HALF HOUR

This morning, we had a bit of a change in schedule. I had all of the children together for French. That was a first and what a fabulous way to end the year! We started by rolling a globe ball from friend to friend. When each child got the ball, she/he said a French word.  Here are a few of the words named: bonjour, au revoir, je t’aime, une fleur, la pomme, les coquillages, le sable, la natation, bleu, rose, la pastèque, l’été, la pluie, les champignons.

We then had some fun moving our bodies to French music. We played Freeze dance. While listening to French songs, we danced and when the music stopped, we froze. You should have seen their fun dance moves… and their giggles were contagious.

I gave them all a Fleur sticker that says, “Félicitations,” congratulations to all of the children on a wonderful year.

EXTENDED DAY

In the afternoon, it was time to bring closure to our year and their French time with me. How they’ve grown this year! We discussed the play and all agreed that it was a wonderful performance. They should have brought home a little memento and note from me. Hopefully the envelope made it home.

We looked through their folders and remembered so much of what we did this year. I think they were all feeling very proud of their work. We even took the time to do one more work. It was a sheet of paper titled, “What did I like about French this year?” Each child wrote a response and some of them even shared their thoughts with the class. Several of them answered, “I liked everything.” Many liked the play, the songs and even the cooking. I’m so glad that they’ve enjoyed themselves this year.

We ended with a new game, “Canard-canard-oïe.” We had such a great time with this and they handled it very well. My hope is that instead of playing Duck-duck-goose, they will now play this French version.

We had some fun with Fleur. Each child had the opportunity to try wearing her. Be sure to check out the pictures below.

I know that next year will be different for each of them. I do hope that they will have some good memories from this year. Who knows, maybe these years of French will spark something inside of them and they’ll want to keep learning. If not French, hopefully another language… please keep giving them that gift.

Thanks to all of you for giving me the opportunity to work with your amazing children. I will certainly miss them next year. Be sure to keep in touch.

Merci et à la prochaine…

These children have been working for quite a few months on the end of year French play. This year’s play was “Les quatres saisons.” It was an overview of the four seasons, with sets made by the children. Each season had different costumes, props, lines and songs.

In l’automne, all of the children entered the stage wearing sweaters. Charlotte, Griffin and Lucy were the stars for this season. They talked about les citrouilles, les feuilles and les pommes. Then everyone sang the favorite fall song, “Pomme de reinette.”

In l’hiver, all of the children wore winter hats. Kaitlyn, Ian and Sawyer stole the show here. They built the most adorable bonhomme de neige and said their lines with such enthusiasm. Everyone joined in to sing, “La neige tombe.”

In le printemps, the rain jackets and puddle boots became the cute costumes. Hannah, Andrew and Makenna showed no fear when talking about their favorite springtime things: le vent, la pluie and les cerises. “Nous allons au bois” was beautifully sung and the children surprised the audiences by using some sign language.

In l’été, all of the children were involved. Check out the picture below (taken at the dress rehearsal) to see their awesome shades. They all shared their favorite summer objects and spoke with such excitement that it made us all want summer to get here. “Bateau sur l’eau” was a fun song to sing while passing a boat along the river.

The light refreshments following the afternoon performance were such a treat. Thank you to all of the parents for attending and for being so supportive of your children and ChildLight. I have to say that it was a special treat to see Jared and Myles, two former students. How they grew in a year!

Thank you all for my beautiful flowers. A HUGE hank you to Jen for being such a supportive colleague. I couldn’t have done it without you, Jen! Arleen, thanks for your flexibility and for stepping in when I needed you. Your madeleines were amazing… merci! Valerie and Rachel, thanks for all of the moral support. Pat, thank you for being such a leader and guiding me through it all.

It was truly a wonderful day and I’m so thankful to have been able to work with such an amazing group of children. They have grown tremendously this year and have really improved their French. Félicitations, mes amis!

I’ll be back for one more class next week. In the meantime, amusez-vous bien!

Merci et à la prochaine…

Today was a review of the entire year. Some requests had been made last time. They wanted to see “le roi” again. So, he stopped by to chat with them. Many of the children took a big step today and really tried to speak French with him. C’était fantastique!

We also saw our colorful finger puppet. I was so impressed with how well they helped to sing the song. What an eager group!

Another highlight was “Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds.” We hadn’t done that song since the fall, but it didn’t take them long to jump right back into it. They wanted to do it “vite” and “très vite!” There certainly was a lot of laughing happening.

We ended class seeing if they could remember one French word. I rolled a ball to Andre first. He thought for a bit and said “bonjour”. He then rolled it to another friend, and so on until all of the children had a turn. I heard all kinds of French words: merci, au revoir, je t’aime, ça va bien, vert, bleu, bonjour, and ça va. C’était super!

I will miss those children who are moving on next year. I hope this introduction to French has sparked an interest with them. I’ll look forward to seeing the rest of the children in the fall. Thanks for sharing your children with me. Have a wonderful summer!

