, Spanish, and  English (ESL/EFL).  Your first e-mail will contain the links for the French, Spanish, and ESL Halloween word searches.

There’s no cost, you can cancel anytime, and we ALWAYS keep your information private.

P.S.  Psst . . . if you want to save $ on any Foreign Language House order, be sure to follow us on FaceBook.  You’ll find a discount code on our FB storefront.

Catherine at  Foreign Language House has prepared a fun (and free!) Day of the Dead worksheet download that’s perfect for novice-level learners of all ages.

To receive your word search, sign up for our FREE newsletter for language teachers at this link or on the right sidebar. Every month you’ll receive fun teaching tips and a new download for your beginning students in French, Spanish, and  English (ESL/EFL).

If you teach a language, this newsletter is for you.  Why?

• You get free printable downloads for your students every month.
• You’ll be inspired by practical, creative, standards-based teaching tips and seasonal ideas.
• You’ll be the first to learn about our newest and most relevant publications of classroom worksheets, activities, and printables.  You don’t ever have to purchase a thing, but if you do it’s very reasonable!
• Diane and Catherine are veteran foreign language teachers with nearly 40 years of combined experience.  They’ve taught it all:  French (Diane), Spanish (Catherine), pre-k, K-12, public, private, parochial, homeschool.
• It’s completely free!
• You can cancel at any time.

P.S.  Psst . . . if you want to save $ on any Foreign Language House order, be sure to follow us on FaceBook.  You’ll find a discount code on our FB storefront.

I decided to translate the ever-popular “Skidamarink” into French for Valentine’s Day.  I just taught it to my four year-old today.  We do a little dance to “Skidamarink” and big TPR hand gestures to go with the verses.  Click here for a FREE printable song sheet. Listen & enjoy . . . c’est amusant!

Powered by Podbean.com

Skidamarink-a-dink-a-dink

Skidamarink-a-doo

Je t’aime beaucoup!

Skidamarink-a-dink-a-dink

Skidamarink-a-doo

Je t’aime beaucoup!

Je t’aime le matin et l’après-midi

Je t’aime le soir et toute la nuit.

Skidamarink-a-dink-a-dink

Skidamarink-a-doo

Je t’aime beaucoup

Je t’aime beaucoup-coup-coup-coup-coup-coup!