La Rentrée: A Tale of Two Schools

September 01, 2015 by Michele Cherie in International Exchange, Education, French Language Learning, French Culture

La rentrée has arrived: today marked the first day back to school for the vast majority of French students. My two oldest children went to school for the first time ever, since last year we homeschooled my daughter for kindergarten and my son was too young to attend. Here in France, however, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity for my children to be immersed in French, make friends, and experience school in another country. Here's how I enrolled them for a month and how the first day went:

A Family Visit to Cité du Chocolat in France

August 03, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, Learning Resources, Travel, French Culture

Bonjour les amis! We've just returned from an extended weekend spent visiting dear friends in la Drôme, a region in southeast France. Our friends took us to La Cité du Chocolat in Tain-l'Hermitage (near Valence) and even though none of us were true chocoholics beforehand, we left this place feeling like chocolate connoisseurs--and gourmands who enjoyed far too many of their abundant samples! Here's why it's such a deliciously informative place to visit, and why we'd enjoy visiting it again anytime:

Visiting the Louvre & Jardin des Tuileries with Kids

July 11, 2015 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, Travel, Education, Learning Resources

Many people might not consider taking their children to France's museums but even young children can appreciate the Louvre's incredible treasures in its opulent palace setting. You can pique your child's interest with the Louvre's own interactive site for children or printing out their treasure hunts for families (select parcours-jeux on their family page).

On the first Sunday of the month, many museums in France offer free admission. We'd planned to take advantage of this offer to visit the Louvre (the world's most visited museum), but instead we went the following day, thinking that it would be less crowded if most people had come the day before. Perhaps this was true, but in summer there are such hoards of tourists that any dip in attendance was imperceptible! You can try to avoid the crowds by arriving early or when the Louvre is open very late on Wednesdays or Fridays. (Kids under 18 enter free everyday.)

Visiting Iceland with Young Children: Tips & Activities

July 03, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Travel, Reflections on Parenting, Education, International Exchange

Halló from Iceland! We're in Reykjavic on a five-day stopover before we continue on to France. Did you know you can stopover in Iceland for free when flying Iceland Air to or from Europe? This is our first time doing so, and we've had an amazing experience. We exchanged homes with an Icelandic family through HomeExchange.com and staying in their home has been one of the best blessings of our stay. We've also had a chance to visit one of our former exchange students and her family, so we've truly had a great time! In case you get a chance to visit here or know someone who will, here are our tips for a great family vacation in Iceland:

A Review of Storyplayr, a Digital Library of Childrens eBooks in French

June 15, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Language Learning, French Resources, Teaching French

As a parent, I'm glad to live in the Internet Age--particularly when my children ask me questions about the world that I can't sufficiently answer. And as a parent trying to raise bilingual and biliterate children, I'm grateful that technology provides a convenient way to supplement our language learning. We recently signed up for a free two-week trial of Storyplayr, a subscription site featuring hundreds of quality children's ebooks in French, and I was truly surprised by the richness of this site. If you're looking for more French books for your children, read on.

Review of Bayam, the Online French Educational Game Site for Children

April 15, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Language Learning, French Resources, Learning Resources

Bonjour les amis! If you're interested in a French educational game site for children, you'll want to know about Bayam. My six-year-old daughter enjoys playing on Bayam once or twice a week because it's a fun and educational French resource. Here's how it works:

A Favorite Cultural Film Documentary Series: Families of the World

February 26, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Cultural Reflections, Education, French Resources, Learning Resources, Teaching French

Media is a fantastic way to supplement language learning--my children and I love the French children's books we borrow from Les Petits Livres, and I often stream French children's music from Spotify radio, but I rarely turn to movies or film clips because they're such a passive way of learning. However, there are a few educational films that I've appreciated for what they've taught my children about the world's languages and cultures. Here's the first of the film resources that I'd like to share with you:

Tips for Leading a Young Bilingual Playgroup

February 18, 2015 by Michele Cherie in Education, French Language Learning, Learning Resources, Teaching French

Bonjour les amis! Last fall I told you about a conference I attended for teachers of foreign languages, the ACTFL conference in San Antonio, Texas, and it was full of information about supporting language learning (of course!). One of the sessions I attended focused on "Playing to Promote a Second Language in Toddlers and Preschoolers," presented by Raul Echevarria of CommuniKids. If you've ever thought about starting a simple class or playgroup to support language learning, you'll want to read Raul's tips: