At a Signpost: The Place Between 2013 and 2014

December 30, 2013 by Michele Cherie in Learning Resources, Cultural Reflections, Contentment

We're given just a few of these days--days when we corral the Christmas decor back into boxes and try to designate a place for the new clothing and toys. It's the holiday break, and routines are relaxing into leisure while the clutter brings with it a rising sense of chaos. If you're feeling a growing need to straighten everything out, I'm right there with you! But hold off a day or two before you take on your ambitions, because the new year is around the corner, and this is the best time to learn.

Adorable & Free French Activity Books: LittleBilingues

December 12, 2013 by Michele Cherie in French Language Learning, French Resources, Learning Resources

Bonjour, mes amis! I'm currently working on a little language love story for a future post, but in the meantime I want to share some adorable resources available from Little Bilangues. Judith is a fantastic illustrator with her own publishing company, OrniCar, and this month she released her latest children's activity book for little French (and English) language learners. This activity book can be downloaded for free until next Friday, December 20th, so take advantage of her generosity!

DIY Dry Erase Family Calendar (Great for Classrooms Too)

November 19, 2013 by Michele Cherie in Learning Resources, Home Management

Tile board is great dry erase material! It can be used at home to create large family wall calendars or to display the week's menu. As a foreign language teacher, I used shower board to make a classroom set of mini whiteboards. (We used them for translation games.) If you're interested in making a large dry erase family calendar, read on. Frankly, this DIY project is incredibly easy, since the home improvement store employees can cut the tile board for you.

November 11: How and Why We Remember Armistice

November 11, 2013 by Michele Cherie in Learning Resources

Although Veteran's Day has been officially marked on the American calendar since 1926, it wasn't until I lived in France that I realized why November 11th was the day chosen to honor our veterans. I was riding a bus in Lyon when I spotted a street named "11 november 1918." I knew World War II had ended in 1918, but until that moment, I hadn't realized that the 11th day of the 11th month marked the end of the fighting. I'm grateful that the French name their streets after historic dates and persons. There's beauty in preserving knowledge in such a publicly visible way.

This Veteran's Day, I can't think of this day without also recalling images from a project called The Fallen 9000.

French (and Spanish) Children's Magazines Available in the U.S.

November 08, 2013 by Michele Cherie in French Resources, Learning Resources

When my daughter turned two years old, I bought her a subscription to a French children's magazine called Popi. Admittedly, subscribing to a French magazine for delivery in the USA is costly, and I wondered if it would be worth the expense. But even at that age, my daughter adored receiving Popi and she continues to read those same issues even now at four years old. We switched to Toupie et Chansons the following year; that subscription included four music CDs with the special issues. I'll write specific reviews for those magazines in a future blog post, but for now, here's an overview of the French children's magazines available in the U.S. and how to subscribe. (Children's magazines in Spanish are further below in this post.)

The Minimum Time Needed for Children to Become Bilingual

November 06, 2013 by Michele Cherie in French Language Learning, Learning Resources

How much time does it take a child to become bilingual? If we define bilingualism as enough proficiency to function adequately and comfortably in both languages, most studies suggest at least fifteen hours per week are necessary in the minority language. (This is not a outright rule--there are too many factors to control. Some researchers say twenty-five hours per week is a more realistic number.) If you are interested in using another language with your child on a more part-time basis, here are three factors that could increase your child's likelihood of becoming bilingual:

How to Follow A Blog (and Why You'll Love Following)

October 28, 2013 by Michele Cherie in Learning Resources

Since launching Intentional Mama two months ago, I sometimes get questions from friends and acquaintances who want to know how, exactly, to follow a blog. I'm happy to explain . . . but first let me convince you why you should follow several blogs!

The Best French English Dictionary App

October 10, 2013 by Michele Cherie in French Language Learning, French Resources, Learning Resources, Teaching French

Though I majored in French and English in college, I somehow made it through my studies with only a pocket-size French English Dictionary from the early 1980s. I had no idea how impressive a dictionary could be until I began teaching and purchased a two-and-a-half-inch thick, five pound French Unabridged Dictionary from Collins Robert for classroom use. When a translation question arose that I couldn't answer, the student who volunteered to be the daily fée du dictionnaire (dictionary fairy, with optional wand, ID tag, and tiara) would find the answer in that massive dictionary. But ever since I downloaded the Collins-Robert Concise French Dictionary App as a stay-at-home mama, I've been amazed at how useful a dictionary app can be.