Senegal has a colonial past and had French trading posts along its coast line as early as 1624. During the time of French West Africa from 1895 until 1960 it was only four cities in Senegal that were allowed to elect a representative to the National Assembly in France highlighting the special status of Senegal. In 1960 Senegal became independent yet still keeps French as its official language today. French is to our day the language of the important people in Senegal. Yet, the everyday language in the streets of Dakar, the biggest city in Senegal, is Wolof. Wolof is the most popular of the six recognized regional languages and mainly used for joking with friends, having a chat with your neighbor or ordering a coffee in a bar. French on the other hand is spoken in conversations with your boss, in official communication with the bureaucracy or in politics. But also the French spoken in Senegal is slightly different from the one spoken in France. Although it is a lot closer to the French spoken there than the French in other francophone African countries (such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo or in Côte d’Ivoire) it has a bit of a different accent. Furthermore the Senegalese way of speaking is faster. Yet, in terms of vocabulary the Senegalese French did not develop any words on its own and remains very pure in that respect.

At Glovico you could learn French or Wolof with your private tutor via Skype at affordable rates. And learn more about Senegal as we have teachers for both languages from Dakar.

Click the images below to purchase French and Spanish downloads for Easter.

We have the French to thank for April Fool’s Day! In France, it’s called April FISH Day, or le poisson d’avril. French children make paper fish and try to tape them to the backs of unsuspecting friends.  Click the image to check out our downloadable packet of classroom activities, worksheets, and a song.

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.

Last week, one of my French classes enjoyed a MAJOR treat.  A very generous parent had an authentic New Orleans King Cake shipped to us here in Michigan.  It was from Manny Randazzo King Cakes and let me tell you, it was DEEEE-LIC-OUS!  Everyone loved it!

The cake arrived safely and well packed to its destination.

This gorgeous poster greeted me as I opened the box.

This little bag of goodies included information about Mardi Gras traditions, beads, doubloons, and a mask for our king/queen of the party.  (The person who received the special piece of cake with the plastic baby inside.)

Looks yummy, n’est-ce pas?

If you can’t get your own authentic cake shipped this year, you can create a simple version at home by purchasing a couple of tubes of refrigerator cinnamon rolls, braiding them together into a ring, and then baking in the oven.  Once it’s cooled, you can decorate the top with icing and colored sprinkles.  Be sure to hide something (safe) inside so that you’ll be able to crown a king or a queen.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

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

Of course, our modern technology makes this little activity easier and more enjoyable than ever.  Here are my favorite iPad apps for recording speech and encouraging oral skills in any language.

1.  Talking Friends:  Pierre, Ben, Gina, Robo, and more.  Simply talk and the cartoon characters repeat what you say in their cute cartoony voices.  Funny, engaging, and very silly!  Check out the developer’s site (Outfit 7) to see the selection of Talking Friends.

2.  Puppet Pals:  Select your puppet actors, backdrops, and record away!  You can save the shows for future viewing.  The voices are your own.  Check it out here in the iTunes store.

3.  Sock Puppets:  This app is SO fun and my son’s favorite.  Choose your sock puppets, props, and scenery and create shows to save.  Great for two(-or-more)-person dialogues.  Kids love to hear their “cartoon” voices and major bonus . . . the mouths move.  Check it out here in the iTunes store.

4.  Toontastic:  Kids can create their own multi-scene cartoons, and can even draw their own scenes and characters.  Love the background music.  Hours of entertainment in this one!  Awesome, awesome, awesome.  What a way to encourage and develop foreign language skills. Learn more at LaunchPad Toys.

Have fun with speaking languages on your iPad.

On the eve of this special day, French children leave their shoes by the fireplace.  During the night, Saint Nicolas arrives and fills the shoes with sweets such as candy, chocolate or gingerbread.  He is often accompanied by his donkey and Père Fouettard.  (A scary guy who doles out whippings for naught children.  Yeeks!!)

Since Nicolas is the patron saint of school children, he often visits schools on the 6th.  Watch and listen as these French children enjoy a visit from Saint Nicolas:

Here are the words to the traditional song:

Ô grand Saint Nicolas,
Patron des écoliers,
Apporte-moi des pommes
Dans mon petit panier.
Je serai toujours sage
Comme une petite image.
J’apprendrai mes leçons
Pour avoir des bonbons.

Venez, venez, Saint Nicolas,
Venez, venez, Saint Nicolas,
Venez, venez, Saint Nicolas, et tra la la…

Introduce your children or students to the St. Nicholas Day tradition with these activities:

1.  Make and decorate a paper shoe.  It’s fun and easy to do, and more convenient that real shoes in a school setting.

2.  French teachers, use these downloads to teach your students about St. Nicolas Day customs.

Bonne Saint-Nicolas!