Merci et à la prochaine…

HALF HOUR

This morning, we started with a little puppet show of “Le petit chaperon rouge.” Since this is a story that many of the children know, they were all eager to listen. I’m always so amazed with how quietly they can sit for a story in French. Ask your child about it.

We had some more fun with our May song/game, “Devinez, devinez. Qui est là?” At this point, I think all of the children have had a turn to wear the blindfold. This is a game that they could continue to play at home whenever you have a group of children that you need to entertain. It’s really simple to put together and quite amusing.

We then continued to review words that they will hear in the play next week. Each child got a different picture card: les cerises (cherries), les pommes (apples), les citrouilles (pumpkins), les feuilles (leaves), le bonhomme de neige (snowman), la neige (snow), un chapeau (a hat), une écharpe (a scarf), la pluie (rain), le vent (wind), la pastèque (watermelon), les fleurs (flowers), la plage (the beach), le tennis (tennis), le baseball (baseball), les coquillages (shells), la natation (swimming), and la glace (ice cream). They had to decide if they liked it or not and place the card on the appropriate side, “j’aime” or “je n’aime pas.” They did a wonderful job with this activity. Hopefully this will also help them to recognize some of the words in the play next week.

EXTENDED DAY

First, thanks to those of you who supplied your child’s costume pieces. You have a few missing pieces, but it’s coming together.

This afternoon was a first… all of the extended day children were in school! So, this was really the first time that we had the opportunity to go through everything from start to finish on the stage with props and sets. This is a lot for them to focus on, but they did great. They’ll probably all be rather tired tonight. To help them out a bit more, I’ll be coming in tomorrow afternoon, too, so that we can practice it again. Next Monday is the dress rehearsal and then the play is on Tuesday. I think they’ll be ready.

You should have received your invitation today. They worked very hard on these and were excited to give them to you. Just another step closer to the big day…

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Merci et à la prochaine…

HALF HOUR

Even with this dreary day, there was such happiness in the air. I’ll still be glad when everyone is healthy again!

We started the morning talking about “Les quatres saison,” the four seasons. That is the title for the extended day students’ play coming up in just a couple of weeks. We looked at various pictures that the children will see in the play. They had to decide in which season they should put their picture. We saw: les cerises (cherries), les pommes (apples), les citrouilles (pumpkins), les feuilles (leaves), le bonhomme de neige (a snowman), la neige (snow), un chapeau (a hat), une écharpe (a scarf), la pluie (rain), le vent (wind), la pastèque (watermelon), les fleurs (flowers), la natation (swimming), la plage (the beach), le tennis (tennis), le baseball (baseball), les coquillages (shells), and la glace (ice cream). They did a very nice job with this activity.

The “Devinez” game-song continues to be a big hit. They are all being so patient waiting for their turn. And wow! do we have some great guessers. C’est fantastique!

We ended by looking at the summer objects that we’ve been seeing this month. We played the game where I put out five objects and pull one away when they aren’t looking. They did a nice job guessing and remembering the words. I think they’ll really enjoy watching the play in a couple of weeks!

EXTENDED DAY

Hannah and Kaitlyn, we missed you today. Feel better soon!

First, thanks to those students who had their costumes today. You looked great! Please, a reminder to those who did not, you need your costumes: a sweater, a winter hat, a rain jacket or rain boots, and sunglasses. Merci!

Today was the first time that we put everything together: the curtain, props, costumes, sets, lines and songs. Wow! If your child is exhausted tonight, now you know why.

We struggled at first with l’automne, but by the end of class, we had a decent plan. We all agreed that, at the moment, l’été is our best season. We’ll keep working at it and hopefully impress all of you on May 22nd. The children are working hard and having fun. For some, this is not easy to act in front of a room full of parents, but I think they are all excited for the big day.

Again, thank you for all of your support! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Merci et à la prochaine…

HALF HOUR

Today we continued with the phrase, “J’aime.” (I like.) I had a bowl filled with a mixture of rocks (les roches) and shells (les coquillages) and two other bowls labeled “les roches” and “les coquillages.” I asked each child, “Est-ce que tu aimes les roches ou les coquillages?” (Do you like rocks or shells?) They had to answer me in French and then, using mini tongs, picked up the corresponding object to put into the correct bowl.

We continued our song/game, “Devinez, devinez. Qui est là?” They really enjoy this, so it’s a good thing we’ll be playing it throughout the month of May. It is great fun to hear them and watch them as they go around the circle.

We then focused on some summer words while learning the expression, “Combien de…?” (How many…?) On a sheet were pictures of various objects: les coquillages (shells), la pastèque (watermelon), la glace (ice cream), le baseball (a baseball), les roches (rocks), une balle de tennis (a tennis ball), les fleurs (flowers). In each grouping, there was a different amount. The children worked together counting in French, trying to answer the question, “Combien de…?”

EXTENDED DAY

In the afternoon, we did a run-through of the play from start to finish using props. I am so impressed with how well they are doing. Next week, we’ll add the set and hopefully costumes. I hope you got the letter from your child giving you the details of what they need. We all appreciate your support with this!

We don’t have too many more weeks until the big day. The younger students will get to enjoy a morning performance on May 22nd. It’s a nice way for the older children to have a dress rehearsal and a wonderful opportunity for the younger students to see what they’ll get to do when they’re in extended day.

Be sure to mark your calendar, extended day parents… May 22nd at 12:30pm!

Merci et à la prochaine…

HALF HOUR

I started the class today by putting on a little skit. Playmobil figures are wonderful for doing this type of thing, so we had some fun with a summer scene. There was an entire family: le papa, la maman, la fille, et le garçon. They were at a pool (la piscine), surrounded by flowers (les fleurs), rocks (les roches), shells (les coquillages), and sand (le sable). They even had a visit from the ice cream man and ordered ice cream (la glace). They went swimming (la natation) and climbed on the rocks. I’m always so impressed with how engaged the children are. They sat, listened and watched attentively for fifteen minutes… and it was all in French! C’était fantastique!

I introduced a new song/game today. One child stands in the middle wearing a blindfold.  There is a gray felt circle at a point on the rug. Everyone else circles around the child while clapping. We sang a call and repeat chant: Devinez, devinez (Guess, guess). We do this three times back and forth and then I chant, “Qui est là?” (Who’s there?) Whoever is standing on the gray circle, says, “Bonjour!” The child wearing the blindfold has to guess who said, “Bonjour!” They handled this game so beautifully and really seemed to enjoy themselves. We will continue playing this for the next few weeks.

They then learned the expressions, “j’aime” and “je n’aime pas.” I gave them each a food picture and asked them, “Est-ce que tu aimes….?” They had to answer in French and place their food picture next to the thumbs up happy face if they liked that food, or next to the thumbs down sad face if they didn’t like that food. This is a great thing for you to get them to say at home, too. Do you like…? Maybe they can answer you in French.

EXTENDED DAY

In the afternoon, we made posters and programs for the play. They took such pride in their work. C’est super! Be sure you look around school to see the cute posters they made. I was so impressed with their teamwork on this project.

With the teas and vacation week, we’ve had quite the break from practicing lines. I was worried that they would have forgotten things, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much they retained. They sang so beautifully, too.

Next week, I’ll be sending home a reminder letter for props and simple items they will need for their costumes. The play is coming up quickly, so I want to be sure that everyone has what they need. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions.

Merci et à la prochaine…

Amusez-vous bien!

Every class, we keep working on answers to “Comment ça va?” Some children give the thumbs up and say, “Ça va bien.” Some tilt their hand from side to side and say, “Comme-ci, comme-ça.” Others show a thumbs down and say, “Ça va mal.” Most of the time, it’s the thumbs up, which is a good thing.

We looked at eight different “poussins” each its own unique color. We practiced saying the colors and then we counted them. Some of the children are starting to recognize their colors and numbers. C’est super!

Using a ball with pictures of animals all over it, they each took a turn to “roule la balle” to a friend. Then, I would name a French animal and the child had to find the picture of it on the ball. They really seemed to enjoy this.

We also acted out a little song about a duck, leading other ducks. I had a feather boa for the lead duck to wear and then everyone else played follow the leader. Most of them helped me to say, “coin, coin, coin,” the sound of a French duck. I also had quite a few volunteers to be the leader.

We ended by reading a wonderful story by Mercer Mayer, “Il y a un alligator sous mon lit.” A few of the children had already read this in English, so they really appreciated it. The others figured out the story by looking at the pictures as I read in French.

I’ll see everyone in May. It’s hard to believe that the year is already coming to an end. Ça va trop vite!

Merci et à la prochaine…

HALF HOUR

We had some more fun learning about size, petit and grand. We looked at the height of different shapes. Each child got a picture, either it was short (petit) or tall (grand). They then had to match it up with the word on the work rug. They had to listen very carefully because I also included color with size. They did a wonderful job figuring out where their shape went.

To have some fun with size, we sang a song to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Using our bodies and standing tall and then short, we sang: Nous sommes grands et nous sommes petits (2 times) Then, motioning with our fingers, we sang: Grands, petits, grands, petits (2 times) We ended with our bodies again, singing: Nous sommes grands et nous sommes petits. (2 times) They caught on very quickly to this and really seemed to have a good time.

We then did a review of clothes by playing Bingo. This is always a big hit. Working in pairs, they had to mark the spot for each piece of clothing that I said. C’était bien amusant!

I hope you all enjoy your Spring tea next week and then vacation the week after. I’ll look forward to seeing everyone again at the end of April.

EXTENDED DAY

In the afternoon, we started out by being artists, creating a sun and some clouds for our play. While they worked, we practiced singing our songs. C’était fantastique!

We also ran through the lines from start to finish. That’s a lot of hard work, but they’re doing a beautiful job. Starting at the end of April, we will be putting all of the parts together with props and using the “stage.” I am so proud of these extended day students. They have worked hard and it’s all coming together nicely.

Merci et à la prochaine…